New Year's Eve

As a family, up to this point, we have decided to stay home together for New Year's Eve. It doesn't feel like a fun night to be out with young kids or even to leave the kids with a babysitter. So, for now, we have some fun traditions that we enjoy each year.

Let me just start by saying, Rick and I were so tired on this night. We stay up most nights until at least 11:00, but we were fading at 9:00 and wondering if we were going to make it to ring in the Mountain Time New Year.

We started the night with our Annual Dance Competition. You just wouldn't believe how much fun this is. It is fun to see the little kids get into it and the bigger kids are starting to really practice and prepare for it.

Lauren and Abby began the night with a choreographed dance to "Keep Your Head Up"

They had been practicing all week in the basement.

Don't you just love their matching outfits?

Next up, Sam, with his signature move, the splits to the song, "Fire Burning"

Break it down, Boy!

Laila danced to "Eenie Meenie"

I have no idea where her shirt is.

I guess since she is 3, this is okay.

This is how Isaiah started his song, "Rocketeer"

On a side note, when I went to pick him up from preschool yesterday, I peeked into the classroom and saw the whole class in a circle clapping with him in the middle break dancing. What the heck?

When I asked Isaiah about it, he said, "I wanted to show them my dance skills."

My song, "Price Tag". I love this pic because Sam's facial expression of disgust cracks me up. I am sure there will be many more of those over the years.

Ba Blang, Ba Blang!

Rick wasn't fully prepared this year.

After his Amazing Kite Flying routine last year, it will be hard to ever top that.

So, what did he do?

Get cute kids to join him to distract from his lack of preparation.

Cody didn't participate this year.

It makes me sad, but I get it.

Instead, he was the DJ for us getting all the music ready.

Laila won the competition and her reward was to open the game for this year: Dicecapades

This is a great game for our big kids. We just waited to play after we put Isaiah and Laila to bed.

After our competition, we had our traditional donuts and sparking juice(we were really lame about pics this year). I also printed out a sheet online that we each had filled out. We talked about it as we ate our donuts. It included things like, best memory from 2011, something new I want to learn to do in 2012, etc. It was eyeopening to hear some of their responses. Then, we let the kids watch Spy Kids 4 in the basement. At that point it was about 10:00. We watched the ball drop on TV with the East Coast and put Isaiah and Laila down for bed.

We spent the next 2 hours playing Dicecapades. We played girls against boys with each team winning once. We will have to break that tie in the near future.

We surprisingly stayed awake until midnight. The kids ran outside to watch the fireworks on Pikes Peak and then we sent everyone to bed. Goodbye, 2011.

Back in the Swing

The 4 big kids went back to school today.

I was dragging.

These early mornings do not work well for me.

I am a bit behind on my blogging, but there has been a lot going on around here.

After about 5 months of discussing, developing, and tweaking, we have introduced a new plan of action for chores around here.

I am excited, scared, hesitant, and optimistic all at the same time.

I am not going to share about it until we have had a few weeks to try it out and work out some of the kinks that I am sure we will encounter.

If it works, it will make my life a lot easier and will help develop our children into more responsible citizens.

If it doesn't, I will cry and maybe even throw something.

I spent today doing laundry, working on my mom's yearly calendar(yes, Mama, it is complete and on the way to you), making pinto beans, pouring my heart out to a friend, taking Cody to an orthodontist visit, grilling burgers and dogs(that may not seem profound, but Rick is the grill master in this house), getting kids to bed, and now heading that way myself.

I have to shop tomorrow. I have not done any real grocery shopping since before Christmas.

I have put it off as long as I can, and I am dreading it, but we have to eat.

Hopefully, I can get those last items returned from Christmas and maybe even get some really cheap wrapping paper for next year if any is left.

I am going to start off this new year by seeing how little I can spend on groceries, gas, and other necessities this month. If the weather will cooperate, we might be able to get a lower utilities bill, too!

While I am on here, if you think about it, say a prayer for my mama. She had pretty major back surgery last week. According to the doctor, it went well. Unfortunately, recovery is a beast. I wish I could be there to help her or at least keep her company.

2012, Here I Come!

2011 is over. I can't say I am too sad about that. It has been a challenging year.

As Rick and I were talking about last year I asked him for a phrase he would use to describe it.

His answer: FRAGMENTED.

My answer: PAINFUL TRANSITION

I have seen God's Hand. I have experienced His Provision. I have questioned His plan. I have fought against receiving and giving His grace and forgiveness.

I have cried, grieved, hurt, healed, laughed and grown. I feel a bit beaten and bruised from the experience.

I still have a lot of unanswered questions about our future. Things are not nearly as settled as I would like for them to be. In fact, 2012 feels very uncertain to me. To be honest, in many ways I am fearful for what 2012 holds.

I am turning 40 this year. I hear the 40s are great. A new start is appealing. How did I get to be 40 so fast?

In 2012, I want to grow more, release more, submit more, forgive more, believe more, live in gratitude more, surround myself with people that are for me more, serve more, give more, prioritize more, celebrate more, love more.

In 2012, I want to get angry less, sweat the small stuff less, spend less, yell less, eat less, complain less, say no to my kids less.

As the clock ticked into 2012 last night I decided I wanted to start this year being purposeful with my first words of the year. What words did I choose: SIMPLICITY, PEACE.

Then, I ran over and planted a big one on Ricky while the kids gagged and moaned.

I have my God. I have my family. I have my life.

