Christmas Cards

This is a preview of our Christmas Card photo this year (for those of you lucky enough to get one *WINK*). We're sending a photo card again this year. We've been doing photo cards ever since we started having children, because everyone always asks us about how big the kids are. We usually also send a Christmas letter, just because we send cards to friends and family that we don't see more than every few years. Some of my friends I have seen in many, many years, but I still enjoy keeping up with them and vice versa, even if it's only once a year.

We usually send about 80 or so of these. I entertained the idea of making my own Christmas Cards, but time is short, and these will suit our purpose. My overachiever sister made all 90 of her cards all by herself. You go, girl! :)

Holiday Parties

We try to get in the spirit and go to my work Christmas Party every year. I work at one location in the training program, and I don't see the people that work at the other location in the training program except for this party and the Graduation Party at the end of the "school year". Last year, one of my colleagues, who is apparently very good at breakdancing, did his thing at the party. It WAS pretty impressive, I was disappointed that it was too dark to get a good photo. The boys would have loved seeing it. That won't happen this year, because my colleague injured his knee at the annual soccer game and is recovering from surgery. It's too bad that we have to get old!

Last year, I was pregnant and still getting very tired very easily, so we left before 10PM. The party is scheduled for next Friday, so I can take some photos then.

There is also a work Christmas Party next Friday during the day. This one is for the whole department rather than just my section. There is usually way too much food, and that's what makes it very enjoyable. I'll report back on that next Friday, too.

Outdoor Decorations

We usually don't have too many outdoor decorations either, because DH is the one that puts them up, and they do take quite a while. This year we will have the clear net lights on the bushes out front, and some clear lights wound up on the trees next to the fountain. New this year will be a decoration I bought at Target of a lighted holographic Santa and three reindeer. DD helped pick it out and the older boys murmured their approval. DS#2 even said, "Cool!" DS#3 just wanted to eat the box. ;-)

Again, I'll get some photos up when I catch up on my backlog of holiday stuff.

Indoor Decorations

We don't have too many indoor decorations, but I would love to have more. There's just something about young children and curious hands...

We do have several Santas. I haven't bought any new ones lately, but I have more than a handful of standing Santas and a couple of sitting ones. My favorite one is the 36-inch tall one because I remember buying it when Alex was 2 years old and 36 inches tall. He got such a kick out of looking at that Santa eye-to-eye, or actually, he was taller than the Santa by Christmas time.

The Nativity scene was a present from my in-laws. There are three Wise Men included and we place them closer and closer to the stable as January 6 approaches. That's one reason why we don't put away our decorations until January 6. My MIL believes that we should exchange gifts on January 6 instead of Christmas, since that is when the Three Wise Men gave the baby Jesus their gifts. I agree, and that would be a better time to shop, but while the kids are young, I guess we should conform with everyone else.

That's pretty much it, except for the tree which was discussed in an earlier post. We used to have a garland for the stairs, but I think we accidently left the batteries in and DH threw them away. If I do end up buying a new one this year, I'll take a photo as well as photos of my Santas. :)

Decorating the Tree

Here's the Scrapaddict.com journaling prompt for December 4:

Describe how your tree is decorated.
Do you have a certain color scheme or a certain theme? Do you have colored versus clear lights? What types of ornaments do you hang on your tree? You might want to expand this to describing what certain ornaments mean to you or what type of ornaments you like to buy.

We have a collection of ornaments that we've gathered over the years. I'm partial to wooden (or at least wooden-looking ornaments. I also love Santa ornaments. A few years ago, someone told me that every year, they took their kids to pick out their own Hallmark ornaments. I started doing this soon after that, so we have a collection of Hallmark ornaments, too. This year, DS#1 was going to pick the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ornament, but then he saw the soccer goal/soccerball and video game controller ornaments. Ultimately, he picked the video game controller one and the DS#2 picked out the soccer one. DD picked out the Barbie as the Island Princess ornament--very fitting since she is all about the girly sparkle right now.

The boys' ornaments are also very fitting to what they're interested in right now. DS#1 is very much into the video games. he got a Nintendo DS for his birthday in October, and he has accumulated about four or five games for it since then. He also loves to play this online role-playing game called Runescape. Some of this friends from school play it, too, so sometimes he'll "see" them there. DS#2 is all about soccer this fall. This was his first season playing in a more competitive league on a team that is not affiliated with his school. He has made new friends and learned some new skills from their professional coach. The ornament itself provides some insight into DS#2's tastes because whenever the attached soccer ball goes into the goal, a recording comes on that says "Gooooooooallll!!!" or "Score! Way to go!" or "What a kick! That is In there!" DS#2 is all about the sound-making devices. :)

I'll have to take photos of the ornaments tomorrow.

