It's all about ME!

We were at a Christmas party this weekend, and at the end of the evening we were singing Christmas carols together. It was beautiful. I love singing in a group and Christmas songs are my favorite--such simple, but powerful songs and all so joyful! Anyway, Jonah was pretty tired, so I was holding him. We were singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful:"

Oh come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,

Oh come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem.

Come and behold him, born the king of angels.
Oh come let us adore him, oh come let us adore him

Oh come let us adore him, Christ the lord.

During the part of the song that repeats "Oh come let us adore Him" Jonah thought he had it figured out.

He got a huge smile on his face, put his hands around my face, turned it towards him and shouted out, "Hey! You're singing about ME!"

Christmas Cuties....

Isn't she cute?

See the intent look on her face? She wouldn't take her eyes off of Jonah!
These two handsome fellas love to dress up......but they know how to cut loose too!
And here's where their crazy/silly streak comes from! :)

Hope your Christmas season is off to a great start!

Is it possible to get a good family Christmas picture?

These two say no . . . .

This one is always willing to cooperate . . . .

And this one only smiles when she has the camera all to herself!

Thanksgiving recap....

Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday!

This year we went to Dallas where Sam's sister Amy lives. They rented out the clubhouse that is available in their neighborhood--it was beautiful! There was a roaring fire keeping us toasty and warm, a media room with big screen tv and comfy chairs, a kid's room with toys and a separate tv and bean bag chairs, a work-out type room with big balls for the kids to bounce around, and Amy set up a LOOOOOOONG table to seat all 25 or so of us!

The kids had so much fun! Henry and Jonah will be talking about it for years to come. :)

The food was great, there were more pies than we could handle and lots of pre-dinner snacks. The guys watched football and then headed outside during half-time to play football even though it was a little chilly outside!

It was a really great day.

Yes, Sam actually wears these sunglasses. I have no comment.

Henry had a fun Thanksgiving feast with his pre-school class on Tuesday before the holiday. It was adorable! They had a great time together and got a little crazy.

One final story. We've been wondering if the boys are getting the true Christmas message, or if they're just getting caught up in a more worldly view of it. Sam and I have been really working with the boys and praying that they would really "get" it this year. We were in the van today and Jonah saw some Christmas decorations. He shouted out, "Hey! It's almost God's birthday!" :)

A fun and useful way to spend a few minutes....

This is a great site. When you go to the site you can play a simple vocabulary game (a great way to improve your mind!) and for each correct answer they'll donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. All the details are on the site--it's fun and an easy way to help those less fortunate than we are.

Sleep Issues

Somebody likes Lightning McQueen, can you tell?

This boy finds it impossible to stay covered up at night!
My two boys are truly best friends. They play everything together, they love to dress alike and they LOVE to make each other laugh. A little over a year ago we decided they should share a bedroom (as a way of learning to get along and share, and also just to foster a positive and good relationship between the two). It has been great, and they absolutely LOVE sharing a room.

Here's the problem. They do not let each other go to sleep! We go through phases of this, for a while they will do fine and then they fall back into their old patterns. They don't (generally) get out of their beds, but they lay there (or sit there) and tell each other silly things, sometimes they'll throw things (like their blankets) back and forth, and they really just get more and more worked up and before you know it an hour (or two!) has passed and they are still awake!

Their bedtime is 7:30. When they are separated they both fall asleep right away. When left together, they don't fall asleep until after 9 or later--which is much too late for boys who are used to getting more sleep--and who get up at 6:30 am regardless of bedtime!

Here are the things we've tried: Bunk beds, separate beds, putting one child to bed earlier, putting both to bed earlier, disciplining them for talking, taking away special privledges, praying (with them and for them). And now I've run out of ideas. This is where you come in. Anyone have small children who do or did share a room? How did it go for you? What things worked or didn't work for you? Is it just a matter of waiting until they are a little older?

For now, we have set up a bed in the playroom. At bedtime, Jonah goes in there and Henry goes in their bedroom. I think we'll keep it like this through the holidays just to make sure everyone is getting enough sleep. The goal is certainly to get them back together, so maybe in January we'll try it again with some of the ideas I know you're going to toss my way! :)

And just for fun....a picture of the sleeping princess!