That night I ended up staying up until around 1:30 starting my wrapping. The next day Ellie ended up forgetting her backpack at home, so I loaded up the twins and we headed out to drop it off. We had to run a few errands too-go to the bank, pick up Lincoln's "happy" Tadbit from my parents, and picked up some tailoring. Andrew needed a cuff on a pair of his suit pants fixed and I had a zipper replaced in a pair of pants. The pants were just a pair of jean capris from Wal-Mart that I have had for several years but I still liked them. I didn't even think about how much it would cost to have them repaired, but it ended up being probably double the amount I actually paid for the pants. Oops. And then another oops (I have had a lot lately and it is very frustrating) was that when the twins were napping I made around 80 cookies to take to our small group cookie exchange and didn't realize until I was all done that I forgot the eggs. It wasn't a huge deal since there were only two eggs for a double batch, they just weren't as moist. I had already printed off the recipe cards to go on all the bags of cookies and just went off of that recipe when I was baking. I had left the egg off the recipe card and thus that was why I messed up. So then I had to go back and make all new recipe cards too. While I was working on it, I was talking to Lincoln about Jesus' birth and Christmas. I asked him several questions including who came to see Jesus. He said, "Me. Lincoln did." Andrew took the kids in the evening so I could wrap and prepare for our surprise for the kids, the Christmas Express. I printed off tickets I found online for them to ride the "Christmas Express". After they were all finished with their baths, I snuck upstairs and put the tickets on their pillows. I also snuck bags of cookies out to the car and got the Christmas music ready. Then I mixed up hot chocolate in my Cocomotion down in the office and got it into cups for them. As Andrew was sending them all to bed, I got the hot chocolate in the car. We put them to bed early and Andrew almost messed it up for us. He knew the kids would be excited about it, so he wanted to make sure they went to bed. He told them to get to bed by the time he counted to 10 and not come back down. Ellie started crying because she still had something to tell me and Andrew kept telling her to get to bed. So after a rough start, the kids were very excited to find their tickets. Andrew acted like the conductor in the Polar Express saying, "Tickets. Tickets please." and so forth. He also punched their tickets for them, but nothing fancy :-). After everyone was loaded up, we drove around to look at Christmas lights. Kirksville doesn't have too much to offer, especially compared to larger cities, but they still loved it and we found some good houses. We ended the night with the one house in Kirksville that has a light display set to music. We listened and watched for around 4 songs and then we headed home.
I stayed up late again that night doing some wrapping. Then I wanted to start putting together some bigger presents including Lincoln's front loader/backhoe. I pulled everything out and realized the instructions were just small pictures and stuff written in German. I was too tired at that point to figure stuff out, so I hid it away and put together Miles and Bennett's water table-much easier. The appliance repair man, Danny, was coming the next day to work on our fridge, so I joked I should just ask him to put the backhoe together. It seems like he can fix anything, so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal to him :-). But once I got going the next day, it ended up just taking me around 1 1/2 to get it all together.
Wednesday night we had our small group Christmas dinner and it wasn't at our house. I don't mind hosting things at our house, but it was a nice reprieve to not have to get everything ready for it and do all the clean-up afterwards. I was so grateful to John & Kelly for hosting it and we all had a great time. I love being able to just hang out with all of the wonderful people from our group. We had a yummy dinner and also did the cookies exchange and walked away with some delicious cookies. As we were walking home that night, it was starting to rain a little. By the time the kids went to school the next morning, the "blizzard" was starting. Lincoln had his class party, but I wasn't able to make it. I felt bad asking Lissy or Molly to come over to watch the twins and it was too cold, snowy, and windy to take them out. A lot of schools cancelled or let out early, but not Kirksville. Thankfully Andrew was able to do all the drop-offs and pick-ups. The only problem was that Lincoln and Andrew forgot to get Lincoln's gift exchange gift out of his backpack (I'm pretty sure Lincoln wanted to keep it for himself) and I became "that mom" that didn't send a gift and they had to use an extra one they had. At least the fruit for the party made it. When I opened Lincoln's back pack and found it, I immediately emailed his teacher his teacher to apologize. Thursday night, Andrew and I had a date night planned. Our sitter, Sara, was still able to make it even though the roads weren't that great. We had planned to go to AJ's but it just wasn't a smart idea. So we ate at Napoli's and then had what Andrew has declared "the worst date night ever". :-). I really had to do some grocery shopping and pick up a few more things the big birthday party. Andrew hates shopping but I thought it could be like back during our days in Columbia when we used to do our grocery shopping together. I guess not, especially when it is freezing and the wind blowing. We hit up Aldi, Wal-Mart, Westlakes and Tractor Supply.
