Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. I'm heading off to bed soon, but thought I'd share some pictures from our little family on this cold, wintry Christmas day. We spent our first Christmas with just our family. It began last night with services at our church, followed by a fun Christmas morning. We hear stories about crazy early mornings for some, but our children decided to give us a wonderful Christmas gift and slept in until 8:00 am! No parent can complain about that one. So, before I head off after a full day, here are the pictures to share. Enjoy!

Christmas Carol Lyrics (According to Caitlin)

She sings them loudly, proudly, and rarely correctly!


We Three Kings of Glorious Art,
Marrying gifts, we've traveled so far

Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul, with a corncob pipe and a button nose, and toys made out of coal

Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus lay on his sweet sweet head

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, No what fun it is to ride in one horse slapping hay (hey!)

Hark the herald angels sing, glory to the newborn king
Peace on earth, and mercy why? God and sinners reconsighed

Go telling on a mountain..........

And numerous selections from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"
...calling the other reindeers, use to laugh and call him names....
...then one froggy Christmas eve....
...Rudolph with your snow so white, won't you guide my sleigh tonight
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, had a very shiny nose. And if you never saw it, you wouldn't even say it goes!

And those are just the lyrics she's trying to get right. If she doesn't know what the next line in a song is, she'll randomly make up some lyrics to continue the song.

Caitlin's Christmas Pageant

Caitlin has been practicing and practicing for her preschool's Christmas pageant. We've been singing songs at home, in the car, before bed, and (reluctantly on my part) in the stores. She sings and sings her little heart out. It's loud, unmelodic, and usually funny (except in the grocery store or mall). I'm now officially sick of a few Christmas songs, and long for Caitlin to be quiet most of the time. That, unfortunately, only happens when she's asleep (and not always then, either).

Tonight was Caitlin's pageant. Brian met me and the kids in Boulder, and we dropped Caitlin off at her classroom. After a short sermon by the pastor of the church where she goes to preschool, she and the other preschoolers paraded in and began their program. It was short and cute. Good thing, because this is one of the many faces Caitlin made during the performance:

Preschool programs are fun indeed!

I found a nice spot up in the balcony and got a shot of all the kids. I may have cut out a sheep or two, but I got most of them.

And this is probably about the time Caitlin saw me up in the balcony (and right before she and Genevieve - to the left of Caitlin - started waving at me).

Come Back to Amazon

I order from Amazon. Not as much as some people I know, but I do order from Amazon. Books, CD's, shoes, all sorts of things. Today, I got this e-mail from them:

"Dear Amazon.com Customer,

As someone interested in automotive accessories, parts, or car electronics, you might want to check out our low prices on great gifts plus the top brands in tools and equipment, performance parts, car care, replacement parts, and accessories sold by Amazon.com.

You can also explore our new Wheels & Tires Store!"


Ooohh, the new Wheels and Tires store. Can't wait!

I've never ordered an automotive accessory  from Amazon. Ever. Anyone who knows me should know how *not* into automotive accessories.  Guess I need to go and update my profile and recommendations pages. Or start buying car parts for my brothers. They'd be happy!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I know it's cold outside. It was -11 when I walked Brandon down to our neighbor's house for the school drop off.

But I think the channel 9 thermometer is just a tad bit off today. -583? Really? I know it feels like that, especially when it's windy. But still!

Brandon's Face

Brandon took a dive last Thursday evening. He fell in the neighbor's driveway and did a faceplant on the ice. The driveway was shoveled, but the ice that had formed was bumpy - like frozen raindrops. The left side of Brandon's face looked like hamburger! I felt so bad for the poor guy! His face and nose were all bloody. He had a half-dollar sized patch on his forehead that had gotten scraped up, and dime-sized patches under his nose and lips as well. His nose and lips were scratched up, but not as bad as the other places. Our neighbor even made him hot chocolate, but that didn't ease the suffering any. Brandon scabbed up overnight, and did not (at all) want to go to school the next morning. He got over his vanity pretty soon (probably after all the kids were somewhat in awe of his adventure, as little kids are apt to be), but complained about the scabs itching.

So now, almost a week later, he's looking a lot better. Here he is, right before school today:

Most of the scabs have fallen off, leaving behind the pink shaded area of newly healed skin. The patch on his forehead isn't smooth - it's full of little divots caused by the bumpy ice. We're still putting creams on  his face so he won't scar too bad. With the freezing cold weather we're having, and the onset of winter, I'm hoping the lack of sunshine will mean he doesn't get any strange patterns on his face from being exposed to too much sun. But then again, it is Colorado. The sun is intense here. You'll note Brandon's looking a little shaggy.  I even put off getting him a haircut so that the stylist wouldn't touch the sore patch on his forehead. Now that it's getting better, I guess I should put it off any longer.