Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! I want to take this moment to wish you the happiest of all holiday seasons and hope that you and your families are able to enjoy the inner peace and tranquility this holiday can bring!

Or in my case after I have put all my angels into bed and fallen in exhausted heap onto the couch to watch a new DVD...not Sponge Bob.... with Eric only to start snoring and have him cover me up and kiss me goodnight a few minutes later!



We actually had a great holiday and it all went as smoothly as a mom of six (soon to be seven) could wish for.... there were the crayons ground into the floor, the burnt / forgotten rolls, a broken jar of apple butter, a flooded bathroom (two times), trying to find a plunger!, a missing diaper...still looking for it & hope that is not why we needed the plunger, a sugar cookie explosion when Melea decided to put more sprinkles on them, lots of chocolate moustaches and beard from the hershies Kisses, and BELIEVE IT OR NOT..... some spilt milk!


Other than from me there really was not much crying here anyways....cause Santa was really good to all the children. NO COAL! For the Smith Household!

Colin, Melea and Adrian all got dolls that look like them. I thought this was a great idea....cause I got to make clothes and stuff for them and had a blast doing this for several months.... I made a whole lot.... till I realized that as they opened them not only do I have to keep track of all the "real" kids shoes now I got to keep track of all the "doll clothes & shoes" too!


Possibly not the brightest idea I have ever had..... Cause you all know how I occasionally can go overboard on the sewing thing! but they loved them ! Colin's highlight was putting his "Miguel's" glasses on and off and on and off! I can't get him to wear his own that often...but he is always putting on little Miguel's now! AMAZING! I wish remembering where Colin's are and putting them on him were so easy!



Melea also wanted to know if they made "boots" for her doll.... these are the term we give her braces (SMO's)...I told her no..... but I caught her trying to Miranda's on her doll later in the afternoon I asked why and she said "me's oo iggie" translation from Mia speak to plain English as "MINE TOO BIG.... stupid". Maybe Melea's new doll will keep her from dressing and undressing Miranda all the time. She sure loves her Miranda! I am very glad Miranda is so sturdy! And bends like most children with DS!


Miranda and Eliza got matching Inchworms.....I really can not wait to take these outside this spring! Miranda still can't touch the ground and toppled off them the three times she tried to make it work... but it was so much fun watching her and Eliza try them out!

Eliza took a rest in Colin 's new truck! she was really tired and I think she wanted a ride....though it was not long till Colin dumped her on the floor and we had a few tears!


Jordan just seemed to love crawling around in all the paper and just went in his best army crawl from one side of the room to the other...over any present and sibling in the way! He just was so excited and had so much fun that I think he might remember the amazement for a while any ways! I am not sure he really like any of his presents....he was more excited with trying to knock over the poinsettias and to eat the shiny paper! But at least his sisters had fun making him open the presents!


And this year in a marked surprise was the quickest we have ever opened presents....2 1/2 hours~! . Colin actually liked opening them, though he still had a pile left after Adrian had finished hers and helped everyone else...COLIN WANTED NO HELP THIS YEAR!!! He wanted to do it all by himself!

And only Miranda feel asleep in the middle of it!


So about 3 hours after we started all that was left was the clean up! It is amazing what little trash we really had left when Eric, Colin and myself put all the stuff in recycling (cardboard, paper) or into the reuse pile (gift boxes and bows, etc).

Thanks....a whole lot.....Grandpa Leahy, Grampy Leo & Grammy Marage, Grandma (Mama) and all our friends, birth families and friends who sent gifts and presents for the children. With all good intentions I have plans for thank you notes.... but that means crayons! Urgh...oh well there is always nore magic eraser!


Sometimes it really is so hard to remember the reason for the season.... the birth of a little baby and God's promise and all the hope that has brought to humanity..... but as I sit here and remembered that my little children are all napping and snuggled in their beds.


As I recall all the kisses and hugs me and daddy and grandma got today ..... till I think we were bruised....


I remember that I got a glimpse the joy in their eyes that I wish you all could get to see.


I realize how lucky Eric and I are each and every day with our large and wonderfully special family and how much we hope everyone could enjoy that same special feeling of warmth this holiday season!


Merry Christmas to all of our friends, family and we hope that it was a fun filled and glorious holiday for all of you too!!