It's Lent so why not enjoy some Christmas photos, right? I want to be officially "caught up" for 2012 so I'm borrowing my idea from last year and doing my 2nd annual 12 Days of Christmas post. Enjoy the pictures and videos from the always hectic Advent season and joyful, fun season of Christmas.
One Charlie Brown Christmas Tree
I saw this and knew Joe had to have it. He loves the Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
It just needs a little love.
Two Teeth Getting Pulled
Yes, you read that right. It doesn't sound very Christmasy. All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth with a bit of a twist. We went to Mass on Christmas morning at 10 a.m. On the way out of church, Andy had his hands shoved in the pockets of his coat because it was cold that morning. He tripped and landed face first on a concrete parking block. He didn't catch himself at all because his hands were in his pockets. He had a pretty good cut on his lip and two teeth were injured. One was twisted sideways and his front left tooth was pushed back. Ouch! We called the dentist when we got home and he said to make sure the bleeding stops, keep him comfortable and it would be fine to bring him in the next day for x-rays. Andy rested on the couch for about 30 min. and then rallied to open presents.
Andy went with Joe for x-rays on the 26th and it showed his front tooth was broken and that the two teeth needed to come out. Poor guy! Andy went back on Dec. 28th and got the teeth pulled. His front tooth was in two pieces. Oh my goodness. The tooth fairy brought him $5 and a cool toy car.
Andy before going to the dentist. See how far back that tooth is pushed back?
Andy's smile before getting his teeth pulled.
Andy's smile a few days after getting his teeth pulled and with added scrapes and a band-aid from a sledding injury. What a toughie!
Three Christmas Programs
The boys were each part of a special Advent or Christmas program at school. Andy's class sang Christmas songs as part of Advent night for the pre-schoolers. He sang for the first time ever in a public performance. I have video to prove it. Way to go Andy!
Andy ready to go for his program. He was so excited and proud.
Andy and Mary
The pre-k4 classes lining up on stage. Andy is 5th from the right.
The kids made their own drums from oatmeal cans and played them while they sang "Little Drummer Boy".
Andy and friends singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"
Andy with his teacher Mrs. Mudd.
Andy with his adoring fans.
George and the first grade presented the ABC's of Christmas. George was letter U. His line was "Unto you is born this day a savior you will find in a manger full of hay". He read it very clearly and sounded great. He dressed as one of the animals in the stable, he was a donkey. The kids also sang several songs beautifully.
George in the brown in the middle with his donkey ears and tail.
George is on the left.
There were angels, animals, shepherds and wise men.
Zack's fourth grade class read Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and put on a play about the book. It was an informal event in their classroom. The kids did a fantastic job. They took turns playing the various roles and switching the set. It was fun to watch and you could tell they enjoyed doing it.
Curtain call, Zack is in the middle between two girls.
Zack after the play in front of his nativity scene.
Four Excited Kids
No explanation needed on this one.
Making monkey bread with Papaw and Grandma
Reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas on the night before Christmas.
Christmas morning. "Can we go yet?" Notice George is already dressed.
Digging into their stockings.
Mary checking out her stocking.
Santa brings a donut for each kid. Mary likes this gift!
We had so much fun having Papaw and Grandma here with us on Christmas.
Five Friends at the Magic House
Andy and friends enjoyed an outing to the Magic House in December to celebrate his friend Hayden's birthday.
Hayden, Mary, Elayna, Connor and Andy
Six Swayne's Celebrating
Christmas Eve with new PJs
Seven Parties
Breakfast with Santa, classroom parties times 3, two work parties for Joe and one semester end celebration for Zack's class at the Center for Creative Learning = seven fun celebrations.
Andy with Santa and Mrs. Claus
Andy and I enjoying breakfast with Santa. The big boys didn't get to go. Don't ask.
Mary Mommy and Joseph Andy
Mary Andy and Joseph Mommy
I was one of the party moms for Andy's class. I don't have pictures from Zack or George's classroom parties.
