Dec's 5th Grade Christmas Concert

 'Tis the season for lots of concerts and events to attend.  Declan had his fifth grade Christmas concert and Zany and I were able to attend.  Declan is always easy to find at these kind of things because he is always on the back row, being a tall kid.  Declan is also very entertaining to watch especially compared to his older brother, who if you looked really closely with binoculars you might see his lips sometimes move.  Declan is a natural actor and performer and has never known stage fright.  He is a lot of fun to watch.  Dec really wanted a speaking part but since he is in the band he couldn't have one.  He made up for it by being a complete ham and singing with all his heart.  We know from the movie Elf, "The best way to make christmas cheer is, singly loudly for all to hear."  

Declan creates lots of Christmas cheer.

Declan back row, green shirt

I tried and tried to get the video to upload but it resisted my best efforts. Instead I have a series of stills (I could probably add another twenty or so but I will spare you) that show his stage presence.  Note, that the rest of the children just sing without wild gestures and facial expressions.  The song they are singing is from Frozen, "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?"

Don't you want to attend one of his performances now?  He has a band concert today and I am curious if he can be as expressive with his saxophone.

Zany is wearing a kilt that Ashlee brought back from Scotland some twelve years ago.  All my boys wore it to church when they were about two.  I found this awesome sweater that has a bagpipe on it at the thrift store about the same time Ashlee gave me the kilt-serendipity!

Declan and Zany

Who doesn't like a little ham at Christmas time?

Picking Out the Christmas Tree

Two weeks after Eddy and I were wed, it was Christmas.  We had a real tree that year but for many years after that first Christmas; we had a fake tree.  Our fake tree was the most painful to put up it would scratch you and often draw blood.  I really disliked that cheap tree. As we were taking that tree down one year, I decided I had had enough and instead of putting it back in the shed we got rid of it.  So the next Christmas rolled around and we didn't have a tree.   That year we got a live tree.  I really liked having a live tree although it was quite small since little trees are much cheaper.

Since then, we have always had a live Christmas tree.  We actually put up two full size trees, one in the living room (real)  and one in the family room (fake but a nicer fake we got it two years ago).  I am not sure why we have two trees but when I was a teenager my family started having two trees.  One tree is a fancier tree and the other is more homey.  This year we have a Tractor Supply Store in town that sells surprise trees (all the trees are just one price $24.99).  What is a surprise tree you might ask?  Well it is a tree you can't open or see until you get home and unwrap it.  You don't know how big it will be or what it will look like it.  I do like the element of surprise.

I often imagine we will go up the mountain and cut our own tree but it has yet to happen.  Instead, we loaded up the whole family and went to Tractor Supply.   Once there we began to judge the trees looking for just the right one.  Quinton and Declan began fighting.  It was very annoying.  Quinton, the big brother, likes to tease and pester quite a bit.  They began shoving and carrying on and nearly had to walk home.  Luckily, they found some shred of Christmas spirit and settled down and we were able to pick out our tree.  Meanwhile Zany and Archy were running around all crazy and I was reminded why I don't like to take the whole family to stores.

We decided to go with the tallest and heaviest tree we could find.  When we got home we opened it up and it was taller than our ceiling and about four feet around, huge and lovely.  This was our first time getting a Fraser Fir and it smells divine.   A bit of trimming here and there and it was perfect.

Is it smart to fight at Christmas with Santa watching?

Declan taunts Quinton

Quinton enjoys every second of the battle

Which tree shall it be?

To be continued  . . .

Ashlee's Post- Lights!!!

Well since the blog is more Rhi's baby then mine, she gets frustrated with my lazy ways in getting my posts done bright and early. With the Season upon us, Pa decided to hang icicle Christmas lights all thru the floor. Also he hung that big bright chandelier to lite up our new corner even better. He did it all by himself, too. The best time to see them is late afternoon, its very festive with Bing Crosby and friends crooning carols in the background!

What They Wore-red and black

"Ah, not another photo," says Quinton               "Well fine then I am not looking"

Red and black were the colors of the day and Eddy and I actually matched as well. (I hope you are not imagining that we all match and are on time to church or that my house is totally clean.  I am not that together. Yes, we matched but I was ten minutes late to church and my house has cleanish parts but it is nowhere near clean-hello Monday).  Quinton wants just one photo taken but having everyone looking at the camera at the same time is impossible with one photo.  Even with ten taken there really wasn't one that was even kinda close to perfect.  The sun is in their eyes at this time of day so that is a challenge.  Be that as it may he is not getting out of Sunday photos. 

