Celebrating Christmas

Christmas Eve began with the three of us completing the advent calendar my sister-in-law made for me. Thank you so much, Jill! Marshall and I have loved doing this calendar together. Afterwards Jesse read the Christmas story from his Bible. Then I tried to read a children's book about the birth of our Savior and it was at this point that Marshall stopped cooperating. I'm sorry to say it, but he ended up going to his naughty spot during our Christmas celebration. When it came time for him to get off the naughty spot I told him to come into the living room so we could finish our story. I didn't get any response. So I walked in the kitchen to see him lying on his naughty spot. I said, "Marshall, you can get off your naughty spot now." His little smart response was, "I'm relaxin'." Oh really little boy, because mom's blood pressure is through the roof right now! Anyway, we finally finished our story and he was able to open one present. Christmas jammies! Which he actually seemed pretty happy about and he was really good the rest of the night.

Our night continued at my Grandpa and Grandma Gomez's house. We had a great time with our family and both my cousins and their families were there to celebrate with us. We were able to take a moment out of the busy night to focus on what the party was all about and had Communion as a family. It was a great way to remember why Jesus came and what His ultimate act of love was.

Marshall was an absolute joy on Christmas morning. We started the day off by singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. I think Marshall liked that because when he woke up this morning he asked me to sing Happy Birthday. He opened his presents so well and was really excited about all his stuff - Elmo chair, Batman backpack, Thomas the Train set, a puzzle, toy cars and motorcycle, but I think his favorite was his little bear. We even had time to sit and play with some of his toys before we headed out to my Grandparent's house.

Grandpa Louie and Grandma Mare made breakfast for all of us which included my grandpa's yummy quiche he makes every year for Christmas. After opening presents we played a few rounds of Catch Phrase, one of Jesse's gifts to me, and it was reconfirmed that my dad is the sorest loser ever. Then we headed out to battle the storm on our way to Jesse's parent's home.

We arrived there safely for more family, food and presents. All of Jesse's family was there and I'm happy to report that all my nieces and nephews stayed off the naughty list. However, Hudson kept insisting that what he got for Christmas was "a secret" and I still don't know what that means. He never told me what he got. After presents we were able to get in some much needed nap time. Later that evening we sat and visited with Mike and Anita which was very nice in the glow of the Christmas lights.

We ended the night back at my grandparent's house playing Rummy. Marshall had potato chips for dinner. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Fisher Fondue / Evening with the Evans

This past weekend we were busy with two fun Christmas parties. The first was our annual Fisher Fondue at my parents' house. There was a ton of great food and, the best part, chocolate fondue for dessert. After dinner we opened presents and we all got a lot of really great stuff. At the end of the night we played Apples to Apples - Bible Edition while all the grandkids watched The Chronicles of Narnia with Grandpa Dick. Savannah and I stayed up until two in the morning playing her new High School Musical board game. I know what you're thinking, Party Animals!

The next morning we hooked up the sled to my dad's Rhino and drove around in the field. That's my kind of sledding. No hills to walk up. Just sit down, hold on and try not to fall off the sled into a pile of horse manure. It was way fun and Marshall and Valerie even enjoyed a few laps around the field. The piles of horse manure only added to the fun and bumpy ride.

The next evening we went to a party for Jesse's side of the family. It was fun to see everyone we don't get to see much throughout the year. I wasn't talented enough to keep track of my two year old and take pictures at the same time. Sorry. The adults played pool and had a gift exchange. You know the one - you draw numbers and people get to steal gifts from others. Jesse ended up with some pub glasses, couldn't have found a better owner, and I got a gadget used for pedicures, also couldn't have found a better owner. Santa dropped off a bag of presents for the kids. Marshall got a book about the true meaning of Christmas.

Which leads me to the end of this post. Even more magical than Santa coming down the chimney to deliver gifts to good little boys and girls is this. That God Himself came down from His glory to deliver naughty little boys and girls from their sins. Christmas is about the fact that we have a Savior that would leave the comfort of Heaven to come into this world, not as a powerful ruler, but a helpless baby in a manger who would ultimately die for all of us. Thank you Jesus for loving me that much. Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Ball of a Birthday Party

I did a sports ball theme for Marshall's birthday party: footballs, baseballs, soccer balls, basketballs, you get the picture. We had our family over for soup, salad, cake and ice cream to celebrate. Jesse and I made his cake.(Jenn, please don't critique my cake decorating skills too harshly.)We told him to smile after blowing out the candles and this is what we got. Although he did not enjoy opening his presents (that would require him to sit still for far too long) he has enjoyed wearing / playing with them. He got tons of great gifts: clothes, pajamas, cowboy boots, a tool box with a drill, Iron Man car, sports balls, and a Doodle Pro to name a few. Jesse and I gave him a new bike to ride.Our happy family relaxing after all the chaos.The following day we took him to Jumpin' Jacks. He had no fear and didn't even think twice about going down the huge slides.
Savannah came with us and she was a big help. Thanks for chasing him around for us Savannah!He had a blast and it was so nice to be able to just let him run around and be as crazy as he wanted to be.Good times!