Organization Bites Back

The other day I decided to organize my pictures within PhotoBucket so it would make it easier to find a photo.  Welllll.... I didn't even stop to think that it would change the link for the picture which is the reason you see the ugly picture saying "Sorry.  This person (knucklehead me) moved or deleted this picture."  Blah!  So now I must go back through and re-post the pictures.  However, there is a bright side.  Really?!?  I haven't updated all of the Advent Calendar and I've only been using pictures out of PhotoBucket for a short amount of time.  Therefore, it should only take me a short amount of time to re-post the pictures (if I can remember what the pictures were within the post) and then I'll be on to finishing up our Advent Calendar activities.  There is always something to do.  On to re-posting pictures!

Advent Calendar - Day #25 {Merry Christmas!}

We spent Christmas morning together as a family opening presents and eating our traditional breakfast of Stars.  We also called and said Merry Christmas to many family members before we headed to Chris' cousin's house for Christmas dinner.

We also completed our Advent Wreath by reading Isaiah 9:1-6.

For Elianna, it was the year of dress up stuff.  She got outfits and accessories and all kinds of fun stuff to play dress up with.  It's pretty much all she has played with since Christmas.  This Christmas I also decided to make most of the Christmas presents we gave to Elianna and Chris's nieces and nephews.  I sewed my very first project {since my traumatic experience in junior high school HomeEc Class} of baby doll diapers for Elianna's babies.  They turned out pretty cute!

Christmas is pretty much all about pictures so indulge!  {Note to self for next year:  Get a picture of Elianna with all her Christmas presents (just like your mom used to do when you were growing up).}

For some strange reason, Elianna likes to hang out in Chris' cousin's dog's (Toby) cage.

Advent Calendar - Day #24 {Snacky Meal & Christmas Eve Service}

Christmas Eve came up fast and due to different circumstances during the day, it ended up being crazy! Growing up, tradition in my house was a snacky meal on Christmas Eve. A snacky meal is defined as "little snacky foods that you eat for dinner." Very clearly defined. It is probably one of my all time favorite meals. There is not anything specific we have to eat, we just have to eat whatever is little snacky bites. Chris gladly accepted and embraced this childhood tradition from my family.

Before our busy day erupted, we had planned to go to Christmas Eve service at our "Sunday night church." Friends of our decided to join us for the service so we decided to make a collective snacky meal before we headed to church. Again chaos happened and we ended up rushing around and meeting at their house for dinner. I was glad since I hadn't had time to really straighten up for everyone to come over like originally planned. Whew!

Before we left for Jeremy & Beth's, we let Elianna open one present which was pajamas so she could wear them to church.

{I stole this picture off the pastor's Instagram account. What makes it worse is that we are not "friends" on Instagram. I stalked and then stole. From a pastor no less. As a pastor's wife. Oh goodness!}

All in all it was a hectic chaotic good refreshing Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas!

Advent Calendar - Day #23 {Advent Wreath - Luke 2:1-5 & Elf Gift #4}

Overstating things is common here on this blog, so it will come as no surprise that I am once again going to state the fact that "once again we did our Advent Wreath on Monday instead of Sunday." Ah yes! In our defense, Sundays are naturally busy with church, fellowshipping after church, getting home, eating lunch and then adding in our elf gift giving to 4 families who live no where near the other. 

For our last elf gift, we gave nacho chips and salsa with the tag "From your 'nacho' ordinary elves." We revealed ourselves to the 2 families who do not attend our church. The other two we leave to wonder who it was. We figure if we told them, we could not do it to anyone else in our church which would be no fun next year. When we went to Chris' old bosses house, we stayed and visited for a bit. It was quite humorous because we would be talking and then Jesus would randomly start laughing. Apparently, he would think about running after me the week before and start laughing. It is an event I won't yet forget!

Facebook status updates by the 2 families from our church (ironically, the other 2 families don't have FB accounts):

Week #1

To whoever just rang our doorbell and ran off and dropped off the loaf of 'dough,' thank you!!! What a sweet gift!


Week #2

Cracking up! We just got hit again! Fastest elves ever!!!! We were even upstairs looking out over the front yard! Cookies last week. Rootin' Tootin' root beer and beans tonight!

To the person (or people) who have left gifts on our front porch (2x): a. We so greatly appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness (and the coookies were amazing). b. How are you getting away so fast? I do not even hear the front door opening. c. If you could have seen my reaction (as well as Brewer's) to your knock tonight, I think you would have laughed hysterically. Well played!


