Christmas Day

Our Christmas day was just as packed with family and fun as I imagined it would be!  The boys were up at 430.  Yes, you read that right - 430!  Andrew went back to his room until 630, but Jake was already plopped on the couch in front of the tree, so I let him stay up.  The rest of the family got up around 7, and we were opening gifts by 730.  Greg made us breakfast, and of course my dad brought his sticky buns (I ate three, as I promised myself I would!)  By 12, we all needed a nap.  My sister and her family headed back to Pittsburgh.  My other sister, mom and dad went home, and Greg, the boys and I all slept for about an hour.   We went to Gallitzin around 3 to visit with Greg's family in the evening.  We ate more great food, visited and exchanged gifts.  After the family partying was over, we came home and put the boys to bed.  The band Greg plays with played at the Old Canal Inn on Christmas night.  I went down for a short time with my neighbor, whose husband also plays in the band.  We're groupie wives!    It was a great (and full!) day.  I hope everyone had as great a day as we did, and went to bed feeling as loved and blessed as I did too!  

Here are some pictures from the day ~ proof positive of our adventures! 

One of these things is not like the others. 

I'm pretty sure visions of a loose hamster danced in Sam's head on Christmas Eve!

It's been the tradition since we moved into this house in 2006, that Jake and I are the first to get up.  We sit in front of the tree, and Jake talks my ear off for 2 hours or so, when the rest of the family gets their butts out of bed and join us! Here's Jake, the first to sit in front of the tree for another year! 

Let me explain this picture - I know I wrote about the hamster saga on Facebook, but I'm not sure I shared it on the blog.  Here's the gist - we lost the hamster a few weeks ago, and I thought Jake was going to have a nervous breakdown!  The hamster was missing for over a week.  We set traps and searched the house high and low, but no hamster.  Last Tuesday, Jake came downstairs in the morning, reporting through sobs that the hamster trap was once again empty.  As I was sitting on the couch with him, failing to console a desperately distraught child, I looked across the living room, and there in front of the bookcase, cuddled up next to the cat, was the hamster!  I ran across the room and grabbed it!  I wish I hadn't been so afraid that it was going to get away, because I really should have taken a picture.   Anyway, we found the hamster and returned her to her cage, where she drank for about 10 minutes straight.  How it survived for over a week in my house with no water is beyond me, but I was certainly happy (as was Jake) that she made it back alive.  (I was mostly happy because I didn't want it to start decaying in one of my heating vents just in time for our family gatherings!  Nothing says "Christmas" like the smell of rotting flesh, you know?)  In light of the tragic loss, and subsequent sweet reunion of Lily the hamster, Jacob and Andrew made the doggone rodent a Christmas stocking.  On Christmas Eve, when I went to check on Jacob, I found a note beside his Christmas tree that read: "Dear Santa, I was wondering if you had something small for a little hamster who has tried to be nice for the short time I've known her.  I would be very grateful if you do.  Love, Jacob.  PS Merry Christmas, sorry about the room."  Thank goodness Santa had something in his bag for Lily, the good little hamster that she is!  

I let Jake open his stocking alone.  2 hours is a long time for a kid to wait to open all those gifts! 

Sam got anxious waiting too.  He was literally eating the bows off of the gifts and sticking his head into the gift bags!  I swear he smelled the catnip in the toy we bought him! 

To ease Sam's anxiety, Jake helped him open his gift while we waited too. 

"I knew I smelled catnip under the tree!" 

I think it's safe to say he liked his present.

This was the first year that Ella slept in a house where Santa came.  Every year in the past, she has slept at my mom's house, but Santa always leaves her gifts at my place.  She was so excited to be in the same house as Santa this year! 

"What is that giant puffy thing?" 

Why, it's a sheepskin rug, of course.  Doesn't every 4 year old sheepskin for Christmas?

He loves it! 

So do the other kiddos! 

Opening Ninja Turtles with Mimi.

Matching (almost) Angry Birds sets.

"Hey, Mom...these could make good gloves." 

Giving Dad his "reinbeer." 

