Picture December at Our House

I offer another picture post:
Zach participates in wrestling tournaments every Saturday. Weigh ins start at 8:00 or 8:30, and Zach is not usually finished before 5:00 p.m. His coach announced tonight that Zach is the number 1 heavy-weight in the state. Although, we are not sure where he gets that data. We do know that Zach's current record is 19 and 1.
These are Zach's buddies Blake and Matt.

On December 5th the girls and I attended the annual American Heritage Girls mother/daughter tea. It was Julia's first one and likely Savannah's last. We learned about Christmas around the world. A missionary from Papua New Guinea shared her experience with Christmas there. A mom who grew up in Switzerland shared Christmas traditions from Switzerland, and our troop coordinator and her daughters put together a skit about Christmas in Afghanistan.

We used my grandma's antique teacups this year. She collected them from Kroger years ago, and I ended up with them. People sometimes ask why I would use these for the tea and let my little girls handle them, but I always say that we can't enjoy them if they remain wrapped in newspaper in a box in the basement.

The cat likes sleeping in the manger again this year. I believe this is the closest to God that she can get. I am afraid that if there is a Heaven and Hell for animals, our cat will be feeling the heat.

I decided one night that I wanted to get a picture of Shiloh under the tree. She decided that she had no idea what I was trying to do and that camera was a curious thing, so I snapped this picture in an effort to show her what the camera would do.

My crazy plan worked.

Wyatt celebrated turning seven with friends at a pool party. I could not get pool pictures because it was too humid and fogged up the lens.

A grown up taking pictures!! UGH! This was the best shot I could get of the whole group..Jack, Emmanuel, Wyatt, and Abby (standing). Wyatt had a blast!

After pizza and cupcakes the kids got to play in the gym.

On Sunday some of the extended family celebrated with us. Wyatt has been over-stimulated and rather rotten for the past several days. To follow up on an earlier post, he never returned to school before the start of Christmas break.

I get up twice in the middle of the night to let Shiloh out, but of the kids, Savannah is the most helpful. She is also the biggest reason I decided we needed a dog. I consider a dog to be a good home safety asset.

I tried to post a picture of that cool Bakugan cake, but it kept flipping sideways on me.

and the birthday tradition continues...

Wyatt with his Aunt Tara

Grandpa and Grandma

Uncle Joshua

Uncle Tony, Austin, Logan, and Aunt Tiffany

Rock On!

Aunt Tessa

They think Julia is looking at Tessa's camera.

Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Danielle

All the activity called for a nap in a quiet place.

"The Show" - This is my term for the activity that takes place when Sparkle and Shiloh become aware of each other. Sparkle hisses and paws at Shiloh while Shiloh jumps around and pounces. Sparkle is not playing. Shiloh is. If Sparkle had claws in her front paws, we would have needed at least one extra vet visit for Shiloh.

Bambi was always completely indifferent to Sparkle. Shiloh loves to antagonize her. Maybe there is a reason that she is evil.

These pictures were taken this morning just before the sparring got out of hand and they started chasing each other around the Christmas tree. I don't have this much sibling rivalry from the kids.

The shopping is not finished but getting there bit by bit. I am ready for some rest and relaxation though I am not sure that I will get it. It is nice to wake up later than 5:15a.m., but the kids have an early dentist appointment tomorrow, and next Monday Zach has an early wrestling tournament two hours away. Is it really selfish to want to sleep until 8:30 every day of Christmas break?

On a completely unrelated note:

Zach has another friend from school hospitalized with a leg fracture. She actually broke both legs. He and Megan were great buddies in kindergarten, so I hope to get up to the hospital to visit her. She was in a car accident and her little sister is also there with more serious injuries. This eighth grade class has really been through it in the last few months. They lost a classmate this summer. Another classmate miraculously survived a serious infection complicated by leukemia. Now since Thanksgiving, two of them have been hospitalized. Of course the holidays are not always fun, and I am definitely aware of that this year.