Naughty or Nice?

There is never a dull moment at our house and Christmas 2009 was no exception to that rule...

Christmas morning arrived and with it a little girl who refused to get out of bed. Katie proudly announced that Santa would be here when it started to snow. She would not get out of bed until it was snowing. Her big brother, Bobby, quickly burst her bubble and told her quite emphatically that it does NOT snow in Arizona. (I guess next year we will have to invest in a snow machine for the backyard!)

Bobby is a sprinter. He likes to open his gifts as quickly

as he can and survey the scene when he is done. After he has finished the race, he graciously offers to assist the others with their presents. :)

Katie is a long distance runner. She likes to slowly open a present, make sure each piece of tape and wrapping paper are torn off, get it out of the box, play with it for a while , and then start all over again. If we let her continue at her own pace, it would take her weeks to open her presents.

Andy sat on the bench this year. He sat in the midst of torn wrapping paper and cheered his brother and sister on. Thankfully, he had his own little helpers to assist him with his gifts.

It is fun to watch each child's personality in effect on Christmas morning as they take stock of their haul. Apparently, Bobby and Katie were on the "nice" list this year.

After the present opening marathon, the real fun began. Each toy I opened was secured to the box by extreme amounts of tape, thick plastic, and never-ending twist ties. Needless to say, opening the toys took more time than the wrapping and unwrapping combined. Next year, I want Santa to bring all of the gifts to my house without any boxes, twisty ties, invisible rubber bands, and a mountain of tape. I guess I didn't realize that the theft rate for toys was so high that it requires each toy to have the same security as Fort Knox.

Christmas is a time to remember the blessings that surround us. I love to talk to my little ones about the story my grandfather read every Christmas morning. Grandpa Miller would open the family Bible and read the story about God's gift to us on this very special day. We would be surrounded by family and love as the words from the pages filled the room with the true meaning of Christmas. Grandma's homemade cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa were always on hand to keep us warm. I am thankful for all of the Christmas blessings that fill my home and heart with love and joy throughout the year. I cherish the memories that are created with my family during these special times and feel blessed beyond words to be sharing these moments with the ones I love.

As Melissa's memorial candle burned this Christmas, I am once again reminded of how precious each moment is. Every time I heard "Christmas Shoes" this holiday season, I thought about her and wished she were here with us. We all love you and miss you Auntie Missa!

Bells on Cocktails Ring

Kids say the funniest things! Bobby insisted on singing Christmas carols in the car on Sunday as we drove home from dinner at nana's house. We were singing Jingle Bells and as we sang, Bobby cracked me up. Instead of bells on bob tails ring, he sang "bells on cocktails ring, making spirits bright..." I don't even think he knows what a cocktail is, but there he sat singing his little heart out. I had to laugh and thought it would be great to write some of these fun and humorous words down. So I'll be adding to this blog throughout the year as my little ones impart their words of wisdom. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

The Not So Toothless Wonder

My oldest son has begun the first rite of passage for school age children. He has lost his two front bottom teeth. Being the creative story teller that I am and to ease his fears of the unknown tooth fairy, I made up a bedtime story for him. I told him that in order for his little brother to get his first teeth, Bobby needed to lose his. He had a million questions, but was quite impressed that the tooth fairy was going to recycle his teeth and give them to his baby brother Andy. As you can imagine, since losing his first tooth a little over a month ago, he has been asking when Andy would be receiving his baby tooth.

The wait is finally over! While playing with my little munchkin tonight, I felt the unmistakable tips of his first tooth. Andy's bottom right front tooth has managed to push its way out and he officially has his first tooth! Although his recent ear infections appeared to be the cause of his sleepless nights, we'll have to wait and see what tooth number 2 brings! :)

Silent Night

I feel like I could re-write the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas tonight. My song would end with 4 infected ears, 3 new prescriptions of antibiotics, 2 sick babies, and a dead car in the driveway. After battling a storm of illnesses and what I call life, the house is once again peaceful and quiet.

Andy has been fighting an ear infection. Although he was on antibiotics, they were not working. After countless trips to the doctor, 3 shots of antibiotics, and a new prescription, Andy appears to be on the mend. He is currently sleeping peacefully in his crib and appears to be out for the night. We'll keep our fingers and toes crossed that we have an uneventful night.

Hopefully Santa's elves will sneak in while I am sleeping and help finish the Christmas decorating. Wouldn't that be nice?