Christmas

We are 4/6ths of the way done with Christmas.  Woot woot.  *grin*  Cecily had a fever for four days (definitely in the bottom 5 for birthdays)... and Emmy had it for two... and they've both been snotty and grumpy while they recover.  huzzah.  We finally got past the wake-up-with-sinus-drainage fits, "there's something in my froat!  get it out!"  That and the wailing through breakfast.  *sigh*  It was a long week.  We didn't take Cecily to church Sunday so that she would be rested enough to go to the Beutel Christmas that night.

Our tree surrounded by presents.  Which I love. 

 Monday evening we went to the farm for Christmas with my family.  We had a fabulous duck dinner and little miss pretty much just ate broccoli.  Strange child.  Emmy was her usual cheerful self.

 Cecily was excited for presents.

 And so was Shelly... hehe... we love packages!  Christmas without presents would just be... no fun. 

Emmy likes packages too.   

 Cecily got a circus tent, aka, "princess tent," from Grandma and Grandpa. 

 She would come out to open another present and then go back in.

 Dad got another ridiculous hat.

 "It's so beautiful-!"

 The beard-o's. 

 Playing twister with Aunt Lena.

 Emmy likes the tent too.

 Christmas Eve was the big Koch Christmas.  It was a good time, as usual. 
The girls opened their stockings on Christmas morning.... she was still half asleep but she was pretty happy with it- lots of Frozen things. 

 Emmy got in on the fun after they were both ready for church.

 Our Christmas outfits... 

 After church we opened our presents.  Cecily got a dragon.

 Emmy got a bear.

 We gave her a dollhouse... she was pretty excited.

 She can put the furniture where ever she wants! 

 Then we headed to Bob's parent's for the evening.

 Coffee!

 and music.

 "Queen Elsa" got a new Elsa dress... we have glitter all over the house again... woot.  But now we can have two Elsa's.  Haha.  Ceci wanted Emmy to wear the old one today.  She seemed quite pleased with it on.  Funny happy baby.  Who won't sleep all night.  *sigh*

 Queen Elsa and the tent.  It's really pretty big.  I'm not sure how much longer it will live upstairs since it kind of gets in the way.

 Ooo, she even offered to share her felt chocolates. 

Otherwise it's been quiet around here.  We have a few days of break before our next Christmas. 
Blessings.

Our God, Heaven Cannot Hold Him!

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

-John 1:14-

 

Merry Christmas! 

 

A deep and dark December

I think I shall dub 2014 as 'the year of the mediocre Christmas cookie.'  Seriously.  My sugar cookies are slightly crispy, the gingerbread is really crunchy and the frosting is runny, the spritz dough was so stiff it cracked the disks of my cookie press and they are crumbly, the springerle didn't rise.....  *sigh*  Woe is me.  I did learn a new word while searching for the solution to my springerle problems- Füssli.  Next year they will be better.  I am done baking for this year- I frosted my birthday cake this afternoon and called it quits until January 1st. 

Anyway, we had a busy week last week.  Grandma Wyss invited the girls and I for lunch on Tuesday because Abby was going to be in town with baby Boden.  And Kendra ("Krenda") and baby William came.  And Troy and Trent and Fred and Mom stopped in... hehe.  Good times.  Fred was regaling us with tales of his days on the rescue squad. At one point we were all laughing so hard and loud it made Emmy cry... she looks like a giant next to her younger cousins.

These two are very good at making large messes.

We had Barb and Marci over for supper before church on Wednesday night.  I enjoyed having them very much. Cecily was pretty sure they were there just to play with her. *grin*

I took Cecily to the farm on Thursday and went shopping.  I think I'm mostly done except for wrapping and hoping that everything I ordered online shows up in time.

While we were at the farm I packed up my doll house and moved it to our basement- I got Plexiglas to cover it to keep it safe from curious hands.  And used most of a can of Dust-off to clean it.  I hadn't dusted it since I got married... 5 years ago... and it was still decorated for Christmas from a few years before that... yeah.  Anyway.  The "window" will hopefully help with the dust too. 

