Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!!!  We had a VERY early wake up call this Christmas...well at least by Luke.  Luke came and woke me up at 5 am to let me know Santa did not skip him by this year (which I think was a real fear).  He must have made it by the skin of his teeth ;)  

Addison found the hidden pickle ornament so she got to open the first present!

My girls: love, love, love.

A rare three-way Bosko hug.

EXCITED!!!!

Wait, let me guess...another book!

Addison getting a hug from sissy and big brother after she promised she would share all her new toys.

Luke is always happy with Legos:)

Santa got our little nature lovers bug nets and cages so now they can keep track of their slugs, frogs, bugs and crabs.  

Santa new our big kids love exploring... he got them a metal detector!

Yes, we are that family that wears matching jammies on Christmas morning.  It's the little things that makes me happy.  

The ornament Luke made us for Christmas-so sweet.

The ornament Addison made us-fingerprint angel.

So excited!!!

After the Santa loot we went over to Grandpa's to celebrate Christmas.  He made a fabulous dinner and we all got to hang out and relax...and of course open more presents.  

We got Dad Bull's tickets for Christmas!  A fun boy trip to New Orleans.  

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with those they love.  

Merry Christmas Eve!

Look at this excited Christmas face!  

The kids were waiting, waiting, waiting for our guests to arrive on Christmas Eve.  Look at the girls curls here because by the time we leave for church, the curls were long gone.  Oh well, lots of fun outside will do that to hair.  

Nell and I ready for the festivities to begin!  Nell and I throw this Christmas Eve party for our church family every year (and by every year,  I mean this is the second year but whatever, details, details).  We make gallons and gallons and gallons of soup and chili (and by we, I mean Nell) and order trays and trays and trays of fruit, veggies, cheese, sausage and cake (Me).  I have decided I am all about a party as long as I can order everything or have Nell make everything.  We always act like we got it all together, no biggie, we got this- we text each other a zillion times and start planning in November.  Then we both panic the day before the party and Nell makes another 20 gallons of chili and I order another 45 pounds of fruit.  This year the RSVP yes list was just below 100 people.  Nell and I figured, we got this.  It's not like our church family is going to eat like a bunch of linebackers or something right before Christmas Eve church....um, we were so wrong.  Nell said it looked like a swarm of locusts came in, they ate everything!  I swear some of my bar stools were even gnawed upon.  It was lovely though, lots of fun and fellowship and then a mad, frantic dash to change kids' clothes, clean up any leftovers (much quicker this year due to the linebackers) and caravan over to church.  

Addison scooped up baby Nathaniel as fast as she could.  Luckily, Pastor Jon's son is happy with everyone...even a three year old who kept squeezing his belly and saying how cute it was.   Addison is baby crazy, but she is out of luck on the big sister role.  I figure if I just swing her by the church nursery once a week she can get her baby fix that way.  This womb is closed for business.  

Some of the "big" kids.

This is a fun tradition we do for the kids.  They all sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blow out the candles (although I couldn't get them lit this year) and how sweet to listen to them all sing, three children deep.  All these kiddos who were just tiny babies a blink ago.  

Amelia read a bible passage from Luke before we sang Happy Birthday!  Glory to the Newborn King!

This is the kids right before we left for church.  Sweaty, dirty, stringy hair...but so much fun so totally worth it.  ( Wellhoefers...remember the dirty sheep sermon, they reminded me of dirty sheep).

Christmas Eve church, Addison is in a sugar coma and holding on to Luke's hair for comfort.  Luke couldn't even blink, he was so tired and Amelia was as sweet as ever.  During the children's sermon, Pastor Scott noticed the kids were really jazzed up and hyper.  He thought it was just Christmas Eve excitement.  It could have been that all those kids just came from my house and ate their body weights in cake and

 M &M's.  Half way through the service, Addison put her head on my lap and her feet on Stephen's and told Stephen, "Daddy, rub my back."  That is code for "I need to fall asleep right now or you are all in for a massive temper tantrum."  Then she sat straight up and said, "I have a bad tummy ache from all that junk I ate."  Then plopped back down and passed out on our laps.  

These buddies have sure had a lot of fun Christmases together.  

Never woke up in church or visiting afterwards.  Or when I squealed during our candlelight Silent Night because Stephen poured hot wax on my leg.  

Still out for the transfer upstairs.  Visions for sugar plums dancing in her head.

Amelia and Luke fighting sleep, they wanted to put out reindeer food and Santa's cookies.  

