Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc.

Let's see, since I posted last we've all had the stomach monster, then passed it on to all the grandparents in WV and IL. I know they loved us for that! Ugh, it was awful!! We had a wonderful Christmas, in which we managed to have no one sick on Christmas day. Well, not in my house anyway. My poor, pregnant little sis-in-law had it on Christmas day and was feeling awful for several days. Thankfully she's over it. We had a very quiet Christmas day and didn't leave the house until 4:30 when we went to help prepare and serve a meal for the downtowners. After everyone was served, we all made plates and sat down with them for dinner. It was an awesome meal and I ate entirely too many mashed potatoes.

The day after, we went to see "Marley and Me" at the movies. It was a wonderful movie. Very emotional. If you've ever had a beloved dog, you'll laugh until you cry and then cry until all the nasty smashed tissues in the bottom of your purse get pulled out and sobbed on. We took the kids to see it with us thinking with the PG rating and the doggy storyline that it'd be safe for them to see without us previewing it first. Don't do that. There were mentions of s**e**x many, many times. I don't think they caught any of them, but now they all want the DVD, and I know if they watch it again and again as they tend to do with loved movies that they'll start saying "Mommy dearest, we are innocent and have no idea what they are speaking of, please enlighten our little minds." While I know these discussions are in the close future with the boys, I AIN'T READY TO GO THERE JUST YET, OKAY!!

The Saturday after Christmas, Prophet had his last Upward basketball game of the season. Unfortunately they lost. It was only their second loss of and it was an amazing game. They ended losing by one point in the last 5 seconds. I've never seen so many people standing and cheering at a basketball game being played by 9-11 year olds.

We spent several hours cleaning out the Christian education wing at the church during break. Our children's pastor retired, so now Smart Guy is also doing her job. She'd been there for 14 years and it doesn't appear that she changed anything the entire time she was there. So, we did some major changing around of rooms, throwing out stuff that was beyond use or repair (aka an old 6 foot tall paper mache tree that we are still finding pieces of all over the upstairs two weeks after being thrown out and cleaned-up after) to make it more in tune with the new program we've started. We are doing a family sunday school now. Families spend the first 35 minutes together, and then the children split up into age groups and the parents spend 15 minutes talking about what we've just learned together. It seemed to work out really well. My heart is heavy though for the former children's pastor. For the last 14 years she has been using a rotation model for our SS program. She started doing it back before it was the thing to do, and there was a time in the past when we've been told that it was an amazing program. It's needed to be changed for awhile now, but every time Smart Guy suggested something she didn't want to change the old way. (he's actually in charge of the education department as well). So, she decided to retire because she didn't like where he was taking the program. While I know we needed the change seriously bad, I know she's still hurting to see the change and all of the stuff she did go away. She's currently undertaking the daunting task of cleaning out her office. If you've never seen a children's pastor's office, then you have no idea what a chore this is, but if you have, then you'll know how long it takes to clean it up. Every single CP we've ever worked with has gobs and gobs of stuff stashed in their office. It's just the nature of the beast!!

We made the trip to WV to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of one of Smart Guys Aunt and Uncles. There were probably over 75 people there and most all of them were family. That's what happens when your FIL in one of ten children. I love getting together with everyone as it's the only time the boys have boy-cousins to play with. I also got to love-on a cousin who just lost her third baby. They thought they were "in the clear" so to speak, when they went in for the routine ultrasound at 16 weeks and found out that the baby had died three weeks previously. I don't understand why this has to happen so much. She and her husband are so heartbroken right now. Would you please keep them in your prayers and thoughts?

New Years Eve was spent in our home with just our family. Everyone stayed up late and toasted the New Year with sparkling apple cider (which all three kids turned their noses up at after one sip, which meant more for me 'cause I adore the stuff). They even stayed up long enough to watch the new Wizards of Waverly Place that started at midnight on the Disney Channel.

On New Years Day we had friends over for a brunch of sausage soufle', fruit salad, donut holes, biscuits, and OJ. Us grown-ups had fun talking at the table while the kids all ran around playing after we had finished eating. After we cleaned up a little bit, we all headed to the movies to see "Bedtime Stories" by Disney. It was really cute and the kids all loved it.

We all recieved Barnes and Noble cards for my Uncky (thank you so much). We've recieved these before from him and I think it's one of the most cherished gifts we get. So, we set off for the bookstore the day after New Years to use the cards. We had so much fun in the huge, two-story B&N store looking at books. Bee changed what she had picked out about 6 times before we finally checked out.

Monday, after everyone went back to school at 8:40, I hate to admit it, but I climbed back into bed and slept until 11:30 in perfect silence. Actually I can't complain because my kids did't get up before 10:00 one morning last week, but I needed a nap to start off my new week. They've been back in school for 4 days now, and everything seems to be back to normal in this House of Greatness!! (for now anyway)