Just a quick note before I take my much-needed Christmas morning nap. Our family has had a wonderful holiday morning that included breakfast pizza pinwheels handmade by my adorable Hubby and I, and a house full of extremely cute and happy girls all enjoying their Christmas swag.
I can just hear the Whos down in Whoville singing "Dah Who Door Ay" now! In spite of the economic pinch we found ourselves in this holiday season, we are all so in love with our family and the pure spirit of family friendship that nothing can bring us down today.
So as I lay down for my well-earned nap with visions of my happy girls enjoying their sugarplums, I want to wish you all the Merriest of all Christmases and we send you our love. We are truly blessed!
(Pictures will follow once my tired eyes recover from a night of busy Santa work.)
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
An Update... coming soon!
Every day is busy around here. Birthdays, Christmas, candy making and cookie baking.. even Ninjas!
I promise an update with pictures very soon!
Aunt Dottie, I got your Christmas card and lovely letter today.. I've read it 5 times already. I love you so much, beautiful lady!
I promise an update with pictures very soon!
Aunt Dottie, I got your Christmas card and lovely letter today.. I've read it 5 times already. I love you so much, beautiful lady!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Christmas Shopping
I'm not a shopper. I shrink from the crowds and I have a special dislike for Malls. All of this is to the dismay of my teenage girls who adore shopping at the Mall.
But I ask you, where is the fun in this?
Some of you are probably getting a adrenalin kick just looking at that shopping photo. But not me. That will never be me. I go to the Mall when I have to, and that sometimes includes the Christmas season.
Around here, the shopping season has officially begun when the UPS truck starts dropping these off in mass quantity...
Not. Even. Kidding!
My Bedroom is slowly disappearing amid the brown boxes of carefully packaged happiness just waiting to be opened and repackaged in festive paper. The kids know that my bedroom is officially off limits to them in December, although I have been known to be forgetful and send someone on a random errand to my bedroom where they accidentally sneak a peek. Oops!
Maybe they see something like this?
What?? Those boxes need something to do while they patiently wait for the big reveal on Christmas morning. It could happen!
But I ask you, where is the fun in this?
Some of you are probably getting a adrenalin kick just looking at that shopping photo. But not me. That will never be me. I go to the Mall when I have to, and that sometimes includes the Christmas season.
Around here, the shopping season has officially begun when the UPS truck starts dropping these off in mass quantity...
Not. Even. Kidding!
My Bedroom is slowly disappearing amid the brown boxes of carefully packaged happiness just waiting to be opened and repackaged in festive paper. The kids know that my bedroom is officially off limits to them in December, although I have been known to be forgetful and send someone on a random errand to my bedroom where they accidentally sneak a peek. Oops!
Maybe they see something like this?
What?? Those boxes need something to do while they patiently wait for the big reveal on Christmas morning. It could happen!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Putting Meaning In The Holiday
Take a look at the group photo at the top of this page... now look back at me.. Yes, I am still sane! Those young ladies were quite a handful when they were younger, but Christmas with them has always been absolutely magical!
I remember the year Carley and Madi were born. There was no money for tree ornaments, so I patiently hot-glued dozens of festive ribbons on pine cones and tied raffia bows that would be strategically placed to make the tree look abundantly decorated. I was so busy with one week old twins that Christmas was barely a blip on the radar that year, but it was the last time in my young mothering career that it would be a non-event.
Try to imagine a house with five little girls under the age of five. Every day had a different form of chaos, but I wouldn't trade those memories for all the money in the world. Christmas meant erecting a baby gate to encircle the tree that the excited toddlers pulled down more than once in their attempt to climb it. That's right, our tree was literally fenced in! My sweet girls would stand at the gate, their heads barely clearing the edge, and they would ooh and ahh over the strangeness of having a tree inside the house.
Back then, shopping for my little ones meant finding every girlie Fischer Price toy available and baby dolls were always treasured. There were years when I would hunt high and low for the elusive Tickle Me Elmo or another hot, yet impossible to find toy. Oh, how times have changed! Now it's the age of teenagers which translates into electronic gadgets, makeup, and "Don't even think about buying clothes for me, Mom, because you'll get it all wrong!" ;)
I've had the opportunity to rethink a lot of things this year and I'm so fortunate to have the loving support of my family every step of the way. There may not be a frenzy of gift buying but there will be plenty of time spent together and that is what we truly treasure.
It's no surprise that my girls have been excitedly planning thoughtful gifts for people who won't be expecting them, but I still get that surge of pride when I see it happening. These girls are beautiful and strong and oh-so-loving! Our circumstances have been really tough lately and I know there are so many things they would like to have for themselves, yet they always put others first by demonstrating that the best gifts are the ones we give to others. Material means may be limited, but their hearts overflow every single day. They are an inspiration to me!
Looking back through our Christmas photos, amid the paper, boxes and shiny trinkets I can see the same gifts given time and time again - Love, Strength, and Happiness. You can't order those things and you won't find them on any store shelf. But if you take the time to truly value those around you, always treat others with kindness, and share the love in your heart then those gifts will be yours in abundance.
