Merry, Merry...

Three days till Christmas...

This year it will be about my little gems!

Gems who are excited for Santa!

My very own Santa worked hard in his wood shop!

Dave built this grocery store checkout counter from a picture I found in the Land Of Nod catalog!

We painted the sliding doors and store front top header with chalk board paint!

It turned out so great!

We ordered the shopping cart from Land Of Nod~

Another fun gift was the little statues of the gems... 

Mya, Cayden, Molly and Sarah.

Next year I will be on the ball and have a picture ready of Layla too~

so we will have all five gems!  Miss Theresa from Best Beginnings makes these for 

the school to give as Christmas gifts to the parents!  

I still have mine from when Tegan was in the 4 year old class!!

I was lucky enough to take my gems to school that day and have their pictures taken

for the statue dolls!

I gave them to Beckie and Bridget on Christmas day!

On Thursday night, Sarah and Molly came to have a "yeep~over" so that we could bake cookies!

They came with their little elf Abby, since it was her last night to "keep her eye" on them!

We found her "hanging" on Santa Friday morning!

Sarah and Molly said she must be ready to head back to Santa with SNIP & SNAP, the two little elves who come back to get her and while there take wrapping paper back to Santa from their house!

They do leave a little something for the girls in exchange.

These little elves are sorry to see Abby go!

We had so much fun making cookies together!

This year we tried the egg yolk and water with food coloring to "paint" our cookies before

we baked them!  The cookies turned out really cute~

and they were yummy too!

Bridget, Cayden and Mya got to my house on Friday around 11 am.

We ended up having a game night here and while the adults played at

the kitchen table we noticed the kids at the tree checking out some 

presents that were under it!

HEY.... What's the BIG IDEA?

They were finding presents with their names on them and shaking them~ trying to guess

what was inside!

The next morning I found this note... It says~

"sneke past parents"

"sneke presents with your name!"

"sneke presents"

All with a map showing the table where the parents played,

a circle~ the room where they plotted~

with dots to the tree to get the presents!

What little SNEKES!! HA

Sarah has since learned the correct spelling of

sneak!

Mya thought this was so funny too!

Isn't she darling?

Christmas morning we waited for Beckie, Donny, Sarah and Mo to get here!

It was tough on the Cayden but he made it!

He just wanted to open his presents!

Finally!!  Cayden opens his present and finds a TOOL FACTORY!!

Mya had lots of help opening her presents!

So much fun!

Molly had some presents even BIGGER than her!

Sarah got her wish for a new computer.

Papa got a new one and gave her his old one~

she was so happy!

Then it was time for Sarah and Molly to see what was behind the curtain!

Their faces say it all!

They also got lots of  play food and a real working cash register to go with it!

THANKS PAPA!

Great presents came from Colorado too! 

Tegan and Kelley know how Dave loves his Whoppers!

I got a thirty one purse and the kids all got great presents from the Colorado Lesjaks too!

Everyone got busy!

Dave and Sarah play with some magnetic cut out dolls!

Beckie and Bridget played the junior version of Blokus~  They are hooked!

Sarah, wearing all her new PEACE sign things, really loved the new bag Uncle Tegan and Aunt Kelley sent her!  She got to decorate it herself!

Our little Mya is going to be one tall girl!

She is so sweet and such a mommy's girl

unless Daddy is around~ Ha!

Always looking for Daddy! 

We all got to Face Time with Danny too!  He spent Christmas day at Keystone on the mountain!

Besides teaching at Breckenridge, he is seasonal help at UPS!

Just look at his hair!  Ha 

I am happy that he is so happy!

Everyone stayed the night and on Monday morning we all had breakfast together!

Sarah and Molly looked totally worn out!!

These two crack me up!!

Cute hats were a christmas gift from their Aunt Tracey!

Meigan had a birthday Christmas eve~

Happy Birthday!

Layla had a photo shoot with her Mommy and Papa!

I love them!

And lastly, from Florida...

Roxi's little stars were just having a ball on the beach together!! 

 Levi Andrew and Grayer Andrew

and their little snow buddy!

Merry Christmas!

Ho Ho Ho

"Santa~Papa" has been busy in the wood shop again!

He even had a little help from some friends!

What in the world is he building now?

This little Santa helper isn't telling anyone what it is...

This helper with Meme has her lips sealed too!

We will tell you this....

It's for this little GEM!

shhh....

It will be shipped tomorrow to Colorado.

It will make it there after Christmas 

but that's ok~

Layla will LOVE it anyway!

Just color me PROUD!

Western Reserve announced the 

December Students Of The Month!

My sparkly little gem Sarah Rose made the list!

She is the December 2011 First Grade Student Of The Month!

Here's what the newspaper printed about my girl!

