The 6 Christmas Celebrations!

Christmas #1... Levon's Dad came over for Chili and presents. Jocelyn may have him a little confused with Santa (although I can't imagine why). She called him Ho Ho a couple of times.

Christmas #2... We spent Christmas Eve at Levon's mom and stepdad's house. Levon had to deliver parts to Santa Claus, IN (of all places!!) at the last minute due to a water break, but still managed to make it at a decent hour.

Nana and Jocelyn coloring while we wait for dinner and Daddy to arrive.

Jocelyn always has fun with her Papaw.

She opened her 1st Cabbage Patch doll.

Here she is giving Nana's present a kiss before handing it to her.

The last present of the night... a tunnel!

Christmas #3...Late Christmas Eve, Levon surprised me with the ultimate sacrifice...he skipped hunting to take my friend to the mall so she could help him shop for clothes for me! I opened some really nice clothes and even jeans that fit perfectly. How sweet is that! I love him!

Then, Christmas morning, Jocelyn opened some present from us. I meshed these 2 celebrations to count as 1... which was my favorite celebrating just the 3 of us!

Christmas#4...Christmas Day we always go to Levon's Aunt and Uncle's house, which involves good food and a fun game of Dirty Santa (I believe that's what it's called!)

Here, the kids are singing Happy Birthday to Jesus...an annual tradition.


Jocelyn had a blast with her 2nd cousin, Dakota.


Christmas #5...Christmas night, we went to my sister's house to celebrate with my family. At this point, we had ham for the 3rd time, but there was no complaining! Of course, Brooke made other yummy treats such as stuffed mushrooms and chocolate covered cherry cookies to name only a couple.

I love our Christmas celebrations. Everyone is so joyful! Jocelyn's 3 cousins even used some of their Christmas money from Florida grandma to buy Jocelyn a present from them..a horse. How sweet! And Grace made us handmade ornaments and drew a picture of a story from the Bible...just what I asked for. She is so thoughtful.

Christmas #6...I am so sad to say that I forgot my camera for our last celebration. We went to Vincennes the day after Christmas to see my great-grandpa and to celebrate Christmas with my Dad and his fiance. We had such a great time! Sharon made some awesome lasagna and the kids had huge piles of presents to open. The adults also recieved some wonderful gifts. I can't wait to get my digital frame set up, as many pictures as I take! My Aunt, Uncle, and cousins were also there and it was great to see them. I really wish I would have remembered my camera!

Here is a shot of Jocelyn playing with some of her new toys! She is one blessed little girl to have so many family members who love her!

A Family Friendly Christmas Party

Our friends, Nathan & Lorah had their annual Christmas party and this year the invitation said "children welcome." Woo Hoo! If you know me, you know that I don't like to be apart from Jocelyn too long. I can't help it, I get anxious. I believe I can count on one hand how many times I have left her with someone other than Levon (someone being an immediate family member). And a couple of those times, it was only after my sister or mom insisted that they wanted to babysit her sometime. I really don't ever feel the need for a break, although I am way less stressed on a shopping trip without her. Well, anyways, back to the party :)




Here are the childless couples at the party...they may not want kids for awhile after partying with the rowdy group of kiddos that night!






Jocelyn in the middle of a Megan sandwich.



Oh, and of course...Lily time!

Lily is probably thinking, "Oh no, not this kid again."

We are about to have our first of 5 Christmas celebrations! More to come later...

Merry Christmas!!!!!!

B

I've been following a really funny and inspiring blog, http://the5moores.blogspot.com/ and decided to play along with a game found there for fellow bloggers. I've been assigned the letter B and have to come up with 10 things I love that start with that letter. If you leave a comment on my blog, I'll assign you a letter so you can join the fun! Here I go!


1. Babies...If you know me even a little well, you know that I am baby and pregnancy crazy! I love everything about the subject. If you are my friend and become pregnant, congratulations, you have earned yourself a stalker. I will call you on a regular basis to ask how you are feeling, and I expect a phone call after each doctor's appointment and as soon as labor starts, along with regular updates! All my friends are having babies these days so I am really in my element! Of course my favorite baby is my own, but she's hardly a baby anymore!



2. Brooke...My sister and I may have had some rough patches when we were younger, but I am happy to say that we are closer than ever now that we are adults. I can't get through my day without calling her at least 3 times. I even consult her over what soap to buy and how long to boil an egg...little advice like that seriously on a daily basis. She never gave up on getting me to see the truth and after years of faithfully praying for me (and trapping me in the car where I couldn't escape to talk to my about my eternal future!) was a major part of God's plan for me to ask Jesus to come into my life. She is also just a really good person. She has a servant's heart and is always doing things for people, like making Jocelyn's 1st birthday cake.




