Merry Thanks-mas?

Wow, it's almost Christmas!! Again...I am sorry for not keeping up with the blog (honestly, I'm doing better that I thought I would!). We have had a wonderful and eventful holiday season. Thanksgiving was unforgettable, for Bennett came down with the stomach flu on Tuesday night and successfully passed it to nearly every member in the family. Even Matt's mom caught it, and had to manage a car ride back to Oregon! I think only Dad, Joanna, and Joyce (Ryan's mother) survived without getting ill. Poor Matt couldn't even get out of bed on Thanksgiving day. His Thanksgiving was leftover stuffing he tried the following day...and sorry to say, it didn't work out so well. For those of us who were able to enjoy the food, it was delicious (as always...good job Mom!). After dinner, we were able to chat with Lisa and Kurt via webcam (very cool!). For some reason, Thanksgiving break put me in craft-mode...

I'm thankful for...

The thankful turkey actually turned out to be pretty fun. We had fun filling out the feathers throughout the week, and then sat down during dessert and took turns sharing the feathers. Hopefully it will be a new tradition!

Pine cone turkeys...even Bennett made one of these.

(For more Thanksgiving pictures, visit Erin's Thanksgiving blog. My camera hardly left the bag...sorry!)

And then just like that it was December! Matt has been enjoying his break from school and driving. Unfortunately, he has been battling an ongoing sinus infection since October...I think he's one round four of antibiotics. Poor guy! Bennett convinced us to put up our Christmas tree fairly early, and Liam did pretty well with the tree.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

The candy cane had an accident over the summer (a gust of wind blew it over and broke it in two), so it took awhile to fix. We couldn't find the right pieces in town, so Matt managed to piece it back together with pipe glue. A little spray paint, some new lights and it was good as new. Not bad, huh!
We finally finished putting up all the Christmas lights last week.

Tah-dah! :)

Bennett has been enjoying the many holiday festivities. Saint Ann's had a Christmas program, and Bennett made lots of friends with my students. I think he is excited to attend kindergarten next year. Meanwhile, he has been having a blast at preschool. Last week, Santa made his yearly trip to Bennett's class.

The kids greeted Santa by singing "Jingle Bells."

Bennett was not the least bit bashful at telling Santa what he wanted for Christmas (a train set, a lantern, a flashlight, and a kitty). Even Liam was able to meet Santa for the first time. I think the look on his face captures his confusion.

"Who is this holding me??"

"Okay, just as long as I don't have to sit here very long."
(I think his fear of beards is over, he didn't even cry once!)

The boys with Santa...what a lap-full!

We're very excited for Christmas to come. Children sure do make the holiday season special. Their wonder and excitement is contagious! I will post pictures of Christmas mass (Bennett is going to be a shepherd) and Christmas morning soon. Merry Christmas!!