Come on, 2012. Let's see what you hold!!

Christmas Day '11

Christmas Day was the usual relaxing, wear your jammies all day kind of day. Who knows what time the kids actually woke up. Heck, I hardly slept any. I can never sleep well the night before a big event. The festivities officially began in our room at 7:30 AM. Everyone came in to get their Christmas jammies to put on (remember, I don't let them sleep in them because of potential bodily fluid accidents during the night). After we were all dressed in our Christmas Day attire, we gathered on our bed for the Christmas story. Hopefully a little focus at the beginning of the day brings perspective to what Christmas is all about.

The required Matching Jammie Christmas pics

Love my family!!

The calm before the storm

Stockings are one of my favorites.

I love all the fun things that we get in them!

Handing out the gifts

PS3 Spiderman Game

Soccer Ball

Remote Control Jeep

PINK pants

Cowboys Hoodie

Posing in her robe

Cowboys jersey

Guitar

We like to go around and open our gifts one a at a time so we can enjoy what each person gets. That makes the gift opening last so much longer. By the time it was finished we were hungry for our traditional brunch: Country Ham, Biscuits, Garlic Cheese Grits, Eggs, Mandarin Orange Salad, Chocolate Milk, and Orange Juice. Thank you, Papa, for sending us a ham!!!
Everyone knows that Mom and Dad need a nap on Christmas Day. Once everything had settled down and everyone was busy playing with their gifts, we did just that. Let me tell you, there is nothing better than a Christmas Day nap.

In the evening, Julie came over to have our "Fajitas Fa Jesus" Christmas Night meal. We gave her a stocking of goodies for her and Bailey(her chocolate lab). She gave us a Dallas Cowboys sandwich press and a recipe book of all kinds of sandwiches to make. This will be a great addition to our Cowboys games concessions stand!!

Silliness on the Stairs

I love celebrating Christmas in our home. I love being in our jammies all day. We feel very blessed by all that God has provided for us.

Christmas Eve '11

Christmas Eve was fabulous(as Laila would say it!). We started our day with our Annual Christmas Eve Brunch at the Goad's house. Somehow, we spent the whole time and did not get one picture. I will just have to remember our time by the good food and great friends that we were able to hang out with. Truly, it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. The food was absolutely scrumptious!!

Afterwards, we came home for the afternoon. The Cowboys game was on. There was food prep for the evening to be completed, and the Christmas Eve service at church.

Our Annual Family pic in front of the trees at church

I had to share these next 3 photos to give you another sampling of Isaiah's personality. This kid is ALWAYS "on."

He is truly a performer at heart.

He has his own style.

He does not fit into a box.

That whole little photo shoot gathered an audience. I think he was the highlight of the night!

Back to the house to finish the Cowboys game and cook the food for our Appetizer Feast!

Look at all that yummy food!

On Christmas Eve, the kids get to open their ornament gift. Each year the ornament represents something about their year.

Lauren's represented her first trip to Africa in June

Cody's represented his first cell phone for his 13th bday.

(This is actually a print out of the ornament. It did not arrive in the mail in time.

I have no idea why he is making that face.)

Abby is loving piano lessons and wants to learn the guitar.

She is our musician with her jingle bell musical note ornament.

Sam loves tools, building, taking things apart, and fixing things

His ornament is a tape measure that says, "Merry Fix-mas"

Isaiah's is a composition book with a place for his picture

representing his first year of school!!

Laila loves Rapunzel!!

Cookies and milk were set out for Santa.

The big kids think it is hilarious to put the biggest cookies

we have out so that Santa will have to eat a lot!

For the next 5 hours, Rick and I did this:

We made it to bed around 2:00 AM. The kids have strict orders from Dad to not come in our room before 7:30 AM where the Christmas Day activities will begin!

Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Contest

On Christmas Eve Eve, we had our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Extravaganza!!! This is a heated competition every year. We take it very seriously and are always trying to do something bigger and better than the year before. Here is the event in pictures:

We have to start by cutting out and baking the sugar cookies

Lauren is not using cookie cutters. She is making her own designs.

The many icings, toppings, etc. we use to decorate

Let the competition begin! Time to start decorating!

This little tool that Rick is using was a new addition to our competition this year.

Also, the Africa-shaped cookie cutter was a big hit.

I bought it earlier in the year to support a family's adoption from Ethiopia.

It was the perfect addition to our competition.

You can almost cut the tension with a knife!

A sampling of the cookies not entered for judging

Here are the entries to be judged:

Laura - Africa cookie with the South African Flag Design

Rick - Africa cookie with the countries marked and colored

Cody - Polar Bear

Sam - Gingerbread man

Lauren - Penguin listening to an Ipod

Laila - she was a bit more artsy with her abstract gingerbread man

Abby - Papa Smurf

Isaiah - Alien

We each cast 2 votes for our favorites. And the winner is:

Me!!!

This was the first time I have won. I must say, I thought Lauren should have won. She did get second place. Rick, Cody, and Sam tied for 3rd place. The winner gets to be the first to open gifts, stockings, etc. throughout the Christmas activities.

We handled the competitive aspect with much better sportsmanship this year. We did have a talk ahead of time about how we are doing this to have fun. Isaiah did go into the family room after the announcement of the winner, threw himself on the ground and said, "Well, I just quit then!!" I wonder where he has seen that?

It was a great time! We chose to do it on Friday because Rick was off. Doing it on Friday allowed us to do it without having to rush like we normally do on Christmas Eve.