Advent Program

Last Friday was the kids's last day of school and Ann Park and Ward did an Advent Program featuring the Jesse tree.  The 1st grade went first and sang about Noah.   They were telling everyone that we needed to "get on the boat!"  It was very cute.  Ward was less than enthusiastic (his new m.o. when it comes to school, I am afraid), but he was "Noah" and at least he sang!

getting ready to start . . . 

SFX first grade

Ann Park's class sang a song about Jonah and the whale.  They had precious hand movements and Ann Park had a ball.  I think that I can sing the song by heart . . . she has been singing it around the house for the past month!

all ready to sing - acting a little shy and nervous!!

but as soon as the song started she was ALL SMILES!

Ward's Wild Birthday

Ward's birthday can be summed up in one word: WILD.  And I mean wild on really two different fronts. First, wild in the fact that we had about 20 6 and 7 year old boys.  I have never seen that much testosterone in one space before in my life and hope to not recreate it again.  Second, wild in the fact of the wild animals that were there.  Ward had such a great time and I have had multiple moms tell me that their son now wants a party just like Ward's.  I think that equals success.

Waiting patiently for the first animal

box turtle from Africa - it was too heavy for him!!

"pretty bird, pretty bird"

boa!!  mommy stayed away and daddy took the pictures!

Sam and Turner Holmes with the boa

they gave Ward a fighting fish . . . we named him Ninja!

SPIDERS!!!!

Alligator!  Or is it a crocodile?  Not sure, but Ward loved it!

Sam even got in on the action!

This is the reason Ward wanted to have the party!  His name is Banana and he is a boa. 

Happy happy birthday my sweet boy!!

Holidays Holidays and a Birthday

NOTE: I wrote this post on Wednesday and completely forgot to add the pictures.  So I am just now getting to posting it!  Sorry!

Well the Holidays have officially been in full force at the Holt household since Decembber 1.  Yes, we had our frist Christmas party on the first day of Decemeber!  But this year I vowed to not go out too much and stick the kids with babysitters every weekend night.  After all, it is a fun time for them too and they like to spend time with their parents (although their parents might just need a little time to themselves every once in a while!).  Things were going well with my plan.  Last weekend we had Ted's office Christmas party on Friday night - which is always so fun since I used to work there, have a bunch of friends that still work there, and because some of our best friends work with Ted - and then on Saturday we spent the day with the kiddos.  No parties, no babysitters. 

The day started out with the Jingle Bell run.  Ted took the older two kids last year and they had a blast with the bells on their shoes and chasing Santa.  This year it was really cold (well, really cold for Birmingham) and the kids hung in there pretty well.  Sam and I opted to stay home and do some much needed cleaning and tossing of broken toys.   Here are some pictures from the race:

Ward is ready to run!

so is Ann Park!!

on your mark, get set . . . 

GO!  Ann Park told me that she was happy because she was not last this year!!!  :)

After the race, Ted took Ward and Ann Park to Ted's favorite store - Mark's Outdoors.  The purpose of the trip was to get Ward his birthday present, which was supposed to be a new, big-bow bow.  Well, long story short, the bow was too hard for him to pull back and they ended up with a .22 Rifle, much to my surprise.  Ted said that his eyes just lit up when he saw it and after a long talk about gun safety, they purchased it.  Ward is still on cloud nine.  I am looking forward to getting it into the gun safe at Grey Rocks.  Good thing that Ted had the forethought to buy a trigger lock.  That baby is locked up safe and sound.

Then this week we ha the main event - Ward's birthday party!  Hard to believe that he is seven years old.  Time really flies.  Ward really wanted Ed's Pet World to bring all their exotic animals for his party and I thought that was fine, but then did something really stupid - I invited like 20 1st grade (and a few kindergarteners) to our house.  To say that it was wild would be putting it mildly.  Very mildly.  But with the tortoise, bird, snakes (yes, one was "small" and one was giant), alligator, lizards, and other animals, I think that they had a great time. Pictures in another post!