Sunday afternoons just fly by so fast!  I always think I will have so much time to get things done.  I never do though. I just try to make sure everyone picks up their clothes and belongings and if I am luckily their rooms are walkable.  

I just love this time of year.  Winter and Christmas are both so cozy.  It is amazing how the spirit that accompanies Christmas is just so glorious and felt by all. Having attended a live nativity (real animals and people), I kept thinking about Mary and how joyous it was for her to have her wee babe in her arms at last and that, that joy was compounded with knowing he was also the Son of God.  I remembered all the tender feelings I had have with the birth of each child.  It is such a special time when a new baby is added to this world and your family; the closest way I can describe it is that it is just magical.   That feeling is part of Christmas even though Christ's birth was centuries and centuries ago it still echoes forward and is felt today.  

Good tidings to you and yours!

Christmas Cinema Challenge!

I just love Christmas, and I love Christmas movies. I only watch them during the Christmas season, and our dear Aunt just told us that is is one of the shortest christmas seasons ever. My goal is to watch 25 different Christmas movies. I had a good start at Rhi's where we watched 3 together. They have to be movies of a proper length, but can be made for TV as well. Here is my tally so far:

1.   Nightmare before Christmas, (of course)

2. Elf - I wonder why they didn't make a sequel

3. White Christmas. This was the first time I had seen it. I watched it with Rhi and Eddy very late at night. I thought it was great, and encouraged me to dig out Bing's record for listening at the store.

4. Christmas Crush- free on Amazon prime, I think it may have been a lifetime original. Wasn't too bad for what it was. 

5. Santa Clause 3- Ok, of course I prefer the first one, (which I think is Eddy's favorite)

6. The Grinch who stole Christmas (Jim Carrey version) which I have declared will be the last time I see it. I found it annoying and it didn't like how the sets were designed, it made be feel claustrophobic, nor did it keep the interest of the little boy I was watching it with.

7 Fred Claus- I had never heard of this one, even though it has A listers in it like Kevin Spacey. I don't recommend it, though I found Vince Vaughn's character very annoying. 

Delivery Crew

We like to give small tokens of the Christmas season to some of our friends and neighbors.  This year we are giving poinsettias with a card and lucky for me I have a delivery crew.  They were all very excited to wear Santa hats and scarfs.  They walked around our neighborhood happily delivering to each house. 

It's Arizona so you can still wear shorts in December.  Our leaves are finally turning colors and beginning to fall.  It has been so warm I haven't been able to use my wood stove for a while.  Last time I had a fire in it Ashlee and I were wrapping all the black friday purchases so the door to the room was shut.  It got quite toasty and Ashlee stripped down to her tank top declaring she was working in sweatshop.  Ashlee and I wrapped all the presents.  I get quite addicted to wrapping presents as soon as they are unloaded off the UPS truck.

Ready for delivery

Ho, Ho, Ho

Heading back from a delivery while a neighbor puts up Christmas lights

Maybe the UPS delivery drivers should wear Santa hats and scarfs, and bring a bit more pizazz to the delivery.  

Dear Santa

This year I made sure all the children got their letters to Santa written in a timely manner (before Thanksgiving).  It is polite to give Santa as much time as you can so he can make all the necessary preparations. I let the kids write whatever they wanted and just encouraged them to thank Santa for last years presents. They know these letters are just a suggestion and it is up to Santa to make the final selections.  Santa knows that mama doesn't want any dogs this year, sorry Archer. It is sometimes surprising what they ask Santa to give them.  Declan was very eager to get the letters mailed.  

Declan painstakingly re-writes his Santa letter, he has been told his whole life he has terrible handwriting and so he tries really hard to be neat (I also have terrible handwriting and I always got "C's" in penmanship in grade school)

Zany colors a nice picture

Eddy helps Archer write his letter

Even the teenager, Quinton, had to write one.  I told him if he wanted a say in what Santa was getting him he had better write one too.

Zany took someone's rough draft and added her own addendum, don't worry Santa can read scribbles

Archer's Santa Letter

McCoy's Santa Letter

Quinton's Santa Letter

Declan's Santa Letter

I even planned on making my sister write one but somehow she got out of it.  

As the famous kindergarten teacher Mrs. G (three of my kids have had her)always declares,

 "You git what you get and you don't throw a fit!"

Good advice for kindergarteners, adults and everyone in between.