Well, I have finally gone through every box, bin & suitcase that came over from the old house and am ready to catch up on blogging!  The last few weeks have been a whirlwind but I think we are ready to settle back into our normal state of chaos. 

I had really missed decorating for Christmas since we moved on December 16th.  By about Tuesday of that week, the kids really wanted to decorate for Christmas so we pulled out all the Christmas bins and we decorated the tree and the house.  It's amazing at how Christmas decorations rekindle your memories and make a new house feel like home.  The kids were a little bummed that Daddy decided not to put up the Christmas lights for just a few days, but we promised a lot of them next year(think they'll remember???).

So the weekend started last Friday when Aunt Kelly came to visit.  The kids had been kind of cooped up for a lot of the week as we were unpacking so we decided to take advantage of having an extra adult and took them to Chuck E Cheese for dinner.  We hadn't been in a really long time and BW & I couldn't believe that they still have those big fake robots doing a "show", but our kids were so excited!  CJ & AK are now old enough to play some of the games though they aren't all that skilled at it yet.  EF & AF loved going on the little "rides".  My favorite for them was the Merry Go Round because I could put both of them on for just one token - never could resist a bargain!  In the end the tickets were counted up and the olders rushed over with their Dad & Aunt Kelly to see what they could get.  Can you believe that one Smarties was worth 15 tickets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Definitely NOT a bargain.  But the kids had fun and it was a nice surprise for them. 

Saturday, we had my parents and brother over to see the new house which by then was starting to resemble some amount of normalness(don't think that's a word, but my mind is pretty much mush at this point).  I had been searching for our Christmas plates to eat with that night and hand't been able to find the bin and was kind of annoyed by it.  That day, I went to put a block away in what I thought was the block bin only to find my Christmas plates!!!  It had been sitting right in the kitchen for the whole week and the whole time I thought it was the block bin which was the same color.  How I wish I had started buying clear bins earlier!  We had lasagne & spaghetti & garlic bread on our Christmas plates with our Christmas glasses Yum Yum!

After Grandma & Grandpa went home, we set to work on baking.  We hadn't had time to make Christmas cookies this year but I read about making nativity cupcakes on the Konos yahoo group and thought we could make them for the kids at Sunday School at our new church where BW is pastoring.  They were pretty easy and fun.  You break off the corners of a graham cracker for the manger, put shredded wheat for hay, a Kix for the baby Jesus's head and white icing for the swaddling clothes.  They came out pretty cute although some people questioned whether they should be "eating" Jesus hee hee! 

Sunday was church in the morning and then back for Christmas Eve service in the evening.  One of our traditions for the past 7 years was to have people from our church family over on Christmas Eve and I was a little bummed that we weren't able to pull things together in time to do that.  But the kids did get to ring the church bell after church to add some excitement.

Here's the 4 on Christmas Eve!

Another tradition we've had is that the kids get to open up one present on Christmas Eve.  It's so funny that they haven't figured out yet that it is always pajamas!  This year I was able to find on Ebay matching handmade flannel nightgowns for the girls complete with nightcaps.

They were so excited to pretend to be Mary & Laura Ingalls - especially when CJ climbed to the top of her bunk bed (loft) that night.  The boys were a little harder to find matching so I went a little commercial by choosing some from Cars.

Christmas morning was full of fun and surprises.  We started out with prayer thanking God for sending His Son for us.  Santa did come once again despite our new address and he even remembered to bring a little something for all the pets in the house!  AF's favorite present was the goldfish crackers that each kid received in their stockings.  Just about every picture I have of him that morning he's got some goldfish in his hands.  I don't think the other kids even noticed him going through their stockings!

 EF loved the rag doll that CJ had purchased for her at the dollar store(with her own money!).  She named it Charlotte after Laura Ingalls doll in the Little House books.  She also loved the unicorn (though she calls it a horse) from her cousins.  She named it "Nothing"!?!?!?!?

 AF had so much fun opening his presents!  He got more Thomas train sets(I had thought he was tired of them until they resurfaced just before the move) and the LarryBoy car & video he's been wanting forever.  His favorite gift came later at Grandma & Papa's house when he opened Chip & Dale from Aunt Kelly.  What a huge smile!

Then there was CJ who has been wanting an American Girl doll for several months now.  Because we could really not afford one ourselves, Santa had a lot of help from many different "elves" who contributed towards the effort and blessed us so that CJ could be blessed.  We will be forever grateful to those who have shared so generously with our family to give our children both their needs and a lot of their wants!  CJ was beaming most of the day and asked me to do her hair like Kirsten's so they could match.

Daddy received new slippers, a no sew pillow CJ made him, and a framed picture with all his favorite family pictures for his new church office.  I got a new bible cover that looks like a purse which I've been wanting as well as a new swiffer vacuum so that I can try to keep all this tile around here clean:)

After presents were open and pancakes were made, we got dressed and went to Grandma & Papa's house where more presents were awaiting.  It was wonderful to have all 4 of my siblings as well as my sister in law and my nephew - the WHOLE FAMILY - together around the dinner table. 

What a wonderful Christmas we had!  I hope yours was as special. 

Much love,

-J