Thankfully, the roads cleared up because I had to take the kids to school on Friday because Andrew had to be out of town in the morning. Then Molly came over to watch the twins and Lincoln while I went to help out at Ellie's party in the morning and Jackson's in the afternoon. She also helped me out by finishing up bagging sugar cookies for party favors for the twin's party. I was able to get a lot of the decorations up on Friday and then finished up and did all the cooking on Saturday for the celebration. And what a celebration it was. All of our siblings were able to make it except Annie and Brad, so we had a house full-over 40. The kids all went downstairs to play for most of the party. I think some of them actually ate, but then we didn't even let them know when we were opening presents. I joked that I could open the presents since it was actually my birthday. All the kids enjoyed the toys once they were opened though. Then it was time for cupcakes and Miles and Bennett thoroughly enjoyed them. Bennett just smashed his cupcake to his face and kept it there for several minutes, just inhaling the icing. So I think the party was a success and it was a fun one to do. All the clean up took a little while, plus putting Christmas stuff back out that I had taken down to put up the party decorations. I also decided to surprise the kids and bring up some presents for under the tree, so it ended up being another late night.
Sunday morning we headed to Edina for Lola, Preston, and Grayson's baptisms at St. Joe church with a brunch at my parents afterwards. Then Andrew headed out to the ranch. With snow on the ground and the cold weather, he had to go out a lot over break to take care of his cows. He even moved them across the highway to a different pasture and was excited to send me pictures of his cows enjoying all the new grass. And then he still had to get to the office and get work done around there too, so he has been very busy this break. He really wanted to enjoy some time with the family during break though, so he would take the kids with him sometimes which Lincoln was very excited about. He loves going out with Andrew and gets sad when he leaves him at home.
Sunday night we had a visit from Santa at my parents house. I think I most enjoyed watching Owen. He didn't really want to sit on Santa's lap, but he did want the Reese's tree so he just kept going up to Santa and doing the "more" sign. Lincoln made sure to tell Santa he wanted a back hoe.
After Santa's visit, we did the gift exchange between the cousins and also the siblings/spouses. Amanda and I gave each other the same thing-a house cleaning. This is the kind of stuff we get excited about. I got another house cleaning from my parents for Christmas. I will savor them and reserve them for my most needy times :-).
We hung around home Christmas Eve morning, or at least Jackson, Ellie, the twins, and I did. Andrew and Lincoln were back at the ranch. I got stuff ready for all activities that evening and tried to keep on things like laundry and dishes. Then it was back over to my parents. They cleared out their garage, laid down foam tiles, and turned on the heater so it could become a play area for the kids. They colored, played games, and watched movies. It worked out great. And Heidi also came over for a bit, which it is always great to get to spend some time with her. But then we had to head home, eat dinner (a lovely meal of leftovers from the birthday party), and then head to church with Andrew's family. After that we came home and the kids' did their gift exchange with each other and to to play with their new toys for a bit. Andrew and I exchanged our gifts too. Since we went on our trip to Seaside this year, we decided not to do gifts for each other for birthdays, anniversary, and Christmas. We had decided to do "one small, thoughtful gift" for each other just to make sure we took time to think of each other during the Christmas season. Andrew's ended up not being very small, but it was thoughtful. He is going to put tile down in our half bath-totally his idea. We have laminate wood flooring in there and it is buckling a bit since it is the main bathroom used for potty training and it has seen a lot of liquid :-). He already bought some of the supplies he needs. My original gift for him was a bench to go out in front of his office. He has wanted one for a while and I found a pretty one on clearance at Westlakes. But then I decided to make a new video for him and my parents were looking for another gift for him, so they took it. I started the video back in October and I'm glad I did. I had almost all done back then and just waited until it got closer to finalize it. He really liked the last one I made him (back when we only had two kids) and he was the same with this one. I put pictures to five songs and it is always fun to look back at our "history". He watched at least 5 times while I started getting everything ready for Midnight Mass. Before we knew it, it was time to set out the reindeer food, Santa's cookies, get dressed and head off to Midnight Mass. We always stop at my parents and get a family picture and then it is off to Edina.
