More

Mike during Drywall Weekend

Bennett and Annalise love the Christmas tree!

Dressed for the Holiday Tea

MORE! That is what Bennett says whenever the music ends...he loves music! Whenever the hymn ends at church, the guitar stops playing at ECFE or the girls stopped singing during the play we attended yesterday, B moans quietly (or sometimes rather vocally) MORE!
Yesterday after we picked Annalise up after school, Mike, Grandma J, A, B, and I went to see Madeline's Christmas at Stages Theatre in Hopkins. We had a really nice time. Today Annalise has a Holiday Tea at school. Bennett and I stayed home from school, because B is just not feeling like his usual chipper self.

Last night, we had dinner at Nok and Pat's new house. Mike and I just smiled at each other as we stuffed ourselves with Nok's amazing Thai dishes. The kids had a really nice time, and played well together while the adults were still eating. Thanks for a wonderful evening!
Tonight I'm going to hang out with my girls, a night which is long overdue. Bridget and Steve will be at my parents' house tomorrow, and we hope to get lots of cousin playing time in while they are here.

I don't know if I'll post an update or not before Christmas, so if not MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours

What Shall We Give the Children?

What Shall We Give the Children?
The holidays are almost here.
Toys and games and playthings,
As we do every year?

Yes, for the magic of toy land
Is part of the holiday lore
To gladded the heart of childhood
But I shall give more.

I shall give them more patience,
A more sympathetic ear,
A little more time for laughter,
Or to tenderly dry a tear.

I shall take time to teach them
The joy of doing some task.
I’ll try to find time to answer
More of the questions they ask.

Time to read books together
And take long walks in the sun.
Time for a bedtime story
After the day is done.

I shall give these to my children,
Weaving a closer tie,
Knitting our lives together
With the gifts that money can’t buy.

Author Unknown

Stuff

We had a chilly walk to the dog groomer this afternoon. We will all enjoy not smelling Shug anymore. I discovered last night when Mike and I were sharing a sliced grapefruit, that Bennett likes grapefruit! We shared one this morning, and he just smiles after every spoonful. We got our Christmas tree on Tuesday night, and put the lights on last night while watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Annalise was very disappointed that we didn't get to ornaments, but we will put ornaments on the tree tonight. Then our house will be ready for a visit from the elves! Enjoy your Thursday! I will!

Our Crazy, Happy Family!

Helpful Sister

A tells B, as he looks at the bee from an Old McDonald happy meal, "bumble bees don't usually wear shoes." Annalise has been cracking me up lately. She put water on her hair yesterday afternoon, and ran into her bedroom to tell me and B, "I've been baptized!" She then got her hand wet to baptize Bennett too. Yesterday she told me that they read a book about Hanukah in school. She ran around the house yelling, "first night of Hanukah- Happy Hanukah!" Then she looked around and said, "where's our hanukah?" "Do you mean menorah? We don't have one, we're not Jewish." "Well, we can still celebrate the 8 days of lights!"

On Saturday, Mike and I went to A Christmas Carol at the new Guthrie. It was really well done, and fun to get out with my husband. On Sunday, we attended mass with the Hudrliks, and became Jackson's godparents. I'm so excited- I'm a first time godmother. Since there has to be crying at a baptism, and Jack was much too calm, B took over. He wanted to swim in the baptismal font, and kept pulling his leg up to climb the ledge of the pool, and moaning, "water, wahhter...." Hope ended up holding him during the baptism ceremony. We'll have to remain lifelong friends, or they'll look back at pictures and say, "now, who's that kid?" I guess it's true what they say about it taking a village...

Tomorrow is my dear husband's birthday. It also happens to be the night of his company holiday party. G&G are going to have the kids sleep over- yay! Then Saturday morning, both sets of parents are coming over to finally....drywall! It should be a fun, and busy weekend.

One last Annalise-ism: on Tuesday, when we had such a beautiful snowfall, I mentioned to A that we could have cocoa for snack that day, since it was snowing. As she was enjoying her cocoa that afternoon, she asked, "why when we were playing in the snow at Grandpa and Grandma's, and then went in the house, I had cocoa, and they didn't?" I said I didn't know, maybe they didn't feel like having cocoa, or didn't like it. About half an hour later, I was watching a Tivo'd show, and Annalise came over and gingerly placed her hand on my shoulder. I paused the show; solemnly she asked, "have Grandpa and Grandma even tried cocoa??"