Merry Christmas!

We had Kenzie staying with us for a bit, and we just spent a lazy day at home opening presents and playing around. Riley got a new camera, Regan got a Pillow Pet and Fazoodles, they both got new PJ's and socks and undies, the fun stuff. Kenzie got baby clothes for Eli!

Christmas Eve

We had Christmas Eve dinner at Pam and Dave's, with Walt and Linda and Uncle James and Tia Lola and all the kids. It's hard for me to remember that far back now, but I know we had a lot of good food and desserts, and David and I had served at church so we came late and just enjoyed a quiet(ish) evening with the whole family.

Regan and Riley got iPads from Mimi and Papa, and it was funny, they took the iPads out and replaced them with good old Christian books on blood covenant and the power of healing. Riley seemed bothered that his gift wasn't what he thought it was, but it was just funny to watch their expressions as they tried so hard to be grateful!

Tia Lola got the kids Brazilian jewelry and she gave David and I a wooden carved saint, St. Francis of Assisi that has birds on him, he's adorable! And then Walt and Linda gave us the most awesome hand carved wooden cutting board that he made himself! We love it and have used it TONS! He signed the back of it for us, and I just love seeing that in my kitchen everyday and know that it was made just for me.

Grandma and Grandpa!

Walt and Linda came down from Ohio, and the kids got to swim in their indoor hotel pool! They were excited about that, and super excited to see Grandma and Grandpa after so long! They really enjoyed the short time they got to spend with them. Can't wait to see them again soon.

Piano Recital

Here are some pictures and videos of the Christmas Piano recital! They are getting much better.

Christmas at Church

We had the living nativity, which Regan loves! There was a "mini" camel, although he didn't look too mini to me! And of course, pics by the church's big tree, and they actually (upon threat of death) will act like they can stand each other long enough for a photo!

Our Christmas Card

I'm taking the easy way out this year. I always love to send out Christmas cards, but it's just not gonna happen this year! My camera has not been working, and I finally got the part to get it to work, but now I'm having computer issues, so I just decided to do this instead. Next year I will be back on top of my game. I hope! Until then, Merry Christmas everyone, and I hope you enjoy:

Personalize a scrapbook design

Bowling and Phil's

There is a home school bowling group that we try to meet up with once a month, but it's been a few months since we've gone. This time, there were kids wearing the same Upward Basketball shirt that Regan just got (she's playing basketball for church in the new year) and come to find out, they go to our church, same service, and they home school, small world! My friend Tammy just started to home school, so she met us to bowl with Angie and Abby, and then we met David for lunch after at our favorite burger place, Phil's. It turned out to be a nice day, so the kids had fun playing on the playground too.

Skating

There's a new skating rink in Round Rock, and they have a home school day where the kids get to play sports for an hour on the sport court, then skate for 2 hours, then another hour of sports. The only problem is, it's on Wednesday which is when Riley and Regan are at their one day schools. But then I heard that the skate program was going so well, they decided to open it up to another day, Friday, so we were excited to go try it out. We set up our home school small group to go, and we were the only ones that showed up! We had a pretty good sized group though, and it was fun to have the whole rink to ourselves. Regan tried out rollerblades for the first time ever and Santa may have to bring her some this year!! The owner came out and played dodge ball with the kids, then gave the boys hockey sticks and pucks and let them play roller hockey on half the court while the girls skated on the other half. It was a lot of fun. The kids were worn out by the time we left!!

Gingerbread House

A favorite family tradition! One of our Girl Scout leaders organizes this at her church every year, and this was our 3rd year to go. It's so much fun too, the kids love it! The church provides dinner and a pre-built Gingerbread House, and a bag of icing. We bring 2 bags of candy to share, and spend the evening decorating our very own house. It's so fun to see other people's houses, you can tell the families where mom and dad get a little too into it, and the ones (like us) that just sit back and let the kids take over. Our house won't win any beauty awards, because we split it down the center so each kid gets to decorate half a house. But it's fun, and a good way to kick off the holiday season!

Homecoming

Riley's homecoming game was the day before I left for Romania, and I didn't get to see him play or take any pictures, but they took one of each player at half time with their "escort" and I felt bad that I missed it. But dad was there, and here's the picture, finally!