Merry Christmas!!

I am not at all a scrooge this year, so I can't explain why I didn't want to do a Christmas letter!  I just didn't. Normally by Thanksgiving I'm already printing out my envelopes, working on my letter and deciding on the perfect picture to print.  Not this year.  Maybe I wanted to save money, maybe there are things I wish I could have included in our Christmas letter that I couldn't or maybe I am a scrooge???  I don't know.  But now I am sitting down and writing a Christmas letter and I don't even have to use any ink to share it! 

This year was ANOTHER year of change for our little family.  We got the opportunity to move home and we jumped on it.  We weren't miserable in Texas, it just wasn't home, and we didn't feel like it would ever become home.  Quite honestly, we are not warm climate people.  We like the winter!  We know we are crazy.  We are settled back in quite nicely now and enjoying being home.

Caleb started Kindergarten this year and is loving it.  It's exciting to have him come home and be reading things to us and showing us all the things he is learning.  He is a little social butterfly too.  For his 6th (!!!!) birthday I brought in cupcakes for his class and as we walked through the hall no less than 10 kids that are not in his class said hi and knew who he was.  It was all kids he'd met on the bus, at lunch & recess.  So it came as no surprise at conferences & on his report card that he's a little too chatty in class.

I am thuroughly enjoying my time with Erika while Caleb is in school.  All too soon she will be in school too, so this time that I have with her is very special!  She is my little girly girl and I love it!  We paint our nails, go shopping and play beauty shop the most!  She's a smart little 3 1/2 year old and loves to learn new things!

David and I celebrated our 7th anniversary in June!  We joined a life group through our church recently, and we finally feel like we are connected.  It's nice to have more friends!  We look forward with anticipation to what this next year holds.  Like most years I'm sure there will be change.  There always is.  And I'm starting to get used to it.

As we strive to teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas, our prayer is that you would know & celebrate the true meaning of Christmas as well.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Love,
David, Sarah, Caleb & Erika
 

5 Question FRIDAY!!!!

It's FRIDAY!  The kids are going to Grandma's.  Hubby is getting home early.  We are going out to eat ALONE.  To a place that has steakhouse in its name and not Donalds in its name! And then we are heading to MckMama's for a fabulous Christmas party.  Oh yeah AND it's payday.  I don't think today could get any better!!!!



1. Which boygroup did you like most in your teens?
NKOTB all the way!!!!


2. Do you do Christmas cards, letters, photos, nuthin', all of the above?
Normally a photocard with a letter.  This year?  Well consider yourself blessed if you get anything! (especially if you get it BEFORE Christmas!)

3. If you could meet one celebrity who would it be and why?
Hmmmm, not sure.  I'd be happy to meet any celebrity really, just because how cool would that be??

4. Favorite thing to cook with (i.e. stainless, non-stick, Dutch oven, microwave, debit card...or, perhaps, a cauldron, etc.)?
Waffle iron!  We love waffles.  In fact we love them so much that our 7 1/2 year old waffle maker must get replaced this year if we'd like to continue eating decent waffles!

5. What is the one thing you wear the most, besides your unmentionables?
Jeans!  I love jeans.  I love that someday I WILL have cute jeans and a cute pair of legs to put in those jeans too.  For now...I'll love the jeans I have!

Our Visit with Santa

The line was short.

The kids were excited.

Santa was not jolly.

The kids didn't notice.

They BOTH smiled.

I'm happy.

They're happy.

The End.

All over

Yesterday in the car Caleb said to me

"Mom, I love Jesus all over my heart"

I felt all warm and fuzzy all over my heart.

Five Question Friday!!

1. Does Santa wrap the presents he leaves at your house?
Yes.  Although our kids have yet to ask which ones are from Santa & which are from us.  And the funny thing is, we never use different wrapping paper.

2. When is your "big" Christmas celebration...Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Tell us about it...
For just our little family?  It's Christmas day.  Christmas Eve is spent with my mom's side of the family, Christmas Day is spent with just us in the morning and then in the afternoon David's family. Day after Christmas is with my dad's side of the family.  Our goal this year was to only have one event per day, simply b/c it gets to be too much otherwise and it has all worked out perfect!

