The Harlem Globetrotters

Every year for Christmas the kids get tickets to something for a special date night with mom or dad. This year Kaleb got tickets to see the harlem Globetrotters and he loved it. All you have to do is look at the picture of him that's the close up and you can see how much fun he had. He was telling me about the game for days to follow.

Sisters...

Okay, so Asher has no chance. Not only so they dress him up like Tinkerbell, but they started to put bows in his hair, and he loves it!! He goes and picks them out now and makes you them put them in. And he leaves them there too. Right now he thinks his big sisters are amazing... one day he might be a little bitter!

Christmas Eve

So, for anyone we talked to around Christmas, you know this was not our gold standard for how a Christmas eve would turn out. We always have to missionaries over for Christmas eve, have dinner and read the Christmas story from the bible while the kids use the nativities to act it out. We this year, things did not go quite as planned... So, the Elders show up as expected, and as usual, my kids were going crazy, because that's what they do when the Elders come. They get so excited and want to play with the Elders. Well, Larry & I were finishing getting the ham and stuff ready, and had gone out more than once to tell the kids to calm down before someone got hurt. We had just hauled the ham and everything to the table and I told everyone in the front room to come sit down. I turned around to get Asher's drink filled up, and all we hear from the front room is a deafening thud, and then silence. Of course, Larry & I run over, and there is Kaleb, out cold on the front room floor with everyone just staring down at him. Larry & I were kneeling next to him trying to get him to respond and nothing. His poor little body was twitching and jerking like in a mild seizure, and other than that, nothing. I can't even tell you how terrified I was. When he finally responded at all, all he would do was grunt, and after a few minutes of that, with this blank, glazed look on his face, he said his head hurt. So after a few minutes of deliberation of what to do in this situation, we called the neighbors. Our friend Josh came over so the Elders could stay and eat dinner and not have to spend Christmas eve in their apartment, and Larry took Kaleb to the emergency room. About 9:45 that night, Kaleb and Larry returned home. Thankfully, after whatever neurological test they did and his exam, the doctors decided he would be okay. He just had to take it easy and we had to keep a close eye on him for the next day. I have to think that the very heartfelt prayer at dinner from one of our wonderful Elders on Kaleb's behalf may have had some impact on this outcome. He left the house with a totally dazed look on his face, wobbling around as he tried to walk, and returned home a little subdued, but other than that fairly normal. I have to say, this night made me realize how quickly something could happen, and how easily someone you love could just not be there anymore. I am so grateful for my family and their good health, and I'm grateful to the Lord for blessing me with them!

Christmas

So, Christmas morning, due to our eventful Christmas eve, started a little later than normal at our house. The kids all slept in, and we didn't actually make downstairs until somewhere around 9am. Hallelujah!! I don't want to have to go through the traumatic evening again, but I could sure use a few more mornings of the kids staying in bed past 7am! Anyway, so we all came down and of course, had a wonderful day. Everyone opened their presents and were in heaven playing with their new things. The pictures of Asher speak for themselves... he loved his ball pit Santa left for him. Between that and the new cars her got, what more could a boy want?! Kaleb loves to read, and he got the entire Harry Potter series, a couple of Wimpy Kid books and Santa left him a video game for his DS. I can hear you now, books for Christmas, how lame! Well, if you notice in the picture of Kaleb, taken in the middle of trying to open presents, he loves to read. He was very excited. Rhyan got a new stroller and a princess outfit for her baby doll, Mayson got a VTech learning computer and thinks she's very grownup. Everyone got matching pajamas, and all the kids got robes and slippers, which is another not so exciting thing, but they asked for them over and over before Christmas, so I was just trying to please! We didn't get the Christmas story and our nativities done on Christmas eve, so we did it late and had a good time. It's always nice to help remind the kids of what Christmas is really about.

Santa's Imaginarium

We took the kids down to Tower City right before Christmas to visit with Santa and go through Santa's Imaginarium. What is Santa's Imaginarium you ask?? It is his invention workshop where all of his elves work to invent new toys and such. You can get your own personal tour with some of Santa's elves, and even help with their inventions while you are there. It was so much fun for everyone, and we will definitely go back next year!!

Our Last One...

We have now sent our last child to nursery at church. It was a great day for all... and I mean everyone, including all the other women that go to relief society. He has mixed emotions right now about wether or not he wants to be there, but he seems to do better when dad drops him off. These were taken of him on his first day in nursery, isn't he a handsome boy!!

The Nutcracker

We took the kids, minus Asher, to see the Nutcracker this year. Mayson absolutely loved it! She loved the ballerinas and their pretty tutus, and even Rhyan was pretty impressed with them and did an amazing job sitting as long as she did. Kaleb liked it too, but was more impressed with the first half where there was the soldiers and the nutcracker and the mice. The tutus didn't quite do it for him like they did for the girls. I think next year we're going to get tickets to go see the Radio City Music Show with the Rockettes.

Larry's Work Christmas Party

Larry's work party was aboard the Nautical Queen that does the Lake Erie dinner cruises. It was freezing and windy that night, so when we went out on deck to check out the lights we very quickly ended up back in the boat, but it was a lot of fun. The other three people in this picture with us are the other first year resident, Jeanie, Mindy and Bryan.

The Family Christmas Tree

So of course, you can't start the Christmas season without getting the perfect tree... it's kind of like having to have the perfect pumpkin at Halloween. So off we went to Amish country, and for anyone who has visited us, you know that means to middle of nowhere, to chop down the perfect Christmas tree.
We went with our friends the Cowdens and had a lot of fun. We got to ride on the horse drawn wagon out to the middle of all the trees and wander around until we found the right one.

Then of course the sawing began, which all the kids felt they needed to be a part of.

Then of course came the decorating part of the process. Our tree this year had a special decorating technique... only put ornaments on the top half of the tree, and any ornament you like better be close to the top. Asher was loving the tree. He was so excited about the lights and kept trying to pull all the little bulbs out of the sockets. Then any ornament he could stretch and reach, or climb on top of a present to reach, he would yank off the tree to check out. Then he had his own special way of putting it back on the tree. Throw it at the tree with all your might and hope that it sticks. Luckily we only had two casualties this year. It was a tragedy that one of them was our leg lamp ornament we got from the Christmas story house last year, but seeing as we're still in Cleveland we'll just have to go and get another one. The other one unfortunately was one that Larry and I got our 3rd Christmas together, so I think that one is going to be hard to replace. Oh well, I guess that's what happens with an 18 month old around!