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus...

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

Christmas program

Addison had her first Christmas program at The Children's House and it was precious.  She performed whole heartedly and enthusiastically.  This is the kids singing "Away in the Manger." 

Singing "Go Tell it on the Mountain."  I know Addison was excited for her program because she woke up at 5 am singing this carol.  Although her voice was sweet with praises, I would have been happy to start praising at 6 am instead.  

Santa surprised the children after the program.  He read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then the children could visit with him.  Addison climbed right up but then got a little nervous and when Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she just gave him a big hug.  He was caught a little off guard but he "Ho Ho Ho'd" and gave her a hug back.  

She was happy then and asked for some books before she hopped off his lap.  

I was getting pictures of Addison with all her teachers and Addison's buddy Jon didn't understand why he shouldn't be in the picture as well.  So cute ;)

Addison with her Grampy and "my best daddy."  He really is the best daddy because he had just worked a 12 night shift and only had two hours sleep but he showed up for Addison.  

More Christmas fun...

The last few days of school before Christmas break are the best.  Both kids had pajama day to watch Polar Express and drink hot chocolate, Christmas parties and Luke had Gingerbread House day.  The kids are so excited for Christmas!

Christmas with our Ashley:)  Ashley was so sweet to bring the kids gifts, they love her so much and so do we, what we do without Ashley?

One of my FAVORITE traditions...decorating Christmas cookies.  This year, we recruited help from our neighbor buddy, Gina Bosco.  

The best part of this tradition?  When we are finished we pile all the leftover frosting on one last cookie and have at it.  We were all in frosting comas.  

Now that our kids are a little older, we have been trying to emphasize the real miracle of Christmas, our Savior has been born and He will come again.  Teaching them the importance of helping and loving others, more than ourselves, not just at Christmas but all year long.  And I know some of it is sticking by the answers and comments they give during Advent devotions and my heart just swells listening to the good news of Jesus come out of their lips.  Addison was "reading" the nativity story and I overheard her, "Behold I bring you good news... in Bethlehem, a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes."  So cute, I even got it on video because for once (miracle of miracles) the video camera was charged.  However, the kids are still 9,7 and 3 so we get our share of bathroom humor around here too.  Last weekend I took the kids to the Christmas cantata at our church, it was beautiful.  It contained scripture readings from the fall of man through Jesus being born with carols in between.  Well, the first scripture was the fall of man and apparently my kids thing the word "naked" is HILARIOUS.  The giggling was contagious.  Addison still insists Frosty the Snowman has a "butt" nose no matter how many times I insist it is a "button" nose.  Addison was praising and lifting her voice at dinner singing "Go  Tell it on the Mountain" and let out a humongous belch that a truck driver would have been proud of.  Talk about giggles, all of us lost control laughing that night.  

Only three more days!!!!!

Joy and Love and Magic

I recently hosted my book club girls for our Christmas party.  We didn't have any fun at all...

This year we did an ornament exchange (Dirty Santa style) instead of a book exchange.  We had a blast:)  

This past weekend, like the rest of the country, we just wanted to hold our kids tight and keep them close.  We had a really neat experience at our local Kroc center called A Walk in Bethlehem.  The whole facility was turned into Bethlehem, with each room being a scene of the season of Advent.  (The census, the angel meeting with Mary and then Joseph, the manger scene, the wisemen).  During each scene the corresponding scripture was read and music was played.  It was really beautiful and so special to be able to enjoy with the children.  Santa, lists and toys and decorations are such fun parts of Christmas but to recognize the real joy of Christmas- our Savior was sent to us, just as God promised is the real magic.  That is what I am so hopeful I can fill the kids hearts with, the joy and love of Jesus birth.  They listened so intently to each scene, and even walked through again with our buddies the Hudsons.

RJ the Kroc is always a big hit:)

As Katie said, "Can you believe all these kids came from just our two wombs?"  Bethlehem and dinner date together while the hubbies held down the fort in the Emergency Room.  Such a sweet night.

The cutest quartet ever!  These cutie pies were asked to sing "Away in a Manger" at church yesterday and they did an excellent job.  We were so very proud of them.  Again, another thing I am shocked by with my kids;(and really I consider Hayden, Lizzie and Mckenzie to be mine too, I love them so much) is the ability to sing to a packed church.  I could never, ever do that, not that anyone is beating down my door to get me to sing in public...but still.  So proud!