Christmas Memories 2011

Again...a Christmas Season filled with gatherings.  Although we had lots of places to go/be...I told Rob on Christmas Eve, it seemed to be one of the more relaxed Christmas seasons's I've had in a while.  I really enjoyed each thing we did.  There are lots of pictures below that start with our Sunday School party and end with Christmas Eve (Dec 1- Dec 24)....

Our awesome young adult class had a great get together at our house....and the entertainment was provided by the "yard sale" or as others call it "white elephant" Christmas Dirty Santa exchange...the gifts ranged from my old (still working crockpot) to a collection of Obama speeches to Darin's Dance Grooves Video to an awesome grille brush, some old ties, a battery charger...I think I'll stop now. Anyway, they were good for a few laughs.  We also were entertained by Christmas trivia!

Murphy Christmas dinner was at Gigi's

Nanny sure enjoyed her dinner....I think she ate for well over an hour!    Bre gave all the "ladies" books that were filled with grandaddy's old love letters to Nanny from the war.  There are probably a hundred of them and they are priceless.  We are losing the art of writing letters and more importantly the art of "courtship".  He expressed his love for her just like you see in the movies!  He called her "kitten" and "my blue eyes":)

Oak Grove cantata.  Lane was a narrator...and Bo was a cowboy (he had to learn a lot of lines and did so well).  I was a proud mamma~

Ellie entertaining Kate with some chocolate.  Thanks to Ellie for taking them to practice each week. 

Ms. Sandra (she has directed the children's program there for many many years...since my childhood)  Bo loves her (as does Lane)

Bo's school program

Ms. Leslie and a cute snowboy

Jonah was in the reindeer group.

Bo's friend, Sam

Bo's class party (last day of school)

Ms. Leslie's last day until March 1st (baby girl, Camille was born Dec 20th:) The kids gave her a "my first christmas ornament that they all signed

Lane and Addie at their class party with their snuggies

ABC had to jump in this picture!

BFF's

While my niece and nephew were here we went to the square to the "jumpee place" and Santa happened to be hanging out in the courtyard gazeboo. Kate actually sat with him for about 30 seconds before she started crying! 

Bo and Land had a long conversation with him

Present time at Ellie's

"minute to win it" game

Kissing cousins:)

Too funny!!!

We substituted our yearly "cookie baking" for "reindeer brownies"!  

She ate so much icing and brownies and m&m's while we were decorating, I don't know how she didn't throw up.  She was one happy baby for 30 minutes!!

Lane and Bo had a few friends over to do some "kid Christmas actvities"..we had lots of fun decorating gingerbread houses with milk cartons, playing pin the nose on Frosty, and musical pillows to Christmas music.

Newman family Christmas dinner at my parents (we didn't have the camera and Rob was taking pics with his phone, but looks like he only got our kids...hmmm.)

Christmas Eve breakfast...we spent the day at home unwrapping gifts to each other and enjoying the beautiful weather outside until it was time for Christmas Eve service at church.  My most favorite tradition since marriage:)

Bo gave his big sister a rose:)

Lane gave her little sis a monkey

We all gave Kate a "replacement" monkey" to replace the ceramic paint a piece monkey she dropped and broke about 2 months ago.  She has missed the monkey so bad...every day she would say "monkey, drop it"  "Monkey broke" or "monkey trash".  We went to paint a piece and painted her a new one....she couldn't stop hugging and kissing him!!

Their favorite gifts..."sunggle buds"!

Hmmm....someone forgot to tell me to go brush my hair and get dressed!!!  There are the 3 carat diamond earrings Bo gave me

He ran around the house for 5 minutes yelling "I got catcher's equipment, I got catcher's equipment"...He LOVES it!

Lane gave me a cute ring!

new robes

Gigi's on Christmas eve...Rocking Elmo

Pops gave Bo his "lifetime" Hunting and fishing lisence

Thanks be to God for the celebration of the birth of his son because it is always at this time of the year that I become aware of my blessings and shortcomings all at the same time.  I am very thankful for all of our family that we share the season with, especially the man above and our 3 kids!

Christmas Pictures 2011

Hey...call me a bad mamma...but I love this!  What a memory...she was yelling to him that she wanted a "vacuum" as she was doing all she could to get away from him! 

Lane asked to take a picture of us...thanks Lane:)  We ran the JA Reindeer Run 5K then went on to breakfast with Santa.  Good idea JA gals!

Thanks to Amy B for running over to snap a family picture for us again this year!  It is priceless to have someone else just snap  a picture and not have to to leave this house or pay a sitting fee:)

I actually snapped the ones below after Amy left....

Kate - 19 months

You are fascinated with : monkeys, buddy the elf, Christmas lights, Elmo, Barney, phones, riding the golf cart

You can have a semi-conversation on the phone answering questions and everything!

You sleep with about 10 things in your bed....sheep ("happy"), 3 blankets, a 2 foot tall Barney, "puppy", "monkey", taggie blankie, "baby"....and you really won't have it any other way.

You speak in 2-4 word phrases (vocabulary is really not countable, you say probably 100 words and repeat anything....namely "Geez" and "Gosh" (some of my expressions)....most impressive= "Ellie come get you now!", You also say "Bo funny" and "Bo Dawson". you yell at Lane and Bo "Suppertiiiiime"

You ask for milk about 30 times a day

Your favorite foods:  pizza, spaghetti, broccoli, green beans, grapes/fruit, "crackers"....and of course, chocolate

You are super duper busy...I know most 19 month olds are...but I mean, really...you are to the extreme!  By far the busiest of our 3!!  You push chairs and stools to wherever you want to climb....and climb.  You like to hide from us when you've done something you shouldn't...you know!


you have "Sa Sa" wrapped around your finger...I have to keep reminder that you need to do time out when you don't mind!

You kind of have a love/hate relationship with your brother and sister... (mostly with Bo)....you worship him/them and want to follow them around, wish you could move upstairs with them, run to them when they are upset, ask them for hugs when you are sad....but they are also the first kids you will push, hit, scream at and take all your frustrations out on them.  They often get on your nerves, but you'd be lost without them.

You love Buddy, the Christmas elf....look for him every morning!! And you know you can't touch him...you never have!  You love to talk about Santa, and you say he's bringing you a "vacuum"  but certainly don't want to get too close.

Eating Bo's apple that you found!

I put you in your high chair with a movie to try to get 10 minutes on the computer to order our Christmas cards....within about 3 minutes you walked into the kitchen (you climbed out)...this is actually the pic of you climbing back in!!