Well, here it is - the day after Christmas already! I still have my cards waiting to be assembled downstairs, but at least they are cut! We've been plagued by illnesses throughout December - including the stomach flu that Dave had yesterday and the upper respiratory that Lauren had over 2 weeks ago, passed onto Jason and now I've finally succumbed. I think once I was able to relax and enjoy, it struck since my defenses were down. So between that and the weather, we've had a very lonely Christmas - unable to have my parents over on Christmas eve due to snow and ice, and due to our illnesses on Christmas day. But in some ways that was nice. Very relaxing - I didn't even get up until almost noon today! Don't you love antihistamines sometimes - when you have the time to enjoy their sleepy affects! The kids have had plenty of toys to play with - Jason got the PS3 move that he has been begging for, but more importantly he got some "get out of jail free" cards to be able to play it over break. Lauren got some wonderful fashion crafts and some legos. And they both got an iHome dock for the iPod's. They really like those - and they have a far better speaker system than I thought they would have! So here are some scenes from our celebration this year.....
Took some photos before church since we were bound to get wet while trying to get there! Didn't set up the tripod though, so Dave had to be camera man.
Here is our view of the house as we drove (very carefully) to Christmas eve service. It was coming down all day and we got a total of about 3 inches - with maybe 2 more by Christmas morning.
This is the choir that Lauren auditioned for and has been in all Fall. They sang the National Anthem at the Rams game, and more recently sang the the vocal part for the Joffrey Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre during the dance of the Snow Queen. This is a song from their winter concert....
Lauren has been very musically active this year - as has Jason with marching band! - here is a sample of her guitar playing....something we put together. She taught the song to herself by ear!
A family photo for the holidays. Dave had the stomach flu 5 hours later. Yuck.
Other activities this fall included:
Jason got his braces off! Now if only he would wear his retainer!
Lauren's first band concert. Obviously she plays flute. She said that while she was in the orchestra pit at the Fox for the Nutcracker Ballet she enjoyed watching the flutes. There are some great flute parts in that show!
All in all, this has been a transition year for us. Jason moved into high school, Lauren into middle school...a whole new phase of life. I will conclude my term as Council President for our church in January and with that leave a large chunk of time that I used to dedicate to volunteering available for new activities. I'm hoping to find some part time work after the new year begins! It's wonderful to be a volunteer - and I have tremendous new found respect for the amount of productivity that volunteers contribute to our society. Working full time will be another transition, but we need to prepare ourselves not only for the expense of the college years, but also the years beyond once the kids are gone to school. I need to be productive, but it's time to get something back for what I contribute - more than just the intrinsic satisfaction!
In January I'll be going out to CA to visit my sister and her new baby Jackson, and my nephew Tyler. I am looking forward to holding a baby again! He has bright red hair! Too cute! We are so fortunate to be able to talk to them via Skype so that Tyler knows us even though we are far away!
Hope this finds you all enjoying your blessings this holiday season! Merry Christmas!
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