Here They Come a Caroling!

Now you can pretend the kids are Christmas Caroling at your house!!

Merry Christmas!

We had some extra time to play in the snow today since our plans changed a bit. The kids were pretty bummed that Grandpa and Grandma O. did not come down today because of the snow, but playing in the snowfort always cheers them up.


We'll be headed to church late in the afternoon and we're excited that Ella and James are singing a special song tonight with their choir. Merry Christmas to family and friends near and far!

A Santa Stop!

Santa stopped by our house tonight to check in on the kids. They were, of course, being extra good! Claranna was a little shy at first, having recently awoken from her nap. She warmed up to Santa once he opened up his sack and handed her a little present. James was quiet certain that a red light we saw up the street after Santa left must have been Rudolph's nose glowing. Ella informed us that it wasn't the real Santa, but quickly added in a matter-of-fact voice that it was one of his helper Santa's. Thanks for the visit and gifts, Santa! We are now even more excited for Christmas Eve to arrive. It will be fun to celebrate with family over the next few days. Happy Birthday, Jesus and Merry Christmas to All!

Visiting Santa

We were fortunate to get in a visit with Santa before the big blizzard. It's so fun to watch the kids prep for the big visit and listen to their chatter on the way to the mall. James was very serious in his conversation with Santa, but he remembered and thoughtfully listed three things he is hoping to get and Santa listened very carefully. Santa told Ella that he knows she's been pretty good this year, so now she's quite hopeful about what she might receive on Christmas morning. Claranna didn't cry, but she didn't smile either. She sat on Santa's lap and James and Ella told Santa what they think their little sister would like to see under the tree. Only one more week!! The kids are counting down for us!

Just sharing a little holiday cheer! Enjoy!!

The Big Blizzard of 2010

We had a real Minnesota blizzard this weekend. The grand, “official” total for the storm in our town was 16.0″. This weekend’s storm was the 2nd biggest snow storm in our city's recorded weather history. Our monthly snow total for December is already at 25.5″. I am quite certain that we'll have a white Christmas.

The storm canceled many of our plans and made getting Ella home from the Nutcracker performances she as part of on Saturday really quite scary. We intended to watch Saturday's final ballet performance, but decided to just bring Ella home after her part was finished and attempt not to be one of the many people stuck in the middle of the road.

We made a big pot of soup on Saturday night and listened to the snow blow. In the morning, we were literally snowed in. Our deck patio door was covered with a big drift all the way to the top.

To compare, this is what our house looked like after the nine inches of snow we received the previous Saturday.

Poor James

James had his five year old shots today. He got two sticks in each leg and was not very happy at all. He has spent the rest of the afternoon lounging on the couch trying to recuperate. I think he might take a little after his daddy when it comes to shots...

Ella came home from school and was excited to continue working on the snow fort that she and James have been building. She asked James if he wanted to come outside to play with her in the snow. His response, "You know, I got shot today and I can't walk." Hopefully he'll feel better soon!

Laughter

Claranna and Daddy can be pretty silly sometimes!

To Honor a Great Grandma

This past Sunday, much of my family gathered at the tiny little church where my Grandma was a life long member. Grandma Ruth passed away nearly eleven months ago and we gathered on the first Sunday of Advent at her former church to celebrate her life by dedicating to the church a banner holder purchased as a memorial for my Grandma.

Grandma's little church has a small congregation and doesn't have its own choir, so my aunt thought it would be nice to provide a little special music at the service. It was pretty easy to convince the little cousins that they could form a small choir and sing for Grandma Ruth at her church. I served as the director to Trenton (age 7), Bryce (age 7), Ella (age 7), Brennen (age 5), James (age 5), Trista (almost age 4), and Claranna (age 1.5) who made a most lovely children's choir. The kids were great! Claranna was all business during our practices at home, but was a bit more social at the church. She went out to mingle and giggle with the congregation a bit. We were so proud of all of the kids and we received many compliments on our little choir after the service. It was a wonderful way to honor Grandma Ruth as she loved music and she and my grandpa loved their church.

It's hard to believe it's been almost a year without Grandma. She is still close in our thoughts and in our hearts. Tonight as we hung "handmade by Grandma Ruth" ornaments on our tree Ella said it for me, "I still really miss Grandma Ruth." I miss her too and I suspect I always will. I was so fortunate to have loving relationships with all four of my grandparents. Each one had a special role in my life and a very special place remains for each of them in my heart. I'll openly admit when I think of them a smile comes to my face, but a few tears often moisten my eyes.

Ella and James still talk about Grandma Ruth a lot. They remember her when we walk or drive by her house at the farm. They will look up at the stars at night to find the brightest one and declare it to be Grandma Ruth's star. Ella misses her hugs and treats and James occasionally worries about the toys that he misses that are still in Grandma's toy closet. Claranna always smiles when she sees a picture of Grandma Ruth, so I think she remembers getting Great Grandma's hugs, too.

I know that Grandma Ruth was listening to this little choir from above: