Christmas Part 2

One more post to document our Christmas celebration. We had a really fun time together doing the simple things. The Christmas Eve candlelight service at our church is always so special to me. It starts off our official celebration. After the service we come home and have an appetizer dinner and open presents. We all sip on a wonderful Christmas wassail as we open presents (I'll be sure to post the recipe next year). The boys are busting at the seams to tear into their first gift.

WOW, NANNY AND POPPY! A MP3 PLAYER IS JUST WHAT THIS BIG BOY WANTED. JUST LOOK AT THAT BIG SMILE.

THESE BOYS LOVE THEIR MUSIC!

MASON GAVE ANDREW THIS PIRATE HAT THAT CAME WITH AN EYE PATCH. HE PURCHASED THE "PIRATE" TEETH SEPARATELY...TOO FUNNY.

GO LONGHORNS!

SANTA COMES IN THE QUIET OF THE NIGHT!

WOW! MY SHAKE & GO CRASHERS ARE SO MUCH FUN. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE LOUD CARS CRASHING ON THE TRACK AT 5AM.

SANTA EVEN FILLED A STOCKING FOR SADIE! I THINK THAT EXCITED HIM MORE THAN HIS OWN GIFTS FROM SANTA.

SADIE ENJOYS HER SQUEAKER. THANKS SANTA!

WE HOPE YOU ALL HAD A CHRISTMAS THAT MADE YOU SMILE!

CHRISTMAS PART 1

Christmas was fast and furious this year. Oh but what a fun ride!
Of course the boys had lots of fun with their cousins from Colorado.

SAY CHEESE JOSH!

BROOKIE PLAYS WITH THE LITTLE PEOPLE NATIVITY

THE BOYS ARE PLAYING HARD

AUNT WAWEE MAKES A LITTLE MAGIC SNOW...

AND OUR SOUTHERN BOYS ARE MYSTIFIED

We kicked off Christmas week with a ride on the Polar Express. We had so much fun as you can see from the slide show below. The dancing chefs made everyone feel so welcome and part of the fun. All you could hear were giggles and laughing of children as they rang their bells and sang Christmas carols. It was a great way to dip your heart in Christmas cheer and get rid of any Bahumbug feelings you had.

We started a new tradition last year to make one of the boys presents something we do together as a family. Mark and I both agreed that the things we remember most from our childhoods are the thing we did, not what we had. Last year we went to see the Children's Theater production of the Nutcracker. The boys enjoyed that but I have to say that Mom probably enjoyed dressing everyone up for the theater more than they did. ;-) After our ride on the train we were in the car on our way home when Mark said, "Boys, mom did good this year, huh!" They yelled "yes" in unison and my heart jumped. They were completely in Awe of the massive steam engine and the sound of that train going down the track. I do wish my father could have come to enjoy that time with the boys. He worked for the Illinois Central Railroad for over 30 years and tells the boys all kinds of wonderful train stories from his years on the tracks. We may have to repeat this trip next year since it was such a hit. I have a feeling this is something the boys won't outgrow since dad had just as much fun as they did! If we go again, I'm wearing my pajamas too!

THE STOCKINGS WERE HUNG BY THE CHIMINEY WITH CARE

IN HOPES THAT ST. NICHOLAS SOON WOULD BE THERE.

The boys are all nestled snug in their beds as we wait for Santa to come. I don't know who is more excited every year, the boys or their parents!

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Laura loaded up the kids and headed to Dallas to pick up Jake at Love Field. I armed her with a map to the airport and assured her she would miss the bulk of the afternoon traffic. I kissed the babies and my sis and they were on their way. She called about an hour later, the car engine light had come on and it was slipping out of gear. She called our friend who had fixed her car and he immediately got on the road to get pick up the car and his wife followed behind in her SUV to bring Laura and the kids back to my house. Laura was blown away at that kind of service. She said, "I don't think the Ford dealership would have taken care of us like that." Jake rented a car at the airport and headed for our house too. When everyone was back at my house, we had an all out laughfest. This story just was too incredible.

Friday afternoon the car was ready. As it turns out, a transmission line had come loose during the radiator repair. Just one of those strange things. I had lunch with Laura, Jake and the kids one last time before they headed home. They both commented on the kindness of our little community. It made me proud to be a part of this community. Everyone treats each other like neighbors and family and that doesn't go unnoticed by people accustomed to "city life". God has blessed us richly with the relationships we have built here.

