Busy, Busy, Busy

So things have been a bit busy around here. Nothing too unusual, it is Christmastime after all, but busy nonetheless. I am always amazed come January when I feel like I have nothing to do. Because compared to November and December I truly don't have anything to do!

The kids had a Christmas party yesterday. Well, I had a Christmas party and invited the kids and their friends is really how it went. I don't recall them doing much to get ready for it--other than cleaning the house under protest--because in the end they are not at all horrified by their friends seeing the toilets dirty. That won't happen until much later in life. I think the party went well. They made some ornaments, decorated gingerbread men cookies, played Christmas bingo and had a gift exchange. Oh, and they had lunch. There was a total of 17 kids including ours. So it was a bit hectic with kids going here and there. I was in a mental fog for the rest of the day. Well, a more severe mental fog than normal.

And this week will be travel prep. We are heading off to Chicago for Christmas (for the first time since 1999). The kids are really excited, but two of them are bothered by the fact that they are going to miss school on Friday morning. Seriously. They are having a half day and they can wear their pajamas and there is going to be a Christmas sing-along so it's like we told them that we were canceling Christmas. The moaning and wailing and gnashing of teeth is pathetic to watch. I'm certain we'll be hearing about it when they are trapped in the car and bored on Friday. Yes, we are driving to Chicago. Yes, it's a long drive. Yes, please pray for me. This will definitely be an opportunity for God to work on my patience. You can be sure I will be letting them watch movies on the laptop the ENTIRE drive. Happy passengers is my one goal. So, they'll be switching between video games and movies as often as is necessary. I offered to have our own sing-along but that was met with much derision. Apparently it's not the same if you aren't in your jammies with hundreds of other elementary school kids.


We're seriously hoping for snow--once we arrive that is. The kids want to play in the snow something bad--you could even say they are dreaming of a white Christmas....(now I KNOW you all heard Bing Crosby in your head just then.) Yesterday my parents got a whopping 9 1/2 inches at their house. Unfortunately that snow won't look very pretty by the time we arrive. So we are praying for pretty, white, perfect-for-building-a-snow-fort snow that arrives on December 25 after 3:00 p.m. (when we arrive at my parents' house from my mother-in-law's). Not too much to ask I don't think. :-)

Time to go wrap some presents. Don't know when I'll be back on here so Have a Merry Christmas if I don't get back before then.



Here's a few pictures I've taken lately:











Some of the gingerbread men from the party

Noah's first cast from his fractured growth plate. I forgot to tell you that he fractured his growth plate which was something I didn't know you could fracture. So he's been in a cast for about 4 weeks now. They put a new one on last week because of the pleasant aroma coming out of the first one. Apparently that is standard procedure these days with casts.












Our family Christmas picture. We even got Macy the Wonder Dog in there. And it didn't take very many attempts. Really. Seriously. Well, maybe it took a few tries...

















Katya at her Christmas concert.



















Noah at the same concert. I can't get enough of him in that shirt and tie.











Emily's choir Christmas concert. They sang a lot of songs in different languages. A lot. And did I mention that there were 6 different choirs singing those songs? It was a bit on the long side...