Christmas Day 2010

I wanted to get this posted while it is still 2010 (barely).   Usually, I make a little video of our Christmas season festivities for the kids to watch on New Year's Eve but I have been so lazy and "in the moment" with my kids this break that I have not even done that! But this is a long post so it will probably feel like a 10 minute video;) We have had a very nice Christmas break but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that I am kinda looking forward to the peace and quiet of Tuesday morning when school begins again!

Christmas Day was fabulous!!!! Harry work up early as usual and he woke up an excited Kate and a grumpy teenager who wanted to sleep in (Will). Look how grumpy he is???  Yup, we have a teen in the house!

This is them waiting upstairs (above) while I turn on the tree, check to see if Santa came and get the coffee going.

The annual "coming down the stairs" photos.

Harry is smart enough to peek around the corner to where the tree and gifts await!

Will cheered up substantially when the first gift he opened was a sole skate.

Kate and Harry were excited to see pillow pets under the tree.

Kate loved some of the lip gloss and pretend make-up in her stocking.  She also LOVED the pink wallet that was in there.

Harry got some juggling balls in his stocking but Dave quickly absconded them:)
Dave is great at juggling!

The kids each got Dave a new pan.  Our skillets were in BAD shape.  We love these new "green" pans.


I love this one...Kate is leaning in to kiss Harry as a thank you for his gift.
He got her a neat finger paint set.  She loves art!



Here she kisses and hugs Will.  He bought her two new Fancy Nancy books.



Aunt Dooney, Uncle Moon and Ashton (my sister and her family) got Kate an Easy Bake oven and some accessories.  She loves it.  We plan on doing a lot of easy baking;)



Harry got an Ipod Nano and a spy video watch.  But I think he liked this soccer shirt that Santa brought him as a surprise best of all.  He has worn in 3 times this week;)



Dave really wanted an American flag.  He also got a cashmere sweater and two wool sweaters.

Dave bought me an external flash for my camera.  I still have not figured out how to use it yet but I m sure I will love it.  He also got me some J Crew clothes and a replacement pair of Tory Burch shoes since Snickers ate my favorite pair just before Christmas.

We had our traditional breakfast of baked french toast (Harry's favorite) and an egg and sausage strata (Will's favorite).  Then we went out into the VERY COLD weather so Kate could try out her new roller-skates (the only thing she really asked for) and Will's sole skate.





Look at how Kate is looking up to Dave.



Kate and Harry did a little baking (in the easy bake oven) while Dave and I cooked a turkey, a beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, herbed green beans, homemade gluten free macaroni and cheese, zucchini casserole,  marinated and roasted mushrooms (they were SO good), biscuits and two gluten free/ dairy free pies (apple and blueberry). There were 11 of us for dinner and it was really nice.






After dinner, the peanuts had so much fun playing with their college aged cousins...









Will got a nook and could not resist reading while everyone was hanging out.  He is so much like me.  Reading is my very favorite thing to do and I love my Nook color!!!!



Kate and cousin Jamie.

Here is most of the gang....


from left to right
Michael (Aunt Waukita's oldest son), Kate, cousin Jamie, Harry, Scout, Uncle Joe (Dave's older brother), Dave and Snickers, Will, cousin Olivia, Kim (me) and Aunt Waukita (Uncle Joe's wife).
Aunt Waukita's Mom also joined us but did not want to be in the photo. So, she took it for us!



And our little family!

Two things made me so thrilled on Christmas day that I did not capture here.  One is the gift Harry gave me.  It is a book called "In Focus: National Geographic Greatest Portraits."  I about cried when I opened it.  Harry knows I love photography and he bought this with his own money.  It is a beautiful and thoughtful gift.

Also, at the very end of the day Harry exclaimed, "This was the greatest Christmas!  And not because of the presents (although he did love them).  It was because our whole family was here."

Our whole family was not here.  My sisters and Mom and their families  (they live in PA and CA) were not here and Dave's sister lives far away too (in VA) and was not here.  But I knew what he meant.  He really enjoyed having some extended family here.  It was a fun day.

Thank you for all of the kind and wonderful feedback y'all have given me this year (and for the past 4 years!).  We plan to hunker down tonight playing games and watching TV and making a gluten free -dairy free chocolate cake for NYE.  I wish you all a blessed and healthy New Year.

Christmas Eve 2010

We do the same things every Christmas Eve for the most part.  And I feel a strong need to document it all.  So, yes there are a ton of photos here.  I have come to a huge realization as to why I do this and I will share more about this personal discovery in a few days.  But anyway, first, we go to Mass in the late afternoon.  We go an hour early (or else you don't get a seat) and they have a children's choir sing and readers do a lesson on the birth of Jesus as we wait for Mass.  Of course, I always require some posed photos before we leave for Mass.

 

No one (inlcuding me) was really in the mood for these photos this year.

This is what my kids actually wanted to do....



For the past few years, Harry likes to take a photo of us too.  He took the one below.



After Mass we go out for a nice dinner.  We began this tradition last year.  Our food allergies and the timing of Mass has made us struggle with Christmas Eve dinner and we might try something new next year.



