Merry Christmas to All!!

We started our Christmas vacation by driving down to Ohio on Tuesday. While we got a bit later start than we wanted, the kids did extremely well on the drive. Marie was enthralled by the CD that Jon and I made for her. We recorded ~15 of her books so that she could "read" them on her own while riding. We have definitely decided that there should be additional volumes made to augment her collection.

On Wednesday, Marie helped Grandma Shibata with some decorating. Uncle Joel, Aunt Jenn (and baby!), Aunt Jess, and Uncle James, Aunt Jaclyn, JJ, and Grace all arrived on Wednesday. Grandma, JJ, and Marie settled in to watch a little video before going to bed to get some rest before the next big day...



On Christmas Eve, there was the traditional Christmas cookie decorating, with everyone getting into the fun. As usual, there were lots of beautifully decorated cookies with a few interesting ones. But, they all taste the same!




Everyone got ready and made it to the 4:00 Christmas service. It was a very sharp looking group if I do say so myself. Marie and JJ got to go to the front of the church for the special message for the kids. When we got home, we tried to take a few pictures of everyone in their Christmas best, but were reminded of how hard it is to get 4 kids 3-years and under to look in the vicinity of a camera at the same time.



The kids put on their matching Christmas PJs (thanks Aunt Jess - so cute!) and we tried again to get a group picture. As you can see, the boys were really not interested in the least.



So finally, we started the long-awaited present unwrapping. It was a big success and only slightly chaotic with the boxes, wrapping paper, and bows strewn about. The kids hardly knew what to play with next.





Today (Christmas) was a day spent playing, watching movies, relaxing, and just enjoying each others' company. Something that we don't get to do nearly enough. We enjoy these times immensely and always leave thinking that we can't wait until the next chance to see all the family. It has been so fun to see the kids interact and play together. We can only imagine how much more fun it will be as they grow older.

We hope this day brought you special blessings and an opportunity to enjoy time with family and loved ones, remembering the miracle of the humble birth in Bethlehem. Merry Christmas to everyone and as the kids would say, "Happy Birthday, Jesus!"

Getting Ready for Christmas

We had a lot of fun getting ready for Christmas this year, especially since Marie had a better understanding of the holiday and was able to be more excited about it herself. We took the kids to a tree farm to cut down a tree. They enjoyed getting to ride the wagon out to the trees and Marie ran through the rows "looking" for the right one. Thankfully, Uncle Mark also joined us, making the task of cutting the tree and getting it set up in the house much more manageable with the two kids.




Marie took special care in decorating the tree and making sure that all ornaments were in their proper location...even if, after specifically being told not to, it required her to remove the already hanging ornaments and re-position them. (Sigh) Joey on the other hand barely noticed the addition to the living room.


Marie also spent a good part of a day constructing and decorating a gingerbread house with Colleen (our sitter). She did a great job and was quite proud of it. She also loved to look out the window for Christmas lights and decorations on houses that we passed while driving. Other than that we also worked on counting down the days to Christmas with a Jesse tree and a good old fashioned calendar. Seeing the excitement in a 3-year old as Christmas approaches reminded me of how much I looked forward to the Christmas as a kid and helped to bring back the "magic."

Joey's First Year in Review...a Photo Summary

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

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