Perfecting Christmas

Christmas 2008 is finally over. Oh what fun we had! I am planning a longer post to detail the memories and oh the loot these kids were given. It's official, we need a bigger house and sweet Ella needs a bigger closet. She has more dress up shoes than I own of actual shoes. (Well, maybe of the shoes that I actually wear.)

We had fun. We had tears. We had joy. And, we had sickness. The kids were stricken with hand, foot and mouth (or so we think, official diagnosis coming tomorrow.)

For now, I leave you with a series of photos. I was attempting to capture a sweet photo of the kiddos post Christmas Eve service. As usually, I attempted multiple shots and never quite captured what I originally hoped, but E&S managed to give me plenty of silly shots of which I will treasure always. Love those little creatures!

Merry Christmas!

Santa Sam
Originally uploaded by mbowling

Sorry for the lack of posting. Is anyone still coming to visit? I have been blocked. Each time I would sit down to write something, I would just stare at the screen. It felt like a chore and not something I actually wanted to do, so suprisingly I didn't do it. You could say I have struggled to find the Christmas spirit this season.

Don't fear. There have been many enjoyable moments, but I have been weighed down by the list of things to do and the list of things we didn't do this year.

What does help me get in the Christmas spirit is definitely my kiddos and my goofy, geeky husband. Having children has definitely helped make Christmas more magical. I know come Christmas morning and even later tonight I will be overflowing with the Christmas spirit. The next 36 hours will be quite special. I just hope I survive until then.

I do hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! I plan to enjoy this special Christmas as a family of four and watching my joyful kids (and husband) open their gifts. I can't decide which expression I am looking forward to more -- Ella seeing the bounty that Santa is bringing or Mike when he receives his gift.

What Sam Has Been Doing all Weekend

Football is On
Originally uploaded by mbowling

Sam continues to grow up and by doing so is defying his mother. In all seriousness, he is one determined little man. Once he grabs hold of a somewhat stable object, the boy attempts to get his feet underneath him and pull himself up. Of course, he has no idea what she is suppose to do once he's in that position. He seemed to spend the majority of the weekend working on this new skill. Oh my handsome little 8 month old.

More posts to come, but I am sick, so this is all I have in me at the moment.