Putting Up the Tree

Here's today's Scrapaddict.com journaling prompt:

Do you have a live or an artificial tree? Why do you have one versus the other type? You might want to expand this into talking about why you’ve chosen a live versus an artificial tree.

I'll have to ask my parents to be sure, but for as long as I can remember, we've always had an artificial tree. Artificial trees are convenient (easier to put up and take down), they're neater, they're cheaper in the long run, and they last longer. Especially since we've lived in warm climates for most of my life, artificial trees last the whole season, from Thanksgiving in November to Little Christmas in January. Since we've had children, there is the additional reason that the small children are not in danger from swallowing the needles from the tree.

That being said, I love the smell and look of live trees. One Christmas, we were at my in-laws condo in Colorado, and they had a live flocked tree outside on their balcony. I thought that was the coolest idea to have it outside, and I would love to plant live trees outside that we could decorate. I haven't pursued this since, but maybe in the future, we'll have multiple "Christmas trees" decorating our yard. :)

Picking Your Tree

Here I am continuing my Scrapaddict.com challenges. This is today's journaling prompt:

Describe what you feel is the perfect tree.

If you have a live tree, how describe how you choose which one to get? When do you like to go get a tree? Does one person in your family have the final word?

If you have an artificial tree, then describe how and why you picked the tree. Is it flocked, or plain? Is it a prelit tree or do you still have to string the lights? We just got a new artificial tree. DH and I had talked about how big a tree we wanted. He saw this one at Costco and there were huge crowds just before Thanksgiving already, so he decided to go ahead and get it. There isn’t much to the story, but years from now, even simple journaling like that gives some insight to what type of person my DH is (practical—very practical).

DH and I feel like the perfect tree for us is one that is the biggest we can get in our living room, one that is easy to put together and to maintain, and one that is easy to take down. Oh, and it has to look good too, of course. This year, as it states above, we got a 7.5 foot prelit tree. I took the kids out shopping while DH put it together. Apparently, except for the fact that the bottom two of the three pieces were heavy, it was very easy to put together. He didn't have to mess around with untangling lights from last year, and therefore, he won't have to worry about trying to put away these lights for next year. We would both love a taller tree, but this is one is just tall enough to allow for a topper without scraping the ceiling. I love how bright the lights are and how many there are. The tree looks pretty full, too--almost real, since a "real" tree really isn't practical for us.

The Reason for the Season

I know I'll be busy with all of the holiday stuff this month and I won't have much time to scrap. I'm running this challenge on the Scrapaddict MB this month. I want to take a photo and do some journaling daily. This way, I hope I will have the makings for a Holiday Memories 2007 album after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is over. The first journaling prompt is below:

What special types of holiday worship, if any, do you engage in? Do you do something every week (or every day) or do you just go to church on Christmas Day? Does this have a special meaning for you? This isn’t meant to be a guilt trip for whether or not you do anything at all, but merely an account of what and why you do what you do. Remember to take a photo that symbolizes what this season means for you, too.

During this holiday season, we plan on going to church at 9AM on Sundays just like we do the rest of the year. We'll plan on going to Mass on Christmas Day also. Especially when Christmas has gotten so commercialized, I want the kids to be reminded what the true "reason for the season" is. The reason for Christmas is to celebrate Christ's birth, not to exchange presents. The reason for the special decorating we do is to make this a special time, just as Christ's birth is special and not because we agree with all of the commercialization. The reason why we go to church on every weekend throughout the year and not just at Christmas time is because we want to be able to thank God year round for all of these wonderful gifts that we get year round. My family and I are all truly blessed. :)

First Day Report

DS#3 did fine today at daycare, of course. He was in the 6-12 month room. I joked about how he had "skipped a grade" since he had skipped over the 0-6 month room. *WINK* DH asked the teacher about whether or not DS had taken any naps. The teacher said that he had taken a 20 minute nap in the morning and a 5 minute one in the afternoon. DH told her, "That's why he's here." How does that baby survive on such little sleep?!!

Going to Day Care

DS#3 is going to daycare for the first time tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about it. DH and I wanted him to get used to kids his age. Kids his age won't wait on him hand and foot like his siblings do. He is very needy, too, and DH can't get anything done at home while watching him. What I'm not sure about is that women outside of the family will be caring for him for the first time. I not crazy about sharing him! :)

Thanksgiving 2007

Wow, I think this is the longest I've gone between blog posts! It's been quite a busy week. I'll just touch on a few highlights.

