Merry Christmas 2012

 Merry Christmas everyone! It was such a peaceful Christmas season despite the several scary things happening across the country. Our prayers are with all those who are feeling loss this Christmas season.

Here are the boys dressed in their Sunday Suits!

Here is our Christmas card picture! Thank you to everyone who sent us cards this year! We loved them!

Christian's parents came up to visit for the week before Christmas and we had so much fun together! Here is Sandy helping the boys build a gingerbread train!

The boys just ate candy the whole time (by the handfuls) but it turned out grand thanks to Sandy!

We took a day and visited the Children's museum here in Lexington. Our neighbors gave us free visitor passes when we first moved in--it was so thoughtful of them!

We had a hard time getting them to move away from the water table!

The boys LOVED it!! (So did the adults!)

Most afternoons we spent at home reading books and playing games while Austin napped. Sandy was great and brought all sorts of fun new things for the boys to try and love!

Their first night here, Tyson had a preschool Christmas recital. They were so cute!

He gave us a gift at the end--this picture wrapped up. It says, "I want to be Superman and a Daddy when I grow up" He signed his name at the bottom--too cute! I love his little handwriting!

Every night Grandma read them books! (That is one of Austin's new words--he uses it to get out of going to bed because he knows I have a hard time denying him books!)

We had our annual Christmas story reading night and the kids colored Christmas trees while we were waiting for everyone to come! Austin has become quite the colorer--from the moment he learned what a writing utensil could do, the walls, floors, and every piece of paper within sight has been covored. He LOVES it! This is Austin's drawing!

Here is Tyson's drawing! I think they're beautiful! The story night was fun--but we missed all of our San Antonio friends!

It snowed in Kentucky a few days before Christmas and the boys LOVED it! Our whole family was out running around! Austin got cold eventually, but it was so fun chasing the boys around in the snow, throwing snowballs, and catching snowflakes on our tongues. It was magical!

Making tracks in the snow--Tyson thought this was so funny!

Catching snowflakes on their tongues!

Mostly it was just fun being together! Every night Sandy would read books to the boys and they just LOVED being with their Grandma and Grandpa both!

On Thursday, Greg and Sandy rented a minivan and we drove two hours to see the largest cave in the world. It is 392 miles long and estimated to be nearly three times that size. 

We took the historic tour and it was amazing! Here is where they made Salt Peter which helped us arm ourselves in the war of 1812. It was for the cause of freedom yet slaves were doing all of the work. It's so sad we had that double standard.

The very wealthy would take tours through the cave and if they tipped the tour guide enough they could have their names written on the walls with smoke. It was so interesting to see the names and dates of people clear back in the 1800's!

I told Christian he could not let go of whichever kid's hand he had--even for a second! It was actually very safe. There were wide passages and the dropoffs were covered--thank heaven!

The cave has an enormous drop off that one of the slaves put two trees down and shimmied across to map out more of the cave. He ended up discovering all sorts of fish species and would sell them to the tourists! During the Great Depression, a safe passage was built across the drop off and helped to feed otherwise starving families.

It really was fascinating! Here we are with the old school grafitti above our heads!

 The line up of our bowling balls!

Christmas Eve morning we went bowling with our church--it was so cute watching Tyson and Austin bowl!  Austin pushed one so slowly, it even went half way down the lane, stopped, and came right back to us!  It was so funny! Sandy was the winner at 135!!

Christmas Eve we had fancy tacos (refried beans glue the soft taco to the outside of the hard taco and then it is filled with whatever you want!)  It is a tradition started by our dear friends, the Garlicks who had us over for Christmas Eve our first Christmas on our own!  Ever since then it has been a tradition of our own!  Thank you Garlicks!

After dinner we acted out the Nativity with Greg reading from Luke.  Tyson kept changing characters since we were short on parts!  He decided Joseph was too boring and would rather ride the donkey as Mary, instead.  (Austin was supposed to be baby Jesus but revolted when we tried to wrap him in the swaddling clothes!)

Tyson, now one of the wise men, spearing us with Frankincense.  He kept asking, "Where's the Myrrh?" (We only had incense and 'gold' ornaments as gifts for the baby!)

Sandy was the angel (she literally was the whole time!)  Thank you!

After the Nativity, we sang some Christmas songs and Greg read the story of "The Magic Skinned Doll" which was a story written by his aunt about a childhood Christmas memory.  It was beautiful.  I loved that it was a true story and Christian's grandpa was mentioned in it as one of the nine children of the widow mother.  It made many a couple of us tear up.  It was beautiful.

 

After that, the boys opened their Christmas pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa Coltrin.  This year, they each got a book as well!  Austin could have cared less about what else was in the box!  He was very excited to read his book!

Aren't they cute?!

Tyson LOVED these pajamas!  He ran all around like he was Superman!

Christmas morning was so much fun!  The boys were SO excited to see a frog tent all set up for them to play in! (Thanks to Greg and Sandy!!  Thank you so much!!)

The entire morning was delightful!  Tyson would pick out presents and bring them to Austin.  It was so cute!  His favorite present was his Superman Pez dispenser!  It came with six pez packets, three of which he gave to Sandy so she would have something to eat on the airplane. He is just the sweetest little boy!

They each got a banana in their stocking so they could eat breakfast before opening presents!  Later, Greg made his famous waffles and we had eggs, bacon, homemade buttermilk syrup and waffles.  It was delicious!

The boys were so good and we were so blessed this year!  I really felt like we were able to feel the true meaning of Christmas as well as have the fun and magic it brings.  Greg and Sandy left at 2:00pm and we missed them the moment they left our house.  We had SO much fun with them!  We love them so much and they are welcome any and everytime they want to come!   

Merry Christmas Everyone!!