You will all be glad to know that Laura and the family MADE IT HOME SATURDAY! I was so glad to see her home number on my caller ID. She said she almost cried when she saw her house. I told her she needed to rent Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. She would see it in a whole new light now.

I LOVED my time with my sister and her kids. The circumstances were INSANE but we were truly blessed. We even managed to get Jake here for one night. I know God's hand was on every minute of this crazy sequence of events. When we went to church last Sunday, I had chills because I know our pastor was speaking directly to us. He was saying how Joseph had plans for his marriage and future. He did not plan for his future wife to be pregnant (he wanted to leave her quietly) and to have to trek her across the country to a place where they had nowhere to stay except a BARN. Oh, and have the baby there! God kept telling Joseph to have faith in Him, He had a plan. Boy were we learning what that meant this past couple of weeks!

I know you are wondering where the train come into this story? Well, Mark and I are taking the boys to the East Texas Historic Train Depot to ride the Polar Express tonight! We will wear our pajamas, drink hot cocoa and head to the North Pole. They have been looking forward to this soooo much. It is the kickoff to our Christmas week.

The End of Best Laid Plans

Remember that adjustor? Well by Friday the 12th, he had still not showed up at the repair shop, so the parts had been ordered but no work could be done. Therefore Debbie and Mike continued on to Colorado while Laura and the kids came back to Texas on Saturday and waited for the car to be repaired.

I know she was ready to get home and see her husband and continue to prepare for Christmas but we really made the best of difficult circumstances. We watched fun Christmas movies together, made the weekly trip to Wal*mart together with 3 kids 5 and under, made sugar cookies with all 4 kids, and had plenty of laughs together. We have both been wanting time together with our kids and the Lord made a way to provide it to us. It just wasn't in the pretty package we would have planned. It is funny how because of the unusual change of plans, we were blessed with more time together. Now I did not get my Christmas cards done or a lot of my Christmas shopping that still needs completing. Those things can take a back seat to time with my sister and her 2 babies.

But now it was Thursday and the car was ready. Jake, Laura's husband, was flying in to meet her so they could make the long drive together. But don't get too haisty, the story doesn't end yet. It couldn't be that simple.

Adventures in Cross Country Travel

As I said earlier...the accident happened after they had driven 14 hours through the night (much easier to do with a 2 and 4 year old) and were waiting to turn into my driveway when the street sweeper quickly went in reverse and backed into them. Needless to say, this put a damper on the arrival. The front of the car was damaged as well as the radiator. The driver of the sweeper admitted fault at the scene but the insurance company (after 2 days) said they would only pay 75% of the damages. Laura had to get her insurance involved to get the ball rolling so an adjustor would even be scheduled. I called a friend in town to get the car picked up but he could not begin the work until the adjustor showed up. We spent a couple of days together having fun with the kids. We all opened our gifts to each other and had fun laughing and spending time together. Laura, Debbie, Mike and the kids finally recieved their rental car on Wednesday and continued East on their trip. They were going to plan on heading back to my house in a caravan, since Debbie and Mike were renting a U-Haul to pick up the remainder of their possessions back east to carry back to their new home in Colorado, on Saturday the 13th and leave to head back to Denver on Sunday evening...that was the plan before the street sweeper entered the story...to be continued.

The Expedition Was Run Over By a Street Sweeper...

Pulling into Amy's Driveway for a Christmas Visit! (This should be sang to the "Grandma got ran over by a reindeer" tune) This is how the visit with my sisters began. This is such a long story I will post over several days. We have made the best of a bad set of circumstances and the saga continues. I'm telling you, I should write a screenplay about this adventure.

MY SISTERS ARE ON THEIR WAY!!!!!!!

My big sisters Debbie (along with her husband Mike)and Laura (with her babies Josh and Brooke) are driving in today on their way to see the rest of our family back East. They will be here for one day then continue with their trip. This weekend they will be back again for a couple of days before they head back to Colorado. When they come back on Saturday, our friend (who you may as well call a sister too!) will drive in with her two girls. We will have a HOUSE FULL and I LOVE IT!

I am worse than the kids. I stayed up until 5:00am wrapping presents because I was too excited to sleep. Now that is crazy! I am a grown woman who should have more self control than that. oh well, who wants to sleep when there is fun to be had. I can sleep after they leave.

I'll post pictures of all of our craziness later. For now I'm off to work.