Jesus' Birthday

Christmas Day...the big day we have been waiting for.  The decorations have been up for about a month, the baking has been done, family is home, everything was ready.  Gabi was up by 6:30 am asking to open gifts.  I slowly got up and tried to do odds and ends upstairs, tidying up a bit, jumped in the shower and finally decided 7 am was okay to wake the boys up to go down and open.  We did stockings first...the boys got anything from a Monster drink (Tyler) to lotto tickets.  Gabi got Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Ugly Truth, some blush and lip glosses, etc etc etc.  Next stop was under the tree to see what Santa left.  Money for the boys and a beautiful green chair for Gabi to have in her room along with something she was not expecting...an Ipod Touch!!  Santa also left Epic Mickey game for wii.  How exciting!  Guess she was pretty high up on the Nice List this year!

We opened our gifts under the tree.  Some highlights were:
Trenton - slippers, gift cards, shirt from Pac Sun and a Fossil watch
Tyler - slippers, gift cards, xbox live card, and shirts from Pac Sun
Gabi - slipper boots, clothes, Scribblenauts for her DS, and Ipod Touch skins
I would have to say they got pretty much all they asked for :)

We made it over to Chad and Amber's house for brunch complete with ham and egg burritos, sausage and cheese hashbrowns, hashbrown casserole, fruit, maple sugared bacon, juice, coffee and homemade cinnamon rolls from Amber's mom!  SO YUMMY!  The kids enjoyed opening gifts after brunch as well.  More gift cards for the boys.  One of Tyler's favorite gifts was an IU winter hat!  He put it on and never took it off. 

We visited Ben's dad around noon or so where we met up with Pam and Jeff and kiddos.  Had a good time getting into the gifts there also.  Gift cards, money, favorite food (from uncle Dave and the boys got homemade ice box cake -one each from Aunt Pam!), and fun gifts there also.  We were able to walk across the street to see Pam's new house they moved into last weekend and she treated us to some entertainment while we were there!  She got the Michael Jackson Experience for Wii and she danced a few rounds with Gabi and Trenton.  Lots of laughs and good to visit with everyone!

Got home about 4pm or so to take a quick nap and allow me some time to try and get Gabi's Ipod up and running.  We were invited back to Chad's house with Amber's family to celebrate Jesus' birthday.  Another tradition that we enjoy.  The kids sing "Happy Birthday" and we have lots of snacky foods and birthday cake.  This year Amber's mom made homemade bean soup!! 
A very busy day, indeed, but a day we absolutely look forward to each year.  Family and fun.  Best way to celebrate the holidays. 
Some of my gifts this year....
*gift card to the Buckle
*running pants with some dri fit running socks (needed these badly)
*Bath and Body lotions
*Yankee candles
*Coach Poppy Wristlet
*gift card to Old Navy
*Logans gift card
*Starbucks gift card
*Vera Bradley bag
*IU wear
*hoody and a pretty shirt from Ben :)
*sweater
*Sarah Palin book
*my blog (2009) printed into a booklet
*aloe socks
I would have to say that I was pretty nice this year too and that my family did me well, as usual.  Love them all! 

Christmas Eve Doings and Traditions

After opening special gifts this year we headed out to my parents' house for dinner with her side of the family.  It's a fun time to just sit and talk and laugh and laugh and laugh.  Or we play cards or watch tv, etc etc.  Just able to be together is fun.  The food is always amazing.  This year we had a fried turkey that Jimmy and Aunt Carol made along with stuffing, green bean casserole, hash brown casserole, noodles, rolls, chips and dips, shrimp, veggies, cookies, pie and more!  Love this tradition that has been in my family since before I was born!  It has certainly become one my children love to do as well.  Always fun to see my cousins and aunts and uncles.  You can tell we really enjoy the couch my parents have, especially after eating alot of food! :)

We got home about 10pm and Gabi read to us "The Night Before Christmas" which is another tradition of ours before putting out the cookies and milk for Santa and getting all tucked in for the night.  Was so glad Trenton was around to listen to the story and be part of it this year again.  He said several times how he was not anywhere near ready to head back to school.  This does my heart good that he loves to be home. 

Special Gifts

If you have followed my blog or you are close to us, you are aware of our "special gift exchange" within our family.  We draw names around Thanksgiving time and we buy our person a gift and write a special note about how they have impacted our lives that year.  It is a nice tradition we continue and the kids love it.  This year Ben had Gabi.  He got her a new watch, earrings and some headbands for her hair. 

Gabi had Tyler.  She got him an IU t-shirt and a Colts Dri fit shirt.  Tyler had me and I must say, he packaged his gift up beautiful :)  (thanks Abby)!  He got me three IU shirts!!!  I had Trenton.  I wanted him to have a bit of home with him and have heard him say several times how much he misses hunting.  So, I got him a hunting game for his x-box.  He also has a new love of the Chicago Blackhawks and figured a nice t-shirt sporting his team would be cool.  Trenton had his dad.  Trenton actually did a nice job this year thinking of some things that would really be "special" - what this gift is supposed to be all about.  He got Ben a frame and put three pictures in it with his favorite things he does with his dad...hunting, fishing and wrestling!  He also got him a couple of movies to enjoy on his new tv he won from a drawing at work last week (46" Sony flat screen HDTV)! 

Great job this year family!!  We open them on Christmas Eve day just before going to my parents to eat with her side of the family.  This year the boys took Maizy out in the morning to hunt some bunnies. Ended up getting two and brought home a very tired doggy!  A nice day to start off the holiday weekend!

