Christmas Break in Pics

No posts lately, here's why... (all are SOOC, but I'm sure that's obvious) No time for editing right now...

 Christmas Pics 2011...take 100 :)

Christmas Lights...

Gingerbread making...

Kudos

I have been trying to write a post since Friday and am just getting to do so. Like many other homes, it has been really busy around here over the last few days. Last night wrapped up all the school winter performances with Gabbi playing her trumpet in their band's first concert. In all the shuffle, hustle and bustle of  getting to the school on time, Gabbi left her music at home. All was well, she looked on with a fellow band member and did an awesome job. All of the kids did a great job. These students all began learning to play their various instruments just a few months ago when school began. Kudos to the band directors for teaching and inspiring.

Gabbs prior to warm ups for the concert

Next up, the Christmas performance at church on Sunday.

A Milestone

Guess who! Guess who is sitting up on her own. It is our very own Ava Claire. I am continually in awe at how quickly time is passing. Six months have come and gone so very fast. It seems like just yesterday we were very much sleep deprived and anxious, as it had been five years since we had a newborn in our home. Even though we had already done this four times already, these pros didn't feel very much like pros but like nervous newbies again. As I celebrate her new milestone, I am also increasingly aware that this time is so very precious and to enjoy it and her as much as I can. Before I know it, she'll be a teen like her big sis and we'll be reaching and passing new milestones.

 It is such a blessing and joy to have been chosen to be the mom of these awesome girls.

Captured

I haven't taken many photographs lately, at least not as many and not as frequently as I would like to. I will agree with  a fellow blogger that the camera has definitely made me look at things differently even when I am not looking through my camera lens. I am better able to see the true beauty, uniqueness, or value in things in a way that I was unable to before photography. That is a gift I am very grateful to have received. However, I am beginning to realize that I may need to take my camera with me a lot more as I am often finding myself thinking "I wish I had my camera." On Saturday my husband and I were riding in the car and there was one of the most beautiful sunsets I'd seen and I sat there thinking and he said, "You should have brought your camera." Although I didn't have my camera, I wasn't going to let this opportunity slip by and pulled out my cell phone and took a few shots.

Capture the moment...

A New One...

Last night, Cassarra kicked off the series of winter performances with her middle school band. They gave an excellent performance of Christmas classics in new arrangements. It was a nice treat to kick off the holiday season. She will be performing again tonight as an accompaniment to the chorus. Then next week, Syd will perform in the 2nd grade winter performance and the following week, our girl, Gabbs will perform in their first band performance. I can't wait to see them all shine.

Anyhow.......I have yet to start Christmas shopping. I am usually done or very close to being done the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year, I am totally lacking motivation. I don't even want to do it. This is totally new for me because I love shopping. So you see, something is wrong and I need to pinpoint what it is. I have lists--so it's not  not knowing what folks want, which is sometimes a major hindrance. Whatever it is I need to get over it and get it done because the longer I wait the more crowded stores are and the more difficult it is to find what I'm searching for. Oh well, maybe I'll start today, or maybe I won't.

Too Much on the List?

I began this day with a pretty good list of things to get accomplished today--complete the laundry, clean the bathroom, restore order to various other rooms throughout the house, restore my dining room back to a dining room (post project), complete dinner (this all while caring for our 5 month old daughter). However as I began the day, I found other things that would be nice to do as well--clean the carpet, begin a scrapbook of Christmas 2011 memories, add some photos from a past zoo trip I found in my scrapbook materials to a photo album, and schedule a doctor's appointment (did complete this one).  Now with so much to do, I'm not sure now what I should do but I do know that now  there is way too much on the to do list for today. So now I am faced with deciding what will get done and what will have to wait until another day. While thinking about this, I realized that our family calendar is slowly but surely looking like my list for today. This week and weekend alone are already crowded with events for several family members. This is only the beginning of a very busy month around here as there are several extended family members' birthdays this month including one in this very house 12 days before Christmas. Her big sister has her first band performance that very night. I'm still thinking of what to do for her birthday and the logistics of before the performance or after. It's funny because we say that this year we will not over commit or wear ourselves thin but we somehow do and from the looks of it heading in that direction again this year. In and of itself one event here and one there does not seem to be much until you add them all up and the only time that is left is the actual holiday, but not even then because you are expected to be somewhere then too:). I love Christmas time but I loathe the pressures that come along with it.

