Bursting.

I won't even try to put into words how proud I am of my little girl tonight. Bursting at the seams and wanting to share even though there's no time to edit. (Please excuse the stage/flourescent lighting.) In any light Kirsten would have shone.

She danced...

I was in tears by the end of this dance. The good kind. I hope Kirsten will continue dancing throughout her life. If only as a hobby. She's meant to. She's just so talented & graceful. Other people's parents felt the need to tell her so.
In case you couldn't tell which ballerina belongs to me...

Oh, and she sewed her own costume in sewing class. Cool, huh?

She sang and she acted...

Her choir teacher gave her a hard solo and told her she could do it. She sure did. See that block in front of Kirsten? She stood on it & sang her little heart out. Her teacher was beaming almost as much as we were afterwards. Another something she should continue. A wonderful performance.
Kori (Vern's sister - top picture) performed her song beautifully, and Kenyon's girfriend Lottiana was amazing. (Top & second last of these pics.) I was proud of them too. All of the kids did so well - and the college auditorium they rented was full of friends, family & schoolmates. What an achievement. What a wonderful celebration of the birth of Christ. I wish I could share more pictures, but this post is monstrous as-is.
Kirsten said the hardest part was all of the costume changes. She was in several scenes of the play between songs. She was soooo tired by the end of the night.

Back home I recieved an encore performance from a little girl who didn't want to take the stage makeup off just yet.

Just a little while longer mom.

Sweet dreams baby.

A Quiet Day & Christmas Spirit.

Tonight is the Christmas program at the school. Kirsten is nervous, but she'll do wonderfully. I know it. Besides, I've seen her practice her dance & have had her sing her solo to me countless times. She's beautiful. She'll shine. I'll take pictures. No promises of perfection under the icky flourescent lighting, but if you know me you know there will be pictures. Lots & lots of pictures.

It's been a quiet day at home. Elijah is still trying to get better. Little Vern has been watching Back to the Future & I've been doing laundry. Exciting, huh? I don't have any shots of LV engrossed in his movie, but here's Elijah just being him.

And I'll share what I've been humming as I work. It's a very pretty Christmas song. :)

Samuel Tells of Baby Jesus

Said Samuel, "Within five years a night will be as day
and baby Jesus will be born in a land far far away."

Hosanna! Hosanna! Oh let us gladly sing.
How blessed that our Lord was born;
Let earth recieve her King.

Across the sea, in Bethlehem
Lord Jesus came to earth
As Samuel had prophesied,
And angels sang his birth.

Hosanna! Hosanna! Oh let us gladly sing.
How blessed that our Lord was born;
Let earth recieve her King.

Six Thumbs Up

We took the kiddos to see Goblet of Fire on Saturday and loved it. I've never seen LV stay put and stay riveted like that. (Not even for the last Star Wars, and the boy is a self-proclaimed Jedi.) It was a little more intense and less for younger kids than the previous movies (as you'd expect - it's the same with the books.)
Very good movie.
Six thumbs up.

and toss it way up...

That's his favorite part. He giggles when you say it. And daddy is his favorite person to play it with.

Just thought the blog needed a dose of Elijah. :)

His Secret

I love Christmas. The meaningful aspects, the fluff & everything in between. The whys, the hows, the tastes, the sounds, the sights, the giving, the recieving. All of it.
Vern does not.
He is one who's considered a scrooge-type by many. He doesn't care much for Christmas trees, thinks the lights are a waste of electricity. He rolls his eyes when I start listening to Christmas music in November. He isn't into wrapping presents or stuffing stockings.
A self-proclaimed grinch.
But I know him well enough to just smile and let him think he's fooling the world. He may care less about Christmas fluff, but he's one of those dads you'll find at Toys R Us fighting the crowds on the last day to make sure our children have enough. I put together idea lists, but he is the gift-giver. He's good at finding cool gifts for people and I swear he enjoys that part. Immensely. That's been his thing. He may not enjoy all of it, but his heart is there for the important parts. The faith in a baby who's birth we celebrate, and the giving and sharing with those around you. It makes me smile to think I know his secret.
He is no grinch.

Fives

Five things I love about Winter...
1. Fresh-fallen snow
2. Soft sweaters
3. Playing in the white stuff (tobogganing, building snowmen, cross country skiing...)
4. Hot chocolate
5. Baking

Five things I love about December...
1. Christmas
2. Watching my children perform in the school Christmas performance. This year kirsten is dancing (the ballet performance is to Mary did you Know - I'll be needing tissues.) She also has a solo in the choir and two parts in the play. My little performer is way excited.
3. Eating out (I love this all year round, but especially in December)
4. People are generally happier.
5. Singing Christmas carols.
Five things I love about Christmas...
1. Lights. Pretty Christmas lights. Especially on my tree. At night. Alone. While listening to the Forgotton Carols.
Bliss.
2. Christmas carols. My favorite music. Really.
3. Treats ( Like gingerbread, divinity & popcorn balls. Mmmmmm...)
4. My children's smiles on Christmas morning.
5. Being around people I love.

My to-do list

I thought I'd start one for tomorrow...

~Make Vern his cake
~Whatever it takes to make Elijah feel better. Poor sick little one. He's been goopy & feverish.
~Hug my kiddos.
~Make waffles for breakfast. Eat 'em with LV. :)
~Start planning Christmas gifts. (No, I haven't shopped yet. But I'm starting to think about it.)
~Laundry *sigh* There's always lots of laundry.
~See if the library has the next book in this series. I devour books much too quickly.
~Go through Kirsten's closet (It's time to see how much she has that actually fits.)
~Blog

There are probably a billion more things, but right now all I wanna do is sleep.