Girls Night to Exchange Gifts

Lina, Emma, Gabi and I headed out tonight for our annual gift exchange...started this tradition years ago with the playland at McDonalds.  It is now become a dinner at the girls' fave - Olive Garden and over to a nail salon for a mini manicure!  Gabi got a VERY cool blanket made especially by Lina - she had asked for a bigger one that would actually cover her since the one she has been using is the one she got many years ago and she was little back then ;)
And she also got her Selena Gomez - A Year Without Rain CD that we listened to on the way home tonight.  Gabi is totally excited to have Emma stay over!  Fun times!!!!

Winter

Happy Winter Solstice!  Will be excited to start gaining back the daylight hours...Did anyone stay up to see this???  Tyler was swearing that he would, but when I asked him this morning...his response, "oh, I forgot."  Enjoying this time with ALL the family together in our home.  Home is definitely where the heart is (when all my kiddos are home)  :)

Christmas Preparations and Parties

Lots went on this week besides wrestling...
My mom had her annual Christmas party for the kiddos at her daycare home on Wednesday.  Since Tyler is "interning" at her house, she actually put him to work as the "big man."  So cute to see the kids sit on his lap and didn't even have a clue as to who he actually was. 

Gabi celebrated the holidays with the class on Thursday.  I can't help but be reminded how lucky I am that I have a job that allows me to be at these parties.  Love not missing a beat with my kids.  Love Mrs. Risner this year...love the story behind the Christmas chains hung from her ceiling.  She has a class make one chain each year and saves them to put up every Christmas.  As you can see, she has had many classes :)

So happy that the snow has come to stay for Christmas.  Makes all the decorations even more beautiful this time of year.  Looking forward to our annual drive through Winding Brook before Christmas Day to see all the pretty lights.

Glad to have Trenton home.  Ben made the trip yesterday to get him for the week.  He has been relaxing and relaxing :)  You can really tell that he is maturing more and more each day.  Today at lunch he made the comment that a good gift for next year would be a payment on his loans for school!  lol  He is understanding quickly how life really works. . .
Glad to have him home.

War Wounds

Tyler gave it a good shot against Penn last night but lost his match 3-4 after an injury :(  With the team being as beat up as they are, it was a heck of a ride though.  The scene was set...we moved all the shower curtains over to the old gym, the lights were dimmed, the dj was there playing music and the crowd had come!  A great atmosphere for a wrestling meet.  Loved every minute...even the tense ones.  Mishawaka beat Penn with a final score of 30-22  Tyler is definitely adding to his list of war wounds...

Christmas Humor

Ben sent these to me in an email...chuckled the most at these two...one because he always makes fun of me when I watch "Little People Big World" and I could only imagine how he thought of me and laughed when he saw it and the other because, well, it's actually kind of true these days...texting has taken the place of talking.  Anyways, enjoy some Christmas time humor...

Christmas County Spelling Bee

After weeks of listening to the program on a CD in the car to and from school, Gabi's Christmas Choir Concert was tonight at church :)

She has been gearing up for this for a while..practice every Thursday and listening to the CD daily.  She has become quite the pro at memorizing songs.  It was called The Christmas County Spelling Bee and the kids from the church did an awesome job.  Her favorite song was "Everlasting Father" seen below in the first video...and yes, if you look close enough you can see her cousin, Presley, was in the concert as well.  This was definitelly something Gabi really enjoyed this year.

The Bell

"The bell still rings for me, as it does for all those who truly believe" - Polar Express
Yes, Gabi still likes to go and sit on Santa's lap.  She actually had to initiate the process and I am somewhat ashamed because of this...we have been so busy.  Just a busy time of year.  Christmas shopping, work, wrestling, school, baking, decorating, etc etc etc.  She finally said, "when do I get to see Santa, mom?"  - so we promised her today we would grab up Rudolph and get him fixed at Build A Bear (had a hole in him) and see Santa before the nasty weather came in.  I am happy to report that we got it all done and then some...

Among the things Gabi asked Santa for...Just Dance 2 and Epic Mickey for the wii...Santa was quick to reply that he was running out of wiis because of the high demand!! :)  Gabi told him she already had one.  He was relieved.  So now we are off to get around for Gabi's Christmas County Spelling Bee Christmas musical at church tonight and the weather has just started to come in. 

Last Triacoff For Us

One of the roughest tournaments of the year...Triacoff at Calumet.  Why...?  Because most of the best teams are there to compete.  Several ranked wrestlers for great teams, awesome matches...just a "barn burner" as we like to call it.  Tyler did GREAT yesterday.  He went 3-1. 

First up, Mark Arrendondo from Highland.  Tyler was funny during this match...and I have to explain first...you see, Fabian (one of his coaches) told him to run headlocks all day.  Well, not even 10 seconds into the match, Tyler threw one and caught the kid to pin him.  Tyler tried turning around to make a face at Fabian and kind of laughed.  Wislers caught a great pic of this...just funny (I know not for the other kid, but the whole scenario was).  Mishawaka beat Highland handedly, 69-12. 

Next round was a bit tougher...Lawrence North (with four ranked kids).  Tyler ended up getting a forfet but Mishawaka won 35-24.  Franklin was up next (four ranked kids).  Tyler had Brian Murr and beat him 7-2.  A lanky kid, but Tyler did well.  Ended up re injuring himself from last weekend but pulled out the w.  Mishawaka wins another, but not by much, 32-27. 

Cathedral was our next team (four ranked kids) but Tyler did not wrestle.  Mishawaka won this match 41-26.  Last round was gonna be a tough one, with Tyler ailing from an injury he got last weekend, it was going to be a bit rough and we knew it.  Crown Point...a stacked team this year, projected to win team state with seven ranked kids - two of them at #1.  Tyler had the little Shrewsbury brother so we knew he came from a wrestling family.  He gave it a good run and was winning 3-2 until the last few seconds when he gave up a takedown for a loss of 3-4.  Tyler hopes to face him again and "beat him next time" and we know he can!