Christmas 2017

...Christmas 2017...

...it feels like such a long time ago now but how I cherish the memories of a warm holiday season....the big stories this year....having two sets of grandparents with us to celebrate... the perfect tree...not totally perfect....it had the perfect little imperfections to let you know it was real...in a perfect size to fit its space in our home... Paxton's Christmas concert...and his mini Trump outfit...that was so not intentional....or the season that struck with enough sickness to force us to slow down for days....and spend time indoors cuddling, snoozing and resting...in ways that this family isn't used to doing...another awesome New Years Eve at the Tversland's...this year with meat prepared on the new Sous - Vide machine..or maybe it was the gifts...the Claw machine with it's silly song that produces carnival like winners daily...or the Nintendo Switch that was the top gift among the older Kehrs Mill kids...or maybe it's Ava's ipod touch so she can stay in touch via text with Mommy/Daddy and grandparents....the train that required a real engineer to make it work 100% of the time...oh, yes, there are memories...

....but why ruin all the pictures....the real stories are told in the photos....

...decorating the tree night is such an event....we love to get in snuggly pj's and order pizza and talk about each of the ornaments as they go on the tree...for a while anyway...and then Mommy and Daddy come back around and pick up all the ones that have fallen and are doubled and tripled up on a branch...but let's stick with the cute memories of them gingerly hanging their momentos... 

...and this year all the lights from the year before didn't work...so at 8pm in PJ's we loaded up to hit target...our tradition wasn't going to be impeded by some faulty incandescents...

...and our finished product made it all worth it....

...and we got a last minute invite from Ava's bestie to go see the Nutcracker at the local college...

...and the pilgrimage to see Santa was a big one this year...there are more Santa's than ever...yet Santa's are more crowded than ever...I don't get it but I do have a plan for next year...stay tuned...

...regardless...we felt like our visit turned out perfect...outside of the tennis shoes and Santy doesn't care about those....

...and the concert outfit...well, I will say no more..

...other than I think he looks adorable...

...and he performed like a rock star...well maybe not like a real rock star...but like a three year old rock star performing in his second ever concert...confident...happy and proud...

...and speaking of confident, happy and proud...this one did great at gingerbread building day for the Kindergartners...Kindergarten has been so great for her...she loves her group of friends....loves her teacher and to read and is a great sister to her brothers...

...and they are decent to her....the littlest surely loves his big sister...he's just a little messier, rougher and has a bit of a different way of showing his love...but he adores the love and care that she takes of him....

...and this family loves our food and traditions...cookies, fruit pizzas....it is all a part of it...

...and Christmas night brought insomnia for Chase until well past midnight...and Christmas morning brought the stomach flu for Ava but she muscled through...

...and then once Christmas passed...the bug hit me and the baby....and Daddy pretty shortly after...

...so getting dressed was a daily chore...and quite honestly not always accomplished....

....we added a new piece to the New Years party this year...by starting off at the Lanes...

...and moving through a great dinner with sparkling juice...right before the bug hit the last of us to get it....5/5 with Chasey on New Years night....poor buddy missed the ball drop snoozing at home with Momma....

and our dear friends brought the party to us and we clinked glasses and whispered Happy New Years to not wake the sicky...and Paxton went back home with them for his first ever sleepover...he's not your average three year old....and he had a blast....even though this momma worried most of the night...knowing that he was in great hands but afraid he might wake up scared...instead, I greeted him for pickup to...No, Momma, I don't want to go home...and so it begins and ends with this one...

...and I don't share all the bad stuff to dwell...because I truly do not....nope, it is simply to remind us all that we are real...and while things are not perfect...they really are...because life is all about choices and the journey and I wouldn't chose to take the ride any other way...because the slowing down was necessary, even if it was forced...the claw machine is fine tuning hand eye coordination in each of my three littles....even though it doesn't have a volume control... and the mad dash for lights late at night in PJ's wasn't about the extra money for lights...it was about the kids sqweeling the whole way that they couldn't believe we were going to walk into Target in our PJ's...and we will never forget this one, Mom!...

...but perhaps the greatest memory this year were the giant snowflakes that greeted us at the door after our church service to celebrate and commemorate Jesus' Birthday...like a sign from God that his love is showering down on us and arrived while we celebrated the birth of his Son...like it is that big of a moment for him to hear his children singing Happy Birthday to Jesus in a candlelit service...the same way it is to me...tears to my eyes every single year...

...Happy Birthday Jesus 2017...