Okay, my blogging has been pretty pathetic of late. Thought I'd take a few minutes and update.
We had a great Christmas! Santa was good to us, Nana Jo and Papa Jim got to come for a couple of days and we had lots of quality family time. I was extra shocked at how busy the season was this year. We currently have kids in preschool, elementary school, middle school and high school, so there was no shortage of Christmas programs/concerts to attend! Alyssa and Danny took part in a cute holiday program at their school.
Here's a nice picture of the backs of the heads of those parents who were smart enough to arrive early and get good seats! Also, you can see Danny, singing his little heart out and wearing his 'Where's Waldo' look-a-like shirt in the upper right hand corner.
Haley and Amber both participated in holiday band concerts. They were great!
Unfortunately, we forgot to bring cameras to either of these concerts, so you'll just have to take my word for it that they actually occurred. Though, here's one a friend of mine took directly
after Amber's concert.
In addition to myriad concerts, the kids took their annual ginger-bread-house-making class at the YWCA. They're actually made with graham crackers - kind of fun. We've done this every year we've lived here and the kids really look forward to it.
We also had a great time at Brad's office Christmas party. Always a fun night - extra fancy by our standards. We even had a family picture taken at this event, but the photos have not yet been emailed to me, so again...just take my word for it that we were there and had a fun and festive time! Santa made an appearance and the kids all got presents from him, which, much to Amber and Haley's chagrin, could only be obtained by sitting on Santa's lap. I think when you know full well it's not the
real Santa, sitting on his lap can take on a creepy effect at their age!
Christmas Eve we had a yummy prime rib dinner as a family and then went over to the Humphreys for dessert and the acting out of the Nativity (a much-loved tradition). We then came back home and enjoyed opening the traditional Christmas jammies and Brad's reading of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas'.
Then it was time for a quick picture of the kids with their stockings and off to bed!
PS - Just in case you're wondering, yes we did receive our yearly Christmas card from
the family that we don't know! That makes 7 years, for those of you playing along at home. Unfortunately, we didn't get Christmas cards out ourselves this year, so they didn't get a card from the family that
they don't know. NEXT YEAR...
This past week Amber auditioned for her high school's upcoming play, The Wizard of Oz. She bravely sang, danced and read lines through two separate auditions and found out Friday that she made it into the play! She is cast as a Poppy and a Ghost (we're not sure where, in the Wiz, there is a ghost, but we'll let you know!) Rehearsals start Monday after school and she is SO excited. The play will be performed in May, so stay tuned...
Just had this picture from the Christmas party emailed to me (I forgot my camera this year, so was at the mercy of other, more prepared, party-goers). There should be a few of the kids on Santa's lap, too. I reserve the right to post those later...or to hold them over Amber's and Haley's heads should I need blackmailing material at some point.
Here's a nice picture of the backs of the heads of those parents who were smart enough to arrive early and get good seats! Also, you can see Danny, singing his little heart out and wearing his 'Where's Waldo' look-a-like shirt in the upper right hand corner.
