Christmas Eve 09

We went out to MiMi and PaPa's house around noon to hang out and have a late afternoon meal...it was so relaxing and so nice to all be together! Pepere and the other Morins came out as well!

Carter loves going to houses without gates on the stairs...he spent a lot of time going up, wanting to come back down, over and over and over...

Aunt Laura did the crimping machine with M...

MiMi showed the kids all the fun Christmas decorations...this one is the snoring Santa...

After our yummy meal Aunt Laura turned on Joy to the World for a little Dance Party in the kitchen...The kids had so much fun!

Then we went to our Christmas Eve Service at church...M started going to Children's Worship last month after her B-Day since she is 3 now...she sits with us in church and then a few mins into the service kids ages 3-Kindergarten leave to have a church service more on their level...well the kids in Children's Worship were going to lead us in Joy To the World at the end of the service...(M is up in front to the very right...)...We thought she would be a deer in headlights and we weren't even sure she would stand up there-- it all being so new...Boy did she surprise us...She had her own "Solo Dance Party" right up there in front...I wanted to crawl into a hole...but I guess that is what we prepared her for with our After Dinner Dance Party...
It is a song to get excited about though! We will work on performance etiquette for next time...and who knows...Maybe we have a little thespian on our hands...
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Joy to the World , the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Pepere 4 Christmas

Pepere has been here since Tues. and we are having a blast with him!

The cousins have crafted together and enjoyed special holiday moments...

Pepere even joined in on game of Ele-fun! Mike cracks me up! Way to get in the pic! :)
We had pizza on the night he arrived and M kept calling it "Pepere-roni" pizza...I loved it! :)

Switch-a-Roo

Woke up Carter when we came back in...and notice who came with me...

She loves to get in his warm bed after he has taken a snooze...

Gotta get blankie...and we are off...had to get her out before his afternoon nap today...a good ol fashion switch-a-roo!

Watching Daddy finish up the cars in the driveway...we were supposed to go Caroling at an Old Folks home with our Community Group, but we don't think we can get out of our neighborhood without 4wheel drive...Hope most of the group can get there to spread some Christmas cheer! :)

Round 2

Went out again today during Carter's morning nap...Mike shoveled the driveway...and we made this guy...

And backwards snow angels...

All the while listening to Carter snooze...see the monitor hanging on the lamp post?

Tree climbing in the snow!

The slide was a big hit in March so we went for it again today!

The birds are grateful for the houses Pepere made them! Nice and cozy!

A snow swing...

Discovered that you really zip down the slide in snow pants!

Took turns making each other a pile of snow to crash into at the bottom...

Then M said, "Come on Momma...come get in the North Pool!" :)

Then we went looking for the snow squirrel she and Daddy made yesterday on a log in the woods...

A closer look at his squirreliness...

And the snowman they made...he looks like a graduate with his leaf hat!

A much longer visit for 3/4 of us today!

Jingle E. Bells

Aunt Laura has been tracking our new elf Jingle's journey to our house from the North Pole...He arrived on Thurs., but waited until this morning to make an appearance...(wanted to have a special morning with just the 4 of us to introduce him to the kids...) We read the book to the kids before coming downstairs and then they found him! Exciting times! Wonder where he will perch himself tomorrow! He is keeping a close eye on these 2! :) They better keep themselves off the Naughty List!

Mixed Reviews....

We had a lovely brunch a la Mike around 11 and then began the process of finding all the snow gear for the kids! What a procedure to get these kids ready for the wild outdoors! We couldn't go out the front door bc of the snow! Mike had to shovel it first...so we headed out the back door...

Sat Carter down in the snow and did some snow angels with my girl...Mike went to shovel so we could go back in that way on the tile (didn't want to come in the back on the new floors...)

Carter loved sitting and licking it off his fingers and watching his Sissy at work!

We tried to make a snowman, did snow angels, and threw snow at each other...M was in heaven!

Yay!
Good times!

Then Carter started to get ideas...and wanted to go places...over 9 inches of snow and a new walker = disaster! He couldn't walk, couldn't crawl...he did a face plant and then let the neighborhood know he was over it!

I put him in the house right before the meltdown...

So Carter and I came back inside and I realized it was 1:30 and naptime...so down he went and slept for over 3 hours! Once I got redressed to head out with the monitor M&M were coming back in...SAD! But they had fun doing the things I did with her earlier...and they even made a snow squirrel! There is always tomorrow bc I don't think this snow is going anywhere anytime soon! And they expect us to get more! Mal and I snuggled and watched half a movie before we put her down at 230...then Mike and I settled down for a "long winter's nap" ourselves! B-e-A-u-t-i-f-u-l! Now the kids are sturring, Mike is back out shoveling the back deck, and I'm heading up to get our little Bug-a-Boos! :)

The Gift of Stillness

It's still snowing at 9 am! Such a great way to wake up and I love our usual Saturday pace anyway...kids slept in and then I can just enjoy them and slowly start our morning...PAPA Bear is still snoozing...Had playtime in M's bed before we came down...so nice not to have to rush, rush, rush! No where to be...enjoying the stillness that God has given us today (trying not to think about the fact that I was going to get a ton of my shopping done this weekend...we prob won't be able to dig ourselves out til after Christmas the way our town is when it snows!!)...Can't wait to suit the kids up later and play in it! :)
Mags is meowing a ton at the back windows...a "black cloud" of birds descended on our bird feeder and back yard...straight out of the movie "Birds" I tell you...see them in the pic below? They are covering the back yard! I could only capture a few at a time on film bc it's so windy they keep being blown about...I feel like I am in Venice with all the birds in San Marcos Square!