Sea Monkeys.  Really.  Does Santa snort crack before he shops?

Transform-n-go Dino ~ Thanks, Aunt Megan! 

Brynn was eager to taste the homemade goodies from Aunt Meghan and Uncle Patrick.

Andrew was not fooled by the Innotab.  No, it's not an iPad, but it's the best I can do for a pre-schooler right now.  Sorry, Buddy.  

An Atari for Jake and Pap

An iPod touch for Jake certainly made him happy! 

Ella, Jake and Pap needed a rest after all that hard work opening gifts! 

Meghan and my dad during breakfast

Once again, we prove that spending thousands of dollars on Christmas gifts is unnecessary.  Give the kids an empty box, and they will make their own fun.  Hope they feel the same about boxes next year as they do now, because Santa is on a budget for next Christmas! 

Jake was in 7th heaven with the iPod and the Furby.  I have to admit, the Furby is pretty cool.  Jacob and Andrew both got Furbies, and they're funny together - they chat just like people!  I am alone in the house this morning, and I actually stopped mopping for about 15 minutes to download the Furby app, feed Andrew's Furby, pet it and watch it dance to music.  Did I just admit that on the Internet???  

For the record, Christmas trees do NOT taste like wintergreen mints! 

The Three Stooges and an iTunes card!  4th grade bliss! 

My nieces, Brooke and Kiersten with their gifts on Christmas evening.  

Greg and the boys at my sister-in-law's house.  

Jake, my nephew Tony, and Andrew chill out on the couch for a while.  

My niece Karissa wanted money for Christmas.  That's fine.  I get it.  At 17, I wanted money too, but money is boring to give.  So I taped 50 one dollar bills together and put them in a tissue box with a note that read, "Don't blow it all in one place."  I thought that was a super cute way to give cash.  She didn't get the joke, though.  I had to explain it to her.  Best part?  My sister-in-law, Renee (wearing pink and black) didn't get it either!  Ah...apparently density runs in the family! 

I think my sister-in-law was trying to subtly say something to my brother-in-law Ryan, with his baby bear gift bag!  

"Are you kidding me?  This is what I always ask for!  Someone finally listened to me!"  

For Christmas, my mother-in-law gave me a flat ass (whoopie cushion), a lot of money (kids cash register filled with monopoly money) and bigger boobs (that one doesn't need explaining, does it?)  It was hysterical!  If only it were real...

My mother-in-law, Dale Ann, had to sift through some clues to figure out her gift.  The first clue was an apple.  Followed by a taxi...

Then a playbill from a Broadway show.  Anyone think they know what she got? 

She was given a day trip to NYC to see the show of her choice.  She was thrilled!  What a nice gift! 

That's all for now, folks!  The winter storm has rendered me house ridden today.  Originally, I wanted to get out, run some errands, and get some stuff done, but now I'm actually enjoying the confinement.  I needed to get some stuff done around the house, and it's a wonderful change of pace to be able to do it leisurely instead of cramming it all into small blocks of time.  Let's just hope this snow clears up before I make my day trip to Pittsburgh tomorrow!  I don't want the weather to get in the way of visiting with my friends!  Oh, and I have to get my sister to the airport too!  I'm sure she doesn't want to miss her flight!  Fingers crossed...

Christmas Eve

It's been a busy couple of days, but good-busy, for sure!  I have posted some pictures from Christmas Eve.  Pictures from today will soon follow!  Hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas!  Much love from our house to yours! 

We were blessed with a short, surprise visit by my long-time friend, Jackie, and her little guy, Sean.  Andrew took this picture.  Not bad for a pre-schooler! 

Andrew and Sean exchanged gifts - they both got just what they always wanted! 

My sister and her family are in for the next few days.  Here are the kiddos before church last night. 

After church, Jake wanted to read the story of the first Christmas to everyone.  My friend, Marsha, gave us a really nice book a few years ago.  Jake still loves it.  He read it to the kids while they opened gifts.  

My littlest niece, Brynn trying to get in on some of the action.

Jake is a thrilled as I am to have his photo taken! 