Mrs. Mudd's pre-K4 class with their goodie bags. What a bunch of cuties.
Mary enjoyed the pre-school party too.
Joe and I went out two nights in a row for the Fabick sales banquet and Fabick all employee Christmas party.
Joe and Jen at the sales banquet
Our friends Tim and Lisa went to a wedding reception for Tim's cousin that was literally in the room next door to the Fabick Christmas party. They enjoyed two parties for the price of one babysitter. Pretty good deal!
Tim and Lisa with Tim's cousin (the bride) and her new hubby.
Zack attends the Center for Creative Learning all day on Mondays. His semester long topic for his morning unit was Feeding the World. The children presented their final projects in December.
Mrs. Harman (Zack's Feeding the World teacher) and Zack. He came straight from a Cub Scout meeting.
Zack's final art project, a batik painting about Bangladesh.
Zack and his group designed a board game to educate people about hunger and disease in third world countries.
Eight Plates of Cookies
And a few other goodies we made. Mmmmmm.....
8 plates of cookies
Cookie decorators
Two cookie sheets ready to go
Painting cookies with frosting
Andy and George making chocolate dipped pretzels.
The finished pretzels
Nine Homemade Gifts
The kids each made a gift for one of their siblings for Christmas. Read more about it at: Homemade Gifts for Christmas. We had several other wonderful homemade gifts under the tree as well: George's Faces book, a World Series 2011 photo book, a bird stained glass lamp, a model truck of Papaw's 1940 Ford truck painted white, two St. Louis World Series Cardinals framed memorabilia.
George and I collected pictures of objects that look like faces and he made it into a book on Shutterfly for Grandma. She loved it! We got the idea from a Faces book she has at the river.
It's hard to see but George made Zack a treasure box. It has many colors and is quite spectacular.
Papaw took apart this model truck and painted it white since that is the color of his "new" 1940 Ford truck.
Andy made a stool for Mary. Joe spray painted it pink and Andy did all the decorative artwork.
Dad looking at the book of World Series 2011 pictures I made for him.
Joe with the front page of the newspaper from the morning after the Cardinals won in 2011.
Joe with the shadow box of World Series 2011 memorabilia.
Dad next to the stained glass bird lamp he made for Joe and me. Isn't it awesome? The four bird are a cardinal, goldfinch, bluebird and oriole.
10 Winter Art Projects
Zack and George went to winter art camp during Christmas break. Their art teacher from school does several mini-camps during the year and week long camps in the summer. She gets a lot done with the kids, they do some amazing stuff.
George's projects on the left, Zack on the right.
11 Silly Hats
You like hats? We got 'em in all shapes and sizes.
Andy made his Rudolph hat at Breakfast with Santa.
This hat (hood) on Mary's new vest really fits into the super cute category.
George designed and made his donkey ears for his Christmas program. He did the project on his own from start to finish.
Andy's reindeer mask he made at school.
George's reindeer hat he made at school.
Mary's happy New Year hat
Mommy's Happy New Year hat
Andy with a santa hat
Jen with a santa hat
George made a snowflake and decided it looked like a mask. He was right!
Mary with the puppy hat made by Aunt Joni.
Goodbye to 2012
We celebrated New Year's Eve at home with the kids and had a ball. We played music, danced, drank sparkling grape juice or the real thing, tooted our horns and shot off rocket balloons in the house. Happy New Year!
A toast in real champagne flutes. The kids thought that was cool for their sparkling grape juice.
Toot your horn Zack.
Go George!
Andy making some noise.
George ready to launch a balloon and watch it fly all over the room.
The boys watching the balloon zoom around in our high ceilings.
Mary getting wild and crazy and just climbing right into her toy drawer in my desk.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our family to yours!
This sign was in the window at JCPenney. Glad to see they aren't afraid to say Merry Christmas!