This year we went to a fine seafood and steak restaurant.  Their speciality is stone crabs (which Dave and Will had).  Harry loves Alaskan King crab and so once (or twice) a year...we let him splurge.  There is so little that my kids can eat that they really look forward to this Christmas Eve meal.  The only problem is that we end up getting home pretty late.


I love this shot of Kate whispering sweet nothings to Dave.

The kids loved the hot lemon towles our waiter brought us between courses....



I love that they learn how to behave in a fine dining atmosphere.

After dinner, we came home and got in our Christmas jammies.  Then, the kids opened one gift.  The boys always get a nutcracker and Kate always gets an ornament.





Kate got a Cinderella ornament since she was so into the princesses this year and since she met Cinderella and had lunch at the castle this year. (Ironically, ever since Disney she has cooled off a bit on the princesses and I am glad;)




Will's nutcracker has a cross because he really grew so much in his faith this year.  He reads the Bible daily and has become very involved in our church youth group.  Will saw this nutcracker back in October and he actually asked for it this year.



Harry got a football nutcracker because he plays football everyday at recess and he organized the Turkey Bowl for our neighborhood and he and Dave have a father-son fantasy football team for the first time this year. Also Harry's football nutcracker has a 10 on his jersey (for the year 2010 I am sure) but Harry is 10 years old this year so it seemed fitting:)



I think they were all very happy!

After that, we needed to finish some cookies we had baked earlier in the day.  They are gluten-free, dairy free chocolate mint.  They were easy and delicious.



Then we read the story of Jesus' birth and Twas the night before Christmas.  This is the first year I needed reading glasses! I must be getting old.  I also know that I am not looking too good in these photos.  I will admit that the car accident is really taking a toll on me.  I have had lots of pain and anxiety.  I am going to the chiropractor and physical therapy.  I have also had cupping and acupuncture.  I think the cupping is really helping the most.  Aside from the neck and back pain, I have had headaches and nausea (from the neck injury..believe it or not).  I am not 100%.




Reading from Luke....







After I read, each of the peanuts read a Christmas passage or poem from the book.

Then all the peanuts went to bed while Dave and I cooked up a storm.
 It was a very late Christmas Eve for us.

I will post about Christmas Day next.

Relaxing....

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.  I am very busy sitting in front of the fire watching movies with my family, playing games, reading, baking cookies, going to the zoo (in the freezing cold), taking Harry to antique stores (his new obsession) taking the dogs to the dog park and listening to Harry and Kate's piano concerts (Harry taught himself how to play two songs on the piano this week...he has never played or had a lesson before).

I will muster up the energy to post about Christmas Eve and Christmas day very soon.  They were fabulous!  I am too busy being lazy for now.  In fact, I am presently being summoned to a very important tea party.

Several of you asked about my Bible reading plan. I am beyond excited that some of you are going to give it a try.  Go for it.  You will be so glad you did!!!  Some books were really tough to get through but I am so glad I stayed the course.  Here is the link: Discipleship Reading Plan

I liked having a paper to check each day's readings off and make notes.

Back soon:)

Christmas Eve Gift

Tonight (really this afternoon) as I sit in church before Christmas Eve Mass, I will give Jesus a special birthday gift.  I will finish the last few verses to complete reading the entire Bible in a year.  I have to read Malachi and a chapter of Job and then I am finished.  I embarked on this journey last January and it feels so fulfilling to be (almost) done.  I have never actually stuck with a New Years resolution before this one. I knew I could not give up on this one (like I did on my project 365) because the person I would be letting down is pretty important. I have a feeling I might get a little teary when I finish the last word.

Reading the Bible every day this year has changed me.  I am not even sure I can put it into words here.  But I encourage you to think about starting in January.  The program I followed is very doable.  I will continue to read the Bible daily.  It is habit now.  I think having read it all once....I will be able to read even deeper as I choose various studies.

Last night we attempted one of our Christmas traditions.  After dinner, we piled in  the car and went to look at Christmas lights.  We began in a very modest neighborhood that really pulls together and does a beautiful job.

This is blurry taken out of the window of our moving car...but look they even wrap the car in lights!

Then we drove to a more affluent neighborhood that also has beautiful lights.  Although, these homes are professionally done.  

In this neighborhood, you will see limos, horse and carriages and all sorts of decorated cars bringing people around to see the lights.  It is amazing.

Santa and a professional photographer were even at this house!





This tree was AMAZING!!!!  The photos do not do it justice.

I wish I could tell you it was a Rockwell family evening but it wasn't.  The kids bickered and fought and insulted.  I got my feelings very hurt and it was not a pretty ending. I only share this because it is real and while I wish all of our family times were pleasant and loving...sometimes we argue and get on each other's nerves.  Most unfortunately, last night was one of those nights.  But today we focus on Jesus' birthday and the miracle of of our Saviour.  I am excited about Mass,  a nice dinner out as a family, our Chrsitmas Eve traditions and tomorrow morning.

Here are a few shots of our tree at night...

I realized that I have not really sat down in the living room at night and enjoyed it yet. Between our car accident (and the fallout) and all of the business of this month, I have not had the opportunity.  I am hoping to slow down, breathe and do that this week:)

Blessings to you all this Christmas.