There's a FIRST time for everything.

Katie and I decided it was about time for another "Girl's Day". I just need to start by saying what a truly wonderful day it was! She was such a joy to spend time with.
The afternoon started by eating lunch at Issac's. She thought this was a big deal b/c the only place we ever take the kids to is MC Donald's or Little Caesar's! She chose pizza and chicken nuggets from the kids menu and looked at me and asked if it was OK to eat that in the same meal! I guess I have taught her something about a well balanced meal! Our service was terrible but it didn't matter b/c it was so much fun just being with her. We had fun doing the crossword puzzles, and games at the table and checking out the fish tank.
After lunch we were off to the mall to get our ears pierced. Katie chose her birthstone earrings, pink of course. She was brave but there was a couple of seconds when I thought we might be leaving with only one ear pierced. But Katie made it look so easy that I decided to get mine done too. Since we were looking so beautiful with our new earrings we headed over to the Picture People to document this eventful day.
I forgot to mention that earlier that day Katie and Thomas were wrestling in the living room and all of a sudden I heard Katie shrieking with excitement! " Mom look I lost my first tooth!" I was so thankful, because that tooth had been just hanging there for a couple of weeks. So, not only did she get her ears pierced for the first time she also lost her first tooth! When your six I don't think it gets more exciting than that. The tooth fairy hasn't come yet b/c this friday is 'Show and Tell' with the letter 'T'. Katie wants to take her tooth into school before it gets exchanged for money.
Not only that but, she also learned to tie her shoe today too!
It was truely a great day! I love you Kate!

Ending Lunch with Dessert!

Look at those Dazzling Earings!

Toothless Grin!

Photo Shoot...wow my little girl is growing up!

WiNtEr WoNdErLaNd!

I love the snow! Always have and always will!
It was so fun to finally get a good one this year. Reese kept going around the house saying "no...no...look at the no!" (As if we don't hear that word enough from her as it is!)
On Saturday we all had a great time just playing in the back yard. There is enough of a slope that the kids could go sledding. Thomas loved having a snow ball fight. I couldn't tell if he liked getting hit more or throwing it at us! That boy was covered in snow and loved wrestling with Eric too!

Having a snowball fight reminded me of one of my first dates with Eric!

Watching Reese try to manuver through the snow, one couldn't help but think of the Movie the Christmas story where Ralphy couldn't put his arms down! She was so bundled up when she would fall down in the fresh snow she would just lay there until someone could help her stand up!

I thought it would be fun to try to build a snow fort... Doesn't that sound fun!?
I think it sounded to much like work to the kids, and I was abandoned while they went sledding.
Maybe next year I'll be able to boast of a snow fort : )

Katie loved making snow angels!
Oh, and you can't forget the Hot Chocolate and cookies!
I'll end with this shot and spare you the view of the boots and scarves draped all over the kitchen!

Thanks God for filling our lives with JOY that day!!!

Capturing Christmas Moments

As I was just doing dishes and trying to clean up my messy house, I was thinking about how thankful I am for pictures. The ability to capture the sweet moments and cut out all the junk around. I was so glad that I could cut out everything around (ie the messy messy kitchen with dishes piled high, the hot chocolate spilled everywhere, the fighting over who gets to put what on the tree, the scarfs and hats and gloves hanging all around the house...). Those things are a realistic part of life but sometimes it's nice to block them out.
Every year I get a little bit better at letting go of some of my expectations that surround christmas time. The dancing thoughts of kids decorating cookies in a clean kitchen, perfect family moments decorating the tree, and kids sweetly singing Christmas carols around the house...The fact is we all have expectations at Christmas. Some of them good and some of them not very realistic. For me it is sometimes a struggle to enjoy this stage and the craziness that it brings and to let go of some of the expectations and just enjoy the moment.
So as you enjoy looking at these pictures know that they are just short moments captured. Things that I want to remember and treasure. Thanks for taking the time to check them out!

I had the oppurtunity to go into Katie's kindergarten class to help her make her gingerbread house! It was so fun to just spend time with her and to see her interact with the other students in her class!

Katie and I had fun being creative. We figured out how to make Christmas lights and a sled. Katie even made a campfire in the front with marshmellow sticks to roast!

This was the most magical day! It was snowing outside when we got our Christmas tree ( I love the snow!!!) and we found the perfect tree in under 5 minutes!

The kids had fun unloading their Christmas boxes that their Great Aunt Sharon bought them. Each year she gets them another ornament or Christmas decoration to add to their stash. She is so great at getting them something that symbolizes something special about that year!

Katie neatly hung the ornaments on the tree while Reese thought she needed to hang everything on the same branch!

The kids favorite cookies to make this year were Peanut Butter blossoms. They did a great job, but what amazed me the most was that we actually had kisses left to put on the cookies!

After Thomas was done decorating I couldn't figure out if I was baking cookies or just a pile of sprinkles!

Reese was soooo excited to find Frosty! This is by far her favorite Christmas song! (one that all of us are getting a little tired of hearing her sing) She even woke up in the middle of the night recently and began singing it at the top of her lungs!

We had fun enjoying Lititz at Christmas with the a good friend and her kids! That was one time when "cold" hot chocolate turned out to be a blessing : )

Last year my mom and I started a new tradition of making homemade caramel popcorn for gifts at Christmas. It is so delicious!

The kids had their King's Kid Christmas performance at church this past Sunday. It was so special to see their individual personalities shine through. Katie was so enthusiastic, and thankfully didn't "take out" anyone in the process. She is in the top right hand corner.

I only wish this photo was a video! Thomas did a great job singing during the rehearsal. But then when they had to go up and do it again for their actual performance he was tired of singing. He entertained himself by rolling his shirt up to his chin and back down again so that we could get a nice view of his abs.

We are thoroughly enjoying anticipating Christmas! What a fun month! I am so thankful for God sending Jesus so that we can have abundant life!(John 10:10)

Counting Down to Christmas.

Our family gets so excited to get the advent calendar out each December! Now this isn't a little candy one...it's really BIG! They made them a number of years ago at church. Each day there is an ornament for the kids to pull out and hang up on the tree. Along with it is a verse that shares the importance of that ornament to the Christmas story. This helps to be a daily reminder that we are preparing to celebrate Christs birth. This year I also have added two additions. The first is to put a little piece of paper in the slot that gives us a fun holiday things to do together. So far we have had snowman pancakes, set up the nativity set and read the Christmas story, and tonight we are watching "Frosty the Snow Man" with Hot chocolate. I was thankful for the idea and wanted to pass it along for others to use. The other addition was picked up from another friend. Each day there is new lego piece that will eventually build something at the end. They haven't been able to figure this part out and it's cute hearing their different ideas about what these pieces are!
What a wonderful time of the year!