--I worked the night before Thanksgiving.
--We left to visit my family after I got home from work.
--DS#3 did not sleep during the whole car trip, but luckily didn't fuss too much either.
--We went directly to my sister's house. Her in-laws were also visiting.
--My sister's father-in-law got down on the floor and army crawled toward DS#3 who in turn started army crawling straight to him. It was so cute!
--DS#1 and DS#2 started playing Guitar Hero II on the PS2 with my nephew. That was their obsession for the rest of the trip.
--DD started playing dress-up with my niece. My sister could smell the lip gloss when they got near. They were such a contrast to the boys.
--DS#3 took a couple of short naps and that's it. He had a little trouble getting to sleep in the "new" crib and surroundings but did okay the rest of the night.

--On Black Friday, all of the kids got up early, so DH decided to go out to one of the local electronics stores (around 5AM). The checkout line was so long that he decided just to look around.
--We went to my youngest sister's house and "hung out".
--They had bought a tent and my BIL had already put it together in the living room when we first got there. Our boys stayed over there that night and they "camped" in the backyard in the tent. The temps overnight got into the 40s with thunderstorms. I still cannot believe that my scrapping sister failed to get photos of the three boys camping out for me!
--In the evening, we went to my younger sister's house because her DD was coming home from being with her father for Thanksgiving. DD spent the night there with her two girl cousins.
--DH and I were left with only DS#3 that night but he woke up at 3:30AM and kept waking up at least every hour or so. I sent DH to sleep in the other room since he was going to be driving.

We drove home yesterday. It was miserable, cold, wet day, and it wasn't a fun drive, but it was nice to be home. :)

My Oldest Son

I shouldn't forget my oldest son. I talk a lot about his siblings here because they're at a point where they're changing more quickly. I forget that he's changing, too. Today, I noticed in church that he was singing with a lower voice than I remember. He is still in the middle school choir because his voice hasn't changed yet. Tonight, I asked him if he noticed that his voice was getting lower. He said that he could still hit the higher notes but that he found the lower notes easier to reach now. Thank goodness that he can at least hit those notes, as compared to his father who always seems to miss those notes. *WINK*

I still sing to my oldest son before he goes to sleep. I'm happy that he still wants me to sing to him and he still even wants me to rub his back when I sing. I was doing that tonight and I was struck with an odd feeling. Here I was looking up to him as I lay in the bed with him. I found myself wondering if his feet were beyond where my feet were. He is taller than me now, of course, and it was weird rubbing the back of a boy who is bigger than me!

His face is changing too, as are other parts of his body that are not visible to me, I'm sure. He cares more about his hair. He'll ask to get a haircut instead of waiting for us to tell him it is time. His little brother made a comment the other day about how he is growing a mustache. Well, not really, and DS#2 IS prone to exaggeration, but DS#1's facial hair IS getting a little darker.

DS#1 spent the night at a friend's house last Friday. I really missed him. I saw him on Thursday night, and then I left for work before he woke up on Friday. We didn't see him again until Saturday afternoon. I caught a glimpse of myself in a few years, when DS#1 is off at college. I know my kids have to grow up and eventually leave my house, but I hope I can learn to cope with it better by then!

November Kit Layouts

I forgot to post these pages earlier. I posted one in October--Bobbing For Apples. Here's another one using the same Cast A Spell Kit for November from Scrapaddict. This uses photos from our recent Disney World trip.

This next one uses the White Picket Fence SDJ and photos from last fall's soccer season, during DS#1's game. DD was happily playing in dirt with the sister of another player. Her hands were filthy! She wanted to take home the dirt she was playing with. DH told her that we had our own dirt! :)

This one also uses the White Picket Fence SDJ and photos from last year. DD got this outfit as a hand-me-down from her second cousin. She was all giggly that her tummy was showing. I was just a proud Mama who was thinking of how beautiful her daughter was!

Last Soccer Game!

DS#2's soccer team played in a tournament this weekend. They played three games today--at 8AM, Noon, and 4PM. They won one game and lost the other two. What a long day! We left the house before 7AM and didn't get back until after 530PM. At least poor DS#3 was able to nap here and there, but he wanted to crawl around so badly that he would look at the ground when we were carrying him. We didn't make it to the next round, but DH and I are secretly thinking that isn't a bad thing because otherwise, we would have one and maybe even two games tomorrow, too!! I enjoy watching my kids play soccer, but enough is enough. I want my free time back!

The Search Is Over

The search is over. I wanted the elusive Nintendo Wii for Christmas, and DH found one today and bought it. He didn't even have to stand in line waiting for one. That would have been too much trouble. Now, I can't wait to play with it!

On a slightly different subject, I finally got a photo of DS#3's two bottom front teeth. Isn't he adorable?

