Joy to the World!

Merry Christmas 2013!  Preparing for Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Especially with kids.  The Christmas programs themselves serve as my favorite Christmas gifts.  

Each year, the school commences the Christmas season with an all-school mass and nativity.  The Christmas nativity at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School is just beautiful.  No other words are necessary.  

The first grade class performs the Nativity each year.  I was able to help them get ready in the morning for their big debut.  

  

So proud of my cross-eyed sheep.  

The Kindergarten class sang beautiful songs with the preschool classes.  

This video is beautiful.  It is one of the longer videos that I have ever posted on my blog and it may take some time to load, but this song is just gorgeous and when you're watching your little babies participate in a Christmas program this lovely, the tears just can't help but to fall.  I will treasure this video forever.  

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One of my favorite jobs is to serve as a room mother for classroom parties.  This role has become more challenging now that we have two children in school.  I can't be in two places at the same time and thus, I have to make a choice between the classrooms for each party.  I selected Drew's classroom for the Christmas party so that we may also celebrate his birthday party at the same time.  

The Christmas party theme this year:  The Polar Express.  I adore this book and movie.    

In order to bring the book alive, we made a hot chocolate bar with yummy goodies to add on top (marshmallows, chocolate chips, chocolate covered pretzels, candy canes and whip cream) all wrapped up with a fancy straw.  

Since the kids on the Polar Express are all wearing their pajamas, we had to replicate that element too.  Hello Old Navy slippers!  Everyone got a pair of cozy slippers to put on while we drank hot chocolate and read our story.     

Then to wrap up the day, we wrote our letters to Santa.

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We enjoyed a Christmas concert at SPPCS early in December.  Enjoy the video!    

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We had a joyful Christmas.  Full of hugs for Grandpa.

Our family was also a bit 'under the weather' for Christmas.  First time that our entire family was sick at the same time.  Urg.  I had bronchitis and the boys tested positive for influenza (despite the flu shot).  We suspect that Dan had the flu too.  Everyone has long-since recovered, but not so much fun at our house for a few days.

Evan got his very own Nintendo 3DS.  He was thrilled.

And I'll leave you with one of my favorite pictures each year . . . the aftermath of it all.  Months of contemplation and thoughtful Christmas shopping all distributed wildly across the house.  Wrapping paper everywhere, batteries strewn all over the place, electronic toys half opened (because inevitably something else will distract the boys as they move from gift to gift).  Drives Dan crazy to let the chaos resonate one more minute than necessary, but I like to drink my coffee and slowly count these amazing blessings one by one.  What is the hurry?