Andrew, who is not a fan of Midnight Mass and would appreciate it more it they moved it to 7pm Mass, pointed out a neat view of the moon shining behind the steeple.
For our family to be able to sit together, we had to get there around 45-30 minutes early. It can make for a long night and I thought, for sure, the twins would fall asleep. But they didn't. We kept feeding them snacks to keep them quiet. Jackson was the only one of our kids that fell asleep. Andrew ended up taking Miles out with about 20 minutes left since his bag of snacks was empty. Jackson went with him too and they drove around Edina while Miles fell asleep. Back in church, Bennett didn't back down. Neither did Lincoln nor Baylor, who were just getting more ornery as time went on. And Ellie hung in there too. There was a guy in front of us who almost passed out and had to leave. If you have ever talked to anyone about Midnight Mass in Edina, they will probably mention the music. It is so beautiful and special. One of the last songs they sing is Oh Holy Night which is my favorite Christmas song. I love it when they sing it, but this time was a little different. The kids were all hitting their wall. And then Amanda had Colton and Carolina along with at least one baby (I can't remember if Todd had taken the other one). Colton was asleep on the pew and fell off. He started screaming but didn't want anyone but his mom, who also had Carolina. And then she started crying too. I just tried to close my eyes and take in the music a little :-). Then it was time to head home, get the kids to bed, and for Santa to come. Andrew can't wait to get to bed, so he starts bringing up the presents just after the kids go to bed. I just know they are going to hear us sometime, but thankfully they haven't yet. So he brings everything up and goes to bed while I put everything in place and take care of all the final touches. I think it was around 3-3:30 when I got to bed.
I put a monitor upstairs for the kids since we block the stairway with wrapping paper. I heard Jackson's voice come through it too early Christmas morning. I opened my eyes, looked at the clock, and it was only 6:56. I tried to convince them to go back to bed for a bit, but it wasn't working. They were so excited. Miles and Bennett, on the other hand, slept through all of it. I was excited for the kids to see their Santa gifts. Lincoln loved his front loader/back hoe. Jackson's big gift was that he gets to go to Kanakuk this summer. It took him a while for it all to sink it, especially since he thought he was going during the winter. But his excitement builds each day and he can't wait to go. Ellie's big gift was that she gets to take jazz class in addition to her tap and ballet. So she will go to dance for 1 1/2 every Monday. She was very happy. And they were all happy with the rest of their gifts. I do think I am going to try to do more "experiences" as gifts next year to try to cut back on all the toys we end up with.
After we finished up at our house, we went to my parents and were greeted out front by Uncle Eddie :-).
He kept the outfit on all morning while we opened gifts and ate brunch. The kids had a great time at my parents. It was just an explosion of wrapping paper and trying to keep track of who got what. My mom made a neat Cardinals quilt for Jackson using different memorabilia and pictures from games he has attended-even a picture from one of my dad's first games. And they gave Andrew a fun gift he has been wanting-a bike trainer to put his bike on this winter so he can "ride" it indoors. He has already used it a few times and really likes it.
We went home for a bit after brunch for the kids to nap and then headed back over for dinner. Oh I love Christmas dinner. My parents just keep going. While we all want to crash Christmas day they get to work on preparing a large, delicious dinner for all of us and they are happy to do it. And they got a surprise this year. We do the crackers at our Chrismas dinner-the party favors that you pop open and they had a little trinket, a joke, and a paper crown to wear in them. My mom and Autumn's mom found a little note rolled up in theirs that a cute Twas the Night Before Christmas poem in it that announced that they were pregnant again. Very exciting. And Andy had tried hard to convince us that they weren't ready for another one yet.
The day after Christmas we headed out to Andrew's parents. Annie and Brad weren't able to get into town until the afternoon before, so we put off the Christmas celebration. Andrew actually went out early in the morning to put out some hay, came back in, and then headed out with us again. We had a yummy lunch, then opened some presents, and just enjoyed hanging out for a bit. Andrew thought I needed to go with him to check on his cows and Lincoln had to join us. He just talked nonstop about tractors, cows, hay, etc. He just loves all of it.
