Happy Blog Birthday!

Our blog is officially three years old! I started this blog December 30, 2004. I didn't get my Christmas cards out in time that year, so I started the blog to have a way to show family members the Christmas picture I took.

In 2004, Kevin was 4 years 8 months, Michaela was 2 years 9 months (McKenna's age now) and Kyle was 14 months. I was pregnant with McKenna. We were in Lake Forest and none of the kids were in school! The time has flown by.

I went back and read some of my older posts and it was really fun to read. This blogging thing is a great way to record memories!

Merry Christmas!

Our Family
Christmas 2007

Here is this year's family picture. This is all of us before heading to the Children's Mass on Christmas Eve. It was the first time in several years that we didn't attend Midnight Mass all together. We decided (Maria, Keith and I) that the kids would probably enjoy the Children's Mass instead.

We, of course, spent Christmas at Mom and Dad's. They had their annual Christmas party that was filled with the usual family and friends. The kids, 13 in all (under age 8), had fun running around and playing together. The kids only get together like this once or twice a year, but each year they pick up were they left off.

My sister, Maria, and her kids came on Saturday evening. On Sunday, we spent the day at the Wild Animal Park. We had fun walking round seeing all the animals and when it got dark, we got to enjoy the Festival of Lights the Park puts on every year.

Monday was pictures, Mass and then we took a walk around Christmas Card Lane. Christmas Card Lane is a local neighborhood in which almost everyone in the entire neighborhood has some kind of Christmas display. It is very lively every night with hundreds of visitors. We are lucky to live so close to something so fun! As we walked all the kids saw a class mate or two. Even I saw some moms from school.

Well, I know that was a brief synopsis, but I'll try to post more pictures soon.

Michaela and Cupcakes

So Michaela thinks that it is funny to get frosting all over her face when she eats a cupcake. No fail, the frosting ends up all over her mouth and nose. She dives right in, and it goes every where. It's kinda gross if you ask me, but she likes it. She also manages not to get it all over her clothes. That's a good thing! This picture was taken of her last week as her friend celebrated her birthday with the class.

O Holy Night

Christmas is less than a week away. To slow us all down and to remember the meaning of Christmas, take a moment to listen to Celine Dion's live version of O Holy Night. This is my favorite Christmas song, and I always tear up when I hear it. Merry Christmas!

Here the lyrics to help you reflect:

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Til He appeared and the soul felt it's worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morne
Fall on your knees

O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night divine!
O night, O night divine!

And in His Name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise his Holy name
Christ is the Lord!
Their name forever praise we

Noel, Noel
O night, O night Divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O night Divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O holy Divine

McKenna

McKenna
taken on 12/10 by her Daddy

Kevin at Cub Scouts

Kevin at Cub Scouts

Kevin had a pack meeting tonight. He earned a Gold Arrow Point and a Silver Arrow Point. He also earned two more belt loops - Geography and Collecting. He is really enjoying scouts and is working hard to achieve his Wolf rank, Arrow Points, belt loops and pins. He's doing a great job!

Christmas Cookie Cocoa Party

We've had rain for a couple of days now and it has been gloomy. The sun is out today and it is very pretty out. But, we are all doing our best to keep warm. I myself am freezing. My hands and feet especially, even though I am wearing slippers. Yup, it is a COLD 60 degrees here in SoCal. Brrrrr!

So to warm us up, Keith made us all some hot cocoa. And so I decided that we would have some Christmas cookies to go with them. They are snowmen sugar cookies. Pillsbury. My cookie friend!

We had fun drinking cocoa and eating cookies. We had Christmas music playing. It was really fun! We don't have our Christmas decorations up yet. I've been too busy to dig them out of the garage. I am not really sure where everything is because of the move, so it's not going to be an easy task. Although I love decorating for Christmas, I am not looking forward to digging for the decor! One consolation of putting up the decorations late is that Karen (my mother-in-law) will be with us for a few weeks starting January 8. So, we will keep the decorations up until she comes.

Here are single shots of each of the kids

What's Your Grinch Name?

Here's a fun little link to try. I saw this on splitcoaststampers.

What's Your Grinch Name?

We're the Crankynoodles
Me: Grimfrown Crankynoodle
Keith: Miserlybeast Crankynoodle
Kevin: Miserlygrinch Crankynoodle
Michaela: Grimtroll Crankynoodle
Kyle: Wretchedgrump Crankynoodle
McKenna: Gloomywhiner Crankynoodle

I don't think Keith or the kids really match their Grinch name. Kyle does when he's woken up. The scary part is that I think *my* Grinch name fits!