 All kinds of cool things in there... miniatures are pretty cool. 

Cecily claimed the gazebo so it's sitting in chalk dust.

Friday was "teaching school" for the last time this year.   That went fast!  Then in the afternoon I made several frustrating trips to the DMV.  I did finally get my license renewed and a new picture in which I look exhausted.

The girls wore their Christmas dresses on Sunday.  They looked awfully cute all matching.  *grin*     

 Our very own princess coloring...

 "I'm Mary and Emmy is Joseph." They have the appropriate nativity figurines too.

Somewhere in there I've made two big batches of crepes for Wyss Christmas- 40 of them- and that isn't even half of what Grandma usually makes... she made the rest of course.  *grin*  

She loves food.  Or mostly she just likes to be doing what we are doing.

 So Bob has been giving me one small present every day of December until my birthday.  Cecily has claimed quite a few of them (the pink unicorn sticker kit, Cinderella pencil box, origami flowers...), but this one is staying mine.  It's the Lego research institute- there's a dinosaur skeleton and paleontologist, a telescope and astronomer, and my favorite- a chemist in her lab!!

Today is my Thirtieth birthday.  This is how I have spent it: on the couch with my sick girl.  So far she's just running a fever.  woot.  We've watched Frozen, Veggie tales, and Cinderella... and Emmy has been contentedly playing alone.  At least Bob brought home food from One World for supper... mur.  Yay for birthdays.

Blessings.

And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted....

Yes, well.  Emmy has not been sleeping at night and I've been in a fog again for a few weeks.  Woot.  I was kind of a grumpy mess over Thanksgiving, but that was hopefully the worst of it and she has been sleeping much better the last few nights. 

Smiley baby.  She loves to play with toys...

 And Cecily.

 This one makes me laugh- Cecily looks like she's playing harp and Emmy is quite pleased with that truck.

 We spent Thanksgiving in Washington.  Shelly and I made all the pies- except for the razzleberry Grandma had in the freezer...  she also made the turkey and the stuffing and sent bread.  She didn't come because Grandpa had been in the hospital, she just made all the food.  Anyway, I've made better pie.  Probably the whole multitasking while in a fog of exhaustion thing.

She's figured out how to get toys out of the baskets.

 I'm not sure if this is a lion or a dragon.  They're both equally loud.  One day she said, "my daughter's are so loud."  Pretty sure I've never said that.  She amuses me.

 The girls' Christmas dresses are done.  I just added skirts to some shirts I bought.  I think they're cute, and Cecily loves hers.

Alas, poor Bonsai San, I knew him, Horatio!  I am really good at killing plants these days.

 We got out the Christmas decorations.  She loves her little tree!

 "E" for Emmy.

 There was a nap time accident- the sorry state of our couch under the slipcover, and two girls "playing" Daddy's old Nintendo.  Little miss loved the Monkey game, aka, Donkey Kong. 

 It's a ball!

 Hey! She has my tigger ball!

 Is this food?  I think I would like to taste it.

 She's getting better at getting things out.  Woot.

 This amuses me.  Masha and the Bear and Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus.  They're at Bethlehem.

 We cleared a spot for the Christmas tree- we got it on Wednesday and I haven't taken a picture yet.  I like it a lot.  It's full of so many memories; most of my ornaments are from my Grandma Schlipf, my favorites are her clip on glass birds.

 My pinterest porch decorations. 

 I'm a fan. 

Tonight we were on the committee for church Christmas caroling.  It was a good night, but tiring!  We came home with lots of yummy pulled pork and other goodies.  Next year we'll actually get to go sing!  Yay! 

And there's only one more Friday before the semester is over!  Craziness.  Time is flying.  And we get to do chromatography next week- I'm excited. 

Blessings.