Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!! Today was a wonderful day. My parents came for a surprise visit last night (at least a surprise for me since Shaun helped plan the event). That was a great Christams present for me. It was so much fun watching the kids open all of thier presents. With each box broght another excited face. I'm pretty sure they got everything they wanted and then some.

After presents and breakfast it began to snow, alittle anyway. We got about 1-2 inches that stuck on the ground for afew hours. Long enough to play in and build a small snowman. It rounded out just perfect. Family and snow, who could ask for anything more.

It's Beginning to Look alot Like Christmas

Well, we are finally decorated for Christmas. We didn't get all of the outside lights up this year, but it will have to do. The rain came in...and I do not work in the cold rain. Now I'm just wrapping things up at the school with the kids. Christmas parties are tomorrow and then school ends for the season. We will be spending Christmas in Oregon. As much as I wish we were with my mom and dad in Florida, it just won't be happening this year. I am hoping that we will get the opportunity for playing in snow whether here or up in the mountains.

Here are some pictures of my favorite room in the house at this time of the year; My formal dining room.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas with your families!! Merry Christmas!

My Boy has a Girlfriend

So, I picked up my 12 year old son from school yesterday and he tells me, kind of matter of factly, that he asked a girl to be his girlfriend and she said yes. I said, "So, does this mean you are going to hold her hand and give her a kiss?" He said, "Mom I can't kiss her at school, I'll get in trouble. And you have to be on a date to kiss and I can't do that until I'm 16, right" That's right!!

It didn't come as a total surprise that he is interested in her just that he had the courage to ask her. He's been talking about her for a couple months now and asking questions about how boys and girls become boyfriend and girlfriend. Completely, new ground for me, but kind of exciting.

So, he says, "I know I can't date until I am 16, but I would like to take her to the movies this weekend. I can pay for it. I just think it would be fun." Here is the rest of our conversation:

Me: "Dylan that is a date."

Dylan: "No, mom it's just the movies."

Me: "Dylan, what do you think people do on dates?"

Dylan: "I'm not sure, but Dad can take us and then it's not a date."

Me: "That's still a date. How about we all go together as a family and you can invite her to go with us."

Dylan: "But everyone will embarrass me. Can't we go by ourselves?"

Me: "No, Dylan, that is a date."

Dylan: "I don't get it."

I love that he was brave and confident enough to asked this girl to be his girlfriend, and yet scared that this is coming oh so fast. He's my baby boy. Where did the time go?

The Spirit of Christmas

Tonight I sang in a community Christmas concert. I have participated in this choir for 3 years now. I love it!! It's a great way to begin the season. The auditorium was packed for both performances, which is fantastic because it is a benefit concert for the Voices of the Performing Arts in Sherwood (my sweet, little town). It's a great organization that helps fund the performing arts in my town, which has been relatively absent until about 4 or 5 years ago. To top it off it snowed today for the first time. It didn't stick, but the flurries were big and so much fun to run and play in. The kids were SO excited(I was too, but don't tell anyone)!!

We are busy decorating for the season -mostly me. I will post pictures as soon as I am done. My favorite room is my formal dining room. It looks beautiful! I am hoping my next post will be of our trip up the hill to cut down our Christmas tree. We do it every year. The kids pick it and Shaun cuts it down. My kids pick awesome trees!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/quin.christensen/VPAChristmas2007/photo?authkey=9NETIyEf7K4#5139461387111525410

You should be able to here our group if you go to this web site. The video is not that great, but it kind of gives you and idea of what we sounded like. It is so much fun!!