Christmas Recap 2009

Well, as we get ready to head back to school, I always like to reminisce about our holidays and all the special things we did. In fact, I even put together a Christmas book that has our Santa picture, Christmas card and letter, and a recap of our activities each year that I will keep forever. Before I mention the special memories, let me first give you a visual of our tree this year. I call it the 50/50 tree – half decorated, half not. The gate adds a nice touch as well. And do you notice something odd about this picture (other than the odd things I’ve already mentioned)?  The two munchkins are on the wrong side of the gate!

Now, onto the fun stuff:

1) Snow! (See previous blog for details.)

2) The Nutcracker – For the second year in a row I got to take Kaitlyn and Mackenzie to see my niece as an angel in the local performance of The Nutcracker. It was really nice – just me and my two older girls made for some nice Mother/Daughter bonding time. Kaitlyn was really interested in what was going on for at least a while. Both did wear out there and since we went at night they were both sound asleep before the whole thing was over. Still, they had fun seeing my niece and we are all so proud of her!

3) Christmas Ballet Performance – This year the girls did their Christmas ballet dance to White Christmas. They loved dancing to Christmas music all month long and did a great job in their performance. The only glitches were my mom was working the camera and didn’t realize everything was dark, and Mackenzie’s sash kept sliding down so she kept messing with it.

4) Going to see Santa! This year for the first time I decided to take the kids by myself. I really don’t know what possessed me to do that. But I did. It really was a miracle – we waited in a 30 minute line, the little girls barely even fussed, and the big girls did just fine. When we finally got up there Kaitlyn and Mackenzie had LOTS to say to Santa. Now, our mall Santa generally is not really jolly, but I think he quite enjoyed my kids. Mackenzie sang him a song about Santa while I tried getting the babies out of the stroller. Good for the big girls for getting in some quality time after that long wait! Ashley couldn’t wait to run over to his lap. She was just precious – she sat there on his lap just staring at his face. And Reagan, well, she was fine until I tried to hand her over and she suddenly was having none of that. So I squatted down, sat her on my knee, and she seemed to like that and I ended up getting a really cute picture of all 4 girls and Santa, and my knee.

5) Town Center Christmas Tree with NaNaw and Aunt Chrissie (Mike’s mom and sister) – This was quite nice though a bit cold. We let all 4 girls run around the steps of Sugar Land Town Center and see the big tree and the big Menorah. Mackenzie has been especially interested in Hanukah this year since they learned about it in school. She thinks the big Menorah is very cool and she wanted to know if she had a Hanukah dress (always looking for a reason for new clothes) and could we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukah. When I told her no she argued that other kids in her class did both. Anyway, so Town Center was fun followed by a cold walk over to Grimaldi’s Pizza.

6) Looking at Lights in our PJ’s – This is always fun but we were a little disappointed that our favorite “roller coaster” house didn’t have up their display this year. The kids had gotten quite tired of all the driving only for the big finale to not be there. Did they move? Are they okay? Will it be there next year? I guess we won’t know.

7) Christmas cookies with NaNaw and Aunt Chrissie – Mike decided they should all make cookies from scratch (since I haven’t done it since I’ve become a mom). So the big girls had fun making and decorating the cookies while the little girls were napping.

8) Leaves at MeMe’s! This was a blast! All the girls had a great time getting dirty and playing in the piles of leaves. We don’t have very many at our house so this was a real treat!

9) Christmas with my Dad – My Dad, step-mom and little brother all came over Christmas Eve, joining us and Mike’s parents. It was really nice. We had a spaghetti dinner and then opened presents. The big girls got Zhu Zhu pets and art jars, and the little girls got a sit n spin, Barney guitars, and gumball machine.

10) Christmas morning!!! Wow do I feel blessed – favorite things included a hula hoop, Barbie guitar, kids’ camera, Barbie and The 3 Musketeers Doll, Barbie Dog Park, bath cups, Mickey Mouse train, and the swingset! It took Mike over a week to finish putting it together but now I can finally quit feeling guilty about not going to the park enough. The kids love it and hopefully will now spend hours outside, as all kids should!

Like this last one?  While everyone else was enjoying their presents, guess who was sneaking cookies off of Santa's leftover plate?

11) Christmas dinner at my Moms – Our lunch tradition was pushed to dinner this year so the babies could nap. Thank goodness for flexible people – yea Mom, Rick & Scott! Mom’s feast is always a treat! And a blessing she lives close so I never have to cook! When would I do that in the midst of the child-rearing? The cousins were away this year so it was a bit calmer but no shortage of gifts – too many to even name. Oh okay I will anyway – favorites include the microscope, piano books, Sleepover pup, Scooby Doo game, and the parking garage.

12) Christmas with NaNaw, PaPa, and Aunt Chrissie – we pushed it out a day this year due to Mike’s sis having surgery 2 days before Christmas. We met for dinner at Fuddruckers and then back to our house for Christmas #4. Favorite gifts included movies, activity bags, toy vacuum, and snuggies!! Somehow I wondered if we would make it through Christmas without anyone giving us a snuggie! In our big family I just knew someone would do it! The kids love it!

13) New Years Eve! This year we went out with our friends the Wrights, and their 2 daughters and friend, back to Town Center for their New Year’s Celebration. We left the little girls at home. They had some kids’ entertainment (though ours were pretty bored) so we made the long cold walk again over to Grimaldi’s Pizza. It was fun hanging with friends and we were home in plenty of time to ring in the new year in our PJ’s!

14) Christmas with the cousins – Christmas #5 we finally had on New Years Day with my brother, sis-in-law, and the cousins who are now home from Pennsylvania. The kids always have a great (and wild) time together. The big girls loved their Smurf toys and the little girls loved their princess shoes. As they approach their 2nd birthday this week, I am watching them clickety-clack through the house in these shoes and realize that my house really does have 4 little girls now running around!

So as I think back on the holidays, I am reminded that in spite of the challenges we have had, we have been blessed beyond measure. Most of the past decade I would say has been quite challenging – we went from being newlyweds and finding our way in the real world, to 3 years of infertility and the many challenges that go along with it, to then being thrown into the fire of parenting with twins and then more twins. And yet our challenges ARE our blessings. If you had told me 7 years ago, month after month of not being able to get pregnant, appointment after appointment and procedure after procedure (not to mention shot after shot and dollar after dollar), that we would have 4 children of our own, I don’t think I would have believed it. We are blessed with a big and loving family who live close and offer us lots of help. We are blessed with the knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a faith that keeps us strong and directs our paths. Yes, we have abundance in every way, and I hope to be able to be more on the giving side as my kids get a little older in this next decade. I look forward to a new year, new phases, and new experiences.

Happy New Year!