HO HO HO

Guess which scenario happened at our house on Christmas morning?

A. The kids snuck downstairs and saw all their presents early.
B. The kids waited patiently until Mom and Dad got 8 hours of sleep before
waking them up to see what Santa brought.
C. The kids woke Mom and Dad up at 2:30 a.m. to see if Santa came and stayed up until 5am without going back to sleep.

Answer: C

Can you believe that? Whew! Care actually went back to sleep for a couple of hours but Judson stayed up reading until the minimum wake up time of 5am was reached.

Presents from Santa:
Judson - crossbow (yes, that is legal) and an iPod shuffle
Caroline - Nellie, an American Girl doll, a keyboard, and an iPod shuffle

From Mom and Dad:
Judson - all the crossbow "stuff"
Caroline - 3 mini American girl dolls and their book sets
Lots of stocking stuffers!

Here are some pics from the event.

Christmas Eve is one day away!

This has sort of been an odd Christmas for our family because I had an ACL repair surgery done on December 19th. Ever since then I have been hooked up to a recirculating ice machine, continuous passive motion machine, and worn an immobilizer when moving (mostly to the bathroom). It looks more painful than it is but it definitely is keeping me in one place. I have cleaned up my email and sent ecards out this holiday season in lieu of snail mail cards. Friends have been wonderful to take the kids, bring food in and check on me regularly. Caroline has surprised me the most by taking great care of me through the night the first three nights I was home. She said, "Mom, I may be asleep but my ears are on!" Sure enough, she would pop up in the middle of the night when I called out to her and without complaining, get my crutches and walk patiently with me to the bathroom, get me water, etc. What a blessing! Brant has been cleaning up constantly to keep me happy. He had a closing today (first one in a few months) and has a planning commission meeting tonight. Tomorrow, Judson and Caroline are in a Christmas play at church. For the first time, Caroline will sing a solo and Judson is being the narrator. I am so excited that Brant's parents will be attending. I suppose I will hobble in and take a seat in the front....

Our 19th Anniversary

Make a Smilebox greeting

The Holidays are here!

The holidays are here! They seem to come around faster every year...just like birthdays! After a few days of sickness with a stomach virus (always something), we are adventuring out today to see Katie McKinstry (our friend and future star) in a play at the Suwanee Arts Center in which she is the lead. If we can handle it, we are going to the annual tree lighting at Northside Forsyth Hospital which has become a tradition for us. Caroline even wants to see Santa! I am trying to still see the magic of the holidays through the eyes of my kids. Once they found out about "Santa", it spoiled it a bit for me. Two years ago, Caroline snuck downstairs and saw us setting everything up. We did not see her though and she did not tell us until the next year. Judson was smart enough to never say a thing! He just grins really big whenever Santa is mentioned. They know they have to "pretend" to believe for Santa to show up with the goods! The real meaning of Christmas becomes apparent tomorrow when Judson goes with the Trailblazers (4th and 5th graders from our church) to carol at a nearby nursing home. We are also sponsoring several kids from needy families through our homeschool group and of course our kids in Africa, Kubra and Azani. If money were flowing better this year, we would have sent them a goat or a cow! (maybe next year)

Mom and Dad's 50th slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Care's very first smilebox

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary

Cannot believe that both my parents and Brant's parents made it to 50 years of marriage. It is truly a blessing. We just celebrated their 50th by going to Gulf Shores the week before Thanksgiving with the whole family. The beach was gorgeous and the views were so beautiful. I was sick however and coughed and sneezed nearly the whole time. I hope that I did not make anyone else sick! It was great to be in a relaxed setting with everyone with no schedules or time constraints. I wish that we had more time to spend together and more often. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad! I am so proud of you and blessed to be a part of your family.