Girls' Night Out

My friend Jen gets together with some other military wives once a year. It was her turn to host this year, and she invited me along. I have known all of them except for one through the ScrapAddict.com Message Board, and it was really cool to finally meet them face-to-face. Even though they had all known each other for a while, and I was the new one, they all made me very welcome. Thanks to Jen for inviting me, and thanks to DH for encouraging me to go and for watching the kids. :)

Good and Bad

Today was the awards ceremony at the kids' school. My oldest got a "Golden Arrow" for this quarter and DS#2 got an award for the first time--a "Silver Arrow"! Only students from the third grade on up can win those awards. "Golden Arrow" means an average of 94 in the core subjects. "Silver Arrow" means an average of 90 and above (I think). DS#2 actually only fell short about TWO points in ONE class or he would have qualified for a "Golden Arrow". DH and I were a little bummed for him, but he was still happy, thankfully.

Both boys also got the Reader Awards for their respective classes. That award is for the child with the highest number of Accelerated Reader points (from reading a certain amount of books worth a certain amount of points) in their class. We're so proud of our children!

Okay, so we have to have the good with the bad, right? Well, we also found out this morning that DS#2 earned a "mandatory" (which is basically an afterschool detention) for not having his math homework done. What a shock! That kid lives for math! He had even wanted to work ahead in math! He said that he forgot his book last night. That wasn't a very good excuse, but because of this, he has lost all of his privileges until next week. He didn't get to go out for a celebratory milkshake like his brother did because he was still at school!

DD doesn't qualify for any awards yet since she is only in PreK, but I would have bought her a shake. The only problem was that she was sent home form school after having thrown up her breakfast. DH said that she seemed to be feeling better at home, so she had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich--and promptly threw that up, too. She was very bouncy when I saw her at the awards ceremony, but she really only ate an apple this evening along with some water I made her drink. She went to bed at 6PM, and I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a better day for everyone!

Air Show

Today we went to the Air Force Base in town to watch the Air Show. Despite living here for five years, we've never been to one of these. DS#2's godfather was in town flying in the Air Show, so we made a point of going just to see him. These are some photos of the older kids with him and a photo of his plane. I guess when you're single with no kids you can have expensive hobbies like this one. It was great to see him again.

All Saints' Day

DS#2 was St. George, and DD was St. Michael the Archangel. DS got to read from index cards. DD can't read reliably enough yet, so she had to memorize her saint name and two facts. We started practicing daily last Sunday. I still had to prompt her, but I was proud of her. She said her lines loudly and clearly. Last year, she couldn't say a thing when she got in front of everyone. All she could do was give an embarrassed look and hide her face in her teacher's skirt.

I think they enjoyed dressing up more than anything else. :)

Costumes Part 2

This is the fourth year that my kids have been going to this Catholic school. That means that this is our fourth All Saints' Day at this school, too. On this day, all the elementary school kids dress up as saints and give reports about their chosen saint in front of their class. After they do that, they get to have a party. So, it's like Halloween all over again, except on the following day. This is the first time that I haven't had to "make" a costume. Do you know how difficult it is to find a ready-made costume of a saint?

The first year, DH and I totally freaked out when it came down to a week or so before the big day and we didn't have any saint costumes for the boys. Luckily, DH was able to find an adult monk costume that I cut down to fit DS#1. I had figured out that a monk costume could last a long time, and DS#1 wore that costume the following two years after that. This year he didn't have to dress up because he's in the middle school, and dressing in costume isn't required for them.

DS#2 wore a recycled wizard costume that first year. He was St. Patrick, so we tried to dye the dark blue costume green, but in the end, it still looked blue and we decided that it didn't matter. The following year, we again tried to find a monk costume (for DS#2 this time), but we had no luck at all. Again, we did this all at the last minute. Because of this, I spent about six hours the night before (which was Halloween) making a monk costume for DS#2. Sometime after I got home from work, I went out to the fabric store, bought a pattern, and the supplies to make a generic monk-type garment. I remember starting at about six and finishing at about midnight. That's with skipping dinner. That's with totally missing all of the Halloween festivities, including trick-or-treating. I actually haven't scrapped the Halloween pictures from that year yet because I still get upset thinking about missing all of it.

Last year, the boys already had their monk costumes, so we were set. I was so relieved! DD was only in PreK, so we chose a saint to match a ready-made costume. Target had these queen costumes last year, so she was a saint that was a queen. I can't seem to remember which one right now. More on this tomorrow.

Because of all of that past last-minute angst, last year and this year, I have requested call on the night before Halloween (so I would have Halloween day off) and a vacation day on All Saints' Day. That way, I can make a last minute costume if I have to. That way I won't miss Halloween again. That way, I can see my kids give their saint reports and help at their parties.

I'll have to share today's events tomorrow with the photos I took of their costumes.