Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmastime is here!

(our tree last year)


sorry for neglecting you, dear friends! i think this is the longest break i've taken from blogging in awhile but it was pretty needed. i guess i've been caught up in the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season so i haven't had much time to put my thoughts to paper *or print. i guess that's what this is??*. anyways, our family is intact and doing just fine. we've had quite a few new developments *nothing major though* in the boys' case over the last month. mostly, we've just had things happen that have frustrated the fire out of ryan and i, but i guess that's life in the foster care system! i will try to post separately about things going on with the boys but for now, i'll just update you all on our lives...

after a crazy kick off to the Christmas shopping season with a midnight to 4 a.m. trip to toys-r-us on the night of thanksgiving, i just finally finished all my shopping last saturday. i tried not to go overboard with the gifts for the boys but it was definitely harder than i thought!! baby P is getting mostly practical stuff - lots and lots of new clothes *he's already outgrown almost everything he has and really needs to be wearing 12 to 18 months*, a few toys, some new blankets, shoes, etc.

however, R is who i really had a hard time not overspending on! he's been asking for a PS3 *and so was ryan!* but we didn't think that would be a good idea since we most likely would not send it with him if/when he goes back with his mom. instead, we settled on getting him a PSP so he can have something to take along with him when we go to all his appointments, in the car, etc. plus, if/when he goes back to his mom, we'd be happy for him to take that with him. we also bought him a slew of clothes, dvds, tech decks, and some other small trinkets. we had also bought him a skateboard but decided to take it back because my sister got him a rip stick, which is similar. however, last week i decided to return the skateboard while the boys were at their visit with their mom, and on the way, i made the mistake of asking R if there was anything else he wanted for Christmas that he hadn't told me about. sure enough, there was something...he said that he'd really been wanting a remote control monster truck. i told him that i didn't think that would fit in what was left of his Christmas budget but we'd see. sure enough, after just going into the store to return the skateboard, i came out as the proud new owner of a large, red monster truck.



now that my shopping is finished, i still need to get a move on with my wrapping. i have wrapped almost everything for everyone not in our household but have wrapped hardly anything for the boys. i haven't had enough energy to stay up past both of their bedtimes and get much done, but hopefully tonight i will!

aside from shopping, ryan and i have also been busy with quite a few Christmas parties. on saturday, his company had their annual Christmas party at a museum here in town. since his company has a few employees outside of our city, they also booked a block of hotel rooms downtown at a reduced rate, so we took the opportunity to have a night away. ryan's parents were sweet enough to keep the boys and we had a great time just getting to catch up on us! it seems like i'm usually on baby duty and ryan is on the go with R, so we rarely get much time alone so it was a great treat! we haven't done Christmas gifts for each other for the past 2 years, so we considered out evening get-away our gift to each other this year. his company party was really nice, but it just reinforced my theory that djs should not be allowed at corporate events...especially not when there's an open bar! the evening's play list included - baby got back, peace up a-town, pour some sugar on me, the cha cha slide, and many more. i think i was more embarrassed for the drunk fools dancing around like crazy people than they were for themselves!! it definitely made for a comical evening!!!

also, last night we had our annual "a very GEE Christmas". *ok, i know that sounds a little off, but really it's not as bad as it sounds!* for some reason, in high school, my group of friends started calling ourselves "the gees" and the name has stuck. last night we gathered everyone and celebrated the birth of our Savior with great food, conversations and lots of laughs. it was so great to see everyone and to reconnect with old pals! it always amazes me that we can only get together once or twice a year, but still pick up exactly where we left off. i am truly blessed to have such great friends!

so, that's a bit about what we've been up to lately. we're really looking forward to sharing this Christmas with the boys and hope we can continue to reinforce to them that this season is more than just presents and parties (even though i realize that's all i've just talked about in this post!!). we've been reading The Glory of Christmas each night as a family and have had some great conversations with R about who Christ is and why He would come to earth as a baby and suffer for us. i hope the seeds being planted will one day be watered!! anyways, hope you have a great day and are able to enjoy the last few days before Christmas!


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