Christmas II

We always go to Matthew's grandparents, Kuhlig side, for lunch on Christmas day. My parents don't celebrate Christmas so we always just stay here to join in the festivities. It is nice not having to travel.

After we opened presents at home we went there for lunch and then opened more gifts. There aren't a whole bunch of kids there when my sis in law isn't there but it is enough. There are 3 girls; Leah-Beth a teen, Marissa a pre-teen, and McKenna a couple years older. Belle and McKenna really play well together! There haven't been a boy born since Matthew until London and none before since Matthew's dad. So we are low on the boys there. London being the only boy is very spoiled and got a car this year!! Belle got beautiful gold earrings, that she loved, so she isn't left our don't worry!!

The men folk all love the Green Bay Packers... So this year Aunt Diana brought a Packers nome and decided we were going to play trivia for it, Bible trivia. I had wanted to buy this for my father in law really bad but couldn't find it at a nice price so I really wanted to win it for him. The problem with that is that there is a minister and an elder in the family not to mention I am not that great with Bible trivia so I knew I wouldn't have a shot but had to try!!

Isn't he cute???

So Aunt Diana asked a question and we were all stumped.... the whole room was silent...

London and grandma were having there own fun!! He just loves that thing!!

Belle and the girls all went out after gifts were opened and road the 4-wheeler and sledded. It was so much fun and Belle just loved it!! Matthew's grandparents have a farm so there was a lot of land to drive around!!

Belle and McKenna...

Then Christmas III (should be a seperate post but I am tired...)

We went to Matthew's parents when Adriens family came down, the day after Christmas. We had dinner with extended family and then present time!! We always start with Christmas pj's. They open them, put them on, and then we go down stairs to open gifts. Matthew's grandma (moms mom) live with them and they share the middle level and the upper and lower levels are for my in-laws. So we always have Christmas down in the finished basement.

This is picture 101 I swear!! It is a really good one but it took some work and they are cute in there matching pj's!! Love it!

So we passed out gifts and let the kids open theirs first!!

We started with the stockings and they would have been happy enough with just having them.
On to the big gifts...

The big gifts for the big girls were my little pony large plush's. Here they are with them, they love them!! Belle loves to ride hers, she wants a horse so bad!!

Every year I try to make a gift or two. I love homemade gifts!! This year I made aprons for all the ladies and one for London. It was really hard finding enough fabric for all that!! That is why we have half aprons but they are so cute and I love them!! London's is an owl apron with the same yellow, I couldn't do the pink cupcake to him!! Stinker wouldn't let me get a pic, I will try again it is so cute!!

Matthew got a tripod and took a pic of himself, which is a rarety!! This is him with his Thundercats sweatshirt!!

the conclusion...

I was the only one who knew the answer to the question, it was a guess but always guess David!!! lol So my father in law was pretty sore that I won it and he didn't. I loved it and when I gave it to him it made his night!!

Our parties get so crazy that Charlie ended up with the lamp shade on her head, that party animal!! :)

Then the rest of the visit with the family the kids play and the adults play games!! I love it and this is what I will always remember about the holidays!! We always laugh and laugh, it is so nice to love your family this much!!

Belle got a pink tree this year in her room and I thought I would end Christmas with this!! She loves it and dresses herself, lol!! I love her!! I am so blessed with my kids, couldn't have asked for better ones!!

Christmas I

Well finally I have made it to Christmas!! We had a wonderful one and I think it is only going to get better! We began the festivities the only way you should, celebrating our KING!! We attended our Christmas Eve service, it was wonderful!! Matthew, his dad, and some other very musical people did the music for the night. It was incredible!! They did an accoustic set and it was so helpful in focusing on what all of this meant!! We are so lucky and I want to be able to remember that all year not just on Christmas!
We came home from Church and opened this years ornaments, wish I would have gotten a picture of the kids with them. I began a tradition when we were expecting Belle. I search for the perfect ornaments that are a small token of what was important to the kids that year. Belle got a Jessie from Toy Story 3, she loves her and it is what the theme of her birthday party. London got an older model Ford pickup truck, his first word ever was truck so it was only fitting. Then we read the second to last story of the Jessie Tree, I will have to tell you about it!! And off to bed they went.
The next morning the kids were up so super early but it was ok and we got down to business.
London is still not really a great gift opener but he is learning and I know he will be a pro soon!! London also really loves TS3 so he got a bunch of toys from that!!

Not to mention some candy, his favorite!!

Belle got a whole bunch of movies, vhs and dvd. I collected a bunch through out the year from friends, garage sales, and resale shops. I like them for the kids because they are cheap and harder for the kids to break. My kiddos do not mind, they are just happy to have the movies they have!

The kids also got a bunch of books, we are always buying them books!! This one came with a cd of Eric Carle reading the book. We have A light in the Attic read by Shel Silverstine and the kids love it so we knew this was a must have!! It helps so much in the car, we don't have a dvd player and really we don't want one!!

Belle and her favorite book, TS3 encyclopedia.

Then London got a music set and he loves it. He is really learning to play some of them!!

Sissy loves to play them with him, I think she needs her own!! She got one but it was plastic and it was broke instaintly!! This one is wood and metal, much harder to break!!

He is playing the harmonica, he is really getting it!! He only makes sounds right now but they are wonderful sounds let me tell you!! The kit came with a kazoo too and he loves to play that too!! He is pretty drawn to music, I don't know why... ;)

Belle got some dress up clothes, thank you Halloween clearance, I think this will be an on going thing until she tells me otherwise!! I also got some for her cousins so they could match!!

The kids had such a great morning and that was just the beginning!!

You can't please them all...

Matthew is such a good daddy!! He is the one to take the kids out to play in the snow. I hate being cold and being in the snow sounds horrible to me!! I think when the kids get older and like to be out there longer then I will do it. Right now they want to go out and it is for 10 minutes of whinning, crying, and some playing. All of that and I will be cold for the next several hours. So until it is worth it to me Matthew steps up and takes them out, Thank you wonderful hubby!!

This year was London's first real winter of playing and to tell you the truth the snow last year was very little!! So the kids get bundled up and out they go. This is what London looked like right away!! Poor sad kid!!

See our happy little doggy in the background, he loves to be outside!
Arabella on the other hand loves to play in the snow and even eat some, she gets that from Matthew...

Yep London still is not having a good time, he gets that from me, we do not like to be cold!!
Eating icicles, funny kid!!

Finally something London likes, the wagon!! I think he will love sledding!!

Making snowballs. Matthew also teaches them bad habits!! I got a snowball in the forehead the very next day, the kids just laughed. They are out of the will... haha!!

I am so lucky to have a family that loves to play together and hopefully we will get enough snow to go sledding, I will just have to brave it!!

Singing her heart out....

Arabella has been showing a lot of interest in singing. She has been asking to sing in 'big' church with her dad! She even writes her own songs and Matthew makes up melodies and playes his guitar while she sings away, I love it!!
So I have been waiting to see if she will sing in front of people, she is pretty shy about that! At her school program this year I thought she would stand there with her hands in her mouth, like last year. I was pretty amazed to see that she was smiling and singing away. She wasn't loud and she didn't do any of the hand motions but she new all of the words and she smiled for most of it. She is getting more bold in public and I think she will be singing in 'big' church soon.
The poor kid next to her, Ollie, was standing in the sun light and it was getting in his eyes.

I just love to watch these things happen!! The kids did so well and I am so proud of them all!!