There are several things that I have been meaning to blog about, but haven't done it yet. Therefore, today I am playing catch-up. In a nutshell, here are other events that I have wanted to share about over the last month or so.
#1 Dedication- Elijah and Levi were dedicated to the Lord at church on November 19. This was a part of an adoption emphasis month we had. At our church, this is a time for the parents and family to dedicate to their children to the Lord, to commit to raise them in an environment that teaches them about God and Jesus and that eventually will hopefully lead them to invite Christ into their lives personally. We do not believe that this dedication saves them. It is more for the parents to make a public profession in front of everyone that they are committed to raising this child/these children in the way that they believe God would have them to do. They received roses, a certificate, and a letter to be opened only by them on their 18th birthday from the pastor. A reception followed.
2. Christmas Train- I have always wanted a train for around our tree. This year I bought us an early family present at an after Thanksgiving sale and got a train. I knew all of the kids would love it, but especially the bwins. They are fascinated with trains. Anyway, I caught this picture as they were watching it go around and thought it was cute. This was not posed.
3. H's birthday- On December 17, H turned 12 years old. This is a picture of her opening her new mp3 player(after Thanksgiving sale-gotta love it!) and iTunes giftcard. Everyone was huddled around. We gave it to her early because my MIL took her on a ski trip to Breckenridge for her birthday/Christmas present. The mp3 player came in handy on the trip. She had a blast! She was able to invite two of her friends to come along, who by the way paid their own way with money they had saved (very good girls- being raised right- good friends). They had a very memorable time, even though there were a few run-ins with some trees. ;-)
4. Z's gymnastics meet- Z competed in a gymnastics meet on December 16. She got first place on floor, second on beam, third on bars, and is holding the second place all-around trophy. The meet had a luau theme, thus the medals on the leis- very cute!!
 5. Surprise visit from Santa-
Santa made a surprise visit to our house on December 20th to check on the kids, make sure about what time they went to bed, and to see if they were being good. He scared E half to death when he was caught waving in the front living room window that night. He took each of the kids on his lap, whispered secrets to them, and gave them each a gift. He even talked to Mama and Papa. Then he showed us how to watch for Rudolph's red nose out the back window when he left. It was a blast! All of the kids got CDs. H got Barlow Girl. E got High School Musical. Z got Cheetah Girls2. J got Crazy Frog (thanks to Rhonda's video posting months ago! He's about got the dance down too! :-) ) . El and L got CDs that had their names infused all throughout all of the songs. We listened and danced to all of the new music until late at night. My 2 year old nephew was staying with us and received a blue ball from Santa. He thought we were all nuts dancing the night away. It was past his bedtime, but he loved his "soccer ball" and repeately told Santa about the tractor he wanted. It was cute. Well, I'm sure I left things out, but at least I feel like I caught up a little. Sorry for the length.
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I've never heard of the child receiving a letter to open on their 18th birthday during their dedicaiton. That's a great idea.
I LOVE the train/tree picture. I've always wanted the same thing.
H does have amazing friends. To save all that money up to go on a trip. That must have been a really fun trip.
And congratz to Z. 2nd all around is amazing.