Christmas 2009

It appears that I didn't take as many pictures in December as I usually do, but that's okay. We did in fact enjoy the Christmas season as a family this year. All month, we talked about Jesus' upcoming birthday, and it was fun because both T & J were old enough to really get into it and understand the basic meaning behind Christmas. There was much debate over what kind of a birthday cake we should make for baby Jesus, and in the end I made a cherry cheesecake and we even sang "Happy Birthday"...though I didn't get a picture of it. Let's see...in December, we also had a trip down to Redmond to Steve's mom's house (Steve took T & J, I stayed back with Evan because of Grandpa), and also a trip to Portland to visit Steve's dad and his wife. And since my family was around because of Grandpa, we ended up seeing family on both sides this year. A real blessing, even if there was sadness mixed in with the joy of celebrating Christ's birth. On New Yea's Eve, Steve worked, so I was home alone with the kids. I put them to bed at 8:00 and had a quiet evening to myself, which was actually much needed at that point. Pictures....

Construction begins on the family gingerbread house...The kids really loved this activity....Jayna loved eating this activity :)
The final product! (It only looks this good because it was from a kit!)

Travis' pre-k class put on a little "program" for parents and family...it was way cute! It was on a day that my parents and Melanie and Becky happened to be in town for Grandpa, so they got to come, too. One of the funniest parts was when they were singing "We wish you a merry Christmas" - with motions - and the girl next to Travis accidentally punched him doing her motions. It shocked him a little, and you could tell he wasn't sure if he should keep singing or be upset, but in the end he just kept singing.

Christmas morning!! Another tradition we have is new jammies on Christmas Eve....the only gift for Christmas Eve!Brothers. Evan wasn't feeling well on Christmas, and in most pictures he has this dazed look on his face. But he was a trooper.
One of Travis' favorite presents - Lincoln Logs!

Jayna and her new kitchen! We spent more on this than we typically like to spend on Christmas gifts, but I'm so glad we did! The kids play with this ALL the time, and if you come to our house, Jayna will be sure to ask you, "Do you want to make food with me?" Evan opening a gift...he got baby food and diapers. Practical stuff....hey, he's only 9 months :)

And I threw this one in for fun. This is my frequent view throughout the day. Even Steve will agree...he's a mommy's boy. He's always crawling over to me and pulling himself up using my pants.