The Gift That Keeps on Giving

We interrupt this Christmas to bring you . . . a stomach virus!  Ahhh, yes, the gift that keeps on giving!  And one that you can so generously share with those you love the most!

Our Christmas plans with both sides of the family were altered this year because of the dreaded stomach bug.  Millie came down with it the weekend before Christmas, which is when we were supposed to head to the lake to be with my side of the family.  So we ended up skipping that celebration and just invited my parents and niece to our house for Christmas Day instead.  Here are a few highlights.

Ready for bed on Christmas Eve.

 

The girls awoke to find a karaoke machine on Christmas morning.



They put on one heck of a concert!  (Fortunately we were able to find a karaoke CD with kids' music!)

Millie digging through her stocking.

Hannah digging through her stocking.

This was one of the sweetest moments of the day.  Hannah left her favorite Webkinz chihuahua, Gloria, at the park one day after co-op.  When we realized it was lost, we went back to look for it; but it was nowhere to be found.  When she opened up this present and saw a new Gloria, her face absolutely lit up!



She was so happy, she started to cry!  (There's a slight chance that this may have made her mama start crying, too!)



I'm not sure what Ashley is doing here, but if I had to guess, I'd say she's showing off the new bling on her left hand.  Her boyfriend proposed to her the night before!



Millie was super-excited to get her very own camera!

Karaoke isn't just for kids!  We also got an oldies CD, and Grandma kept us all . . . uh . . . entertained with it!  ;)



Ashley chose was forced to sing "Happy Birthday Jesus" for her mic time. 

Fast forward one week.  It's now time to celebrate Christmas with Greg's side of the family at his parents' house in Houston.  Two weeks had passed since Millie's stomach bug, and no one else ever got it, so we figured the rest of us somehow managed to escape it.  We figured wrong.

The next victim?  Yours truly.  My dear husband was kind enough to take this picture of me while I was sick in bed.  I think at this exact moment, my words were, "Truly?  Now???"

Unfortunately, I was sick in bed for my brother-in-law's 40th birthday celebration.  And when Mama is sick, Daddy does what he can to survive.  In this case, it meant throwing the girls in the tub with his brother's kids!

Here are the kids all dressed up and ready to go to Uncle Clark's surprise birthday party.  Each of these girls has her own look.  It always amazes me that they're all related!

Here are all the kids together on present night.  The girls are Meemaw and Kimpaw's grandchildren, the boys are their great-grandchildren, and every last one of them is as cute as cute can be!

I finally felt a little better by Day 3, and I was able to join the rest of the crew for a trip to the park by Aunt Steph's house.  Daddy pushed the kids on the merry-go-round.

They tried to return the favor, but somehow that didn't work out as well!

My beautiful niece, Shania.

My other beautiful niece, Aleeyah, with my sister-in-law Rossana.





These two were made for each other!

The kids found this adorable little dog.  He had tags, though, so we were able to return him to his owner.

And of course there was karaoke!

My brother-in-law Clark gave quite the performance!

Meemaw snuggled up with the three big girls and read them a bedtime story on our last night.

Treasured memories . . . germs and all!

On the third day of Christmas . . .

Today was our day to celebrate Christmas with Grandma & Grandpa and Uncle David's family. It was a quick celebration as they are all headed to Florida early in the morning to vacation at Disney World and watch Ashley perform during the halftime show at the Capital One Bowl.

Because Mom and Dad had packing to do and didn't need to be tied up in the kitchen and because I have been wanting to try some new recipes, I prepared a couple of dishes for our gathering. I made Ham & Swiss Quiche and Crabmeat Parmesan Quiche, with White Chocolate Fruit Tarts for dessert. Yep, here we are with 5 days left in 2008 and I finally decided to do my fancy cooking for the year! Mom and Dad also put together a deli tray and some chips and dips, so we had quite a spread!

Here are a few highlights from our evening together:

I know I'm a little biased, but don't my parents have a good-lookin' bunch of grandkids?

The hit of the night for Hannah was her pink Leapster from Grandma and Grandpa.

Millie loved this Disney Princess dress-up chest from David and Shasta.

She immediately dressed up as a princess and stayed that way the rest of the evening.

Somehow she even managed to get Greg in on the action!

By the way, Greg doesn't ever read this blog, so let's just keep it our little secret that that last picture is on here, okay? Thanks!

Merry CHRISTMAS

Today I celebrated the most unique Christmas in all of my 34 years. Oh, forget "unique." It was odd. Bizarre. Downright weird. And I have to confess: I didn't like it one little bit.

Here's a rundown of our CHRISTMAS:

	Children woke up eager to see what Santa had left for them.
	Had breakfast together.
	Realized Greg planned to take down the fireplace today since he had the day off.
	Immediately took down our Christmas tree (which was inconveniently located right next to the fireplace) and undecorated the mantle.
	Stuffed all the Christmas decorations in their boxes and put them in the attic.
	Tore down the bricks. Well, started to, anyway. Turns out there's a lot more to this job than meets the eye!
	Made steak, baked potatoes, and broccoli for Christmas dinner.
	Attempted to defend myself when Hannah said, "This isn't exactly Christmas food." I said, "Oh, yeah? And what exactly is 'Christmas food?'" (I was sure that she was picturing a juicy turkey, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, etc.) "You know," she replied. "Things like candy canes, cookies, brownies . . ." That got a good laugh. Even if our Christmas hadn't been so bizarre, we still wouldn't have had what she considered "Christmas food."
	Sadly realized we had let Christmas go by without even reading the Christmas Story from Luke. Good thing we read it at MeeMaw and Kimpaw's last night, but still . . .

Next year will definitely be more traditional!

Giving from the Heart

We just got back from Houston for our Christmas celebration with MeeMaw and Kimpaw. Had I remembered to take my camera with me, this post would most certainly be littered with pictures of my kids, faces full of joy and hands full of their newest treasures. But since that's not an option, I thought I'd share with you one of my favorite treasures of the evening. It's a poem MeeMaw wrote for all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She gave everyone a copy, and Stephanie's youngest daughter, Grace, read it aloud for us.

Here are the words:

Life's Treasure

Oh, You—so very dear to me
I see your pain and agony
In life's trials as you walk,
Heavy; yet, I plead—Do not balk!

These storms and thorns I would withdraw
But then you'd miss the joy and awe
That lost strength holds to be the key
If you would deign to bend your knee.

For in that place that you reveal
The weakness that you deeply feel
Our Lord is there to comfort you
And wipe your tears and see you through.

Men err to think life is just for pleasure.
Heaven's value becomes each man's treasure.
The temporary storms will pass away
And your salvation assured will stay.

So look closely at your burdens' choice
And listen to the still small voice
That shines a special, loving light
On salvation's love—truth to delight!

Oh yes, it may take some time
But that is the path to the sublime
And glorious truth that God is real
And gives you truth no one can steal.

So you will see clearly then
Each trial is a step to heaven
If you will but gather humility
To bow your will and bend your knee.

As each trial comes and goes,
Remember me in my repose.
I await your finished life
To share your joys, now free from strife.

What a sight that we can share
In heaven's glory now aware.
For this you must salvation see
So please be sure to bend your knee.

Shirley E. P. Bonvillain
Christmas, 2008

Great is our inheritance; great is her reward! We love you, MeeMaw!