So although this year sort of feels like a trip to Whoville and the Grinch is out to get us, she can't win. My family is so much stronger than her twisted need to hurt people for her own entertainment and no matter what, there will be love and laughter on Christmas morning (and every other day of the year).
I remember the year Carley and Madi were born. There was no money for tree ornaments, so I patiently hot-glued dozens of festive ribbons on pine cones and tied raffia bows that would be strategically placed to make the tree look abundantly decorated. I was so busy with one week old twins that Christmas was barely a blip on the radar that year, but it was the last time in my young mothering career that it would be a non-event.
Try to imagine a house with five little girls under the age of five. Every day had a different form of chaos, but I wouldn't trade those memories for all the money in the world. Christmas meant erecting a baby gate to encircle the tree that the excited toddlers pulled down more than once in their attempt to climb it. That's right, our tree was literally fenced in! My sweet girls would stand at the gate, their heads barely clearing the edge, and they would ooh and ahh over the strangeness of having a tree inside the house.
Back then, shopping for my little ones meant finding every girlie Fischer Price toy available and baby dolls were always treasured. There were years when I would hunt high and low for the elusive Tickle Me Elmo or another hot, yet impossible to find toy. Oh, how times have changed! Now it's the age of teenagers which translates into electronic gadgets, makeup, and "Don't even think about buying clothes for me, Mom, because you'll get it all wrong!" ;)
I've had the opportunity to rethink a lot of things this year and I'm so fortunate to have the loving support of my family every step of the way. There may not be a frenzy of gift buying but there will be plenty of time spent together and that is what we truly treasure.
It's no surprise that my girls have been excitedly planning thoughtful gifts for people who won't be expecting them, but I still get that surge of pride when I see it happening. These girls are beautiful and strong and oh-so-loving! Our circumstances have been really tough lately and I know there are so many things they would like to have for themselves, yet they always put others first by demonstrating that the best gifts are the ones we give to others. Material means may be limited, but their hearts overflow every single day. They are an inspiration to me!
Looking back through our Christmas photos, amid the paper, boxes and shiny trinkets I can see the same gifts given time and time again - Love, Strength, and Happiness. You can't order those things and you won't find them on any store shelf. But if you take the time to truly value those around you, always treat others with kindness, and share the love in your heart then those gifts will be yours in abundance.
So although this year sort of feels like a trip to Whoville and the Grinch is out to get us, she can't win. My family is so much stronger than her twisted need to hurt people for her own entertainment and no matter what, there will be love and laughter on Christmas morning (and every other day of the year).
Take that, Grinch!
(It's been confirmed that she stalks our blog. Maybe she should read my post on Kindness.)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Holidays
Three days after Christmas and it is time for some retrospection. I hope I don't wear out the word, but once again I am so grateful for my family who are my heart and soul. We had a wonderful, if somewhat quiet, holiday and it is our hope that our friends and family enjoyed their time together as much as we did ours. 
I am happy to say that even though my girls are older now, they have not lost their love and enthusiasm for Christmas. We had fun watching some great old movies to put us in the proper mood for the season. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Home Alone provided us some great family fun time that was filled with silly laughter! We watched both movies from the stylish comfort of our new sectional which replaced the old, comfy blue couch. I have actually missed that couch a lot... that is until I saw this picture of it and laughed about how worn it had become. It has been an adjustment, but now I am happy to say that the new couch is definitely an improvement!
Due to illnesses, we were not able to visit my parents' home this year on Christmas Eve and that was hard for us. Spending time at the Thomas house has been a favorite tradition for our family the night before Christmas. We usually exchange gifts (jammies and books, our favorite!) and after hours of quality time we would drive home, past what we have dubbed "Christmas Street", which is a street that is lined with houses on both sides that are unusually decked out for Christmas. We tried a drive-by after Thanksgiving, but very few houses were lit up then. Unfortunately, we missed out on that tradition this year and instead opted for a quiet evening at home, opening Christmas jammies and settling in to watch a family movie.
I could tell that the girls still have their childhood excitement for Christmas because they were giggling and making noise well into the wee hours of the morning. Even though I could hear them, they behaved and kept to the two basement rooms.. another tradition they have of holding "sleep overs" in each other's bedrooms on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning I received an early phone call. I sleepily reached over and answered the phone on the 2nd ring. I laughed when I heard that the voice on the phone belonged to Abby. We were being summoned. They were awake and wanted us to get up with them so we could enjoy the surprise on their sleepy faces as they opened Christmas presents and saw what Santa left for them.
I never get tired of these adorable Christmas morning photos. Sleepy looks of surprise and excitement are my favorite!
It wasn't an extravagant year at our house, but the gifts were nice and very thoughtful. My girls are so kind and generous, surprising me with gifts that I didn't know they had purchased for me. Even now it chokes me up. These girls of mine are so special!
