Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas 2006
Today has been the usual whirlwind of activity for us on a holiday. Church, eat, get ready for the festivities, last minute trip to Best Buy for the wire we need to make the car DVD work for tomorrows trip up north, to Em and Bobs for a Marvelous dinner, church again, back to Em and Bobs for gifts, home to feed the reindeer, put cookies out for Santa and to bed for the kids. This leaves me (Scott's at church again...yes that makes 3 times) to get ready for the continuation of the festivities tomorrow. It is really fun watching the kids this year, they are really into it. It's always fun to see everyone from both families as well.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!

P.S. I have more pictures to post, but my computer is not in the Holiday spirit...

Jesus...He's a tiny little Baby...

Some pictures from the Christmas program on Sunday. The kids (meaning mine...Emilys did great) did a pretty good job. Grammy did a great job directing and writing the songs! Avery really enjoyed being able to sing, (even while getting her hair pulled by one of the kids in her class) and afterwards getting to hold "baby Jesus". I think Quinn was not as enthused about the singing, but he did ok, despite his persistence that he was "shy" all during the practices. He really looks shy up there doesn't he? Yeah. That picture reminds me a bit of the one Mom and Dad have in their kitchen of the little boy preaching to the other kids and the dog. Really that is not what was going on, he was just fidgeting and I happened to catch the picture at the right time for it to look that way. I couldn't believe how willing all of the kids were to having their picture taken at the manger, I think it was a record for getting them all (minus Lucy...no that's not her Avery is holding :) ) in one shot and cooperative.

Happy Birthday Smudgie!

Happy Birthday to Smudgie McBudgy aka Kaleigh Noel... it's official... she now can say she is two, even though if you ask her she is more likely to tell you that she is five (two is hard to do on the small fingers). She has had the attitude of a two year old for some time now, now her actual age has caught up with her.

We had a grand party to celebrate this evening... Ham, cheesy potatoes, jello, veggies, green bean casserole and of course cake and ice cream. Miss Leigh as Andy likes to call her was not too interested in all the birthday goings on. She was just as happy to let her brother blow out her candles, and her sister open her presents while she played with the ones that had already been opened. She was so stubborn about not wanting to open gifts that she even had to sit on the step (time out for those of you not around the McClelland household) a few times. But come to the end of the evening and she had a great time seeing everyone and playing with her cousins, aunts and uncles, friends, and grandparents.

Here's to the terrific (and sometimes terrible) twos!

Advent by Candlelight

We had our annual Advent by Candlelight last night, and this year Emily talked me into doing a table... she usually does it. It is definitely more work than I remembered, but it was a great evening. It was nice to get a chance to sit and reflect instead of the usual for me which is go go go. The music was fantastic, as was the program. I don't know who wrote it, but the ladies that organized it did a great job. We also got a devotional book written by some of the ladies at church, which I am looking forward to using!

The weekend in a Crab shell

It was an eventful weekend for us. Scott got in early from Mississipi on Thursday night to avoid the weather and ended up getting stuck in meetings all day Friday. He was pretty upset, as was I, because he was supposed to help out in Quinns class on Friday and couldn't. Next time I guess. Friday for me was spent working with Aunt Mary and a multitude of hard working teenagers and parents setting up for Tinsel in T town, the annual Christmas Dance. When I left at 5:30 things were looking pretty good, and I hear everyone had a great time Saturday night.
Saturday we made the trek to JCPenny to have our pictures taken, and after waiting 40 or so minutes (after our appt. time) in an extremely over crowded and poorly designed studio, we had our pictures on film and we actually got a few good ones! I was very impressed, we even got a picture of all the kids smiling and in the frame! Miracles do happen. From there it was home to change into the cold weather gear and off to the parade. The annual Christmas parade through town, this year the kids walked as snowmen (white garbage bags, paper carrot noses, and fuzzy black cotton balls for coal). It was super fun this year, not super cold, and Quinn handing out candy was hilarious. After telling him he shouldn't just throw it in the middle of the street, he would hand select kids to give a candy cane to. If the kids were not looking at him at the time, he would set it down right in front of their feet on the ground. One girl, he must have liked her or felt she didn't have any candy, got handed about 15 candy canes. Good thing he had a whole bucket full. After walking in the parade we stayed to see Santa and then went home and had a nice little get together with Mom and Dad, Kim and Alisa and her kids Ashlyn and Aubrey. It was a great little impromtu pizza party.
Yesterday it was Sunday school and church, a trip to send the letters to Santa, and then lunch at Joe's Crab Shack. This is not my first choice in a restaurant, but the kids loved it! Quinn wanted to eat a "real fish" and a "crab" he said. Being there were no crabs on the kids menu he settled for shrimp which he scarfed down, while saying "I'll eat you before you sting me!" we tried telling him they don't bite... oh well. Scott did order crab legs and the kids had fun looking at the pinchers, after Quinn saw that, he wasn't too interested in eating the crab anymore, can't blame him... I know they taste good, but I can't get past all the work you have to do to get to it.
Anyway that was the weekend in a crab shell... hope I didn't put anyone to sleep!