Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christmas Day - Part 2


Here are a few more pictures of Christmas Day to satiate your appetite for my darling kids!  


Here Gracie is opening a gift from her favorite Grandparents. 

It was a darling little baking set. She loves it and can't wait to use it!


Mommy shows her how to use her dress-ups.


Jace spends a good portion of his morning with his head on the ground watching the wheels turn on his new "vehicles."




Then he and his Dad spent the rest of the afternoon learning how to fly their helicopters.  They each got one! Thanks Grammy and Poppy for giving Jace one.

It totally made his day 

  to have one too! 

Then at 5:15 PM the Dr. left us.  He had to work the night shift.  So he was gone until 10:30AM on the 26th. His night was crazy busy because a man came in with a gunshot wound to the stomach. And I can't remember what happened here at home with my darlin's.  But I am sure it was a little lonely without the Dr. around. It always is!


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Christmas Day -Part 1

Here Christopher Robin is getting the last treat out of our advent calendar.

Christmas morning at 4:40 AM the Dr.'s alarm clock went off.  He doesn't really get holidays off during residency.  He worked last Christmas and worked again this one.  He left me at 5:20AM for morning rounds.  He told me he hoped to be done in time for 9:00AM church.  At 8:00AM I got up and got ready.  At 8:25 I got the kids up and ready.  We walked into our beautiful chapel just as the opening hymn was being sung.  The meeting was so wonderful.  The speakers gave such inspiring talks.  The kids were angels during the meeting.  Each time the foyer doors opened, I looked for Ryan. I was hoping he would make it to at least part of the meeting, even though I knew it would be a long shot.  We got back home around 10:15 and as I opened the garage I saw that it was empty.  I was hoping to see his car parked inside.  My heart sank a little. I didn't know how long I could hold Christopher Robin off from going downstairs to the family room to see what Santa brought.  But as I glanced up the street I saw his car coming towards our house! 


After we got inside, I made the kids wait while I changed my clothes. Then, in keeping with my family tradition, we waited at the top of the stairs while Ryan went down and turned on the Christmas tree and the mantle lights.  I wanted them glimmering on their gifts.

Then down the stairs Christpher Robin flew!  Gracie of couse had no idea what was going on, but what we were doing seemed exciting!

He turned the corner to see what Saint Nick had brought and his face says it all!



This is what he saw.


Santa had brought him his prized flat-bed truck with a goose-neck trailer hauling a backhoe!!


And this is what Gracie got.

Two adorable happy children!

Gracie loved her doll so much!  It made her Momma's day!  I had given this first Christmas doll for her a lot of thought, and the first thing she did when she saw all the toys was run right to it. That's my little darlin'!  Did you know that to size your daughter for the right baby doll, you measure the length of their arm from the elbow to the tip of their middle finger? So Gracie got a 12 inch doll and it's perfect! Thanks Bonnie for teaching me this - she runs a great toy shop in our town.

And my Santa brought me a point and shoot camera. Yaahoo! I am finally going to give my old $49.00 Walmart special a rest.


Gracie loved her little doggie. It walks and barks. It really is so cute.

It even got a ride in Christopher Robins fancy truck!

Gracie mothering her little baby- time to change it's diaper.


Here Jace is about to open his gift from Grammy and Poppy.


 It was this cool car that followed a road that you drew with a special marker.



And last but not least, here is the Dr. swingin' his tomahawk--need I say more about his favorite gift this year?!  I took this picture at 1:00AM on Christmas morning, just after we finished setting out the gifts.  He has to get up in 3 short hours to go round on patients! But with all the adrenaline running through his veins with a weapon like that in his hands-who can sleep?!

And that's the end of Part 1

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas Eve


On Christmas Eve Ryan FINALLY got home a little after 7:00PM.  We had a delicious dinner that I had spent most the day cooking!  We followed dinner with a family program.


Ryan read his children the account of Christ's birth.
We sang Christmas carols with our piano that can play itself!

I think our children might be musicians after all!
 

 The highlight of the evening for me was the nativity. 

Grace was our beautiful Mary
She would not let go of baby Jesus!
and Jace was
 
our handsome Joseph!


They loved it!!  Last week I mentioned to Ryan that I needed about a gallon of hay for our manger.  He went to Theisen's and brought me home a whole bale! It was awesome! It was in the back of my van all last week. Ya gotta love the smell of hay! I don't have a picture.  

We then had a family gift exchange. On the first Monday in December for Family Home Evening, we drew names out of a hat (Ryan's chapka actually).

Jace drew Gracie's name and bought her 

a ball!! Which she loved.

Jace got Hot Wheels and a "really neat"

car crusher from me.

Grace didn't have time to get Daddy his gift, but Ryan's Dada came through with this 

very manly and sharp tomahawk knife!  I mean "can opener!"  I cannot say enough how much he loves this gift! I want to get him a holster so he can carry it around with him!

 Ryan drew my name and got me a beautiful scarf.

We ended the evening with one of Jace's favorite books -" 'Twas the Night Before Christmas"  read by Grammy Jill.  She sent us the Hallmark version a few years ago -it has the abilty to record so she recorded her beautiful voice reading the entire story.

Around 10:59 PM,  Little Rue and Christopher Robin were finally nestled all snug in their beds, with visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, so Ryan and I scurried down to the family room to play Santa.

Around 1:00AM we were finally able to say, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!"


Saturday, December 24, 2011

Passing time


Christopher Robin has been waiting for "forever" for Christmas to get here. To help pass the time, on Monday he spent the morning with his buddy Emery building towers.

On Tuesday and Wednesday he was busy putting presents under our tree. The UPS man delivered packages on our doorstep! Thank you Grammy and Poppy, Aunt Danielle, Aunt Katie and Uncle Adam. We are so excited to open your gifts.



On Thursday he built more towers.
Even ones placed on stilts.



He then hauled away the loads of snow that had fallen on our Christmas village.

That fortunately took the rest of the day!



And Friday, he cleaned his room over and over again.  That darn room just won't stay clean!

  He even helped his Dad change his sheets by sliding down the mattress and

by getting wrapped up like a present.


And little Gracie helped too!


and it sure has been fun. But now Christmas Eve is here.

In preparation, yesterday I spent the day scrubbing my house and today I am cooking.  I love the feeling that a beautiful and clean home brings. Tonight after Ryan gets home from work, we will celebrate the birth of our Savior. Tonight is a holy night. As a family we will read Luke 2 and reflect on the wonderful blessing it is to each of us that Jesus Christ was born.

Merry Christmas dear family and friends.