Merry Christmas!

Sunday was the kids' Sunday School Christmas Program at church. Liana was Elisabeth, and Aleksa was Mary! (Adam got to pass out the bulletins... the boy does NOT like to be on the stage!)

We had been preparing all week for company this weekend... We'd expected the Fishers to come up for the Program, and then Friday we learned it was going to blizzard out, so they had to cancel. We then invited another family over for Sunday dinner. Sunday morning they had to cancel because of illness. So that left all of us with a spic-n-span house, a table set with china and pretty holiday linens, and all of us dressed to the 9's.

"Hmmm..." says I. "Maybe we should turn this afternoon into our present opening time. That would save me from having to do this alllll over again on Tuesday." (We're planning on going to John's grandparent's for Wed-Fri, so we were going to open our presents on Tuesday morning.) Having a spic-n-span house, a nice meal, spiffed up kids, and allll the presents already wrapped does not happen without much travail, tears, scrubbing, nagging, whining and complaining and flat-out WORK. So. After dinner, (on my mother's china pattern), we headed downstairs to the family room, where we had a very nice gift-opening time. We got a Wii this year, and you can guess what everyone is doing right now! I even got in a game of boxing with Adam this morning already. Don't need any more exercise until 2017. Abrielle's favorite thing was her color-wonder. Too bad we wasted so much money on the other things she got! ;o) She's been very interested in pencils, crayons, markers and the like, and they've all been no-no's without Major Supervision until now. This morning she was so excited about having free-reign over her markers that she was walking around and around and around Adam and me (we were playing Wii boxing), shrieking her excitement and holding her markers in one hand, and masterpiece creation in her other. It was hilarious. Aleksa got mostly horse-themed things, and Liana got a few herself, but her favorite gift was a spiral curling iron. My Liana aged five years yesterday. She sure looked glamorous! She hasn't quite gotten the hang of how to do it, but I stepped in and finished her up. It was a fun mom-daughter time, and I hope she never forgets it - I know I won't! Adam got a giant over-stuffed bear, a remote-control truck, and some other guy stuff like a RAZOR, (!!!), socks, clip light for his bed, etc. My kids are growing up... *sniff, sniff*

It will sure be nice to relax the rest of the week! I'll do some extra cooking/baking, but it feels good to have John home, everyone playing their hearts out, and me not having to correct science tests or monitor their wiggles. Merry Christmas everyone!

Trees and things

Sorry, Gang, I've been awol again. We have our computers downstairs, and we do school UPstairs, and well, unless I take a pitstop here at the computer on the way out of the laundryroom, (which happens, I have to confess), I just don't get to actually "sit" with the computer until after the kids are in bed. And then I've been doing other stuff.

Like Facebook! I never even knew what that was a month ago. Now I can't wait to see who is doing what. I've connected with friends I haven't seen for years and years through Facebook, and it has been a blast seeing what has happened to whom. If you haven't, you should try it!

Been a little sentimental this year - first Christmas without either of my parents. That's a little rough. Plus, the sale of the house is final on Wednesday. My brother wound up not being able to buy it. *sniff, sniff* He did wind up with an absolutely adorable and perfect-for-him house anyway, so I'm very happy for him.

A few weeks ago I had mentioned to my siblings that I was looking for a thrift-store Christmas tree for our familyroom. Already had a big one for our livingroom, but wanted something downstairs as well. My brother mentioned that Mom's tree was still in the basement "at the house" and was about to be sold with the house unless I came to get it. I came that very weekend. As luck would have it, I got not only Mom's big tree, but Dad's 4' "little" one as well. I have them both up and lit. And I love 'em! My livingroom has one tree on one side, and one on the other, and then Mom's tree downstairs. I love decorating for Christmas anyway, but it has been fun to have LOTS of decorations.

Except that I kind of forgot that we have a one-year-old in the house. We had Mom's 7-foot tree fall over one day. Nobody got hurt, but it was sure enough to make my kids think that Mama was probably going to have a Cow in a minute... the room got suddenly completly silent and everyone stared at me wondering if I was going to keep breathing or not. I did. But it sure took me a while to get that thing up again and looking nice.

And besides the falling over tree, my livingroom tree is bare on the bottom because the baby either walks off with the ornaments, or we catch her touching them and then re-hang them on the TOP of the tree. So the top has too many ornaments and the bottom is bare. I love it! :o) Ok, I didn't much love it when the 7-footer fell over, but hey, nobody got hurt, and I did get to rearrange the candycanes a little more evenly after that... ;o)

John and I have been learning a lot about 13-month-olds in this "tree/baby" season... We've been needing to say the big "N" word to Abrielle more than she's ever heard it before (aside from when she goes after the electrical outlets, which she's also terribly curious about), and the other night after we said "No-no" a few times, Abrielle found two clothespins from who-knows-where, and she slooooooowly moved the clothespins over to the tree as if to find out whether she could get away with touching the tree if she only touched it with the clothespins. We could just see those little wheels turning in her head! We've also watched her slowly back herself up next to the tree to find out if she could touch it unnoticed that sneaky way. Lets just say that we Fishers are getting our exercise hopping up and redirecting our busy, busy little toddler, who we love to pieces and could just eat up she's so adorable and fun...

Hope everyone is having a terrific Christmas season!

Tooth Fairy

Leksa lost a tooth today... I have to read you the note we found under her pillow along with her tooth... Still chuckling over here...


"to the dear tooth fairy,

I cannot find my tooth pillow, that is sad. I mis you.

I am in the hole because I don't have any mouny. You are my friend. :o)

Love, Aleksa"

The tooth fairy, you'll be happy to know, left her not only some "mouny," but also a personal note on cardstock in pretty purple font...