Christmas Past

My, how time flies! I was looking through some pictures from past Christmas photo sessions and thought I'd share:

2004

2005

2006

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Here's a peek at the picture that will be going out in our Christmas cards this year. YES, I said WILL BE. I'm running a little behind, but am almost finished!

I love how it looks like she is gazing lovingly at her brother, because that is how she feels about him! They are so close!

The Prince had a field trip today. All of the K4 classes went to sing Christmas songs at a retirement home, and then went to eat lunch and play at Chuck E. Cheese. Not only did she stand by him and sing all the songs, she followed him in line--with her arms folded just like he does. She was a TEENY bit upset when she didn't get to ride on the bus with him. At Chucky's, they played games together--even with all of his friends there, he chose to play with his sister. *SIGH* Mommy's heart melts!

Winter Time Craft

The Prince wanted to take a little something to his school Christmas party for all of his classmates. I had found this idea in the magazine Family Fun. It's really easy--and cute, too!

You use the containers from yogurt drinks. I used the small kid-sized ones for all the kids and two larger ones for the teachers. Cut off the label and wash them well. Use a Sharpie marker to draw on the face and buttons. Tie a fleece or flannel strip around the neck for a scarf and attach a circular piece to the top with a rubber band for the hat (I added a rolled-up tissue inside my hats to give them more shape). The directions said to fill with M&M's. Being a mom who doesn't let her kids eat already opened candy, I put in a package of mini M&M's.

What I liked about this craft is that almost any child of any age can participate. My four year old son was able to put the M&M's in each snowman, and he balled up all the tissue. Older kids can tie on the scarf and even draw on the face and buttons!

Definitely more "crafty" than professional looking, but for this...that was the point!

I'm Back!

Did you miss me? Oh wait, you didn't even know I was gone! We were right in the middle of the HUGE ice storm that swept the country. We were without power for 3 days and without internet for 5! I am thankful for HEAT!

I have never in my life seen anything like what that ice did to our old trees. The best way to describe it, is that it looks like a tornado came through, but didn't touch the houses. I took some pictures to record THE ICE STORM OF THE CENTURY!

A few of our backyard:

Where we slept:

The kids keeping warm (and going a little stir crazy):

Jingle Bells

The King is an avid runner.....I am not. He used to run to stay fit, but he's now on track with the goal of running a marathon. He just ran a quarter marathon, has registered for a half marathon, and so on. I really just need to get out and walk--that would be exercise for me. Is anyone else married to their opposite?

Anyway, after his quarter marathon, the kids were all excited about running in a race of their own, so the king found a 1K (just over 1/2 mile). It's called the Jingle Bell Run and in your race packet, they provide you with jingle bells for your tennis shoes. We all signed up and took part this weekend. It was a fun family event and the kids were so excited to be doing something "just like daddy." The Prince and The King took off at the beginning and did pretty well! The Princess wanted to run, too. Luckily, her run is still at my "walk" pace! She "ran" almost the entire thing.

My MIL came along, too. Did I mention that it was 40 degrees and misting? It was pretty much miserable in the weather department, but you warmed up as you started to move. I'd say it's getting added to the Traditions list.

The happy (if cold) family:

Traditions

The holidays always bring to mind traditions. My family had them as I was growing up, and I want my children to have similar fond memories. The King always had a Christmas train growing up, and this year, he purchased one for our home.

Here are the kids waiting (oh so patiently) for The King to open the box:


Here are a couple of their faces when they actually saw what was in the box:



The train:


They laid on the floor and watched the train for a LONG time!



Another tradition is holiday decorating. The kids are getting old enough to remember things from the year before, so they were more excited this year as I took decorations out of their boxes. They even helped. It turns out that The Prince is a pretty good bow fluffer!