Merry Christmas!

We have had the most amazing day.  We woke around 6:45 and got the day started.  We have opened gifts, laughed a lot, played games, enjoyed lots of food and simply enjoyed being together and sharing in the magic and wonder of this day.   
For the past two years, Lily Grace has been asking for the Lego Build Star Wars Millennium Falcon.  It's the largest set Lego makes with 7,541 pieces.  The box is huge and the spiral bound manual is like a large catalog. 
Well, this year the iconic ship landed in our living room.  

Top of her wish list

Excited to see that big box

Very excited

I think Matt was just as excited since he is her build partner.  They just had to take a look at the enormity of the build inside.

Gracie couldn't wait for me to look in my stocking and insisted I hurry up and do so.  The girl knows me so well.  She has talked about gel pens and Sharpie's being a high priority on her Christmas list.  She loves pens and drawing/creating fonts/etc...  In turn, she surprised me with my own set of colorful pens because I am forever looking for one in the kitchen "junk drawer," or from the bottom of my purse.  She also knows how much I love chocolate.  

In the bottom of my stocking I was surprised to find diamond hoop earrings that she and her daddy had managed to get past me. 

I surprised Matt with his very own Pit Master t-shirt.  ha!

Lily Grace was excited for Matt to open up this new chip net she got him.  They've already had a little competition this morning.

Matt got several new boxes of personalized golf balls. 

Living in the midwest, I think I go through a pari of Ugg slippers almost every year.

Cuddling and tossing her new bear from LG

Trying out her new Harry Potter chess set

Happy, Merry, Grateful, Joyful, Blessed 

Look at that massive manual.  

Matt and Gracie wasted no time getting set up and getting a system.  Each of these boxes hold about 16 bags of Legos for this build.  

These two officially got started around 9:25 this morning on the building of the Millennium Falcon.

Today, our Savior is born and we have all received the greatest gifts in His birth!  From our family to yours:
🎄Merry Christmas!🎄

Christmas is coming!

We are having a wonderful Christmas season.  Spending time together, making memories and celebrating the birth of our Savior.  

This year, we attempted decorating a mini village.  As always, there were a lot of laughs as we each got busy.  Matt declared himself the best.....whatever!

Matt, Barb and LG

And it just wouldn't be Christmas Eve morning without a visit from Bob Elf.  Regardless of how old Grace gets. We all look forward to his visit.  I don't know that he will ever stop coming until he starts making visits for Gracie kids one day. A few weeks ago, we watched the original pilot episode of Wonder Woman with Linda Carter from the 70's.  Let me just say that it's so much different than Matt and I remember as children and it was down right comical and bad in a hilarious way.  Oh my gracious the acting, the "special effects," the plot.  I don't know the last time we all laughed so hard.  There was one scene in particular where Wonder Woman is carrying a pilot in her arms wrapped in a pink blanket in full on sprint.  It's so obvious she is holding a mannequin and his head is bobbing around.  Lily Grace does a spot on impersonation and again, it's hilarious.  Well this year, Bob was delivered by none other than a running Wonder Woman.  We got the biggest laugh off of this.  As always, he brought donuts and new games.  We spent Christmas Eve playing all our new games, snacking and laughing until time for Christmas mass.  

Blank Slate is one of our new favorite games.

After Christmas Eve mass we came home and made homemade brick oven pizzas on The Big Green Egg, played games and watched a movie.  We had a wonderful evening filled with Christmas music and fun!   

Happy 8th Birthday Molly!

Here's Molly as a puppy.  This was the first picture we ever saw of Molly.  The breeder sent it to us.  This particular litter was given color names.  Molly wore a green ribbon.

