A Beary Merry Christmas

Will's Christmas musical was last weekend. God bless his music teacher! What dedication!
Will was a polar bear :)

And the following picture just cracked me up. So indicative of their relationships - EK with Patrick in a headlock. Thankfully you can't see his bruised nose too much in this one. EK tripped over him, fell onto him, and smashed his face into the hardwood floor the day before this pic was taken. He was a bleeding mess. Not fun. He's a tough kid, though.

Christmas according to Ellie Kate

Singing to herself: "And a partridge in the pantry"

Telling me about what Santa will do after he leaves presents: "He will gather up all his things and then zoom up the chimney and go outside and get in his sleigh or in his mom's car."

Will brought home "reindeer food" - fruit loops, marshmallows, sprinkles, rice - to throw on the lawn on Christmas Eve. Ellie was eating it (except the rice, of course). I didn't know if she had asked her brother's permission before doing this, so I asked, "Ellie, are you eating William's reindeer food?"
EK: "Yes, mom, but don't worry - it doesn't turn me into Rudolph."

Love seeing holidays through the eyes of children!

Christmas - part 4

Finally - the last Christmas post! On Monday, the 26th we spend the day at my mom's. It was another great day with family, food, relaxation, games, and fun. Will did give us quite a scare that day, though. My mom, sister, grandma & I were playing dominoes at the kitchen table. Link was out in the garage and Justin had dozed in the living room. Will & Elle were napping downstairs. At about 4:30 (about 30 minutes after Will usually gets up), Justin went down to wake him...only to return upstairs and ask if anyone had seen Will. He was not in the bedroom. After a quick search and calling his name, we found him hiding in the corner in the dining room. None of us had heard him come upstairs! I'm still not quite sure what he was doing, but he seemed in good enough spirits. I think J's adrenaline finally slowed after an hour or so.

Fancy Nancy had quickly become an addition to the family.

Elle ready to open

Will ready to open

Will got most of the Magic Tree House series from Aunt Casie - he was literally enthralled!

new robe - so cute!

Will in his own "soft suit" and still with the books :)

J, C & I love the TV show Friday Night Lights and are quite sad it went off the air. (Thankfully J got the series on DVD for Christmas - yay!) I ordered these shirts for us - big hit :)

I'm only posting this one so there is a baby belly shot.

I love them!

And, finally, a cute shot to end with. All in all, a WONDERFUL and very blessed Christmas season!

Christmas - part 3

On Christmas Eve day we headed to Grammy & Grandpa's to be with more family. The kids had a great time playing. Will has greatly improved at the Wii which makes that much more enjoyable. We all went to Christmas Eve services that night and they both did a really good job. On Christmas day, there was more playing, yummy food and gifts. The kids open gifts during the day - the grown ups at night. Once again, we were all spoiled.

Try to ignore the glare -- but this is the best I could get of the kids before church.

Will loves his big cousins!

Ready for presents!

Cinderella!

New sleeping bag

They both slept on the air mattress in their sleeping bags that night. Well, actually, Elle pushed Will off, so he slept on the floor in his sleeping bag. But, they both started on the air mattress!

Oh my

More fun with cousins

And we were lucky enough to get to see Ryan & Cooper for a little bit. The boys (all 4) working to put one of Will's new games together.

Christmas - Part 2

Santa came to our house a day early since we would be at Grammy & Grandpa's the morning of the 25th. Will had asked for chapter books and a football helmet. Ellie Kate asked for books. They were both thrilled with all the goodies. Ellie's first reaction as she walked down the stairs: "Awww, Baby's stocking..." We have a stocking for the baby, but Santa didn't fill it, so it was still hanging. Apparently, Elle felt bad for her baby brother. So sweet.

Waiting at the top of the stairs in eager anticipation

Hooray! Tic-Tacs!

Who knew new socks could be so exciting?!

Ready to play!

Loving Fancy Nancy

After the kids explored what Santa brought them, they opened gifts from us.

"oh, so cute!!"

Tinkerbell flying

"I like that picture, Mom. It makes me look strong."

Of course, she had to try on her new clothes, too.

Does he look tough or what?

Christmas - part 1

As usual, our Christmas consisted of many fun, family activities. I was thinking about how great the kids did this year on our way home. This was definitely the most fun and least stressful they've been. They loved every moment - mostly playing with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. They had good manners and didn't throw any major fits. They were purely joyful with each new event, gift, and place we visited. I'm sure next year will be a different story with a 10-month-old in the mix, but it is great to know we eventually get to this stage.

Our first Christmas adventure was at my sister's house where we celebrated O family Christmas. The older cousins are so great with the little ones, and the little ones just adore them! The adults enjoyed nice time together too :)

The boys

Waiting patiently to open presents

Oooh la la!

Doesn't she look so fancy?!

Andy & Will both got new light sabres

Will and GoGo

Fancy Aunt Sarah

Dad and the girls. We cracked up at this picture with Kit's camera in it!

Love Aunt Casie!

One happy girl

Ellie's Grandpa made her a window seat and delivered it this weekend. As the pictures demonstrate - she loves it! Grandma & Great-Grandma made the cushion. Eventually we'll have bookcases on either side. What a blessing to have such talented family!

Looking at the moon

Grandma also brought Ellie Kate her very own Christmas tree. Will has one for his room and when it came out this year, there was a bit of jealousy. So, of course, EK gets her own tree :) Isn't it cute?

Naturally, Will decided his tree also needed a star on top. So, we made one out of construction paper.

At last, I think everyone is happy. 'Tis the season!