A Georgia White Christmas

Aaron and Hannah were in the church Christmas play yesterday. Aaron was a wiseman and Hannah was a donkey. She got to walk in with Mary and Joseph. She told me that everyone would want to be the donkey if they realized how important the donkey was.

P.K. was invited to preach at the candlelight service at our church last night. It was nice to hear him speak. The service was nice, but it meant we didn't get our kids home until after midnight. Santa still had to finish wrapping presents.



Hannah had spent the evening before the service tracking Santa's trip on NORAD. When we left for church he was reported in Puerto Rico. Hannah was very concerned that he would make it to Georgia before we got home. She wanted to check NORAD when we got home, but she thought she saw Rudolph's nose glowing in the sky when we pulled in the driveway, so I was able to convince her we should get Santa's treat out as quickly as possible and get her in bed. We left Santa fudge, haystacks and buckeyes. We also left carrots for the reindeer.

Aaron lit his candle that he painted in preschool. He only lights it on Christmas Eve so Santa will know where to look for his cookies.

P.K. passed out the gifts.

Rachel got her boots she had been asking for.

Mommy and Hannah having a little post present cuddle. I know the morning look isn't pretty, but it is what it is.

P.K. is watching Hannah and Aaron discuss their loot.

Here I am with the kids while they are enjoying our traditional Christmas morning Monkey Bread.


This was Hannah's early Christmas present from P.K. and me. She is a nine week old Chihuahua. Hannah got her last Saturday. I still don't like having a dog, but Hannah wanted one so badly. My parents bought all the dog accessories as their Christmas gifts to Hannah.

Hannah named her Holly. Here she is with Hannah's Christmas gift to her.


My parents gifts to Rachel were the accessories for the guinea pig she had been wanting. She bought the guinea pig herself and named her Mocha. Now the kids outnumber the parents and the pets outnumber the kids.

It is snowing in Atlanta. This is Atlanta's first white Christmas since 1882. Christmas 1993 brought flurries, but it didn't stick. We are expecting a good (by southern standards) amount today.

Here are Aaron and Hannah playing in the backyard. Obviously, there isn't much, but it is supposed to continue coming down. Aaron is hoping for enough to build a snowman.

The big pine trees in the backyard. The perfect backdrop for a Christmas snow.

This is the front yard when it first started coming down.

P.K. had to go into work today, so I am just praying the roads stay clear until he gets home.

We had P.K.'s office Christmas party at our home two weeks ago. I prepared a huge Christmas dinner and we ate leftovers for days. Since have had our fill of the traditional fixings, Aaron requested Chicken Cordon Bleu. When P.K. gets home we will feast.

Girl Scout Cookies

I'm not talking about Thin Mints here. Rachel's Cadette troop was over last night just to have fun and decorate Christmas cookies. I present a sample of the finished product.

A bonus...they even appreciated the homemade buttercream frosting. Now I have to figure out what to do with the leftover frosting. The kids and I may have to make some more cookies. There is absolutely no reason to waste homemade buttercream frosting, EVER!

Christmas Concert

Rachel had her first band concert this past week. I was AMAZED by how great the 6th grade band sounded. These kids just started learning how to play their instruments in August. I hear Rachel practice all the time and I can hear her improving, but I was just floored to hear how good the entire band sounded. The 8th graders also played at the concert. It was planned that way so the 6th graders could hear how they are expected to sound in two years. I know the 8th grade pieces were probably more technical or complex, but the 6th grade just sounded better!!

I am looking forward to their spring concert. Not only because it will once again be warm again outside, but because I can't wait to hear how much more they improve.

Rachel is in the second row in the red shirt and Santa hat.

Decked the Halls

We had so much fun decorating our still new to us home for Christmas. It feels so cozy and festive. Following are several pictures in no particular order.

Our tree.

The bay window in the kitchen.

The kitchen from another angle.

I have the plaques above the kitchen cabinets. I stole the idea from my friend Shannon. Rachel helped me tuck garland all the way around. Part of it involved Rachel climbing on top of the refrigerator and trying to drive a nail to support the garland in a particular spot. According to her, she all but fell off the refrigerator. She didn't even come close.

Another shot of the kitchen. As a total side note that has nothing to do with decorating for Christmas, our cabinets did not have knobs when we moved in. It is very akward to open the cabinets without them. I got out the drill this past summer when PK was away and put them on all by myself.

I know, but I really like my kitchen.

The stairs. When I was looking at pictures from the rental house, I noticed the stairs are similar.

This little reindeer makes an appearance evey year. Hannah especially loves him.