Thursday and Friday were split between seeing family as they were leaving and purging the house. I have been able to go through most of the house and clean out closets, dressers, cabinets, etc. I am getting rid of a lot of stuff and some if I just can't dwell on or it will make me sad. I cleared up a lot of space in one of our kitchen cabinets because I got rid of almost all of the bottles and accessories. The twins are down to just three bottles a day and I plan to quickly decrease that since things aren't as busy now. I was excited to have the extra space, but sad to know that part of our life is almost done. I bagged up a lot of baby toys, older diaper bags, baby blankets, and so forth. Again, a little sad. I have one last big project, reorganizing the storage area, and then I will be done with all of it. So far I have accumulated 4 large bags of trash and 5 bags of toys, clothes, and odds and ends to take to our church's thrift store. And Lissy did a very quick photo shoot of the youngest kiddos in Santa hats-an idea she had seen on Pinterest. It wasn't quite what she was wanting but I think it is very cute.
Thursday night, we joined Andrew's family and the families of the guys that work at the ranch at Coltons for dinner. I always get nervous about going out to eat now. I feel like people just stare at us. I now know how my parents feel and they were even larger. But the twins have done well at Coltons-they like the endless rolls. So dinner ended up being enjoyable. The rest of the weekend was just more cleaning and organizing for me, playing for the kids, and working for Andrew. I did end up going to see Les Miserables on Saturday with my mom, Caroline, and Molly. It was a good movie, but depressing too. They did a good job with it though. And when I got back, Ellie was excited to show me that she finally lost a tooth. But sadly, Lincoln really lost it and she had to write a note to the tooth fairy to let her know her brother lost her tooth. The tooth fairy took care of her though.
And then Sunday evening, we took some pizza out to Tom and Mary's so we could hang out with his family some more before Annie and Brad had to head home. And we brought Lauren home with us so she and Ellie could have a sleepover. They had a lot of fun doing fashion shows, making headbands, and watching movies. To keep me busy, I cleaned out Andrew and I's closet and dressers. The last I checked on them that night, it was a little after midnight and they were going strong. They were so excited to hear that they had made it that late.
They slept in the next morning and Andrew watched them while I ran to Aldi and Wal-Mart. The snow was already coming down, so I was glad to get it done earlier. I made lunch when I got home and got a glimpse of what the upcoming summer will be like. I fixed six peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (we will be going through bread quickly now), peeled and sliced fruit, got carrots and dip for those who wanted it, along with drinks. About the time I got all the prep stuff cleaned up, it was time to clean up the mess Miles and Bennett now leave behind after meals. It is quite a process. And those boys like to eat. They make me a little nervous for our future grocery bills. But this time they got to finish up lunch while watching the others play outside. It was just below freezing with the snow coming down, so it was a great time for them to go outside. So I just turned Miles and Bennett's high chairs around so they could look out the windows and they were entertained for awhile while I cleaned up.
Monday night we ate dinner at AJ's with my parents, Lissy, Molly, and Randy and Kathy Powell. Our waitress was one who used to wait on us at Pear Tree and she was so accommodating to us. Even getting Miles and Bennett some garlic bread to chew on. It was a delicious meal and nice company. And then that night we actually stayed at my parents and celebrated New Year's Eve with them. Andrew went to bed early on us, which was to be expected :-). But Miles and Bennett even decided to wake up and join us. They didn't want to miss out on all the fun.
So that should catch us up for now. I am sad that the Christmas season is over now. It seemed pretty busy and chaotic this year. But I am so thankful for wonderful parents and in-laws that make it special for us and our kids and I am glad that we get to spend time with our families making special memories. And I am thankful we get to celebrate Christmas for what it really is-the birthday of our Saviour. In the midst of everything, when I would pray with the kids (on a side note, I have started praying with the kids when I get them up in the morning for school. I tell them all to meet me in the hallway to pray. It helps get them out of bed and makes for a good way to start the day. And they remind me if I forget) I would pray that they would remember why we celebrate Christmas.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
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