3. Boys...these 2 boys, that is!

My nephews, Luke and Anteneh, are very special kids, and I'm not just saying that because they are my family. They are both creative, smart, and thoughtful. I really appreciate them because they are really great cousins to Jocelyn. I catch them giving her sweet little pats and kisses and sharing their toys with her, not because an adult told them to, but out of the love of their hearts. I can't wait to see how they grow and change as they get older, both as brothers and as individuals. One thing is for sure...girls, watch out! They filled me in on their preschool crushes last time I watched them. Anteneh said of his crush, "She always wears pretty dresses." and Luke said of his (thankfully a different girl), "She doesn't talk to me, but she stares at me."
I love it!



4. Brownies very guey ones...well, really any chocolate would do. It is so nice to have a husband who doesn't care much for brownies and other baked goods, because I never have to share!



5. Blonde Hair...I have been box blonde since I was 14 years old. My mom was one of those mothers who would let us get highlights and perms as young as the 1st grade! My 8th grade Science teacher forgot my name and said, "You, with the dishwater blonde hair" to call on me. Who wants hair the color of dirty dishwater? His remark started my life as a box blonde. After I had my baby, the blonde just wasn't working for me anymore. It was turning brassy reddish/orange..not a good thing with my complexion! And although I prefer blonde hair and if my husband had his way, I would be platinum blonde, I have gone back to my natural color- a dark blonde/light brown, and I love it!



6. Butch...My husband's stepdad, my daughter's Papaw. Butch reminds me of one of the guys on King of the Hill that stand around with a beer in hand and wonder why they ticked their wives off because they just can't understand the ways of a woman! No, really, he is a very sweet man, especially to Jocelyn. He would help us out no matter what/where/or when. We are very grateful to have him in our lives.




7. Bananas...I eat them in my cereal every morning. They also taste great with peanut butter. Jocelyn loves them too!



8. Brother-in-law... I couldn't have asked for a better one. He also has an awesome family. I always feel uplifted after spending time with his family, who are all strong Christians. Daryn is joyful, loves the Lord, really listens to you when you need to talk (especially about spiritual matters), and welcomes me into their lives I think more than the average brother-in-law. I even lived with them in college for a whole year, during which he got up really early to drive me to class on bitterly cold and snowy days.




9. Black...not only because it is a color that when worn is very slimming, but also because my family's blood runs black and gold!




10. Blessings... God is so good to us! Look at all the blessing I came up with just from the letter B!




Don't forget to leave a comment so I can give you a letter!

Speaking of teams...

This is how we dressed for a visit to our IU fan friend's house the day Purdue whooped IU!

This was our way to rub it in :)

GO COLTS!

She may not watch the games, but she can still dress accordingly!

The truth is, we are Daddy's girls and we root for whatever team he roots for! Go Colts!

"Lilililililili"

We had a much needed visit with Katie and Lily today. Although, Katie was being camera shy.



Lily is looking more and more like her Daddy!



My girls! If only little Leena had been there...I could have a picture with all my favorite babies!

Jocelyn really wanted to feed Lily the bottle. She is such a good little mommy.




sleepy little girl.... I think we wore her out!

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Oh, the dreaded day in our house when Jocelyn is forced to wear a Christmas outfit in November and Mommy is stressed and sweating trying to get the perfect smile while Daddy yells at her saying, "Leave her alone! Joce, you don't have to cooperate." And of course, the overpriced camera won't let me take a picture in natural light (flash-free) without being horribly grainy and blurry....aaahhh the stress!! No, really, last year was super easy.. I just stuck her in a Christmas dress and Levon made her smile and the first shot was PERFECT. Now, this year didn't quite go that way.

This santa dress looked much cuter on the hanger. Also, what is with the background? Well, this IS the Clements's kitchen and not JCPenny's.



Cute...but WAY too cheesy!



"No more pictures, Mommy!"



hmmm...not bad



After a wardrobe change, someone needed a break...so she went on a horseback ride.



Then, she sat down to read a book in front of the fire.. picture opportunity!

Could all of these flashes in her face damage her somehow?!

And the winners are....

so sweet

AND

This side look, halfway grin reminds me of her picture from last year...

I also included a couple pictures of Levon and I with her from earlier in the year.

Now the pressure is off until next year!

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Festivities!

Working hard on a Happy Thanksgiving sign for Papaw, Sean, and Nana.



Jocelyn really enjoyed this art project! She quickly got the concept of placing the stickers on the paper.



Thanksgiving celebration with Papaw and Nana!



I sacrificed by waiting way too long to put the Christmas decorations up so that Levon could go hunting the days following Thanksgiving! We finally did it Monday night and boy, was I excited!


At this point, the tree was put together and the lights turned on. Jocelyn was starting to get excited. She enjoyed pulling the decorations out of the boxes...although we had some close calls with some of the more delicate ones, as you can imagine!


"hmmm...what are these things?"



"they must go on my head!?"


We put on our Christmas pajamas to be extra festive. There's that ornament on the head again!



Daddy asked, "How big is Jocelyn?"



Helping Daddy decorate the tree



Fun with a Santa hat...


whoops!