I hung these in the windows in the livingroom and dining rooms. They look much better in person than they do in the picture.

The stockings.

The stocking holders.

Aaron painted this candle in preschool. We only light it before going to bed on Christmas Eve so Santa will know where to find his cookies.

PK doesn't like this snowman because it tends to fall off the doorknob. I hund it on the back door this year and since that handle isn't shaped like a traditional round doorknob I don't think the snowman will fall off.

This isn't a decoration. It is one of the molds we use to make our St. Nicholas cookies. The girls and I made them this past Saturday. I think our house smells like Christmas once we make these.

The finished product.

The top of the piano is usally full of framed photos of the kids and extended family. I had a hard time packing those away, but I like the nativity there. I let Aaron and Hannah set it up and did not reaarange it once they had it set up. I am going to put Christmas card in the basket this year. I usually hang them. This is the second year in a row I am not sending Christmas cards so we are probably being crossed off of several lists. The picture of Aaron is from first grade. It is too cute.

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.

Another shot of the fireplace. I like this room as much as the kitchen.

Looing into the dining room form the living room. I think this is a better angle for the window decorations.

This our Advent wreath. We haven't done a very good job lighting the candles this year. The kids have one they made at church this year that is on the kitchen table. We have used that one. I like this one because it isn't busy like the season of Advent should be.

This is a shot from the bottom of the stairs.

Same thing. Different perspective.

Hannah made this banner and wanted it hung outside her door. If you look closely, you can see "Jesus" written on the bottom of the "e." Glad she got that part!

End of November. What?!?!?!?

Did anyone see the month of November go by? I can't believe this is the last day.

I guess I will blog about some of the fun we had during Thanksgiving week so I will at least have one post for November.

The kids had the entire week of Thanksgiving off which I loved. We have lived in places where they were only off Thursday and Friday or Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The first few days of the break were spent getting the house ready for company. The kids had play dates and sleepovers. Aaron has a friend who lived two doors down. Aaron and Hannah spent Saturday, Monday and Tuesday running between our yard and her yard. They had the best time.

Doug and Shannon arrived Wednesday with their girls in time for lunch...homemade chicken soup and sandwiches. We didn't stop eating until they left on Sunday.

This is a random picture of the five kids being creative and having fun. They figured out they could make a star. When they are together there is generally no tv. They just play.

We started what we hope will be a new tradition this year. A local ministry holds a race as one of their fundraisers. Doug, Lori, Rachel and I ran the 5k. PK ran the 1k with Noelle, Aaron and Hannah so we didn't lose any kids. Shannon was the official photographer.

The weather was perfect for a run. Over 7000 participants were expected for the races. There was also a 10k option. The director of the ministry prayed over the participants before the race. I thought that was neat. Next year it will be our turn to go to Doug and Shannon's house, but many communities now hold Thanksgiving morning races.

We came home and put together a wonderful Thanksgiving meal. Lori and Rachel helped prepare dishes this year without any adult assistance.

It is nice to watch the two of them interact. They of course know they are way to cool for their old parents, but when they are together they aren't afraid to be silly and let down some of those walls they have to keep up with other friends.

Here the kids are serving up their Thanksgiving feast. I insisted on serving it from the kitchen island because when we first moved in and I saw the island I envisioned serving Thanksgiving dinner from there.

Shannon took time to call her extended family and with them a happy Thanksgiving.

Each year the kids put on a play. They write it themselves. Each year tops the previous year. This year was no exception. It was like a little musical when Aaron and Noelle performed a duet.

I love having the trampoline in the backyard. The kids all spent a lot of time out there. Doug caught these pictures of Noelle and Hannah watching the clouds.

The boards that are scattered around the yard were drug out of the shed by the kids. It is all scrap lumber from finishing the basement so it really is just for them. They made a bridge from the shed to the trampoline. I don't have a picture of it, but it was just fun.

Black Friday belongs to Shannon and me. We start early and go as long as we can. We noticed we are starting to get a bit older because we were willing to sleep an hour longer and give up being at Target right when the doors opened. We come away with great deal every year, but we don't go with that one particular thing in mind that we have to have or kill to obtain. I think people watching is a big part of the thrill. This year it was pretty calm. After we had our fill of shopping, we went to see a movie. In appreciation we gave PK and Doug Saturday. They went to see the latest Harry Potter. Then they came home and put a new ceiling fan in the living room. The old one needed to be serviced and it was kind of dark and dreary.

PK's younger sister and her husband stopped by for about an hour on their way through town Saturday morning. The kids were really happy to see them.

Sunday morning came way to fast and our company was on their way back home.