Christmas is Coming!

We're so excited about our first Christmas as a complete family! I didn't realize buying my kids an ornament each year would backfire and make people feel excluded. Luckily when we set up the tree, we came across two matching frame ornaments that I had never populated - perfect to put a pic of Cecil & Cecianna in it. They were really proud. Today I put an ornament on the tree with all of us on it - a 6 snowman scene with each of our names. Cecianna was the most thrilled to see that!

We have been so busy the past week or two with parties and visiting with friends and family. It has been a blast, but we may be burning the kids out. At least tomorrow looks like one down night before we celebrate Christmas Eve with my family. I am off Wednesday through Friday so I'm most looking forward to the 5 day weekend.

We're trying to give the kids individual challenges over the break so that they'll contineu work on some school items, so Brent & I have agreed to make the ultimate sacrifice if they ALL complete theirs. If Cecil writes 5 sentences a day, Clara reads 3 chapter books, Cecianna memorizes her flash cards, and Daisy finishes her 3 magnet school applications (she asked if this couold be hers to motivate herself), then we will take them to *groan* Chuck-E-Cheese. This is not something we offer EVER so it's really motivating them to do it.

Happy holidays and I hope to have some pictures of the holidays, but I'm a little worried because I left my camera at a friend's house last weekend and she went into labor later that night! A little inconvenient to get it back while they are in the middle of their adjustment to a 3 kid family and having their holiday together. Maybe we should break down and get a camera that's smaller than a brick this year!