8 years old 

Winter Recital

Gracie had her winter piano recital.  She played two pieces.  One was a duet with her teacher Mrs. Anny and the other a solo.  She did so good!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We were set to board a plane on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and spend the holiday in Charleston, SC.  
Our plans changed when Molly ended up tearing her ACL in her back leg.  (She just had the other back leg replaced a little over a year ago.). She was taken into surgery the Friday before and so we spent the holiday nursing her.  
We still had a wonderful holiday.  We quickly canceled all our reservations, made a couple of trips to the grocery and had a wonderful holiday.  
Matt has been obsessed with The Big Green Egg for years.  Well, he finally got one a couple of days before Thanksgiving and has declared himself "pit master."  Let me just say if trying to smoke and grill everything in sight makes you a pit master then he is indeed master.  Have mercy!  I will say, he made an amazing turkey on Thanksgiving on his first attempt.  
We also spent the holiday watching movies and decorating for Christmas.  We installed a driving range in our basement and have been swinging away.  Here's a tip: Until the side nets are in place, don't hit any golf balls, no matter if your husband pushes you to do it.  I should know.  I happen to be good at using spackle and repairing a hole in the wall.  ha! ha!  Yep, you could say, I sliced the ball.  
We are blessed! We took care of Molly, changed plans and still made memories together.  Thanks be to God!

We gave Molly some turkey on Thanksgiving.  Poor thing, instead of pinky up if was leg up as she ate.  Another leg, another 20 staples.

Pit Master getting the turkey started on The Big Green Egg.  

It was very cold out and Matt was coming in out from grilling the turkey the turkey to get warm and he smelled like a smoke stack.  We made him bring in a folding chair from the garage to sit in by the fire on his trips in to warm up.  Molly on the other hand......

We decorated for Christmas and Gracie and I finally got this garland decorated and hung like we like it.  This after years of wrestling with it. 

Getting in some golf practice.  Notice, the sides are up.

So very proud...

Gracie and I are so proud of Matt.  He works very hard. He is blessed with a job at a company he has grown with (literally, 22 years) and loves.  This past week, Matt was promoted and named Vice President of Technology.  

Thank you for working so hard for our family Matt.  With all the travel, long hours and missed moments, you are still the absolute best at the job titles that matter most, husband, father and man of God. We love you!

Keeping Busy

Matt and Gracie had their monthly "date night" and this month they enjoyed eating Mexican food and roller skating.  

Our church is very blessed to have a Fidelis Chapter.  Fidelis is a group of girls, 6-12th grade, who work to lift each other up and lead lives that reflect Christ.  They meet each week, enjoy a potluck dinner together at the church, participate in activities/games, discussion and prayer.  Lily Grace pledged a couple of weeks ago. 

The girls enjoyed an overnight retreat to celebrate. 

Each year, Matt's company does a day of service at a local shelter for homeless families.  Lily Grace joined Matt during her fall break from school to help out.  Matt said she did a great job! She washed walls, did caulking and various other jobs to help out. 

Lily Grace gave up trick or treating a couple of years ago.  She found that it's a lot more fun giving out the candy and getting to meet all the cute faces that ring our doorbell.  She dresses up to give out candy and the kids always seem to appreciate it when she opens the door.  This year, she dressed as Rey from Star Wars.  She even brought out her BB8 and made a Darth Vader pumpkin to add to the theme.

Lily Grace is thinking about entering the work force.  She'd like to start babysitting to earn a little money.  She has the best time volunteering at the church and working with the little ones on Sunday mornings, but before we let her take full responsibility, we wanted her to get some training.  She spent and entire Saturday in a Safe Sitter class learning how to care for children, basic CPR for choking, the business of babysitting, behavior management etc...


🎉🎉🎉🎉
This past week I celebrated my 47th birthday!  I had a wonderful day.  Matt took off work and we spent the day together and Gracie shared this beautiful poem she had written with me.  She is quite the writer.  Melt my heart! I love you both!

I’m from art, music, and books

From awesome Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter

From a happy family

From disorganized and organized

From hot dogs and freezing ice cream

From the land of pink and gold, shiny and sparkly

On Mondays—tiring

Do I have to go to school?

On Fridays—exciting

It’s the weekend!

Saturdays—sleeping in

Recharging from the week

From big books on rainy days

Reading fantasy and mystery

All silent and still

My dog sleeping at the foot of my bed

Being sucked into the story

Time passing away, unnoticed

From drawing at the table

My hand smudged with graphite

From shading and smudging

Taking ideas from the internet

My bare feet dangling below

And my mom cooking up a storm