Christmas Part 2

Our second celebration started in the wee hours of the morning with the kids running down the stairs to check out the treasures Santa left. I tried to convince Sam that 5:30 was WAY too early but neither he or Rock were having it so down we went to get the party started. Jo was the only one who took my advice and slept a little later(of course the only morning she's not the first one up)! Sam scored a Sounders jersey from Grandma and Papa. Sounders gear was quite a theme this year...more to come in part 3.
Maggie in her new soccer shirt. She looks so old to me in this picture. Quit changing so fast Lu!
Josie was more than thrilled with her new toothbrush and toothpaste. If this was all she got she would have been perfectly happy! The girl is all about good dental hygiene.
Millie with her new baby "Molly." Not the cutest picture of the girls but it cracks me up for some reason. They were taking in a little "Max and Ruby" while waiting for round two of the morning celebration.
And Mr. O! Is that the sweetest face or what? He was so much fun...taking in all the Christmas chaos and rolling with it! Even adding in lots of his own squeaky commentary. He makes the cutest noices I've ever heard. Even when he's ticked off I can't help but giggle at the cuteness!Giving thanks for this sweet little bean. Last Christmas we were praying for a new baby to join the family. Little did we know just a week later we'd get the best new year's gift with the announcement of his impending arrival. Owen you were the perfect addition to our Christmas morning tradition!

Christmas Part 1

So instead of one REALLY long post I decided to break the Christmas post into three parts. We really had three different celebrations so it's fitting to do it this way. Our first party was back at the beginning of December with Rocky's sisters and their families. The Wood family had made plans to spend the holiday in Hawaii so we celebrated a little early. It was so nice to all be together and the time went by too fast. The kiddos played so great and ate up their time together. It warms my heart to see Maggie and Bij play and Coco and Millie just naturally fall into their own agenda...sometimes following the "big girls" but most of the time doing their own thing which often includes chasing the "big boys" around! It will be so fun next year to watch Jo and Atti trying to keep up with all of the above! And of course Madi is such a sweetie moving seamlessly back and forth between the kiddos and the adults. So hard to believe that next year at this time she'll be home from college. I'm sad that we hardly got any pictures from the day. Rock did get some good video but we're sorely lacking in the picture department.
I had to share these sweet pictures of Atti and Jo. Atti was such a good sport to take all the lovin' Jo was pushing on him! Get used to it buddy...you have a lot of ladies that will be wanting to mother and smother you!
I am so thankful for our families and know that I have been so richly blessed by the family I gained when I married Rock. We both are eternally grateful for the gift of our families and the love and support that they give. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the celebrating!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Progams

We've been busy, busy and sick and more sick. The tummy bug hit our house about two weeks ago and and has made the rounds...and then made them again. Maggie and Jo had the worst of it. Hopefully that was it and we can stay healthy for the rest of the winter...haha! Despite all the tummy trouble we managed to get to a couple Christmas programs and parties. The first was Amelia's preschool party and performance. Above is Mils and her great buddy Jaxson. These two are sweet friends and Jaxson is never short on hugs for Millie.
Ringing the bells to the sing along. I wish you could see Jo in the background. She climbed right up on stage with the rest of the kids and tried her best to follow along with all the movements and singing.
Millie and Jo trying to get herself some frosting at the cookie decorating table.
Our little Christmas program at church was this past Sunday. Sam wasn't feeling great that morning so I just took the two big girls. It was Millie's first year singing in the kid's choir and she loved being a little sheep. I think by the second performance her costume was driving her nuts though.

Twinkle Toes

Millie had her first ballet recital Monday night. It was so entertaining and such fun to see her be the one in the spotlight for once. She's spent so much of her life being a spectator at her sibling's activities that she was just eating up finally be the one to watch! This is her with her best buddies from ballet and preschool. Group photo time! Their actual dance lasted about two and a half minutes but they were on the stage for about twenty minutes for posed pictures. Maggie has a great picture of her with her bouquet but I'll let her post that on her blog.
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Dear Santa...

So the month of December is already zipping by. We've already enjoyed lots of fun traditions and even celebrated an early Christmas with the Wood and Zehm families(another post for another day). We ventured out for our Santa visit and pictures last week. I went with very low expectations of capturing a picture with all four kids in the shot. After all, Jo is not so sure about strange people...especially one dressed in a red velvet suit and an extremely hairy face. She completely surprised us though and made it through without even a whimper. Not sure if she was really digging Santa or if she was just stunned and still half asleep since we had just woken her from a nap in the car. Requests were made to Santa..some a bit more realistic than others. Sam has one thing on his list...a unicycle! Yes, I know, broken arm written all over that one! Maggie would like an ipod Nano and a PSP(get real girl) and Millie had one sweet request for a jewelry box that plays music and has a ballerina when you open it up. Pretty sure Santa can fill that order!

I'm trying very hard to slow down a bit and REALLY enjoy the reason for the season. It sounds so cliche but I want so badly to soak in the incredible gift that this holiday resembles. A gift that we don't deserve but a gift that God so graciously gave us. At times it's hard to let go of all the hoopla and traditions but hopefully we can adjust the traditions and festivities to reflect our joy and celebration for our King.

But the angel said to them,"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." Luke 2:10

Decking the Halls