Merry Christmas!

What a great day! It has been a blast so far and we still have lots more to do! Like make gingerbread houses, visit grandma and grandpa Lee and play with the toys Santa brought! An elf dropped off p.j.s for the kids while we were at aunt Linda's house last night. Sam tried to chase the elf down but the elf jumped the fence just before Sam compromised his identity! Today, Sam swore that he heard Santa at about 4 o'clock this morning - it's what woke him up! He was so excited that Christmas was finally here that he could hardly contain himself! I let him take a peek at the tree and presents before anyone else woke up. Later I realized that it was probably torture to him since he had to wait another 2 hours before we opened the presents. I let him wake up Sarah and she asked him if Santa had come. Sam said yes. The fun began.

I Accidentally Wrapped the Remote...not really.

I've wrapped so many presents tonight that I had to distance myself from the phone and the remote so I wouldn't accidentally wrap them during my last minute rush to get ready for Christmas. Sheesh! Even with feelings of 'I am so not ready'; I do have to say that I am having a great time wrapping presents for the kids and marking them 'from Santa'! This year's Christmas is going to be great!

Good Friends Last Forever....

I'm usually not very personal on my blog but this requires mentioning -
My good and dear friend, Marianne Merrill, passed away peacefully Monday evening in her home. She fought a courageous battle with an unforgiving disease but in the end received the greatest reward - a welcome Home from passed loved ones. Marianne was not only a good friend, she was a mentor. She taught me how to laugh at the unpleasant and sometimes discouraging events which often occurred (and still do!) while raising my 4 little ones. She taught me, by example, how to seek for the good things and be grateful for every little thing. She was dedicated to service - I being the recipient of many of her 'errands of angles'. In her last weeks, Marianne was inspired to ask me to do her a favor. In reality the favor was for me and I am thankful she gave me such a gift. Marianne loved her family especially her husband, Walter, whom she honored and supported their entire marriage. Although I am sad that my friend is gone, I am confident that she is happier back Home.

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

Can you believe there are only 12 days left (to shop, plan, wrap, prepare, budget, gather, organize, etc.) until Christmas? I am so not ready!

Who's Watching Who at the Zoo?

Monday I took the twins, Sarah and her friend from school to the zoo. We had an afternoon filled with train rides, fun, food, animal gazing and playground playing. It was so much fun! Enjoy the slide show - can you tell which one is the caged animal? (if you guessed me, Julia, you are correct!)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Joe!

Joe has survived 2 whole years! Thank goodness. Joe is an active boy who loves to run, climb, jump, slide, duck, dance, twist, bump, stomp, punch, slap, pull, poke and hug. Besides half of my genes and half of Mike's, Joe is also made of frogs and snails and puppy dog tails (just like the song states).
He is a dirt eater, food thrower, ice munching, exploring kinda kid. He can find trouble without even looking and sometimes falls into trouble by association. By this I mean that he willingly takes the blame for everything his twin sister, Mary, does. He's perfect.

6 minutes later...Happy 2nd Birthday, Mary!

Mary is a spunky gal. She can hold her own but knows when to pull out the 'fragile girl' card. She loves her twin brother, Joe, and is fond of her bigger brother Sam and sister Sarah.
Mary just loves what her Aunt Linda gave her for her birthday...a play purse! She carries it around like it's the real thing and won't let anyone else near it. She struts around with her purse on her arm and answers the matching phone in her most grown-up voice, "hel-lo!"
She's a quick learner and very observant so I have to be careful of what I say when she's around. She also the joker of the pair. Mary has a sense of humer that lets you know that there is much more going on in her head that you think possible. Mary is also the instigater. She starts the party and then blames the mess on everyone else. She's perfect!

These birthday kids are twice as nice