Sarah's idea of an ARTIST includes drawing, painting, as well as being a singer, playing an instrument and being an actress.  She does love spelling... so much so that her teacher gives her advance words each week for spelling.  I had trouble with one of her words last week...

Boisterous 

REALLY??  

Sarah has already started writing her OWN chapter book!

She loves a challenge!

I am proud of you, Sarah Rose.  Continue to work hard.  Continue to be kind to everyone you know.  Keep reading.  Keep doing fun activities.  Keep on being YOU!

You know you MADE me a Meme~

You make my heart SING!

I am also very proud of Sarah's Mom and Dad, Beckie and Donny.  Your work with Sarah is showing in all she does, at home or at school.  You must be very proud of your little first grader.

Molly and her wish list...

Molly wrote Santa a note.

A wish list.

3 things she wants for Christmas.

Do you see the big problem with this little note?

Apparently, transposing a few letters can make a HUGE difference!

We didn't tell Molly!

We know who it was really meant for!  Santa surely will get this message 

and even have himself a little laugh!

A Christmas Recital... another REALLY BIG SHOW!

Molly Carolyn 

with her violin teacher Ms. Molly.

Enjoy this short bit of her solo~

Molly was invited to play Jingle Bells with the "big kids"!  She was the only little Twinkle asked to do so!   They played it slow just for her, then she just played on open A ~ FAST~ with them.

Once that song was over she was to sit back down while the older children played 5 more Christmas songs.  Well, Molly decided to just keep playing right along with them!  Just look at her...

We just could not help but smile at her.  She continued to play ALL the carols with the big kids!!

Molly found her chair as soon as she got to the hall.

She was 2nd on the list to perform!

Molly is 4.

Hollis, sitting on her right is 3.

The little "Twinkles"

After her solo, she took a moment to smile at Meme!

When the show was over she ran right to Sarah for a BIG HUG!

Sarah was so proud of her little sister!

Ms Molly told us that it was GREAT that Molly just continued to play along with the older kids!

She was so proud of Molly too!

Just look at her beaming at her student!

It was amazing to see these talented children.  One boy, who is a senior at Oberlin high school, has been a student of Ms Mollys since he was 5 years old.  All the students have such a passion for the violin because of this amazing teacher.  Ms Molly is so encouraging to all these kids!  They love her!  We thanked her for her dedication to Molly with some pretty flowers!

Two shows in one week!  WOW~ my little gems sure are gifted and talented!

Great job Molly~ 

You melt my heart...

you and that tiny violin of yours!

Edith Ann and the evil eye...

Night vision eyes... spooky!

"It's not going to be today" ~ Remember?

Remember this post?

There once was a little boy named Dan.

We called him Dan the man.

We called him Daniel Boone.

We called him Boonie.

We call him Danny.

My first born son, a real "Momma's Boy"!  This picture is from one of our many Mother/Son dances at Avon Oaks.  He felt really special that even though he had a little brother Tegan, I still reserved the dance just for him.  We did let Tegan join us finally, but the year this picture was taken, I can "remember" 

the reason for Danny's little smile in this picture.

"It was his special night!"

Love his little snake tie pin!

What is going on with my hair?

I am missing this kid today, and every day since he left for Colorado.

I know I didn't see him everyday or anything like that when he lived here but,

there is a comfort in knowing they are near by.

I know he is living his dream~

I know he is happy 

and that makes my heart happy too!

There's my Dan, upside down in green pants!

And here in red, with good friends from home, Sarah, hanging and Pete holding her with Danny.

Crazy Kids

All my little gems miss you too!

~Sarah~

~Cayden~

~Mya~

~Molly~

~Layla~

Merry Christmas Danny!

And to your little doggy Kayla too!

A box of gifts is on its way to you!

Be on the look out!

We all love and miss you!

Especially me...

One Really Big Show...

Sarah had a Really Big Show tonight!  Papa couldn't come because of a board meeting and we missed him!  Grandma Carol and Meme went with Sarah, Molly and their Mom and Dad!

Sarah was excited to be "featured" on one of the songs.  She and two others got to sing at the microphones!  She practiced and practiced her verse!

Before we left, I took some pictures in front of their tree!

These two are so precious to me!

And they are as silly as they seem!

Sarah helped Bailey pose for the picture!

Molly knew all the words to the songs too and was singing along in the audience!

She sat with  her Grandma Carol!

Sarah and her friends start off singing the WRONG verse but the music

teacher stops them and they start all over on the right note!!  Sarah is on the right! Hear me whisper at the end..."That's cute"!

Have a listen!

What a performer!!  After all~the show must go on!

But just look at the boy behind Sarah... Too funny!

He has caught their mistake!

Sarah and her friend Evan~ see them together in the second row, right behind the friend in black?

So cute!

I love this little wonder who made me a Meme!