A Flurry Of Christmas!

Christmas wouldn't be complete without a silly picture from my Dad!  Doesn't he look all dignified and pastorly?

Now, that he's out of the way you can see the picture of my Mom's lovely hearth.

Oooo...very pretty.

Here are the kids...scoping out their presents.

Here are the lovebirds chatting, while Emma sits playing her game.  See that pretty clock to the far LEFT?  That's Lyric...she's my Christmas present!

Here are two very CUTE boys playing games on DadE's Kindle Fire.

My Mom's baby grand is SWEET!  We enjoyed singing...and we played a duet too!!

Awww....

On Christmas Eve we lit our Advent candles...and were reminded of what we were remembering...CHRIST the perfect gift!

The Sweet Boobahs opened only their stockings on Christmas morning.  They are cute!!!

After the morning service we opened gifts together with everyone.

The next day we drove out to see Uncle Dave's truck.

Everyone sat in the driver's seat!  Here's Caleb the truck driver.

And Emma the truck driver.

And...with a very adjusted seat...Here am I!

Here's my Mom actually driving the truck around the lot. 

COOL!

WIW: Christmas-tide w Gingerbread Men!

From our happy home

Through the world we roam

One week in all the year,

Making winter spring

With the joy we bring

For Christmas-tide is here.

Now the eastern star

Shines from afar

To light the poorest home;

Hearts warmer grow,

Gifts freely flow,

For Christmas-tide has come.

Now gay trees rise

Before young eyes,

Abloom with tempting cheer;

Blithe voices sing,

And blithe bells ring,

For Christmas-tide is here. 

Oh, happy chime,

Oh, blessed time,

That draws us all so near!

"Welcome, dear day,"

All creatures say,

For Christmas-tide is here.

by Louisa May Alcott

Tick, tock...slow the clock!

The Kitchen Clock

I am the Kitchen Clock.

A friend, not a slavedriver to be feared.

The guide to leisure, not a whip.

I measure the minutes that make up life.

I tick serene and steady in joy or catastrophe.

Often I had best be forgotten, for watching

me too closely means time lost, not gained.

I am not your mentor.

There is but One.

He does not recognize me,

For I cannot measure the infinite.

When is the tomorrow that you fear?

Do today the thing's that are today's.

Let me work happily with you.

Let me play with you.

Forget me--and win a race with time.

--Anon.

The BOX... that never dies!

One of the little known delights of ordering your Christmas presents online and avoiding the holiday mall crowds...are the boxes!  This particular box...never dies.  Well, okay...until late one night when MomE makes it disappear!

This is how they watched "The Grinch."  You have to have a candy cane, ya know.  It's better known as the "candy cane movie"...cuz the Grinch steals the candy canes from the sleeping kids.  

Then, the box became the post office.  DadE even created a door.  They used their 3D postcards from Japan (DadE's layover) for mail.  This just goes to show that your children are watching EVERYTHING you do!

At one point Emma made Caleb wait in line.  She told him that he needed to be patient...and kind..."because everyone is tired and we want them to remember Jesus and have a Merry Christmas!"

It always surprises me when he listens to her.  He pretended to whistle while he waited.  And then he said, "Please have a wonderful, MERRY CHRISTMAS, Mame!"

For all of you wondering...it does matter how you act while running errands with your kids!  They are watching...wowsers!!

Puzzle-time!

Being the Geeks that we are, we find it interesting to observe the difference in developmental abilities in our little puzzlers.  Emma has begun to "see" jigsaw puzzles spatially.  She also understands doing the edges first.  Lubby...yeah...not so much!  He enjoys putting two pieces together outside of the puzzle frame.  This drives his sister crazy.  I think that's why he does it!  HAHA!  Oh, siblings...funtimes!  Nobody pushes your buttons better. 

I heart flow charts!!

So, I was struggling very frustrated to the point of losing my hair and sanctification at bedtime with Caleb!  He was treating it like a game...So, I finally decided to pray about it.  Seemed stupid but...

That morning I was praying about it...the old flow chart came to my mind...It was Providential ya'll!  Really!

So, now he checks off all the things he needs to do before bedtime.  He's so proud.  If he can check his things off and go to bed and NOT call for MomE when the door is shut...He get a sticker on his chart in the morning. 

Four (we started with his favorite number) stickers equals a sucker of his choice!  He even requested using this system for naptime.  What a GREAT idea!  I love those GOD answers to my problems!

He got his sucker today....green apple!  He is now starting his new chart...to bedtime success!