our trip up to delaware started out with a sick little girl on the car ride. not fun. for anyone.
roman was able to fit a quick nap in too. my kids are awesome in the car. i mean, 10+ hours in a vehicle is a long time. thank goodness for DVD players, right? God bless our parents who didn't have them around back when we were growing up!
our first Christmas celebration was with poppop, kelli and aunt alex
lego chima...oh yeah, baby!
gianna loves ripping into presents
how pretty is aunt alex?
gianna got a sofia the first doll, shoes, dress and more!
and then, for some reason, there was an impromptu push-up contest
if you were wondering, roman won...
toby got stuck on the kids couch (appropriately enough)
gianna got a "ride" on aunt hettie's legs
and then rylee wanted one too
of course, roman and poppop were goofing off in the dining room together.
those two are something else!
thanks poppop, kelli and aunt alex for the good food, awesome presents and the great time we had with you!
both roman and gianna had Christmas programs at their schools this year. roman was giving us hints about his for weeks. we knew that he was a shepherd and that he would be singing Away in a Manger. we even practiced singing it at home. as for gianna's show, we weren't really sure what to expect, other than it was a Holiday Ho Ho Ho-Down theme and that she should wear cowgirl boots if she had them. they both were really fun to watch!
first up was roman...
next up was gianna...
and she stayed like that for 2 songs! never moved...held that pose the whole time. haha. at least she didn't cry, right?
i'm not sure i'll ever get used to how giving my little man is. his
heart is so full of kindness, it just makes me all warm inside.
last year, he donated his bookbag to a young boy at aunt hettie's school. and he filled it up with lots of goodies too. this year, we asked aunt hettie again if there was anyone we could help out. so, she picked a brother and sister that are less fortunate than we are. roman and i went out on sunday and bought them a few things that they need and wanted. it just so happened to coincide with the week that roman brought home "greg the service dog" from school. a nice little coincidence, i think.
the boy is in the 5th grade, and looking up to the boys in high school, so we got him a bluffton bobcats sweatshirt and hat.
and we hit up walmart for lots of other goodies too.
we filled these bookbags with necessities and a couple of fun things too.
and, we filled a couple baskets with some snacks too. yummo!
aunt hettie sent me a video of the kids receiving their gifts and it was AMAZING!
they were excited and grateful. of course, i got all teary-eyed watching it. so wonderful.
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also, toby was out of town for a couple of nights this week and so, it was the perfect time to work on roman's gift that he wanted to make for his poppa. he mentioned to me that he wanted to make a Christmas tree from a pinecone (i actually found out that he got the idea from a Christmas book we were reading). so, we got the biggest pinecone we could find. and he painted it green.
and the next night, we decorated it with "ornaments"
and wrapped it up with a note that said
"dear poppa, open this present early and enjoy the Christmas spirit"
and put it under the tree for poppa!
he told me "i can't wait for him to open it so i can see the look on his face".
if that isn't the true spirit of Christmas, well, then, i really don't know what is.
the bluffton Christmas parade never fails to entertain us!
last saturday morning, we headed to downtown bluffton to see the sights. i must say, this is a favorite tradition of mine. for some reason, i didn't go last year and i missed it. good times!
i love a good high school band...and part of me wants roman to be in a marching band, just to see him all handsome in the uniform. maybe he wants to as well, since last night he told me that he wants to be a marching band leader. i asked him which instrument he wants to play. he said "none, i just want to be their leader" haha, that kid cracks me up!
these two goofballs are like two peas in a pod!
who else has a giant peanut and a green inflatable person dancing to "what the fox say?" in their parade?
gianna was making sure that she got a nice view...she wouldn't let rylee put her down!
and this "santa" clearly was feeling the egg nog...
everybody needs a gingerbread house at Christmas, right? this is a tradition that our kids love to do. i mean, who wouldn't? icing, candy, licking your fingers? what's not to love? i especially loved how this year, both gianna and roman really loved doing this together. i was pleasantly surprised at how little fighting there was and how encouraging roman was to gianna. he kept telling her "wow, gianna, that looks pretty". he didn't mind if she put things near "his" spot or anything. and they were both really proud when they were done.
on Thanksgiving night, our elf made "her" 2013 appearance. she ended up on the tree that sits on our mantle and roman was SO excited to see her. he came downstairs searching for her and screamed her name when he saw her. her name is Shaw-shee. i'm not sure why he named her that, but he was 3 at the time that she came to be our elf, so maybe that explains it. it's funny to hear gianna say her name now, though. she prounounces it shee-saw. kind of backwards. but it's super cute.
each of the kids has their own tree in their bedroom too and this year, i got a remote control for them. it controls all three trees on one remote. the kids each love to turn theirs on and off with the remote each night.
since i had decorated the rest of the house (not really all that much) a
few weeks ago before our trip to columbia, all we really had left to do
was put up and decorate the tree and the outside (toby's area). so,
last saturday, we got to it!
i spruced up my old sled with some fresh greens and a new bow....get it? spruced? haha (at least i make myself laugh)
roman and gianna each got a new ornament for the tree. roman got a SC football and gianna got sophia the first. they both wanted to put them on their room trees instead of the big tree.
roman got a lift to put some ornaments up high.
gianna did pretty well decorating down low.
roman picked up my phone and started taking some pictures of me too.
fuzzy lady picture alert.
roman wanted to put the angel on the tree. i love this. mom crocheted this angel a long time ago and she always watches over us from the top of the tree each Christmas season.
more roman pictures.
roman made his first video. you might get motion sickness from watching it, but i think it is hilarious...
(i'm roman, and you love me...this is my splendid mom...haha)
and, just to share my evening view. the kids are in bed. toby heads up to bed. guido is snoring. i finally have peace and quiet. i really enjoy sitting in the glow of the lights.
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