Our Holiday Traditions

Decorate the tree and have hot chocolate while jamming to Christmas music...



This was out first year to do a gingerbread (I mean graham cracker) house.....after difficulty constructing it Sophie told me to just put a flat roof on it and then don't touch it she would handle it. So, this is what she ended up with all by herself, despite her "un-Martha Stewart" like Mom....















Bake....


















attend church service (this year was a very cool service in which they removed all of the santa, tree, lights decorations to reveal a manger all by itself that was on the stage at the end)......this is Sophia at church with her beautiful friend Marissa.....














set out cookies and milk for santa.....









Get distracted pretending to be Santa with dishtowel stuffed in pj's......












wake up and open presents......






















then we also have a Christmas dinner that I took no pictures of this year and we also have some grumpiness, arguing, and usually a time out or spanking added to the mix!!

Happy Holidays!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Program

Sophie had a beautiful Christmas Program that we attended for her school. She had a speaking part and did so great...I can't believe how much she loves to be on stage and does not even get nervous. She is such a little actress.......I love it!!! Her Christian School has turned out to be such a blessing in so many ways.

Cheer Competition

Sophie had another cheer competition. I have one thing to say "intense" oh, and another thing "disorganized".....some of these are blurry, but I wanted you to see her going up in her stunt and actually cheering.

Joy

Yesterday Sophie's class went Christmas caroling to two nursing homes. It was so sweet watching the kids sing and how happy it made the residents of the homes. This is what Sophie said after, " I wish we could do that everyday for school because I loved bringing so much joy to the older people".

My crazy family

You HAVE to go to my Mom's blog and see the videos she has posted of Sophie and also Thanksgiving day. The one of Sophie sewing is sooooo her!! My Mom's link is to the right.

GO Storm!!!!

Sophie had her first competitive cheer competition and she did so great. We were so proud of her and she had a blast. She just loved warming up down on the mats and stage before they performed in front of a huge crowd at the Veteran's Coliseum. I will try and get a video on here...I need help from my blog consultant (uuumm that's you Debbie).

Servant Heart School Project

Sophie's class did a project for Christmas for a local nursing home. They made reindeer that would be placed on the trays of food for the residents of the nursing home at Christmas. It was such a fun project to help with as the kids were so excited. They will be delivering the reindeer and singing Christmas carols too. One of the children in her class raised their hand to give their take on the project, "we are making these for the old people that go to the nurses home and live until they die". They tell it like it is at this age!!

Halloween 2008

I am a little bit late posting these...okay, okay.....very late. It has been crazy busy!! Here are some pictures from halloween. Sophie was Daphne from Scooby Doo and she brought in so much candy it is still in Ziploc bags in the pantry. We do find wrappers in her brother's room though. Also, some pictures of the big kids party and my crazy friends...what would I do without them. In case you can't tell I was Amy Winehouse and Michael was her husband Blake something or other. You know the crack abusing jailbird......

Tiler was out with his high school friends at a haunted house...he really tries not to hang with us too much anymore....we're boring. But, I must say (and Michael agrees wholeheartedly) with just Sophie to trick or treat with-it is soooo mellow. She is the world's easiest kid to do this with. She is calm, polite and does not complain constantly about her costume like the other child in the family always did ( I won't mention any names here though).