Break's Over

It was nice to slow down for a while during Thanksgiving and spend some time with my husband and girls as well as my mom, sister, and nephews. We even got to enjoy a night at the movies on Saturday. We saw Happy Feet 2. I really enjoyed Happy Feet, so I couldn't wait to see the new one. It was great. It was really funny, but addressed a serious issue--global warming and the effects on the animals that inhabit the polar regions as more of that area is warming up and thus melting. On yesterday, we spent the morning in church worshiping God and thanking him for all his wonderful gifts. The kids participated in the services and it was great. In the afternoon, my husband and I headed out and got some new fabric to re-upholster our dining room chairs, which are in dire need of a make over. He began that project last night and has completed two of them. They look fantastic!

The kids returned to school today. Of course it wasn't a simple back to school day, I would schedule a 7:30 orthodontist appointment for my oldest in the mix. It wasn't too bad. Everyone got to school on time and I almost got the oldest to school on time after the appointment but hit a pothole near the orthodontist's office and she spilled hot chocolate all over her outfit. Luckily, she wasn't burned and the worst to happen was that it was all over her outfit. I joked that she could say she was wearing her cheetah pants, needless to say she did not find it very amusing and we returned home for her to change. Well, gotta get moving, today's  laundry day and I promised someone I'd flat iron her hair this afternoon following homework.

Traditions

Over the years we have created, participated in, and eliminated several Christmas traditions. To kick off the season at our house we engaged in my all time favorite tradition, decorating for the holidays--making the house more festive, shall we say. On yesterday, my husband pulled out the Christmas decorations and began decorating the front yard. Later, we got the girls together and we all decorated the tree while listening to holiday music. It was wonderful to watch my husband and the girls pull out the ornaments and remember past Christmases. It was especially funny to see our 5-yr old place all of her ornaments in the same concentrated area of the tree. Here's our finished product, not fancy, but special to us and done with lots of love.

 Without a doubt, this is my favorite time of year, it always has been for as long as I can remember. I just love the anticipation of Christmas. No, not because of gifts, though I do like giving and receiving gifts, but because I just have this feeling within that something bigger, something extraordinary is on the way. I love being reminded of the story of Jesus' birth and how humbly he entered the world. But then when you think about it, his entire life on earth was just that, humble--beginning, middle, and end. It is amazing how much he loves us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A family favorite

Like other families across the country, we took time today to reflect upon all that we are thankful for. We have so much to be thankful for, the pie above, is one of those things:) and of course the time that we were able to spend with family on today. I am so thankful to God for His many blessings.

 

Again, Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Gratitude

My trhue gifts

                                                             
As a wife and mom of five girls, ages 14, 11, 7, 5, and 5 months, I am reminded that time is going by so quickly, especially as our oldest has turned 14. Wow, what a new world this has turned out to be. The teenage years are definitely different, but just as precious as the earlier stages, and maybe even more important in that this is where she begins to make decisions on her own. So this blog will be my attempt to capture some of our family's moments and memories through mostly photographs.

As I begin this journey into blogging on the day before Thanksgiving I felt it was a great opportunity to share some of the things for which I am grateful for this year.  I am thankful for the grace showered upon me by God and loved ones this past year. I am thankful for a husband who loves, supports, and encourages me to pursue my dreams. I am thankful for each of our amazing children. I thank God for blessing us with the addition of Ava Claire this summer after a difficult pregnancy. I am also thankful for the much needed support of family and friends, especially as some were going through difficult times of their own and still are. To sum it all up, I am so thankful to be on this journey of life with all of the wonderful people God has placed in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!