Christmas Eve Luminaries

Christmas Eve! {Moira}

My little siblings are just tingling with excitement... They can't wait for Jesus' birthday and for Santa to come! Tonight our neighborhood does luminaries. It will be so pretty, especially with all the snow! We got about 3-4 inches yesterday, so we have a white Christmas!!! I'll take a ton of pictures tonight and tomorrow morning and get them on ASAP! Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Erin is Stylin' {Moira}

Sorry, Erin.  This is a natural consequence of living in a family with five older sisters who love to get creative.  This is the first of many new hairdos for you!  

Advent Activities

It's beginning to book a lot like Christmas.....or at least like mid-Advent in our home. Last night we went to our Cathedral parish to kick-off our beautiful Christmas novena. This novena, which starts the third Sunday of Advent and goes through Christmas Eve, is by secular standards a real inconvenience. It comes at the busiest time of year, when shopping and last minute Christmas preparations are staring you in the face. But that, in part, is what makes this novena so beautiful. To slow down and walk into a little piece of heaven in our beautiful Cathedral Church is just what we need to prepare for the coming of our Saviour. The novena includes beautiful Advent hymns, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a rosary, The Litany of Saints, and other prayers. The little kids dress up as angels and shepherds. I know it will be impossible for us to attend every night, but we will try to go each night that we can. I will try to post pictures of our little angels and shepherd boy, if I can.

We also picked out our Christmas tree yesterday. For the last few years, we've gone to the same tree farm. At this little farm, the trees all come with their own name, which the kids get a big kick out of. In years past, we've had "Lucy", "Lizzie" and "Rachel". This year we found the most perfect tree, but the tag with its name was missing. So, of course, we were able to name it ourselves. The kids couldn't decide between Jerry or Troy, so it's "Jerry-Troy". (It's a long story, but "Jerry" has become a silly imaginary mascot in our homeschool. Whenever the kids write out sentences for their grammar lessons, either to show the subject, direct or indirect object, object of the preposition, etc..., it has become standard to make up a humorous sentence that in some way or another, includes Crazy Jerry. The kids have gotten very creative with Jerry, while learning their English grammar. I know it sounds silly, but it prevents boredom with our lessons!)

We've also been uncharacteristically crafty around here this Advent season. Eileen and Bridget belong to a little youth group called Saint Camille's. Last week, thanks to an incredibly crafty mom who hosted the group, they made these adorable nativity sets and cards. In addition, they made candles and edible gingerbread houses. Edible is they key word there, and the reason why I have no pictures of these adorable gingerbread houses. No, they did not eat the candles, just the gingerbread houses. But I failed to get pictures of the candles, too.







We've also been able to visit Santa two times. The first was at our Proud Christmas celebration, a party for families who have a member with Down syndrome. It was a lot of fun, but I forgot my camera. Or I should say my camera girl, Moira, forgot the camera. Come on Moira, you're slacking on the job! Anyway, we met a lot of new families and the kids received a little gift from Santa. Just a week later, Santa came to our very own neighborhood, with two large horses pulling a wagon filled with hay. He drove us all around the neighborhood on a cold afternoon. Here are some of the kids waiting to get on the wagon.

Bridget, Colleen, Eileen and Emmett

Molly  Grace and Margaret

Aidan

A very cold Erin

Cutest Package!

I do most of my shopping online, and with Christmas approaching, it seems we have packages arriving frequently.  My kids know to let me get the packages on the front porch...you never know how it will be packaged and there are too many surprises this time of year.

This lil package tops the cake, however.  I do believe it's the cutest package we have ever seen.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

More Letters {Moira}

No, not to Santa.......To football players!!! I've lost track of all the players I've written letters to. After watching Aaron Rogers play in the Dallas game I wrote him a letter simply asking him, very nicely, to cut his hair!!! :) THEN I doused the envelope in perfume and glitter so he would open it!!! Aren't I brilliant!?!?!

Anyway, today I got a postcard BACK from BRETT!!!!!

On the back it says:

Dear young fan,

I want to personally thank you for showing me so much support over the years. The Pack has a great tradition because of people like you.

Thanks Again,
Brett Favre 4

It's in his handwriting too!!! I know what you're thinking, "Yeah, a million other people got that same card!!! It's just printed on there". I know it is. But it still gave me my thrill for the weekend! Unless the Packers win tomorrow, then that will add to the thrill!

What Dazzling Eyes You Have, My Dear

Letters to Santa

Molly Grace:

Dear Santa,

For Christmas I would like a pink dress, a doll with a pink dress and pink shoes, a pink pony, pink jewelry, pink shoes, a pink bike, a pink purse, a pink paintbrush, a pink crown, a pink kitten, a pink coin purse, a pink carriage AND a pink parasol.

Love,
Molly Grace

Aidan:

Dear Santa,

Can you get my sister, Teresa, a new Barbie car for Christmas so she will stop using my cars with her Barbies?

Merry Christmas,
Aidan

Hey Cousins!

Look what I found! Aileen and Joe-boy couldn't look any cuter. I can't believe you're four now, Joe. Happy belated birthday!




Here's Aileen showing off her dress that her dad brought back from Austria.






Now, if only I had a picture of Suzy in her Austrian dress. I can't seem to find it.....darn! It makes me want to pull out my Sound of Music CD.