Christmas Morning 2013

Here is our Christmas tree with plenty of gifts underneath. The girls loved decorating the tree. They proudly displayed all the ornaments they made at preschool. And we only broke two balls in the process! The girls understood the real meaning of Christmas which made this season all the more special for me. They were excited for the gifts, but knew that we were celebrating Jesus' birth. 

We gave the girls each a Lolaloopsy doll. They had seen it awhile back at the store and really wanted their own. 

The girls got the gifts they asked for from Santa -- Barbie dolls for Karis and a sparkly tray for Makena.

Kyle got some cars, a train set and legos. Lots of new boy toys (but he still likes playing with the girls' fairy dolls)!

We spent most of the morning on Facetime so relatives could see the kids open their gifts. It enabled us to spread out the opening of gifts instead of having it a mad free-for-all. Karis didn't like having to wait until we contacted the next family member. She asked, "Why do we have to call them? They already know what's inside!"

I was very impressed at how the girls shared their new toys. Makena received an electric guitar and a keyboard. She gave the keyboard to Karis. Karis gave one of her Barbie dolls to Makena. Such sweet sisters!

Later in the day, we made Christmas cakes for Jesus' birthday. I hope He likes sprinkles!!

  

A Visit With Santa

We didn't really talk about Santa in our home last year. Karis caught on to who he is and what he does through preschool and TV. I kinda blew it by not getting her a gift from Santa. This year, we embraced Santa. We didn't really make a big deal of it, but we talked about it whenever the girls asked. 

The girls really wanted to talk to Santa to tell him what they wanted. We went to The Bass Pro Shop that had a Santa Wonderland with free pictures and lots of activities to keep the kids busy during the wait. The girls got dressed up and we arrived late morning only to find out that we couldn't see him until 2:30 pm. We took a ticket that reserved our spot for later in the afternoon. We went home a little disappointed but came back right before we headed to Derek's staff Christmas party. 

Karis told Santa that she wanted Barbie dolls and Makena asked for a sparkly tray (a laptop tray that she draws on). 

When I handed Kyle to Santa, I told Santa to hold him tight. I knew Kyle wasn't going to want anything to do with him. He was sick and not feeling well.

After we took the photos, they told us that they accidentally deleted the photo of Kyle with Santa. We had to put him back on Santa's lap for another photo. Poor thing -- I felt so bad. 

Christmas Lights

The kids love Christmas lights. Whenever we drive around at night, the girls call out, "Pretty!" when they see a decorated house. One night after dinner, we made popcorn and hot chocolate and jumped in the car. We drove around some neighborhoods and enjoyed all the pretty lights. We stopped at one house that had its lights dance to music. 

We also found a home where the entire front yard was taken up by a huge train track that wrapped around an entire city of little homes. When we arrived, the nice couple came out, talked to us and gave the kids candy canes. 

Gingerbread Houses

One of the girls' favorite things to do during the Christmas season is decorate gingerbread houses. In the midst of all the packing and craziness, I wanted to be sure the girls didn't miss out on the things they enjoy. I made sure to buy a kit and make time for this. 

For the first time, Makena didn't eat more than she put on the houses! She did get a little frustrated when the bigger candies didn't stick on the houses. 

As usual, Karis carefully and methodically decorated her houses to perfection!

The Start of the Christmas Season

The girls were in a Christmas performance with their preschool. The Pre-K classes acted out the Christmas story and the 3-year old classes accompanied them for a few songs. The performance was great and the songs were adorable. I love how the girls know the story of Jesus' birth and understand that that is why we celebrate Christmas. It made the Christmas season this year all the more special.  

My superstars -- they did great!

Karis Turns 5

I so vividly remember this day five years ago. I can't believe this is Karis' fifth birthday!

She started this morning off with some chocolate chip pancakes. She quickly ate them and begged to open a gift. 

She was excited to spend the day at school with her teachers and friends. After school, we had a party for her at The Ark. All of her friends and a few more joined us!