We had another gift later that day in the form of a visit from my parents. We really missed seeing them and it was fun that they took the time to come over before they went to Grandpa Robinson's house. My mom didn't bring gifts.. she brought treasures. I could not help the tears that fell as I opened a box containing a teacup and saucer that belonged to my Grandma Robinson. I know that I will always treasure that link to Grandma.
One of our favorite moments of the day was one that we refer to as "cheese." I gave each of my girls and my mom a pearl necklace. I told my girls that family is a gift more precious than anything else and that I wanted them to always know how special they are to me. I told them that I wanted to give them something nice that they could pass on to their own children one day and I hoped that they would enjoy having real pearls. I love the unity of sharing something precious with my girls and my mom. Definitely something that I hope we will all treasure.
But the absolute best part of my day was watching the video montage my girls made for me that was set to Josh Groban's "Believe" .. I broke into tears the second the music started, and as I watched slide after slide of my family the tears just kept coming. I am so touched that they would do that for me! If I can figure out how to get it past the You Tube copyright censors then I will post a link of it here. It is absolutely magical and I have never, ever been given a gift more valuable!
The days after Christmas have been filled with laughter, games and time spent together. The girls and I have enjoyed watching the chick flicks that they got as gifts and we have laughed ourselves sick playing games at the table. I can feel the vacation slipping away and I don't like that. I cherish time spent with my family and this holiday has been filled with many moments that will forever be the best of memories!
I am happy to say that even though my girls are older now, they have not lost their love and enthusiasm for Christmas. We had fun watching some great old movies to put us in the proper mood for the season. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Home Alone provided us some great family fun time that was filled with silly laughter! We watched both movies from the stylish comfort of our new sectional which replaced the old, comfy blue couch. I have actually missed that couch a lot... that is until I saw this picture of it and laughed about how worn it had become. It has been an adjustment, but now I am happy to say that the new couch is definitely an improvement!
Due to illnesses, we were not able to visit my parents' home this year on Christmas Eve and that was hard for us. Spending time at the Thomas house has been a favorite tradition for our family the night before Christmas. We usually exchange gifts (jammies and books, our favorite!) and after hours of quality time we would drive home, past what we have dubbed "Christmas Street", which is a street that is lined with houses on both sides that are unusually decked out for Christmas. We tried a drive-by after Thanksgiving, but very few houses were lit up then. Unfortunately, we missed out on that tradition this year and instead opted for a quiet evening at home, opening Christmas jammies and settling in to watch a family movie.
I could tell that the girls still have their childhood excitement for Christmas because they were giggling and making noise well into the wee hours of the morning. Even though I could hear them, they behaved and kept to the two basement rooms.. another tradition they have of holding "sleep overs" in each other's bedrooms on Christmas Eve.
Christmas morning I received an early phone call. I sleepily reached over and answered the phone on the 2nd ring. I laughed when I heard that the voice on the phone belonged to Abby. We were being summoned. They were awake and wanted us to get up with them so we could enjoy the surprise on their sleepy faces as they opened Christmas presents and saw what Santa left for them.
I never get tired of these adorable Christmas morning photos. Sleepy looks of surprise and excitement are my favorite!
It wasn't an extravagant year at our house, but the gifts were nice and very thoughtful. My girls are so kind and generous, surprising me with gifts that I didn't know they had purchased for me. Even now it chokes me up. These girls of mine are so special!
We had another gift later that day in the form of a visit from my parents. We really missed seeing them and it was fun that they took the time to come over before they went to Grandpa Robinson's house. My mom didn't bring gifts.. she brought treasures. I could not help the tears that fell as I opened a box containing a teacup and saucer that belonged to my Grandma Robinson. I know that I will always treasure that link to Grandma.
One of our favorite moments of the day was one that we refer to as "cheese." I gave each of my girls and my mom a pearl necklace. I told my girls that family is a gift more precious than anything else and that I wanted them to always know how special they are to me. I told them that I wanted to give them something nice that they could pass on to their own children one day and I hoped that they would enjoy having real pearls. I love the unity of sharing something precious with my girls and my mom. Definitely something that I hope we will all treasure.
But the absolute best part of my day was watching the video montage my girls made for me that was set to Josh Groban's "Believe" .. I broke into tears the second the music started, and as I watched slide after slide of my family the tears just kept coming. I am so touched that they would do that for me! If I can figure out how to get it past the You Tube copyright censors then I will post a link of it here. It is absolutely magical and I have never, ever been given a gift more valuable!
The days after Christmas have been filled with laughter, games and time spent together. The girls and I have enjoyed watching the chick flicks that they got as gifts and we have laughed ourselves sick playing games at the table. I can feel the vacation slipping away and I don't like that. I cherish time spent with my family and this holiday has been filled with many moments that will forever be the best of memories!
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"My daughters are so many things- Tiny discoverers of butterfly wings, huggers of teddies, sweet sleepyheads, little ones to dream for in bright years ahead... All Special people who right from the start had a place in our family and of course in my heart. And just when I think that I've learned all the things that my dear daughters are and the joy each one brings, a hug or a grin comes with such sweet surprise that love finds me smiling with tears in my eyes!"
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