Andrew was ecstatic to get a Ninja Turtle skateboarding ramp...unfortunately, the action figure was not included.  Don't worry, though.  The turtle arrived via Santa this morning! 

Instead of gingerbread houses, we made snowman ornaments this year.  

Aunt Meghan helped Ella

Jake and I enjoyed making ornaments, but we both hate the camera! 

I love how endearingly Ella is looking at Meghan.  So sweet! 

"Hey, Ella, pass me another ball!" 

We also made reindeer food for the kids to sprinkle outside.  Look at my mom's face as Andrew actually took a bite of his mixture!  Haha! 

In case you are wondering, reindeer food apparently isn't all that tasty! 

Ella gave it a try too, but on a much more timidly!   

Sprinkling reindeer food!  I love this picture - they are having so much fun! 

Three excited kiddos in the snow on Christmas Eve!  It doesn't get much better than this! 

Can't forget to feed the reindeer at our house! 

Setting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.  Notice the cookies - Chips A-hoy and Oreos.  Santa isn't picky, right?  (The best part is that those packs of cookies were gifts from our neighbors - an no I didn't break into them first!) 

Greg and I had a lot of fun making the kids do silly dances to Christmas carols last night!  They were good sports! 

Ready...set...jump!

(or try not to poop, if you are Jake!)

Take two! 

Third time's a charm, right?

This was my dad's old sled that I rescued from the dumpster a month ago when we were cleaning out their basement.  My friend's husband painted it for them.  My parents really liked it, and it was extra special, since it was my dad's sled from long ago.  

All set and ready to be opened! 

To the left of the tree.

And the rest!  

We always over-do Christmas, but this year, I can say that it was well worth the effort.  The kids were up before 5, and waited so patiently for my parents and the rest of the family to come down to our house around 730.  We opened gifts, played with the toys, and ate breakfast all before 10!  The house is a grand wreck right now, and I am exhausted!  I think it's time for a little nap, before we head to Gallitzin for round two of Christmas with Greg's family! What a blessing it is to have so much - not just toys and gifts, but family and love all around!  I truly hope you have the same contentment as me, not just on Christmas, but all year long!  

Learn To Be Still

If, as Herod, we fill our lives with things, and again with things; if we consider ourselves so unimportant that we must fill every moment of our lives with action, when will we have the time to make the long, slow journey across the desert as did the Magi? Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds? Or anticipate the coming of the Child as did Mary? For each one of us, there is a desert to travel. A star to discover. And a being within ourselves to bring to life. ~Author Unknown  (Taken from the blog: The Underachiever's Guide to Being a Domestic Goddess.)

It seems I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon, and been rather neglectful with my writing.  It's certainly not for lack of news, or lack of thoughts either.  It's simply been a lack of time. The holiday season is naturally very full and it seems like this year has topped the time-consuming charts! Life gets crazy busy, and this year, I am honestly not too sure how I made it this far through December in one piece.  Here I am, though, in tact, and even blogging!  I must have done something right!

We've done a lot in the last few weeks besides just move that doggone Elf on the Shelf (although, that did take up a good deal of our time).  Jake has had basketball practices and games and karate lessons twice a week.  He also had a really cute school play.  We celebrated Christmas with Jake's dad.  We had a Steeler party at our house, and have had a number of band practices too.  I've had some long nights at work, and even traveled to Gettysburg for a few days for a training.  I'm forgetting lots of things, I know.  All I know is that at the end of the day (and even more so in the early hours of morning) I am tired!

In spite of all of that, I think I have managed to get everything ready for Christmas and New Years.  The presents are wrapped.  The groceries have been purchased.  The cookies...well, we have to rely on someone else for cookies.  I'm really not a baker and I don't want to poison Santa! Our neighbor gave us cookies for Santa this week, but I think someone ate them already.  Greg is still doing his shopping, but that's nothing new.  He's a last minute kinda guy.  They say opposites attract, don't they? Who knows what's going to be left in the stores on Christmas Eve.  I could end up with some interesting gifts!  As long as they aren't from Wal Mart, I'm OK!