This is the cake Karis and I designed together. She wanted two tiers, purple and pink, a simple row of flowers with a fairy on top.

 

After cake, she opened her gifts and played with her friends.

After all that, I cleaned up and Kyle was still in his seat with a plate of Chex Mix that he helped himself to. My little eater...

Karis opened more gifts when we got home, and she had one of her Sunday School teachers drop by to wish her a happy birthday. 

Earlier in the week, I let Karis choose her birthday dinner. She chose corn dogs. It's something she ate once and liked. I told her we don't eat them because they're not healthy. It made her feel all the more special that she got to eat them for her birthday. At the grocery store, she also got to pick her dessert. 

She had a great day and it made me so happy to see her smiling all day long. Makena was a good sport all day as Karis got all the attention and lots of gifts. She wants her birthday party now and has told me what she would like for it. I guess we're starting to plan her birthday...

Too Icy for a Party

We were supposed to have Karis' birthday party for her today. I had been planning it for a couple of months, trying to get it done early so I would have more time to prepare for Christmas (a learning from the past couple of years). The weekend finally came and everything was ready. On Thursday night we had freezing temperatures and it rained all night long. Our entire city (and beyond) was covered in a sheet of ice and we have been trapped at home since Friday. 

Late last night, I reluctantly emailed the moms of her friends to tell them the party was cancelled. Karis was sad, but we asked all her friends to join us after school on Tuesday for cake and goodie bags. 

We decided her fairy party must go on despite the ice! The girls got dressed in their fairy outfits and we did all the birthday activities that was planned. 

We played freeze dance with some ribbon rings. 

We painted nails, put on body glitter and tattoos.

We then went downstairs and collected butterflies in pixie dust bags.

I was so sad for Karis that she couldn't have her party. She had been talking about her birthday ever since she turned four -- and even more so the last month or so. We planned together the activities, designed the cake together and carefully chose who we would invite. When we were putting on tattoos, Karis looked up at me and said, "This is a fun birthday party." It made me so, so happy that she was enjoying it, even if it was at home with just her best friend, Makena. She was a little high-maintenance during the planning but when it came down to it, she enjoyed just a simple celebration. 

We'll celebrate some more on her actual birthday. I can't believe she will be five!

Kyle as you turn 19 months old

 

To my sweet boy. I can't believe you are 19 months old. I get a little sad when I stand back and see how big you are. I can't imagine our family without you. You make us laugh and you melt our hearts. You love to be held, to hug and to give kisses.

Now that you're older, it's fun to see you playing alongside your sisters. They like to play with you and teach you new words. Your sweet moments with your sisters are often short-lived as it usually ends with you grabbing something from them or bopping them on the head.

You get time-outs for hitting. You willingly go to the stairs and sit and pout -- you learned that from watching your sisters. You also like to hang out with your sisters while they are in time-out. I guess you know that they're always happy to see you when they're in time-out.

You are shy around other people. You only like and trust a select few. For everyone else, they just get a high-five -- you give those out like candy! You know about 10-20 words but will rarely speak to others outside the house. You are like Karis when she was about 18 months. She also used a lot more sounds than words to communicate. 

For a shy little guy, you can be quite loud at home. You yell a lot to try to get your way -- usually more food or food faster. You are a great eater who always wants to eat. As a third child, you've definitely gotten more treats than your sisters did when they were  younger, but thankfully you still love your veggies.  Sometimes you eat just as much as your sisters!

Even though you are always anxious to eat, you'll stop to pray with the family.

You have been quite clingy lately. You just love to be with your momma! However, you love going to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Your teachers always tell me that you had a great day and that you are the sweetest boy.

Mommy and Daddy are impressed with  your fine motor skills. You can string beads onto wire, do puzzles and stack lots of blocks. You love to play with trains and cars and even with your sisters' dolls.

I can't wait to see how you continue to grow and develop. I know you're intently watching how others behave around you. I continue to pray the same prayer that I've prayed since you were born -- that you would be a fearless leader among many. May your fearlessness come from knowing who God is and what he has called you to do.

We love you Kyle!