Catching Up

This is a catch up post of everything from Thanksgiving until now.

Jasmine helps me in the two year old room at church. They love her.

Two Sundays a month Adam & Deja and Hunter & Jessica join us for Sunday lunch. We all like Chinese, but usually we grill something or I have something cooking in the crockpot that's ready when we get home from church. I didn't have anything ready this time so grabbed Chinese on the way home from church.

Deja had never played Rummikub before, but she caught on quickly.

Doesn't Adam look thrilled that we stopped the game to take pictures? Not.

The puppies visited again. They are not even a year old yet!

Look at the size of his paws! If our puppies get a hold of something, we might be able to get it away from them before it's trashed. If these puppies get something, forget it. Especially if it's food.

This is the first time we've gone to breakfast with Santa. I wasn't really sure what it was before so never bought tickets for it. And with only five of us, it was only $25. When there was 9 of us it would have been $45! But it's an okay breakfast (think powdered scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, boxes of cereal, fruit) plus the kids get a present.

I was really good this year :0

Here's my complaint. For the boys in the 9 and up group they had nerf guns, glow in the dark basketballs, nerf footballs, regulation soccer balls etc. The gifts were out of sight and Santa's helper just chose one and handed it to each child. But you could see all the kids sitting at tables eating with their toys in front of them.

For the nine and up girls, there were only play make up kits. They would have been more suitable for 6-9. Personally I wouldn't give out even play makeup and nail polish to other people's kids because make up is something each parent has to make decisions about. Kayla loved hers (and now she has polish, glitter and eye shadow smeared all over herself), but we negotiated for a boy toy for Jasmine. The younger groups got dolls, play tents, Lego sets (I would have used those for 9 & up not 6-9 because they were big sets), cool trucks etc. The baby toys were amazing too. It was only the 9 & up girls that didn't have any choices and weren't really appropriate.

Fourth grade students have to create something to sell at a business expo to raise field trip money. Kaleb is at a different school and doesn't have to do it. He went on the same field trip last week, and they even ended up having charter buses, but I think the school system picked up the extra expense.

Jasmine marched in the Christmas parade Saturday.

Here's a very short clip of her here at home:

We bought a new smaller tree to replace our old one. Last year we had a real tree but don't want to spend that much money for something we're just going to through away afterwards. In GA we bought living trees still in their buckets at a nursery and planted them outside afterwards.

It came with lights already on it. We haven't put any ornaments on yet.

Jasmine set out three nativities.

We all made sugar cookies.

Ty David called from Kentucky to talk over some Christmas plans. We are making a very quick trip to Disney with a military pass. Jasmine's history fair project is on Walt Disney, so we're going to Hollywood Studios to the display about Walt Disney, how he made his first movies and how he got the idea for the parks. This should count as a primary resource! It's going to be really crowded because we're going the weekend before Christmas.

Jasmine had a choir festival Monday evening. I posted two videos in the last post.

 I got one very bad news e-mail from a teacher today which does NOT put me in the holiday mood!!

I mailed Jeff's Christmas presents today. He leaves for Korea January 10.

Most of my shopping is done. A few last minute things to get and a few things I'm waiting for in the mail.

Saturday night I only slept two hours when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Sunday Night we were up helping Jasmine finish homework until 12:45!!!!! Last night I couldn't fall asleep until after 2:30, and we have to be up at 5:00. So it took me three nights to get 8 hours of sleep!!

I got my first present of Christmas today. A package from Tyndale, who has published three books I wrote. Their present is almost always my first present.

Cats not included! The back thing is a book with readings for each day of the holiday season. The front one is to hang on the wall. Now to find a spot. Sometime I will post photos of our walls. They are pretty full.

Ahead we have too much homework and too many projects, a dental check up and cleaning, an orthodontist appt, a daytime parade on a school day that all the preschool and kindergarten kids anywhere nears us attend. So there are school buses blocking very small residential roads. There is the boat parade that we've never gone to but might, our church program, the winter band concert, a meds appt, and IEP meeting, our Disney weekend, the rock climbing wall on the way back, and then the Christmas Eve service followed by all our big kids coming over. Then I plan to do nothing for a week except drive three hours so my kids can see a hockey game!

So what's ahead for you?