Christmas pictures

My boys on Christmas!

Mugging for the camera...

Ezra got a Craftsman tool work bench and tools for Christmas. He sees Daddy put nails in his mouth as he is working, so...

Delton made two tea rings. I'd have to say they were on par with the best I've ever tasted!

There is something about this age, something about Asher that makes my heart swell with pride and love. It is hard to express how much he is loved!

We had a great Christmas, and the festivities are not over yet. Enjoy the pictures.

For those of you who don't get Reader's Digest, here is a Christmas joke I keep laughing about...

Grandma decided not to buy gifts for everyone this year but just send them money. She sent the checks along with a note that said, "Buy your own gifts". A few months later, grandma was cleaning out some papers and found the checks she thought she mailed with the note... :)

A Day in the Life...

I was awakened at 5:30 a.m. by the sound of a little boy calling out. "Mom! Mommy! Da! Please!" It is so cute, but yet so annoying. I finally rolled out of bed at 6 or so, after having a little boy sit next to me for several minutes, talking about juice and "dark"- he wanted the light turned on.
Breakfast was eaten- the dishes piled in the sink, along with the dishes from supper last night. We played. Asher took a nap, Mom showered, Ezra played with the vacuum attachments in his crib.
I planned to work on Christmas cards while Ezra watched a "choo-choo" on Delton's laptop. My dad called, and I spent the next 20 minutes working on sending him pictures of everyone in my family for my parents Christmas letter that I was going to generate but couldn't. Long, boring story.
After helping my dad, I took a credit card, wet wipe, and a Curious George library book and tried to do some surgery on a book that should have been returned weeks ago (the library informed me I had exceeded the maximum number of times you are allowed to renew a book. I asked if there was anything they could do so I didn't incur a fee until I could get it in. They renewed it. :) Ezra had scribbled all over two of the pages. I don't know where I was, but he spent some serious time scribbling- he focused his attention on curious george who got more than his fair share of red crayon. I have been procrastinating cleaning the book. Good thing the library has a renewal limit...
Asher woke up. I decided to run errands. Dad Lehman agreed to watch Asher. Ezra and I went to Martins. He rode in the cart with a car in front- the main reason I go to Martins! The cashier forgot to ask for my Customer Card- I had to go over to Customer Service and wait in line, then wait while the accountant counted the money in the drawer. Saved 3.01.
Ezra ran away from me in the parking lot, so no "pop" at the bank. Unhappy child and mom drive to Christian bookstore. Along the way, I hear "pop?" multiple times, as well as please, and even see him sign "yes, ma'am!" Each time I said no, there was a new eruption.
I got exactly what I needed at the bookstore- it was a rush! I love spending money!
Get home with both boys- Ezra eats a piece of ham lunchmeat and his leftover eggs from breakfast in his highchair in the kitchen doorway as I nurse Asher in the living room. Ezra almost falls asleep in his highchair as I change Asher's diaper.
Both boys fall asleep. I eat lunch, do dishes, then hear Asher waking up. I put Asher in his exersaucer and work on Christmas cards. Asher gets fussy. I play with him, feed him, and put him to sleep again.
I sat down to work on Christmas cards again, but had to post all the threads of today that are running around in my mind.
Blessings to you. Have a great Thursday.
P.S. Ezra wakes up, and the day keeps on going...

Tradition

One of the last steps in making Tea Rings

Mom letting Ezra help with the process...

The new face of CenPeCo...

David (my brother) visited his girlfriend, Molly, in Italy, where she was studying for a semester. I look forward to hearing more about their time when I see them at Christmas. The little he has said about it makes it seem awesome- David loved every minute of it! In this picture, they are standing at the back entrance of a castle started in 1201. He said it had a moat and a drawbridge and everything. Amazing!

Daniel and Cynthia (law school grads) on the Pacific coast. Beautiful!

As the boys grow older, I have more of a desire to both pass down traditions and establish new ones for our family. My mom came down on Wednesday and we made Swedish Tea Rings, a Christmas tradition in my family. Every year, mom would make tea rings for Christmas. Tea Rings are made with a sweet bread dough. Butter, brown sugar, cinammon and raisins are spread on the rolled out dough. The dough is rolled into a log, formed into a circle, then cut partially and laid down on the pan. After it is baked, we drizzled frosting on it, then placed maraschino cherries on top. It seemed more like Christmas this year because there were tea rings in my home.

We have the Sollenberger Christmas gathering tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it. I love the festivities of Christmas. We keep our schedule pretty free, so the business of the Christmas season centers around family get-togethers, which I love. This year (finally!!) we get to have a Lengeman Christmas get-together at my parents. My brother and his girlfriend as well as my sister Krystal will be in from Iowa. That means that everyone except my brother and his wife, who live in CA, will be together. 8 out of 9- not too shabby. (By the way- my brother and his wife found out recently that they both passed the bar- three years of law school have paid off and they are done! My brother is now a District Attorney for Riverside County in California. I am so proud of him!)

Asher fell asleep a little before 6 this evening. Amazing. He woke up to eat at 8, then fell asleep so deeply I checked twice to make sure he was breathing! Ezra is asleep, there is Christmas music playing, the tree is lit, we are home, and I am at peace.

Blessings to you this Christmas Season.

Is there tuna in the pantry?

Ezra went to work with Delton Friday morning for a few hours. He had to take his tools with him!

Cousins!

I guess I forgot to say "Cheese"

Yes, we were tourists. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the bridge!

What a blur. Thanksgiving has come and gone, the weekend is over, and I am again able to focus on being a mom. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, visiting several sides of the family and enjoying the great fellowship and food.

On Friday, we drove to my sister's home. We spent the evening, and then Delton, Asher and I left for Long Island, New York around 11:30 a.m. We left Ezra with my sister, thinking that playing with cousins all day would be more enjoyable for him than 6 hours of driving. We went to Long Island to see a college roommate I hadn't seen in 10 years. She was having a baby shower and invited us. It was crazy, but we decided to do it. It was a wonderful time. We saw the New York City skyline, crossed the George Washington bridge, paid a huge amount of tolls, drove in city traffic, and arrived with no problems! We were at the shower for 4 hours (Delton hung out with her husband and his friends, thankfully!), then turned around and came home. Did you hear about the person who was trampled at a Walmart store? That happened in Long Island- a few minutes away from where the shower was located.

Asher had cried for about 45 minutes on the way to my sister's house the night before. Needless to say, we were a bit tense about the drive to the shower. God is sooooo faithful! Asher made one whimper in 6 hours. Seriously. He whimpered, I fed him, and he was good to go. He fell asleep on the drive home and slept the entire time. It was such a peaceful time. We actually had much more trouble getting home from my sister's house last evening- we hit crazy traffic on 81 as everyone (including us) was returning from their long Thanksgiving weekend.

I went shopping with my mom and sisters over the weekend. As I was trying some clothes on in the dressing room, I heard a woman in the next stall say the comment that I used as the title. She was on the phone with someone. I had to smile- what a random comment to overhear! I came away with some fun clothes from Kohl's, a birthday gift from Delton. Thanks, D!

P.S. I got some picture frames from Kohl's for a steal- 1.99 and 2.99 for $20 and $30 frames. If you are looking for frames, that may be a place to look!

Hope you had a great time this Thanksgiving. It is fun to start anticipating Christmas.