Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Let it Snow!









Christmas


We had a blessed and wonderful Christmas. It was a busy week with lots of fun activities. We started the week with our church's Christmas cantata and play on Sunday. Wednesday we had a really neat candlelight Christmas Eve service and then went to my parents for dinner, games, and gift opening. Mom told the kids the Christmas story and let them help put up the flannel graph characters. They loved it! Thursday we opened gifts at home and then we all packed up and went to Rob and Sarah's for Christmas dinner. Friday we took the healthy kids (flu has been going around) to the snow. Allie was such a grump! She hated it. Last year, she couldn't get enough. This year she didn't want anything to do with it (except eat it).


Daddy and his girl


Papa
Allie and her new babies

(which she named "Ling" and "Mommy")


Ryan on Claire's new bike


Maddie

Listening to the Christmas story

Grandma telling the Christmas story

Classic


Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Big Day

Allie had a BIG day on Saturday.

We started the day off with breakfast out with the entire McCullough family. Then we headed out to pick out our Christmas tree. We trudged out in the cold, searching the forest for the perfect Fox Family tree...well, at least one that would be acceptable. We finally found it on our third stop. But by then, the snow that had started to fall and the cold that was stinging her tiny little hands had put Allie in a bad mood. Once we got her loaded in the car and got her warmed up her mood turned around.

While Tim unloaded the car and I put things away, Allie was happily playing until she locked herself in our bedroom. She started pounding on the door, "Mommy, mommy!" We couldn't find the key so it took us about 10 minutes to get her out. I think she was actually having fun in there and she never panicked.

Then, we went Christmas shopping and had a blast...Allie cried when I pulled her away from a toy she was playing with, making a total nuisance in Toy's R Us. Then, she got behind a big wooden kitchen set (in the box) and pushed it on to the floor. I'm sure the entire store could hear it hit the floor. As she turned to run, she hit her head on the corner of one of the metal shelves and put a whole in her forehead....and of course, the screaming started. Then, I dumped fishy crackers all over the floor and Allie tried to step on them. All I could think was, "we have to get out of here." People must think I'm a terrible mother...I'm sure I would agree with them if I was standing in their shoes at that moment. While Tim checked out, Allie dumped fishy crackers all over the checkout floor. What a disaster. Big Lots and Wal-Mart were a lot less dramatic and we made it home without too many more incidences.

Allie was so tired that she fought going to sleep. She screamed and cried and threw a fit when we left her in her crib...and then we heard a "thud". A few seconds later we heard pounding on the door of her bedroom. She learned to climb out of her crib that night. She hasn't done it again since Saturday but I'm sure she will the next time she doesn't want to sleep. Overall it was a fun day but I was certainly glad to finally put my head on my pillow that night!