Christmas Wrap up

Somehow I thought it was better to post in little posts about Christmas rather than a looooong one.  So, if you are starting to read this one, be sure to keep scrolling to see more pictures about the Christmas festivities.  These are just a few more random shots from our days away from home.  There was a very entertaining microphone that turned your voice into an elf voice.  Madison enjoyed singing into it.  (I think was got some of it on video, but I can’t remember.)  We had a family picture taken on Monday night that turned out pretty well.  Madison is getting better at photos, so it is fun to see her little smile emerge.  She also was okay with the hair barrette we put in her hair; it makes her look more girly and cute :)  We hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas.  We are not sending out a Christmas letter this year, but rather sending something out with the announcements after the birth of baby Yoh #2 (which is rapidly approaching). 

                                

             

Baby update:  I am still only 1 cm, which is still fine with me.  If I am still only 1 cm in about 2 weeks, I may get a little nervous that I won’t ever have the baby!  But I can handle at least one more week.  I will admit it is getting more difficult to get around – slower to get off the couch and out of the car, harder to tie my shoes, and a few more trips to the bathroom.  All is good though – weight, blood pressure, etc. – and we look forward to what is to come!

Christmas #4

From Yoh Christmas, we headed to Bricker Christmas.  Jeremy and I took Madison a little early to try to get a little nap in at the “party house.”  She napped for about 1-1/2 hours – pretty good with all the commotion going on downstairs!  Jeremy and I managed to get Christmas dinner in before she woke up – ham, pork loin, potatoes, bread, cookies, etc… delicious!  Shortly after the meal, we started the gift festivities.  Madison was once again an elf.  This time it was much harder because there were a lot more people that she rarely sees, so it was a game of whose names do you remember.  She got a lot of applause when she made it successfully.  About 10 people in, she asked, “Where’s Madison’s?”  Obviously, she was feeling a bit left out of the gifting!  She found a gift for her, sat down and opened it (a stuffed puppy and puppy book and a book about being a big sister), and then settled in on my lap… too tired to continue passing out all the gifts!  Here are a few snapshots from the time together:

               

            

                                 

Christmas #3

We woke up Christmas morning at Grandma and Papa Yoh’s house.  Jason was up shortly after us.  Jennifer even made it out of bed fairly early after a late night of travel.  Arturo was the last up in barely in time for breakfast! 

              

We had a delicious breakfast casserole before heading to the family room for gifts.  Madison helped pass out gifts to everyone – she makes an excellent elf!  She donned her tutu for the occasion (along with her pjs and a sporty bedhead hair-do!).  She got some new clothes, a battery-powered hamster (who she named Sasha), and a cute kitty coat from Grandma and Papa.  Jason gave her a doll with a baby in a sling.  It was a good time.

                    

                                        

Christmas #2

We had our small family Christmas on Saturday morning.  Jeremy and I had stayed up late (well, 10:30) wrapping presents the night before; I don’t think procrastinating is such a good idea for the future.  This year, Madison was much more into the idea of presents.  When she woke up and came downstairs, she wanted to open gifts “right now”.  We had her open her big gift first by pulling a carefully draped blanket off of a …. kitchen!  She squealed with delight and was very excited.  She especially likes the microwave that “dings” with each push of the button.  She washed dishes in the sink and fed her baby in the little high chair seat that is on one side of it.  We had breakfast – monkey bread and fruit – before opening the rest of the gifts.  She also got a set of silverware (spoon, fork, and most importantly, a knife), some books, and a selection of Little People.  Madison got Jeremy a bird feeder so they can watch birds together.  I got him a certificate for a new cordless drill – somehow Sears was out of the exact model he wanted.  I got money to go shopping for new clothes!  I am really excited, even though it won’t happen until I am in a somewhat normal size later this year. 

                                

             

While Madison and I napped, Jeremy went and picked up Jason from the airport.  We got all dressed up to go to Christmas Eve service at our church.  Madison sat with us while we sang songs, and then marched up the aisles saying “bye, bye” to everyone along the way as we made our way to the nursery.  We headed to Jeremy’s parents house after eating supper.  Although she went to bed a little late, the day went well.   

A Sad Day

Today was Madison’s last day with Jamie, her sitter for the past two years.  Jamie has been a blessing.  I have not cried ever leaving Madison – not even on the first day.  Madison is excited to arrive in the mornings at Jamie’s and busts through the doors of her house like she owns the place.  She has created all kinds of crafts and pictures, worked on her coloring skills, discovered play-doh, and dabbled in dress up.  She has also made some friends there – Maci was her best bud and only a few months older than her.  Just yesterday, Noah started and apparently, he and Madison played together quite a bit.  He went home and told his mom, “I have a new best friend, and her name is Madison.”  So cute!  The only reason we are giving up such an awesome sitter is to get our kids closer to our house and because Jamie’s place was getting pretty crowded.  We feel good about our new sitter, but time will tell.  So, here are a few pictures Jamie has taken over the past years:

 

                                        

               

              

               

                

                

                 

               

                  

                 

Christmas #1

We had a great weekend with my side of the family for Christmas.  We met them at my brother’s house on Saturday morning for cinnamon rolls and gifts.  The kids lined up for photos before the chaos officially started.  They were a bit more manageable this year, although Madison wanted to take off after each picture.  The grandkids sat through the unedited Christmas story, a letter from Great-Grandpa Jantzen, and another book before getting to swap their gifts – very impressive!  We also had an impromptu Christmas program of kids sharing songs and talents.  In the stocking photo, my mom had said, “Ready, Set, Go” to indicate the grandkids should open their stockings.  Madison took it to mean that she should get up and race across the room; it was super cute!  Madison received a stroller to push around for Christmas; she loved it (as did the other two little munchkins… much learning to share incurred). 

             

               

Here are some “formal” Christmas photos:

                 

After lunch, my parents put a spin on the normal Christmas and took us all to Comfort Inn’s Splash Harbor for the day/night.  Madison took a little time to warm up to the water, but then we couldn’t get her away.  Here are a few water pics:

               

                                           

We had a pizza supper, some “quiet” activities, and a good night’s sleep, before we spent more time in the water the next day.  It was a good place to hang out and let the kids burn off their energy.  A few shots of the rest of the weekend:

              

  We came home on Sunday just in time for Madison’s nap, which meant I squeezed in a nap, too.  What a great Christmas!