Christmas at Holy Cross Preschool

I had no idea how much fun Christmas was going to be at preschool. It seems like every day since Thanksgiving, there has been a Christmas activity. Lee has looked forward to going to see what was coming next. Here are some pictures from 2 especially fun and special days.

This picture is out of order, but this is the whole gang posing with Santa.
Here are the children when Santa first came through the door. They had no idea he was coming, and they were so surprised and excited.

This guy was especially excited to talk to Santa. The last time they chatted, he asked for a "real live go cart." This time, he was more practical and asked for a race track. That made this mommy very happy!

I love the look on his face here. He is thinking about what he's going to ask for.

On another day, the children exchanged gifts after drawing names. They sat so quietly on their rug and watched each other open gifts. I was amazed at how patient and grateful they were with each other. It was like I was watching them grow up right before my eyes. They had no practice or rehearsal whatsoever. And anyone who has been around a 4 year old knows they say what is on their minds. I was so impressed at how most every child acted like the gift he received was just what he wanted. It was precious! (The kids in this picture are Farrah Fowlkes, John Michael Rhodes, Lee, Bryleigh Hayes and Preston Pooler.)

Lee 's buddy, Ava Kate, drew his name.

And she knew just what he liked! He got a new rescue vehicle and LOVED it!

He could not quit smiling.

So excited! It was such a fun day, and I was thrilled to get to be a part of it.

Santa's Village

This was our first year to take Lee to Santa's Village in Martin. Matt and I went while we were in college, so we knew how wonderful it was, but we had just never taken the opportunity to take Lee. He was completely mesmerized by the giant tree and all the lights. It was so much fun, and we are already looking forward to taking both boys next Christmas!

There was a neat little petting zoo with a camel,
a kangaroo,

and Lee's favorite, a zebra!

There were a couple of rides, and Lee was almost too big for the carousel. It was the first ride he rode all by himself.

Then he convinced his Daddy to go down the giant slide with him over and over.

It's hard to tell who had more fun! I do know this kid at the bottom nearly got taken out by my boys!

Although Lee was too busy to pose for many pictures for me, he did love this giant chair.

There was a H-U-G-E train set with a fence around it so no one could touch it. Lee and Matt stood just like this forever watching it. I admit that it was wonderful.

Even though it was FREEZING cold that day, we took a carriage ride outside.

Since we have been talking a lot about Disney World a lot lately, Lee was pretty excited to see this friend.

Another Day, Another Party

I can not get enough of Christmas this year! I always love the season, but for some reason this year, I love it more than ever. That happens to be a good thing for our family, because we have had and will have at least one Christmas activity per day leading up to our vacation. The Quota Christmas party was a formal, catered event, which was a nice change from the hustle and bustle that often accompanies this time of year. Then, we had our Sunday School Christmas Party the next night. It was anything but formal. It is our one night together without kids, and we take full advantage of it. From the time more than two people are gathered, it is non-stop chattering and laughter. My cheeks were still hurting from laughing after we got home! We do a dirty Santa gag gift exchange that is so much fun. There are always a couple of "real" gifts mixed in, and there is a fight to keep them! After the gift exchange, Stan and Stephanie introduced us to a new game they found that we played in teams. (Matt and I were losers!) I can't begin to remember all the rules and tricks to the game, so here are some pictures. It was a ton of fun and was perfect for a large group.

Tiffany went home with this snazzy egg separator! It was one of my favorite gifts from the night.
Can you tell what a great job it does? Lee would have loved it.

Brittney was the proud new owner of this mu mu. She ended up with mop slippers to match, which was the highlight of the evening for her husband!

Doesn't everyone need a Playboy snuggie?

Or blue legwarmers?

This was the highlight of the night for Matt. When we bought our house, there were lots of little "treasures" left in the shed and basement. The former owner made lots of crafts and was very proud of them. We were tickled to find these 2 great lamps that had been accented in a bedazzled fashion. You could tell they were once used inside the house somewhere-YIKES! Anyway, we gifted this beauty at a Sunday School party several years ago, and it has come back every year. Well, that was until last year. Matt was devastated. The new owners claimed they couldn't find it, but I was suspicious. I thought they took a year off so everyone would forget about it, and it would be a great surprise this year. As it turns out, they were telling the truth and couldn't find it until their recent move. When I saw them walk in with the appropriate sized box, I knew then that the lamp had returned. It was an even better gift since Todd opened it, because he had never seen the lamp before and certainly didn't know what to make of it. The oldies in our class couldn't quit laughing long enough to tell him the history of the lamp. Finally, Stan recovered and plugged it in so we could all be bedazzled by its beauty! I'm already nervous about its return next year. Matt couldn't handle the disappointment if it got misplaced again!

Rachel had to practice with her new bump-its. Have you seen this infomercial? It is hilarious! Rachel could be the new spokesmodel, because she certainly had the "bump."

Let the game begin! One of the rules the Lattas drew was to play peek-a-boo with anyone who spoke to them. If they forgot, they lost a point. It drew tons of laughter, especially when they did it in sync!

No words for these 2!

Again, the game brought out everyone's funniest sides. It was one of the most fun nights we've ever had! I just hope I'm welcomed back after posting these pictures.

Quota Christmas Party

Tonight, we had fun celebrating Christmas with the Quotarians.

Lee has been going to Quota meetings with me since he was an infant.
He is always a hit at Quota functions. Some of the ladies insist that he call them "Auntie" so-n-so. Tonight, they were all full of questions about his baby brother. I took him his own supper, since we were having a fancy dinner that I didn't think he would like. Boy was I wrong! Not only did he eat his supper, but then he ate at least half of Matt's steak! He is so unpredictable sometimes! All the people at our table got a big kick out of him.
After a wonderful meal, we got to mingle with fabulous ladies, like these 2 sisters! They are each in their 90's and are more active than some women my age!

To cap off the evening, we were entertained by the band, Seldom Seine. They were incredible! If you are in town this weekend, they will be performing at Jack Jones from 12-2 and at Leach's from 3-5 on Saturday. They will perform a full concert on December 27th at 6:00 at First Christian Church. Trust me, it will be worth your while to go hear them.

My name was drawn to win a door prize, and the gift was handed to Lee to open. He pulled out a bottle of Allegro marinade and proclaimed, "Oh yay, Mom, it's wine!" I quickly told him it wasn't wine, but it was marinade that daddy could use when he grills for us. So he turned around and handed it to Matt and said, "Sorry Daddy, this must have been a gift for you."

A Star is Born!

On Tuesday night, we were thrilled to get to go watch Katie star in the second grade Christmas production. It was a play on the TV show, X-Files, and she was part of the team of Scully and Mulder. She had a ton of lines to learn, and she didn't mess up once! She looked like a natural up on the stage, and we were so proud of her. Thanks for letting us be a part of your big night!

Here she is with her class.

Lee sat in my lap the whole time and had nothing to say to anyone. The minute Katie came off the stage, he jumped off my lap and started pushing people out of the way to get to her.

He only had eyes for his Katie!

He ended up making a little time for Alex too! I forget how much these kids look alike until I see them together in a picture. They get cuter by the minute!

Santa Sent Lee a Message!

www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/d452d538b4ecdef43cbca189c88d418e

The Elf is NOT Always on the Shelf

In fact, she's never on a shelf! She has been finding all kinds of funny places to hide in our house.

Today, Lee thought it was hilarious that she was hiding in our Christmas tree! You can tell he just woke up in these pictures. He leaps out of bed in the mornings to go find Jessie. I had no idea how much fun we would have with this little elf.