Christmas memories...

This year the girls are really enjoying all the Christmas activities. We've listened to the Chipmunks Christmas cd so many times in the van that it should be worn out by now (and mommy is ready to throw it out!!). We've also seen the new Chipmunk movie several times already as well as Frosty, Rudolph and the Grinch.

They had their first public performance at school which was their sing-a-long with Pastor Kurt (or as Alexa calls him, "Master" Kurt). I was afraid that they would be very shy and hide their faces the whole time, but they didn't. They stood up there on stage with the rest of their class (and a few other classes) and sang their Christmas songs like big girls. They certainly didn't inherit this confidence from mommy since I was always very shy and would rather hide than perform in front of people. (Uncle Larry was that way too.) They must have inherited their ability to perform from daddy. He was very much involved in performing in show choir in high school, and various other things growing up.

This is also the first year that the girls decorated the Christmas tree almost entirely by themselves. We set the tree up and put the lights on, but they put all the decorations on except the angel on top and a few special ornaments that mommy put on. They loved decorating the tree. Oh, and they love to look at all the Christmas lights at night while we drive. It's so fun to listen to them telling each other which window to look out to see the lights, and you can hear the excitement in their voices when they talk about the lights. They even managed to talk us into hanging outdoor lights this year. We had to enlist the help of family to get them up since daddy still can't climb ladders very well. Thanks to Uncle Chad & Papaw Ron for putting up the lights!! Also thanks to Chad for letting us borrow Frosty this year and for loaning us the extra lights. And thanks to Uncle Larry and Papaw Bob for being willing to help us with the lights if needed. We appreciate it and the girls are thrilled!

I am planning to make homemade sugar cookies with the girls again this year. They enjoyed it last year, but I think they will have a much better time this year. Growing up, my mom and I (and usually my brother too) made sugar cookies every Christmas for as long as I can remember. And on Christmas eve, we always got to open one present which was a new pair of pajamas to wear that night. They would hide the present and make it into a scavenger hunt game where we would have to follow clues until we found the present. It was so fun! We've bought the girls new pajamas each year at Christmas, but this will be the first year we will wrap them and possibly do a mini scavenger hunt (with picture clues or something easy). It's traditions like these that I have such fond memories of and am glad I can enjoy them with my kids.

We still haven't gotten their picture with Santa yet. We usually take them to the Children's museum and get their picture taken there, but the girls have been too sick. They have been sick for what seems like forever. They have all had coughs and sinus drainage since October. Before that it was colds and ear infections. Alexa has had to go through several rounds of oral steroids, and Emily has been through at least two rounds of steroids. All of the girls have been on multiple rounds of antibiotics, and they are all requiring breathing treatments on a daily basis. Poor Emily coughs and coughs until she vomits (on a daily basis). I don't know if this is the same cold that we never really got rid of or if they are getting new colds back to back. Either way, we are all ready for this to end! I knew that by putting them in school this year they would be sick more often, but this is insane!!