Goodbye Christmas

Oh, Christmas is finally over.... I am so glad... I love Christmas now - didn't before I met my hubby, but I think I wrote about that last time... so it's all over. All of the kids got everything that they asked for - with the exception of Shelby, who didn't ask for anything until the day before Christmas, and then she says that she wants a DS or a Wii -nothing like asking for the most expensive gifts the day before Christmas!! So the next big thing on the agenda is Zach's b-day which is the 30th, and then Candy's bday on the 31st - we have a watch night service at church that night. Those are always fun.
Sarah has been sick since Thurs, running fever and then this morning when I was washing her hair she told me that her ears hurt - so she probably has the dreaded ear infection. She was the first child that I had that got ear infections, but she gets them entirely too much - and funny thing is, Shelby started getting them too, her first one came at age 6, and it seemed like she had them one right after the other the whole year. I was telling D just the other day that it's been a long time since any of us had been sick, which when you're talking about 7 people - that's pretty impressive... Sarah might be getting the croup too, cause she has the runny nose and dry barky cough - she just doesn't feel good. So thank goodness for AT&T and DVR's - it's a day full of Jack's Big Music Show and Lazy Town for Sarah while I clean out the kids rooms to make room for the new Christmas gifts and clothes... this is my least favorite part of Christmas, but we have a family at church that can really use Hayden's outgrown clothes - I don't really have anyone to pass down Shelby's things too, so I think we are just going to donate those. I hate to haggle with the people at the resale shops - they make me so mad, and besides, I would rather give them to someone who really needs them. Well, signing off to go clean out the pig pens that we call Hayden and Shelby's rooms :)

Last night was the kids Christmas program at church. They all did so good, I was so proud. Hayden was a wise man - haha... Shelby was a shepherd, and both of them had speaking parts- which they both did wonderfully with. Sarah was an animal of some sort. Maybe a cow or lamb - with spots... she was a cutie. She tried to do a somersault down the stairs of the stage - she's such a daredevil. I guess she gets that from Hayden...
So now I can finally rest - all of the practices and parties are over, and I can just enjoy Christmas this week with nothing going on...
We are having Christmas with Matt and Zach tonight. We're letting the little ones open a gift a piece - and then Christmas with my family tomorrow. We're having church on Wed. night, and then Christmas with the little ones on Christmas day, and at D's family too. I'm off on Friday, and I guess I'll just be cleaning... I don't want to get out, and it will be nice to just stay at home with the kids.

Only one week til Christmas now - it's so funny how you change when your life significantly changes. I used to just hate Christmas, until I met Dewayne - he loves Christmas - and it's contagious. Every year I get more and more into it, and I really enjoy it. I was such a scrooge before!!! I made little goodie bags for everyone that I work with, for ALL of the kids teachers, at school and at church - so I baked for like a whole week - ended up with about 30 big bags of goodies that each contained 3-5 little bags of homemade goodies. It felt nice to show those that have such an impact on my kids how much I appreciate all they do. I have a few more left to make for family - I thought that would be nice for them too. I made candy for the first time ever - and it was so easy - I loved it - so I think next time I'm going to experiment with flavors and see what happens. This time it was just sugar candy, but it was good... the fudge on the other hand - oh boy - the first batch didn't set at all - the second batch - well, it was crunchy - like gritty type of crunchy - because the sugar didn't melt I guess - I don't know - I'm done with fudge - it's not really my forte... so I made reg. chex mix and then the puppy chow chex mix which is just reg. chex mix coated with cho. and then powdered sugar - yummy!! and I made cookies and bread, and Firehouse crackers - which everyone loved. So everyone in the office is happy, all the teachers are happy, and I am too!!
it was so funny today, Sarah - who is 2 - she loves to sing, and this morning we were listening to Christmas carols on the radio - and the First Noel was playing - she was singing along with it - Noel Noel Noel Noel - but it came out - no way, no way, no way, no way - It was too cute!!

Okay - so this is SO new to me - I always read others blogs, but never write - oh sometimes I respond to the ones on MSN or whatever - does that count??
So, anyway - Christmas is almost here, and we're busy shopping for everyone - We have the big boys Christmas done - now we're working on the youngest 3...
Still working on getting rid of the beloved "pabi" - it's more of a security blanket (scream)
She is so emotionally attached to the thing it tears my heart out to tell her no and then if we take it away it breaks her heart, and the crying never ends.... With her full set of teeth she tears them up like crazy, and she only takes the expensive ones of course - they are $2 a pc - and she tears them up at the rate of about 2 per week... Crazy...
And potty training is definitely another language, just like Pampers says... Dewayne told me we were going to have to set a deadline for her be trained and stick with it - he also said that in one week (while I was in Vegas) that he would have her off the pabi too - but guess what??