Christmas Wrap Up

CHRISTMAS 2007 *Click to view largerFriday...Christmas Pageant for Megan....Holiday party for Max...Family came...cousins had fun.....Saturday Megan to Doctor...ear infection again....did last minute shopping....Dad hit the grocery for Mom....Sunday had Christmas with Stalters.....Christmas Eve...shaped pancakes for breakfast...Max, Megan, and Mia exchanged presents....went to church....Mom passed out the new PJ's....sprinkled the reindeer food and left cookies for Santa....Santa came....Open presents and stockings....Mia took a nap (VERY overwhelmed!)..Max played new Wii games..and did Legos too...Megan played with Julie...Mommy and Daddy wanted to take a nap...but needed to get dinner.....Christmas dinner with Grandpas and Grandma...baths for the girls...Daddy cleaned the kitchen...Mommy checked blogs..now kids off to bed....Daddy and Mommy too....Lots of laughing..singing...playing..and pictures...all good times to remember.

Hope you too had a blessed day! Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

From our house to yours - Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas Angel

Megan's Christmas Pageant was today and she was an angel. The most adorable one I may add. She had a great time and for the 1st time, Dad and the grandparents joined us for the singing! Megan knew all the words and motions, and although yawned a few times, overall a great improvement from the last few years!

Great Job Megan!

Before school w/ Mia

Singing her heart out!
Girls were angels, and boys were shepards
Megan and her friend Annie
Miss Rachel and Megan

Working on the Weekend

This was a "snowed in" weekend. We did a lot of taking care of sick Max (thankfully he's better with antibiotics!) to watching movies and even shoveling some more snow. Scott left his laptop on the ottoman, and Mia decided to work. We don't know how she did it, but she opened it up and pretended to point at the screen (it wasn't on) and roll the mouse around. It was so cute, and she was so proud. It entertained her for at least 20 minutes, which is how I got such good pictures! Here's to our future worker bee! (and some of Mom hard at work too!)

Hmm. Where do I start?

Look Mama (at what??)
SO PROUD!
Mommy hard at work
Break Time! (Like my new coat?)

FINALLY!!!!!!

My husband just called on the way to the mall and made my day! All my Texas friends will be proud to know we are FINALLY getting a sonic close by. Now close is like 10-15 minutes with traffic, but it beats driving 40 minutes when I get the urge for a Route 44! Horray!

Snooping and Lessons Learned

Do you snoop? It's the time of year when Christmas is near. My kids don't snoop. I can't believe they don't. When I was their age I did. I guess I do a great job of hiding everything since I am a snooper. Call it the kid in me. I snoop.

My husband hates that I snoop. The first year we dated I'd shake the box and tell him what it was. The first year we were married a box came when I happened to be home w/ a Longaberger Snowman. He was ticked because the snowman was drawn on the box. Othewise I wouldn't have known. (Now I think he ships everything to work!) Every year he tries so hard to hide everything from me.

The last few years I haven't snooped. Really I haven't. (He doesn't believe me) But yesterday out of curiosity, I did a little digging. I was sitting in the Doc's office w/ Max who isn't feeling well. I said "So what is Daddy getting me for Christmas"? Of course I thought he wouldn't really know. But instead he gives me the 1st letter. Now not many things start w/ a W. So I said a Wii game. He smiled.

"It's on TV" he says.
"American Idol game?"
"No"
"High School Musical game?"
" NO - Mom I can't tell you!" " OK - it starts with a D"
"Dancing with the stars game?"
"Yes"

So, fast forward to a day of him laying on the couch and Dad arrives home. Of course I tell him what I learned. Max breaks out in tears and Mommy feels the guilt. He had broken his Dad's trust - a lesson he should learn at some point, but one I shouldn't have given him yesterday. After longs talks and forgiveness, I see now how snooping around isn't really beneficial.

No more snooping for me. (But for the record I will be learning the cha-cha!)

O Christmas Tree

Thanksgiving weekend we decorated the tree. Every year we each hang up our name ornaments - a tradition started when we got married. Also every year we order ornaments from Bronners Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan. We used to go in person when we lived up there, but now it is online ordering! This year, Scott's ornament was an Ipod (since he finally got one), mine a laptop (since I got my computer this year), Max a football (since he played for the 1st time), Megan an art palette (need I say more), and Mia music notes (she took her 1st music class). On top of those we have 2 ornaments from Disney. Mickey Ears and the Castle. This year the kids were having fun trying to remember which ornaments are from what year.

The kids had a great time putting it up and so far (fingers crossed) Mia has yet to be interested enough to pull anything off. We also made a kids tree upstairs for them with their handmade ornaments. That one we don't care about and they can pull anything off they want to!