3. Are you big on keeping tradition every year?
Yes!  Our kids always get jammies & a stuffed animal to open from us on Christmas Eve.  We always drive around to see Christmas lights!  And last year we did our first gingerbread house!  We had so much fun, the kids can't wait to do this years!

4. Do colored lights or white lights tickle your fancy?
White mostly.  Our pre-lit tree has white lights and then we add lights that have red & green on one bulb.  I don't think we even own any of the regular colored lights!

5. Do you decorate outside your house for Christmas?
We did when we had a house.  For the time being we are in an apartment, but we saved all our outside stuff and can't wait to use it again!!! 

Wordless Wednesday

Chocolate covered cherry cordials....homemade!!!!

Call me crazy, but I decided to make homemade chocolate covered cherry cordials this year!  I am always up for trying something new around Christmas time!  (well anytime, really!)

The past couple of years I have made homemade candy!  I may still make more this year too, haven't decided yet. 

Back to the cherries though.  They actually weren't all that hard. 
A little time consuming? Yes. Difficult? No.

First I soaked them in Amaretto & Cherry juice overnight.  They smelled DELICIOUS!!!!

Next they sat on a cookie sheet for a couple hours draining all the juices out.

Next I covered them in this dough/fondant type stuff. 

Then came the fun of dipping them all in chocolate!

 The final step is the one I am on.  And let me tell you it is the most difficult step yet!!!

Once the chocolate has set, place cherries in an airtight container and don't touch them for at least a WEEK!!!  They need time for the center to liquify.  It's hard let me tell you. 

It would have been much easier (& cheaper) to just go buy 60 chocolate covered cherry cordials....but where is the fun in that????

Five Question Friday....I mean Saturday!

Saturday already?  And it's almost Sunday!  Why does December seem to go so quickly???



1. Favorite gift you are GIVING this year?
Oh goodness.  Probably the one I am most excited about is for someone who reads my blog, so I can't say!  :) And really it's not all that exciting of a gift, but I know she wants it and I got it so that makes me excited!  For my kids though...nintendo ds for Caleb (with a Lionel game too!!!  the kid is going to go CRAZY!) For Erika....a babydoll that comes with a baby sling!  She'll love it!  I'm always using scarves or little blankets to tie her babies to her, so this is a perfect gift!

2. How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas?
I just wrote them all down on the calendar tonight and couldn't believe how many we have!  Not including family parties, we have 4!  Add in all the family get togethers and we have 8!  Yikes!  Thankfully they are all spread out!

3. What is your favorite Christmas song?
ANY Christmas song is my favorite Christmas song!  Haha.  I can't just pick one, there are WAY too many!  I think I need an iPod just for Christmas music!

4. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?
My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Roots.  I remember him reading books in class and he was so great at helping us feel connected with the book and helped us "get it".  Also....everyone in his class was important.  There were no favorites, no teachers pet.  If you were in his class you were important. 

5. If you had a choice to live in any other period of time (other than now) what era would you choose and why?
Hmmmm.....well I always wished I lived during the Anne of Green Gables time period.  It would be nice to have such a simple life and not feel like you were missing out on anything because there really was nothing to be missing!

I don't want to forget....

I really need to "write" this down, because I do not want to forget how stinkin cute Erika is!!! 

Today I was brushing her hair and she said to me "Mommy, when my hair is long like Ariel's can you take me to the ocean so I can show her my hair?"

Yes baby, someday I will take you to the ocean so you can show Ariel your long hair.  Too Cute!!!!!

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Does it get anymore precious than this???

AND they were singing Happy Birthday to him when I took this!

Not myself.

After writing my very emotional previous post, I just haven't had it in me to blog this past week! Dylan's birthday was harder for me than I ever expected it to be. I always get a little weepy around Thanksgiving simply b/c I am missing Dylan, but this year was worse. I was just not myself! I think it's b/c he's five now. Five is a big deal. I remember last year when Caleb turned five, I cried. I don't know why, but my babies turning five hits me hard! I will be back though. I am coming around.
"See" you soon!