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We started the last week of Advent with a Christmas Pageant at St. Therese of Carmel. The second grade was assigned the part of the angels. This is 9 of my 14 Faith Formation students. Kaitlyn's mom sewed tunics for our whole class.

Of course this is my favorite student... and my favorite little angel.

Immediately after the Christmas Pageant was our annual Cookie Exchange. We had 7 bakers this year... Kristin and I did an extra 12 dozen (fudge not cookies) to make it an even 8 bakers.Everyone bakes 13 dozen cookies - 12 to exchange and 1 dozen for tasting. We then go around collecting 3 of each of the 8 types of cookies into a tray for wrapping. So each tray has 24 cookies (2 dozen). Each baker leaves with 6 wrapped gifts of 2 dozen cookies. I give mine to neighbors and friends. This is what the finished products look like:

Mel made this candle holder for our family... yes, it is a Martha Stewart project.Miss Kristin made the cutest Santa gift bags for everyone... and the gifts inside were excellent as well. She made them with felt and fur on red gift bags. VERY festive.

We opened presents with Kristin before she left to go north to her parents. I snapped this picture of Madigan, it really shows off her broken tooth beautifully. If you don't know the story of why her brand new adult tooth is chipped; ask Thomas. I am still too upset to recount the tale. Since the tooth is still coming in, the dentist can't fix her tooth until mid-January. Wonderful for my Christmas pictures.

This is Kristin (a.k.a Miss Kristin or KO) opening her gifts from her San Diego family.This is us at church on Christmas Eve. We went to the 4pm Children's Mass... it was REALLY crowded but Fr. Nick had a wonderful sermon so I don't think anyone minded the full house.This is the crowd at our house Christmas Eve. The usual suspects, Wades, Annie and Mark, Miss Karen and her grandson Elio, Gordy, Linda and Colin and Colin's girlfriend Diana and her sister Michelle. Alexis and Miguel came later with the new baby Ezra.

The present opening was quite a thing. Thomas opened this PlayStation Portable from Gordy and Linda and he was quite a happy boy. Madigan received this bunny calendar and FOUR pink cubes of new clothes from Gordy and Linda. Thomas and Elio were not too pleased sitting through her opening all of her clothes, but the ladies in the room were mesmerized. We did the fashion show try-on after Christmas dinner, but that will have to be a new blog entry later next week. Bedtime photo... after putting out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

Christmas morning, Santa was VERY good to Thomas and Madigan... as were Big Daddy and Gamma who bought them both their own digital cameras.

Santa brought me my FAVORITE gift EVER. It's a Control a Kid remote... there are buttons for "Clean Room" and "Do Homework"... I'm really hoping it works!

Thomas received a new bike from Pat and I. The rain let up just long enough for him to take a spin through the neighborhood.

We had Christmas dinner on the pool table just like the Beverly Hillbillies! It has a beautiful wood top that we put on it so people really can't tell it is a pool table... except for Linda who kept bumping her already bruised knee on it!
I made french onion soup, prime rib roast, sauted mushrooms, sweet potatoes, asparagas, and Linda brought a beautiful layered salad. I made baked Alaska for dessert... the kids were unimpressed and wanted popcorn instead. Miss Karen had given Thomas a new "Whirly Pop" popcorn machine and apparently popcorn made by hand trumps baked Alaska.
The Advent Wreath was still lit well into the night... so happy that Christmas has started! We have a lot planned for this Christmas vacation including a Thomas' 10th birthday and a 3 day stay at the beach on Coronado. So if there aren't any blog entries until 2009, you''ll know why!