The Big Day...

 Getting started...

 I love how big his eyes got over those M&Ms

 This was gone pretty quickly!

 The proverbial orange. Did everyone else always get one in their stocking growing up?

 This was one of Ryan's favorites. He always wants to play with my blender, so this toy one seemed just right. Too bad no one realized how annoying it would be when he left it running and running!

 The piano is sounding pretty good around here these days, and it looks like it's going to just keep getting better.

 For months she has been asking for this huge dog pillow she saw in Target. I figured we could go for it since she has had her mind set on it for so long, but then when I went to buy it I couldn't find it! Thankfully, she was happy with this substitute pillow pet.

 #1 favorite toy. Aunt Robin sent some matchbox cars, which were the perfect compliment to this racetrack he got. If he wasn't playing with his blender, he was saying, "Mom, Ready? Go!"

Of course the best part of Christmas is just seeing how happy everyone is and being together as a family. We had a great holiday, and I'm not sure I'm ready to get back into the groove of things next week. How about just one more week of vacation?

Gingerbread

One of the reasons I prefer a homemade gingerbread house is because it has become our tradition for the kids to leave the gingerbread house out on Christmas Eve instead of cookies and milk. The homemade stuff tastes so much better for the Midnight Snacker! Here again, we were all impressed with Ryan's decorating skills. The girls were a little nervous that our schedule didn't work out for us to decorate it during his naptime, and then they were a little put out that he started in on the front door of the house, but in the end it all worked out just fine. And can I say that I love Dots and Mike and Ike's?

Christmas Cookies

What a delicious tradition! While Ryan may have been a little heavy-handed with the icing, we were all impressed that he wasn't crazy and ruining everybody else's creations.

A great day!

I truly have felt loved today. There have been so many people to make me feel special on my birthday, starting this morning with cards and presents from my family. My girls are so thoughtful and cute. I just feel so blessed to call them my daughters. And what can I say about my husband? He did small things throughout the day that just really made me know he was thinking of me and made me feel very loved. Then I never check Facebook, but I got lots of birthday wishes there and phone calls from family near and far. A friend from church stopped by and gave a really sweet gift, and I even got carolers at our door who took a break from their Christmas carols to wish me a happy birthday. It was wonderful! Nikki wrote me this note in church yesterday, and it just made me laugh:

"Dear, Mom
I wish you a happy Almost late birthday. I hope you have a good last day working. when are you going to give your job to Kelly?

Love, Nikki
P.S. merry cristmis too!"

For Family Night Activity

The kids saw Julie's Elf Yourself video, and they wanted to do it for our family night activity tonight. We had so much fun finding the craziest pictures of each other we could.

These kids make me laugh

Yesterday morning I asked Hannah if she had completed her morning jobs. She said she had. "Did you do your hair?" (It was clear to me that she hadn't.) She gave a weak kind of yes. "Did you brush it?" She gave this huge sigh and said with disgust, "I have to brush it every day!"

Yesterday I told Ryan to come lay down so I could change his diaper, but he said, "Daddy did it!" Sweetheart, your daddy has been gone for five days. Once a week just doesn't cut it for diaper changes.

Nikki asked me one day this week if I would crochet a little kite for Hannah's Christmas present from her. Umm, okay, I told her I would see what I could do. A little later she came and whispered in my ear that when I was finished I should just go put it in the orange gift bag under the tree that said To: Hannah, From: Nikki.

2010

If you can't see the video, try this link.

Pre-gingerbread houses...

Decorating a gingerbread house is one of my favorite traditions at Christmas-time. Nikki decorated one at school last week made out of graham crackers, and Hannah asked if we could do that for a school activity, too. Of course, but she couldn't wait through the weekend until the next school day. So, on Saturday Nikki got to make her second one this year, and this doesn't count as a real gingerbread house to me. I still plan on making a gingerbread house (not a graham cracker house) before Christmas gets here. For some reason, I don't think the girls have a problem with that. Ryan didn't care about putting the house together, he just wanted the candy!

School clothes?

This is how I found Hannah when I came to see how her work was coming along the other day. Hmm... Maybe I should turn up the heat? It has been really cold lately, although when I think about the pictures my friend in Montreal posted on her blog -- 3 feet of snow on their patio furniture -- I think I have nothing to complain about. I just might do it anyway! I don't like to be cold, and I don't think Hannah does either!

I'm here...

No, I haven't crashed my tank of a van yet, and Hannah and I haven't pulled each other's hair out ... yet. Ha Ha! I keep thinking I need to update the blog, but when?! Nikki was in a Christmas concert at school tonight. It was really cute. Hopefully I'll have a chance to post the pictures of it tomorrow. I think I know the songs just as well as she does with how much she has been singing them around the house this past week.

Hannah is doing really well with the homeschooling. She works so hard and is just a wonderful girl. I love having this time with her, and Ryan does, too! All day long he asks, "What's Hannah doing?" It's really cute.

Okay, I'm ready for bed. Hopefully, I'll get some pictures up tomorrow, but in the meantime... things are going well.