Megan had the honor of hanging up Santa this year

Mia hanging her ornament
Megan and her name ornament
Max and his ornament
The next day in front of the finished product

COFCC Christmas Party - and Santa too!

Last weekend we went to our 1st outing with the Central Ohio Families with Children from China. It was their annual Christmas party where they had a pancake breakfast (Max's favorite part) and honored families who came home in the last year (us) and waiting families (our good friends the Millers) with a candlelighting ceremony. We had a great time and even the kids saw Santa. Needless to say Mia had the same reaction as at Disney and last year on his lap. So I guess we're not going to make a trip to the mall to see him again!

Mommy had to sit with Mia

Max waiting to light the candle for MiaDennis, LeAnn, and Grace waiting for a new member of their family Max and Mia dancing on stageTrying to get 4 kids to smile is a chore!

Yes - It Came.

This morning we awoke to about 4 inches of snow. School is cancelled (which we were surprised about - but it is the 1st snow). I guess I can't be in denial anymore. I shoveled 1/2 the drive and who knew what a great cardio workout it would be. I'm so out of shape!

Grandpa is coming to take me to Dicks to get the kids boots and snow pants. I'm so unprepared and such a bad mom that I bundled up my kids just to get pictures for the scrapbook page and blog! (plus they were begging to go outside).

So, Happy Winter - it's definitely here!


Our House

My Three Snowbirds

"Watch out Mom!" (yes he got me!)

Megan making the biggest snowball ever!

What is this stuff?

Winter is coming.

I've been in denial for a while. Really. I've spent the last 5 1/2 years in the south where winter comes, but it is VERY mild. Tonight and tomorrow we have a snow advisory. 2-3 inches and highs in the 20's. I guess I should have purchased the kids snow boots and snow pants - at least I've got hats and gloves covered. But like I said I'm in denial. I guess if we play in the snow, we'll get wet.

Winter isn't really coming is it?

Girls Day Out - Build A Bear

Today I took the girls to Build a Bear (Mia's 1st time) down at the mall. We had some coupons to use and we wanted to make Rudolph and Clarice. Mia went straight to Clarice and Megan wanted Rudolph. This is the favorite movie at Christmas time around my house. We have all the misfits under the tree too! Megan had such a good time showing Mia how to make a stuffed animal. It was so much fun to watch my girls be together and even pick out the clothes Rudolph and Clarice would wear. Imagine Megan buying a boy outfit and Mia getting the girly dress. Two polar opposites! Here's some shots of the morning.

Elmo Makes Music!

Thanksgiving weekend Mia and I, along with our good friend Angela and her daughter Alexa, ventured out to "Elmo Makes Music". Max and Megan each had their own fun time at these so it was Mia's turn. Thanks to the cutest sweatshirts ever (Elmo w/ Mia's name embroidered on it) from "Aunt" Angela, we had the best time! Mia loved seeing the characters as long as they were on stage and not close by! ( we had a few close calls as we were on the floor where the characters came down the stairs!)

Just wanted to share a few pictures of our cute girls. Ang and I agree that it was the most stress free event ever - especially since our big kids were busy with the dads!

We're Heading back to the....

Thanks to the following teams:

For beating WV and sending us up the ladder

For winning and sending us up to #1!

GO BUCKEYES! Beat ???? (The BCS will tell tomorrow!)

Disney Day 4 MGM and Day 5 Resort Fun

This is the last bunch of the pictures. I feel so far behind since I need to blog Thanksgiving and Santa today. But we'll get there!

On Day 4 we lucked into a character breakfast with Playhouse Disney at MGM. I have to say Max is such a trooper. For being almost 8, he endured a Princess Character meal AND Playhouse Disney without a complaint! What a great big brother. We got in before the park opened which was a treat - especially for pictures! One big treat was they were picked to introduce the Little Mermaid Ride (Megan's favorite character is Ariel so how fitting!). It was cute to see them try to say "Welcome to the Little Mermaid". That night we just headed to Downtown Disney again. Max wanted one more look at the Lego store, and honestly they were wore out with seeing things at the parks!

On Day 5, we hung out at the hotels. We stayed at the Contemporary, but we went over to the Grand Floridian for lunch. We had heard they had a gingerbread house that was real in the lobby and it was great to see. While there eating lunch Max lost a tooth! We wrapped it carefully so we could transport it back home for the tooth fairy. It made it!

All in all we had a great time - even with Mia's tantrums. Looking back it wasn't so bad, but Scott reminds me it will be a few years before we attempt to do anything like that again for vacation!

Here's the rest of the pictures. Enjoy!

Day 4 MGM / Day 5 Resorts - a photoset on Flickr