First a Pearl, then Three Rubies!!: Christmas 2012

3:40 PM |

Jeff and I were in to our second cups of coffee before we heard little feet stirring! The bigs had to wake up Emme Jade to let her know Santa had actually come. They were quite relieved that Joe gave them a break for some of their antics worthy of the "Naughty List" leading up to Jesus's birthday!

As you can tell, Emme Jade was not too excited to be plucked out of her bed!

It didn't take her too long to rally. Emme only had one thing on her list. A pink teddy! And, Santa delivered!

We open our gifts one at a time here... The girls were very sweet at being excited for their sisters. Ruby just had two things on her list.. A "Madeline" book and a snow globe.. Again Santa delivered. Joe clearly was paying attention!

Emme received a Leap Pad 2 this year. Her sisters were quite impressed.. And a bit taken aback when they realized she has the new version.. They have been "borrowing" Emme's since Christmas! In their words, they are teaching her how to use it!!

A little sweet sister hug of thanks after a gift exchange!

Ainsley had a big morning... Let's just say she is all set to move in to the "tween" years a little early. She picked out this adorable coat from CrewCuts.. Love it on her!

I am embarrassed to say that it has taken me almost three years to get Sienna's China Journey into a book. Life just always seemed to crazy to stop and do this. Thanks to my dear friend Jennifer, I was introduced to Blurb! With Blurb you can pull your photos directly from Flickr. It was so easy, and the finished product is beautiful! She was SOOOOO excited!! (Next her video..) The other gift Sienna received that she had asked for from Santa was a "Cutie-Pop." I am glad Santa figured it out. Because I had no idea what it was!

We had a big surprise for all of the girls that they opened last. It was a box with an ornament on the top that said, "Spring Break 2013." The ornament was Cinderella's Castle! Yes - we are taking the girls to Disney World for Spring Break. They were so excited!!!! I have some planning to do! The box also had nightgowns for all the girls, and Princess Dresses for the littles.
Ainsley is the perfect age to be the tour guide for the little princesses at our house. We are looking forward to it!

Let's just say we set Ainsley up for the last gift.. She really only had one thing on her list this year too. A phone... A gift I am pretty sure she never thought she would get. Honestly, I have had mixed feelings on this.. She's young, only 11. But, she is babysitting for other people now, doing travel volleyball, etc.. We took it all into consideration and decided to get her one. We hid it in the front hall closet. When we were done opening gifts, I told Ainsley we needed to call her Uncle.. I dialed her new phone, and you could hear music coming from the closet.. Finally she realized where it was coming from, opened the closet and it was in a bag hanging on a hanger. To say she was a little excited is an understatement!!! Ainsley knows this is a huge privilege.. One that will be closely monitored by her parents!!

I am not sure who was more excited about the building toys the girls received this year. Lego Friends and "Pinklets" have been a huge hit!!! Daddy is an expert at building things, and they have been having fun sharing "their" toy with him!

Lastly, some of you may have read on Facebook, that my sister Barbara (Aunt Bop) has been named the 14th President of Illinois College! She starts her new position in June! She gave all of us IL gear for Christmas! We are so excited for her. And, very excited to be present at her induction in September!

Christmas Eve 2012

11:37 AM |

It's hard to believe that another Christmas has come and gone. Ainsley's 12th, Ruby's 6th, Sienna's 3rd, and Emme Jade's 2nd. This year we celebrated with my parents and sister. It was a special time celebrating the birth of our Savior!

I have so many pictures and a lot of catching up to do with our December activities. But for now, I will just post a snap shot of our family together on Christmas Eve...

Ready for church...

Ainsley took over a tradition started in my family long ago... She played the Christmas Carols while her sweet little choir sang along. She did a GREAT job!!!

The girls have been taking piano this year. They are all doing so well. Ruby did a beautiful job playing "Little Town of Bethlehem."

This is probably my favorite photo from Christmas this year... My Dad (85) who has always loved music, sat down at the piano with Ainsley. They played a duet together.. These two have always had a special bond.. I will cherish this photo forever!

I always tease Jeff that he is the "Best Wife" I have ever had.. He is a HUGE help around here.. Laundry, dishes, cooking, whatever the task.. He's not afraid to put on the cow rubber gloves and pitch in. I am so thankful for my awesome husband!!

The girls were very excited for Santa to come.. They were not sure what "Joe" our elf had reported to Santa in the days leading up to Christmas Eve. There was one little girl at our house (Sienna) that barely slept all night.. When morning finally came they were relieved to see that Santa did indeed stop by. (Thanks Joe!)

It was a sweet Christmas Eve!

Christmas Day!

Christmas Eve 2012

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