Bring on 2009!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We did, however, as usual, I forgot to bring the ol' camera to almost every single Christmas event we attended! Yup, my camera was absent during the following festivities: Christmas parties (all three girls), Girl Scouts, a fun family Sunday at Stone Mountain's Christmas Village, Christmas Eve, and GASP! Christmas morning! Sweet Hubby did get video of most of the above, thank goodness! So...no lovely after-Christmas post with sweet pictures in front of the tree, or pictures of my girls giggling with delight Christmas morning with their treasures from Santa (although, they did really giggle with delight!)...so a Happy New Year post is in order here!

I have now moved on to taking deco's down, the tree (it was so dry) is gone, etc...I have had to sweep my hardwood floors a gazillion times since the tree left us...where are all of those old tree needles coming from??

I am so ready for 2009! Jason & I probably won't make it until midnight tonight, as usual, we will enjoy our New Years kiss tomorrow morning! Sleep is too important! Out with all of the craziness of 2008! No more bailouts (yea right!), election is over, hoping for a better economy, less crime, etc...ya know, the typical wishes we make every year for our Country!

2008 was a great year for our family! I feel so blessed with each years passing, to have my beautiful girls, my amazing Husband, my incredible family, our health & happiness!

I am just ready to start a new year fresh & enjoy watching my girls grow & learn, enjoy my marriage, travel & see new places (sorry Disney, we are seeking a new vacay spot this Summer!), catch up with old friends (I say I will do this every year!), continue mentoring, volunteering, more lunches with my Mom (just for you Mom, LOL!), more family time...

I hope you & yours have a very Happy New Year & that 2009 brings only the best!

Here is the one & only (very blurry) pic taken from my Blackberry while visiting Santa! Might as well share, as it is the only pic I have :)

Merry Christmas to all...

Wishes from the Wise family for a very Merry Christmas & a healthy, happy New Year!

Jingle all the way...

The following tune is Shelby's favorite! She belted this little ditty out for 30 minutes while sitting in mall traffic the other night in the car...so funny!

(Insert twangy, southern accent here):
"Jingle Bowel, Jingle Bowel, Jingle all da waaayyy!"
"Oh, what fun it is to horse in open slei-gh, Jingle Bowels, Jingle Bowels...did I say dashing tru da snow yet Mommy?" "No, not yet sweetie" She continues: "Laughing all da waaayyy, ha ha ha ha ha!" "Is dat where I put da ha ha ha ha ha Mommy?" "Yes, that is where it goes, I tell her." Jingle Bowels, Jingle Bowels, & on & on & on...

Whew, that was a long ride for me, my sweet Shelby is as tone deaf as I am! We are brushing up on our Christmas carols tonight! Our family singing all together...aahh, music to my ears :)

Where did all the chocolate go?

Tale of the Wise girls annual Advent calenders (lovingly bought by me, every year for my girls to enjoy!) Remember these cute calenders? You open a little paper door each day from 12/1 - 12/24 & find a sweet chocolate treat inside! I loved these as a child, my Mom always bought them for us...
All previous Advent calender traditions have gone off without a hitch, each of my darling children only enjoying one chocolate per day until Christmas...following the Advent "rules"! NOT this year!

Chloe (9 yrs) - Very carefully eats only one piece per day, delicately closes each paper door back into place, then scolds her Sisters for the way that they handle their Advent calenders...

Hannah (6, almost 7 yrs) - Forgets to eat her chocolate treat most days, as she is our latest sleeper...usually gets into the car for school half asleep! Will catch up on chocolate eating as soon as school lets out this Friday...

Shelby (5 yrs) - All of her chocolate was gone by 12/6! The picture above is of her calender...It seems Shelby's self control was null, that's ok...She says she "won" as she finished her calender first...I guess she thought this was more of a "race" than a tradition...She is still learning days of the week & what an actual "time frame" is...Everyday asking me from 12/1 - 12/6, "Can I eat next years piece now, Mommy?", translate: Can I eat the entire calender today, Mommy?

You better watch out...you better not cry

Every year I buy these super cute "Letters to Santa" at our local boutique...I know, nice touch right? Well, Jason sits the girls down this past weekend to write out their wishes to send to the "big guy" that lives at the North Pole! I think he imagined the girls drinking hot cocoa, happily writing down their secret wishes, lovingly looking up at him with a hopeful look in their eyes...they would ask him "do you think I have been good this year Daddy? He would respond "yes sweetheart, you have been good". I think he was smacked back into reality when Hannah looked at her letter & the space provided for her wishes & exclaimed..."8 lines on this letter to write my wish list, what a crock"...
I guess it's time to go back over "the reason for the season" lecture with sweet Hannah!

Ahh yes, Christmas at my house, you can't make this stuff up! Thank you Hannah for keeping us in stitches...daily!

They grow up way too fast!

My sweet angel Chloe will be 9 on Tuesday!! I remember the moment she was born, my first born, like it was yesterday! I had the nursery finished at 3 months preggo, as I myself wanted to be a "Mommy" since I was a young girl! She was my dream come true...and still is! I am so lucky to have her at my side every single day, she is a blessing, as all of my girls are! She is polite, incredibly smart, beautiful, loving, a wonderful Sister (even though she tells me occasionally she wishes she was an "only child", LOL!), kind & considerate. I adore her...I love you sweet Chloe...Happy Birthday sweetheart!

**Sorry for the picture overload, I get extra emotional during the Holiday :)

O Holy Night...

The above is absolutely my favorite Christmas song! We have several radio stations here in Atlanta that play all Christmas music from Thanksgiving until Christmas day! Driving my little elves to school today, O Holy Night came on and it always, always gives me chills! Goosebumps galore & my eyes always well up at the end of the song...

O Holy Night...
Fall on Your Knees...
Hear the Angels Voices...
O Night...O Night Divine
O Night...That Christ was Born

I don't know what it is...the fact that the night Christ was born is something so lovely to think about, that my faith sustains me daily, that Christmas is after all a celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ...

That song just gets me every time! My favorite version...by Josh Groban...is so moving!


May your Holiday be divine!