Christmas Day

Holy God in love became,
Perfect man to bear my blame,
On the cross he took my sin,
By his death I live again.

We started off Christmas morning reflecting the reason for the season, so to speak. We had read Jotham's Journey all month for advent. I highly recommend this series. It's not for the faint of heart, there is lots of adventure, but we love these books! There are a couple others: Tabitha's Travels, and Bartholemew's Passage. We enjoy these books and they help us to focus on why we celebrate Christmas.

I always do a poor job of taking pictures when there's a lot going on. The girls got a Wii from my parents the week before and we enjoyed a quiet day at home on Christmas. Ashlyn woke up feeling poorly on Christmas morning, although she tried to hide it. Immediately after opening her gifts, she laid on the couch. Within a few minutes, her breakfast returned and she had a really high fever. The flu had struck! It actually lasted almost two weeks! Kiley got it a few days later, but it only lasted 5 days with her. So tough seeing your kids that miserable. Thankfully, even with their asthma, there were no complications!

Most of the day was spent on the couch, but occasionally, when the motrin and tylenol kicked in, she would get up and try to enjoy her gifts. While Ashlyn received a colonial dress and playmobil carriage, Kiley received more smaller gifts like a jewelry holder, flat iron, nail polish, and other smaller things. (notice Ashlyn in the background of Craig's picture, on the couch looking miserable)

Christmas Eve

We have a tradition that the girls get new jammies every Christmas Eve. The both love the old fashioned nightgowns and have requested them. Since we don't have much longer before Kiley won't be caught dead in Little House jammies, that was the choice for this year! Ashlyn's head look like it's about to "pop" out of her bonnet because she is wearing an doll sized hat!

Snapshots

The Nutcracker - Piedmont Dance

We've seen The Nutcracker nearly every year since Kiley was 4 or 5. Our favorite, by far, is at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center uptown. The cast is clearly all professional dancers. We don't always make it there since I can't see paying that much per ticket. This year we went to the Peidmont Dance Theater's performance, and it ranks up there. We always have a great time. This year the moms and daughters from care group went together. Some had already left when I took this picture, so we are missing a few girls.

Snow in Charlotte!

Our first snow this season, and it was a good one! Thankfully I had just bought the girls new winter coats on Black Friday, and snow gloves, hats, and scarves. Everything but the coats were wrapped and under the tree, so they were able to open a present early!

We canceled our dinner plans and the girls went out just before dark to play in the snow. In NC it doesn't stay around long, so you have to play while you can. The next morning there was still snow, and plenty of it, so the girls played with the Morales in the snow for hours.

Kiley and Choir

Kiley has a desire to sing. We found a local choir here that fit the bill for her debut. It's called Testify 2 and she had a great time. There was not only singing, but speaking parts as well. She was very nervous and didn't want to try out, but after some persuasion, she did. Her perseverance paid off as she got the part she tried out for, Natalie! I was very proud of her for overcoming her fear, and she learned that it wasn't something to be afraid of. She can do all things, through God who gives her strength.

They started practicing in August and finished up in December with their concert called, The Best Christmas Present Ever. It really was cute. She did a great job and I think she has a little flair for drama (if you know Kiley, you know I'm being sarcastic as she has a HUGE flair for drama).

Keepers Jammie Night

Kiley has been involved in a Keepers group for a while now, with 4 friends from church. We had a game and movie night together. To make it even more fun, everyone came in their jammies (even the moms, although some changed here). The pick for the night was Love Comes Softly. We ordered pizza (except for our GF pizza), had popcorn and cookies and enjoyed playing a game before the movie. It's been great seeing these girls grow together. The girls gathered around the computer watching the status bar for our pizza. It would show them if it was being prepared, in the oven, or on delivery. It even told them who was delivering, and they were entertained by this. They waited by the door for the poor guy, giggling at the fact that they knew his name.

Christmas Party

We hosted a Christmas Party for Kiley's Journeymen class this year. I love hosting things now that we have some room! We painted ornaments, made cookies and pizza, and exchanged gifts. I know my girls had a great time with their friends (the mom's had fun too)!

Northlake Mall Snowglobes and Birkdale

At Christmastime, Northlake Mall uses the Polar Express theme for their decorations. The girls love going to see the giant snow globes portraying scenes from the movie. We followed up the night by going to Birkdale to see the singing bears and the hourly snow!