Christmas at the Club

On Sunday night Santa Claus came to the Mountain Brook Club and the kids had a blast making crafts, playing with their friends and seeing Santa.  Ann Park is still very timid and I could not get Ward away from his friends to wait in line (it was not a battle I was willing to fight that night) so he is not in the pictures with Santa, but Sam was interested and a bit timid.  He still managed to tell him that he wanted a Thomas the Train.  He also corrected Santa when he said "oh you want a train?" and Sam said, "no I want Thomas."  It was pretty cute.

seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus

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Grandmom and the boys

Silly Sam!

Bennett Holmes kissing Sam!!

Ward and his Rudolph hat

Ann Park and Mommy

Sam with his snowman (and probably his 100th piece of candy!)

Fun times to get into the Christmas spirit!

Thanksgiving Pictures

I have been wide awake since 2:36.  It is now 3:26 and I seem to be hitting my stride.  I feel like I am probably never going to go back to sleep.  Tomorrow is not going to be a good day.  But while I am up I thought that I would post some pictures from Thanksgiving.  We didn't get very many of the entire group but did capture some good moments.  Of course, we are patiently awaiting pictures from our resident photographer, Ryan (not like he doesn't have anything else going on at his house!) and I know that Bean got some good ones as well.  Here is a taste of ours . . .

Ward and Daddy's buck . . . Ted swears it looked bigger from the tree stand.  Regardless, Ward was on cloud nine.  Two deer in two days!  (Ted got a nice doe the afternoon before he shot this young buck.)

A typical morning began with Ward and Louise "hunting."

and Ward would continue stalking after Louise had given up

nice gun position, Ward!

two crazy kiddos

Sam playing with Avante

the three stooges

silly Cher Cher!

Martin, Bean, Ashton, & one on the way (where was Tripp?)

precious Louise

Ryan and baby Billy . . . he has the best hair!

Mama and Sam

Papa and the deLaureals

a shot of the sunset on Saturday night from the house over the new skeet shooting house - the picture does not do it justice!

By the way, it is now 3:48.  Why does it take Blogger FOREVER to upload pictures?  Does anyone know of any way to speed up that process?

ABC Family Holiday Line-up

Although we don't watch tv during the week, the month of December is a GREAT time to DVR classic Disney films that my kids like to watch all year round (think Nemo, Aladin, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story and the like) as well as favorite Christmas shows for the kiddos like the Grinch, Rudolph, Twas the Night Before Christmas, Frosty, Home Alone, Mickey's A Christmas Carol, the Polar Express and many more.  I gotta get recording!

If you are interested,  go here to find the lineup for this year.

Typical Night

Here are some pictures I found on my camera from the other night.  With no tv on the weeknights, things can get a little creative around here.  Last week the kids were playing dress up in the playroom and this is what they came downstairs in!  I think that they have more fun dressing Sam up than actually dressing themselves.  And he really gets into it!

WARNING: a little depressing

So if the Monday after Thanksgiving wasn't depressing enough (think: a fabulous time with your husband, kids, parents, sisters, nieces and nephews at an amazing location otherwise known as Grey Rocks Ranch), it had to be cold, rainy and downright dreary in Birmingham today.  It actually started raining Saturday night late and I don't think that it has stopped yet.  Just sums up my mood I guess.  {sigh}

But I do hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving and weekend.  I hope that it was time of laughter, love and reflection.  As we went around the Thanksgiving table the overall theme of thankfulness was for each other - for the gifts we all have been so freely given, the ability to use them to our full potential, and for our health.  I am always humbled when I really sit fown and reflect on all I have been given and the enormous respnsibility that comes with it. 

Noticably absent for me throughout the week and weekend, however, was our little girl in Russia.  I could not stop thinking about her and how much I wished I could go and bring her to be with us.  I pray that she will be with us next Thanksgiving (and if she is not you might want to chek me into a local nut house as I am sure that I will be a basketcase).  What a difference it will be for her (and for us) the next time around!  She is already such a part of my life through my thoughts and prayers and I feel a sense of loss that we still don't know her face, her name, her smile, her smells, her tears . . . .  her everything.   But I am remaining failthful and am trying to be comforted in the knowledge that God is in control and this too will pass.  She will be in my arms longer than I am waiting for her.