Christmas Break

This being my first year as a real "school mom," I really loved Christmas break.  We seriously packed in the fun.  Here are the highlights

• We drove around Catlin and Danville to see Christmas lights
• We took Hannah to get her ears pierced.  I had always told her that she could do it whenever she was ready, but she would have to be sure.  She talked about it a few times over break.  The morning I was going to take her, she decided not to go.  That night, we were at the mall for a different purpose, and she decided to march herself into Claire's and ask them to pierce her ears.  She was very brave.  She said it only hurt a little bit, although she did cry afterwards.  She said it's because she was scared.  But she LOVES her new earrings.  Josh and I were a little surprised on the cost, but Josh wanted to make sure she had good earrings that wouldn't irritate her ears.  

• We went out for ice cream at the year around shop in Oakwood
• We went out for Chinese at the mall food court
• We rode the Carousel at the Champaign mall
• We made homemade ornaments for Christmas gifts 

• We made lots of Christmas candies to take to our parties (caramels, fudge, peppermint bark, etc.)
• We hosted Mike & Kristen for New Year's Eve and served a fancy dinner
• We took a fun craft to the preschool class at church.  The kids each made a baby Jesus.  I wish I had taken a picture, but it was a crazy morning!
• I played my trumpet for the first time in years for the Christmas service.
• We spent lots of time in the kitchen, and I tried lots of new recipes (Pasta Da Vinci, Mini Chicken Pot Pies, Roast Ribeye, and Josh made Corned Beef and Cabbage, which was probably technically his first cooking experience... ever)

• We had 4 family Christmases on 3 different days; those will be another post!
• We went to the Christmas Eve service at church
• I went out with two high school girlfriends, one who I hadn't seen in several years.  This is Dawnielle, one of my very best friends from high school:

• We hosted three game nights and served lunch/dinner
• We attended Josh's cousin Pammy's birthday party at Red Lobster

• Josh and I went on a date (with Aleah) to The Possum Trot
• Hannah and Jacob went to a Salt Fork basketball game and Steak 'n Shake with Grandma and Papa
• We went to a friend's b-day party
• I took the kids shopping in Champaign to do exchanges, etc.  One of my favorite purchases was this ornament:

• We got Aleah a new bedroom dresser (Grandpa and Grandma Gurtler are giving her money for Christmas to go towards a dresser and we went and picked it out).

• We set up new shelves in our living room and reorganized the kids' library.  The kids have spent tons of time looking at their books:

• We got to have Sunday lunch with my childhood minister and his wife, Bob and Nell Stacey

• I spent lots of quality time with Josh.
• We found out my sister Emily is expecting!  They came over and told us, and we put Hannah's old shirt on her and took her picture:

• We had two sewing days, and I finished a quilt I've been "working on" for about seven years.

• We set up the kids' new bunkbeds

• We made a gingerbread house.

• We did puzzles, including this 400 piece one:

• We played our new games, mostly Barbecue Party, which Jacob declared his favorite Christmas gift:

• And although I did wash laundry the entire time, I ignored putting it away until the kids were back in school:

• I call that a very successful "break!"