Christmas

My top 8 favorite moments of Christmas 2008

1. Going to my first Christmas Eve service and seeing all the people who come out to celebrate the birth of our Jesus.

2. Watching Tyler savor every single thing from his stocking to the his presents. He did really get alot but he still has not open everything.

3. Seeing Tyler's face as he open up his Gamecube

4. Seeing Ryan's face when he saw that Santa brought him his very own bass and case for it

5. Hearing the beating drums of Stephen playing Guitar Hero cause that means I don't have to get real drums yet.

6. Staying in my pj all day and laying around watching movies and now worrying about the house or the dishes or anything but relaxing and listening and watching my kids.

7. Keeping everything a secret and hide this year from the older 2. Can't snoop if it is in my car..lol

8. Tyler making Jesus a b'day cake and what he said... "I hope Jesus has his eyes close" and when I asked why "Cause I don't want him to see what I am doing until his cake is done..opps," me "what", Tyler "I hope he didn't hear me cause then it would not be surprise" Happy birthday Jesus, we love you!!!!!!

Hollywild

Last Sunday night after the Christmas concert we took off to Hollywild with Susan and her kids. We wait for about 30 to 45 mins to just get in and it was pretty much worth once we got in there and saw all the lights and got to feed some deer and a zebra. I have to say, that some people out there really disappointed me as fast and reckless as they were driving out where the deer were. We would be trying to be still and quit to get the deer to come up to us and then all the sudden here would come up a car and the deer would run away. We were polite enough when we saw somebody in front of us doing that we stayed back but all in all it was good fun and cold night. The hot chocolate was good, kids had a ball and just seeing them and their reactions to the lights and feeding the animals were priceless...

What a Proud Moment

Last Sunday at church our youth choir Day 6 put on their Christmas concert and our youth band Ready to Rise perform a couple of songs. Both of the boys sing and Ryan plays in the band too and I was so proud of him watching him run back and forth between singing and playing and proud of Stephen cause I think I actually heard him sign instead of moving his mouth. The band started out with Carol Of Bells and I have to say they did an awesome job, just as good as Trans Serbian Orchestra. You can tell all the kids in the band and the choir put in a lot of hard work and practice and that they are under great leadership of Sara Beth and Bucky...

Ryan and Jessie w/ Nate behind them playing Carol Of Bells


Day 6


Stephen singing


Mary Beth dancing to Still


Sarah Beth signing and Hannah lead singing Breath of Heaven... It was a moving song esp w/ SB facial expression she brought it to life so much...


Later that night our adult choir put on there Christmas musical and last performance in our church since we will be moving to the new one in a couple of months. Ryan plays in the adult orchestra too and he just loves it. I am so proud of him and the musician he has become...

You can barely see his head but that is him and Chris playing the bass.


Our adult choir


I didn't get early enough to get a good seat to get good pics and nor did I think to get pics afterwards of the boys.... Next time I will need to remember...

Christmas w/ my side

Last Saturday we went to my parents for Christmas and my dad's b'day. I have not spent Christmas with my side of the family in the past 6 yrs so this was a nervous but a thankful day. I got to see my sister's and there family which being around my nieces there is never a dull moment. I got to see my cousin Johnny which I think it was before Tyler was born since I have seen him and my cousin Al and his wonderful family which I hate that our kids did not grow up together cause they have so much in common and got along great, and of course my 2 beautiful aunts that I just love and adore Kathryn and Johnnie Ruth and my crazy uncle Hook and his wife Susan, I just wish his kids where there and my other cousin Rita and her kids. I miss them all but it was great to spend the day with everyone else.. We ate dinner, the grand kids all got together and played a non-friendly game of Catch Phrase and we had alot of talking going on.... I hope to spend more time with all. Here are a few pics of our day...

Breakfast w/ Santa, Girville & SS Party all in 1 day

This Saturday I had a busy but fun day. It started first thing at 8am to Tyler's school for Breakfast with Santa. We went in and had muffins, donuts, fruit and bagels donated by BI-LO, after the kids ate they had all kind of crafts they could make. One thing that I thought was really sweet was that all the kids could make a card to someone special in a nursing home. While I was helping Tyler write his he wanted to make sure that I wrote on there Merry Christmas to someone specail. It was really sweet how he kept on and on about that. After crafts Santa came and the kids got to go and visit him. I didn't think my child was going to leave him. He was sitting there the whole time giving him a list cause he is always Xbox or Gamecube and all the boy stuff. He just wanted to talk to Santa and seeing him with that his excitement all over his face I hated to tell him that he had to come on cause there were other kids that wanted to see him too... Here are the pics (to me the slide thing is some much easier on my computer)..

After Breakfast I took off and went with 14 other ladies from church to Brookwood Community church in Simpsonville (my old stomping ground)for there Christmas in Girlville. It was a craft show with TONS of jewerely for sale the best part of that was that my sister came for that with her best friend that while I was growing up was another sister to me and we ran into several people that were friends of theirs (you have to remember I was 9 yrs younger and my mom work retail and my dad travel so I was with them all the time so I remember their friends and they remember me so it was great seeing alot of them. After the craft show we moved into what I was told was their sanctuary for lunch and to hear Kim Bolton speak and sing. She was a wondeful singer and I hate that I didn't get a CD, she was also very funny but she talked about the real reason of Christmas which is the birth of Jesus and she reminded us also that people will remember us by our relationship with Jesus and also our relationship with others so if you are wearing your pin or shirt "Jesus is the reason" then you better be acting it so don't be like a mad bull when you are in Wal-Mart having to wait in line when there are only 3 register open and the 10 items or less there is somebody in front of you with 50 and the cashier has to change her tape and get change. We need to as Christ like in all situations cause you never know who is watching us. I will have to say also that the ladies at Brookwood decorated very pretty and 2 of our ladies won the pretty centerpieces off the table and Cathy Lancaster won a beautiful braclet and I won a hand painted candle glass holder which was pretty funny cause I was thinking of buying it......

The last thing of today was our Sunday school Christmas party. I never go to Sunday school anymore cause I teach the youth girls so it is always good to together and see everybody. We had is at the CLC in the canteen and we wanted it to be more festived so we set the tables up with table clothes and candles, took a tree out of the lobby (don't tell lol) played Christmas music while people were coming in and then while we were eating we ahd Its A Wonderful Life playing for anybody that was not socializing. We just all brought appetizers and desserts and it was great tasting all the different foods. After we ate we played a couple of friendly round of Catch Phrase ladies vs men. Ladies won 3x's and the men won 1, there was alot of laughter and it is really a great game to play in a big group and the hints are just as funny as the answers... It was a great day and night all around...