Regardless of what is under the tree on Tuesday morning, I already know that the best gift I am getting this Christmas is the blessing of sharing it with my entire family.  The shooting at Sandy Hook, and the recent shooting in my home town, coupled with some other events in my personal life have brought the little blessings in my life into clear focus.  Life can be stressful.  We are busy, and it seems like we get busier every day.  There's an endless list of things to do, places to go, things to clean.  In the end, though, as we know, none of that really matters.  What matters is that we hold each other close, let our families and friends know that we love them, make time for one another, and pick our battles wisely.

That said, the second best gift that I received so far was a plaque that my friend had her husband make for me.  It says simply, "Be still and know that I am God."  I know she put a lot of thought into what she wanted him to write, and she couldn't have chosen better for me.  Oh how I struggle with being still, and with my faith!  I want to fix it all, line up all my ducks, and be in total control.  I feel like if I can organize everything into neat little piles, I can make everything right.  The reality is, however, that I can't control everything.  I can't always run the show, and that notion of being in control often backfires.  Since the fall, I have been working on handing those struggles over to God.  I have prayed more in the last 3 months than I have in my whole life.  And I didn't just start praying more, I started praying differently.  I no longer ask God for specifics, because who am I to know what is best?  I simply ask for guidance, for clarity, for the wisdom to see His blessings and influence in my daily life, for the strength to channel His presence in times of strife.  I pray for comfort - for myself, for those I love, and for anyone who might be struggling.  My life has not changed.  I'm still stressed.  I still get angry and sad, and those personal things that I mentioned above have not disappeared, but I feel better equipped to handle them.  I have my moments, don't get me wrong, but I can see a change, one that can only be credited to faith.

This Christmas, I am resolved to not allow the stress of life get the best of me.  I will take a deep breath, say a prayer, and reflect on my blessings, because they are many indeed.  My children are safe and healthy, as are my parents and the rest of my family.   We will wake up on Christmas morning to a house full of gifts and people.  There will be children laughing, and the floor will be covered in festive paper debris well before 9 a.m.  It doesn't matter how messy it gets, because I will have time to clean the house later (this is seriously the hardest one for me).  We will be safe, warm, and well-fed (maybe a little too well-fed), but that's OK too, because I can start my diet on January 2nd.  This week, I'm letting loose.  I plan to eat as many of my dad's sticky buns between now and New Years Eve as humanly possible.  We only get them once a year, and we may not get them next year, so...open mouth, insert pastry! Tomorrow I will visit with my favorite great aunt, Carmen, and meet her newest grandson who traveled all the way from Singapore with his parents for a visit.  I'll have donuts and drink coffee...and be still.

And I will continue to be still when I play with the boys, when I go out to celebrate a friend's birthday, when I travel to Pittsburgh to visit some friends for the day, when I have coffee with some friends here, and during my family party next Saturday.  I will soak up every minute of fellowship that has been so sweetly placed into my lap.  "Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give," (Ben Carson) and I plan to give as much love as possible.  My happiness surely comes from the people in my life, and I have undoubtedly been blessed with the love of many wonderful people.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, filled with family, joy and laughter.  And that note, let me leave you with some images from the last few weeks, sure to bring you at least a chuckle.  

Sam is having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit.  (This photo cracks me up every time I look at it!) 

Elf on the Shelf...literally.  

Swinging from the light...

...and the fan! 

Speaking of fans, the elf loves the Steelers, even when they lose! 

Having a snack in my grandfather's high chair.

Elfie left Andrew some magic elf milk, 

which Andrew gave a hearty thumbs-up! 

Just sitting on the post.  The elf has no trouble being still! 

Rocking around the Christmas tree.

Elfie wanted to watch the snow fall last night. 

And he couldn't resist the beautiful poinsettia my aunt Carmen sent us.  

Jake, happy to perform! 

Jake and his dad with a bucket of "Reinbeer." 

Andrew and yet another "pet." 

"These gifts are awesome!" 

"Jake, what did you get?" 

"I got a Cars Lego set!"