December 21th

WTH?
(*heck!)

It's December 21st??

I missed yesterday - I mean, I was around, but didn't blog Tuesday.

I really do love the idea of December Daily.
I am a scrapbooker -
and I love Christmas

So I love the idea of remembering the details of the month -
But Ali Edwards has a few things I don't have.

1)  She gets paid to scrapbook her life
2)  I think she must have a maid or a nanny or something
          (*who can take photos,
            organize them into a scrapbook page idea in your head,
            print them, scrapbook them
            and have all the supplies on hand after your kids go to bed every night?)

The answer is NOT me - but Ali Edwards.

ANYWAY.....If you like to scrapbook, she does have great ideas and you can click on the
words "December Daily" and hop right over to her page and see how cool she is.

OH AND....
number 3 -  CLEARLY, her life is more exciting than mine.

On December 21st I worked on Christmas cards until 11pm and only got to "M".
Do we really need pictures of that?

How many days have I been saying that I have 101 things to do?

I still feel that way.

But I know that Christmas will come and everything will be perfect and peaceful
even if the list in my head doesn't get completed.  And for those of you hoping to
see the Thornton Christmas card in your mailbox....don't give up hope.
I'm shoot for Three Kings Day at this point.

SO....let's move on to Wednesday,
shall we??

Guess who was the guest reader at the Navy Base Library story time?

Isn't that the cutest thing?

The boys were THRILLED forced to go and hear their dad read to little kids.
In their defense, it would have been a lot more COOL if he would have been invited
to do this like.....6 years ago!

This is what they did instead.
< -------






You forget what funny things little kids say
and do when you are reading to them.

(*one little kid shouted out, "You can't say GOD!")

But we will be reminded soon -


We are getting two little girls (sisters) on Friday that are six and seven.   They are actually younger sisters of our foster son that we had from April to August.  It's such a long and complicated story.  But I am looking forward to having a big, happy, family Christmas with lots of toys and laughter!!

I know I said this before...

but doesn't every child deserve a home for Christmas?

December 3rd

Saturday

a parenting morning of divide and conquer.

I took Michael and Zion (and Meleah) to Leo Palace for morning swim team practice.

Mike had early morning Bible Study and then he and Isaac stayed home to do yard work.

The afternoon was lazy for the boys who still have a cold.

I stayed busy in the kitchen preparing for a beach day tomorrow after church.

The evening was filled with the excitement of the
FIRST.
EVER.
Navy base Christmas tree lighting.

As always, we saw neighbors and friends,
classmates and co-workers.

It was a nice, easy evening.

(*this is Guam trying to make snow)

It's soap suds

One of Michael's friends holding Meleah
We keep trying to tell him that the baby is a chick magnet.
(*just sayin')

and of course the BIG GUY was there

The credit for this Christmas tree goes 100% to the awesome rockin' Public Works Officer
(well, at least on my blog it does)
The guy that everyone loves to hate when there is no water or no electricity brings us Christmas
That's something!

Add caption

We came home around 7pm for a late dinner and then put the ornaments on the tree.

In the past, the boys have had their own tree.

In San Diego, we had bedrooms upstairs and I placed a tree in each upstairs window.

The tree in the living room there was a "theme" tree.

The ornaments that the boys made and were given were on the trees upstairs.

This is the first year that my theme ornaments stayed in their boxes.....

I was worried that it would drive me nuts - the random-ness of the mix-match ornaments.

But you know....it was good.

I enjoyed separating the ornaments by "Baby's First Christmas"  (1997, 2000 and 2001)
as well as all the Popsicle stick / puzzle piece ones they made in kindergarten and first grade.

They enjoyed stories about the ornaments and why they were given this one or that one....
based on their interest that year.  
(*Michael has lots of train ornaments, and those who knew
him as a toddler know why)

Here are a few photos.

Just the lights 

Can't forget the family dog!

Finished except for the top

Sadly, our angel "died" this year.
She was at least 20 years old.
I think Mike and I got her in Orlando Florida,
Christmas 1990.

Mike spent a long time trying to repair her....
with the fear that I might burst into tears.

Finding another angel on Guam might be tricky.

Amazon??