Week #3

Secret Santa strikes again! Tonight, we received a bag of Twizzlers with the message, 'Twizz the Season to be Jolly!' J said he thinks it's the real Santa dropping them off and that we must have been REALLY good this year. :)

once again our house was hit by a secret santa. we feel very blessed and loved. we have a few ideas who is doing this but can't prove anything. regardless...we feel loved. who doesn’t love twizzlers.


Week #4

As soon as J heard the doorbell and the crazy loud, fast knock, he yells out 'Secret Santa Strikes Again!' :) We love our 'nacho' ordinary elves!!!

I was sitting on the couch while snuggling with Brewer and watching the Seahawks game with B and thinking of how good life is when I was, yet again, startled by a loud knock at the door (yes, I screached). We were hit again by our wonderful secret Santa with chips and salsa. Saw tail lights this time, but no luck on identifying the car. Again, well played Santa, well played.

Advent Calendar - Day #22 {Carriage Ride in Boulder}

While listening to Christmas music one day, I heard an advertisement for the 29th Street Mall Christmas activities.  One of them was a free carriage ride.  Who doesn't love a carriage ride?  For free?  Check and check.  The rides only ran on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 5 - 8pm.  Saturday evening we bundled up (it was super cold) and drove over to Boulder to partake in the festivities.

In addition to the carriage ride, you could also view the reindeer.  One was Rudolph's girlfriend and brother or something like that.  We stood in line for about an hour and then rode in the carriage for about 5 minutes.  It may not have seemed like a good payoff, but Elianna loved it and that's what we were going for.  Plus she enjoyed talking to a new "friend" while we all waited in line for the ride.

Advent Calendar - Day #21 {Christmas Lights}

We squeezed it into the calendar just days before Christmas - viewing Christmas lights.  Each year the Denver Post puts up a map that you can add your display of Christmas lights to.  One would think that if you add your name to such a list, you would have more Christmas lights than the average person.  Not so.  This year, due to work schedules and stuff, we weren't able to go to the good good Christmas lights display.  The good good display is down in the Highlands Ranch area.  We made it to the redneck display of Christmas lights.  As in, old trucks that don't run but just sit in the driveway were decorated with Christmas lights - redneck display.  Some weren't that bad just not as good as the good good display.  Nonetheless, it was fun and we did end up stopping for hot chocolate along the way.  Score!

Advent Calendar - Day #20 {Indoor "Snowball" Fight}

This was probably my favoritest thing on our Advent Calendar this year!  It was so much fun!  We had an indoor snowball fight using marshmallows.  We had mini marshmallows, regular size marshmallows and the large campfire marshmallows.  

Elianna and I hid behind the coach while Chris mainly hid behind the chair but ventured out much more than Elianna and I did.  Some of those larger marshmallows hurt a teensy bit when thrown at you.  At one point there was pure pandemonium with Elianna running one way, Chris running another way and me running a third way all while throwing marshmallows at each other.  Fist fulls of mini marshmallows.  A hit on the head by a campfire marshmallow (which were the very best by the way). By the end of it all, we were tired and sweaty from running crazy all around.

Despite there being marshmallows everywhere, cleanup wasn't really all that bad.  Everyone had their section and were easy to pick multiples up, making the cleanup of a 30 minute battle only take 10 minutes.  Pretty good trade off for tons of fun I would say.  The fun part of it is that we occasionally would find a marshmallow here or there.  In the couch.  On the window sill.  In the Christmas tree branches.  In the Christmas tree base floating in the water.  Finding one brings back those memories and makes you smile!

Advent Calendar - Day #19 {Christmas Movie - The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with Egg Nog}

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is one of those books that has been translated so well into a movie.  While the movie itself may be a bit old, the message behind it remains the same.  If you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, check out the minimovie below or, better yet, find the book.  It'll make you stop and think.

It's Christmas Time!

It is Christmas Time which means we are a bit busy around here.  In addition to our Advent Calendar activities, I also decided to learn to sew and make the little kiddos in our family (Elianna, nieces and nephews) Christmas presents.  And I learned this about a month before Christmas.  Hopefully I will be done with said gifts soon and can get back to updating our Advent Calendar activities.  There is a hysterical story to go with our one elf giving.  Hysterical!  Can't wait to share it!

Advent Calendar - Day #18 {Christmas Puzzle}

For some bizarre reasoning, I was not good at taking progress pictures of the Christmas puzzle (which by the way still sits unfinished in January 2013).  In order to not leave this post 1 sentence long, here are a few other places the moose was hidden (thus making this post 2 sentences long).