Celebrating the season....

Do you love hearing a choir and orchestra singing out "Joy to the World"?

I do.....brings me back to singing in the choir as a kid. My favorite part was when all the choirs from all of the churches in our town would get together for a Christmas carol service in the evening. It would usually be snowing lightly and that many voices with the pipe organ swelling just lifted me up to another place.

The singing Christmas tree is probably very familiar to many. I took Dahlia (and our buddies Helen and Angel) to it this year. There is little I enjoy more than going to a ballet or show with Dahlia. I just love it!

And I loved seeing and hearing it through Dahlia's eyes. She sat on my lap for a better view so I could really sense how it was affecting her. Near the end, with 'O Holy Night' beginning - the doors opened and what had been a modern day play transformed back 2,000 years and thus began a procession of the Christmas angels, the three wise men, shepherds carrying a real lamb and sheep and leading a llama, Joseph, Mary and the baby.

It was just magical. And very moving!

Near the end of the song in the swell of a crescendo, Joseph lifted up the little bundle to show the baby Jesus. I leaned into Dahlia's ear and said "look Dahlia, it's the baby Jesus". And she whipped her head around, eyes widened and quickly exclaimed "for real?!"

That moment is frozen for me.

How beautiful!

So, what Christmas moment is special for you? I want to know.

Party On!

..... till you get a fever of 102.8.

Huh? Confused? Look at Milana's face. She wasn't hot yet but sure didn't look too happy. Dahlia must have been faking it 'cause it hit her about an hour after this picture. Both cherubs are in bed with Tempra in them.

I'll add a few more pictures of this Christmas party tomorrow (er.....today......it's late already).

Update:

Kids are better today but I kept Dahlia home from school (kicking and screaming lol) as she definately has a cold and we're encouraged not to spread our germs in school.

So....back to the party.

Despite the odd moment where words like "I don't want a sister" and "I want my Mommy back" spring forth from the mouth of the older sibling, more and more they are enjoying eachother.

Warms a Mama's heart.

Santa made an appearance again.

And again Milana...well.......freaked.

Anybody notice how the photographer missed us in the picture? Any guesses who took this picture? Come on....three guesses! Oh, you're good.....you only needed one!

Well.....I'm just sayin'.

:)

And to even the score, below is my test shot for our Christmas picture (with all subjects dutifully prepared) . Aren't they good?
(that's just a tease.......more to come.)

I ♥ Faces

Can you guess what the theme is this week at I heart faces?

Gee....you're good!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Wordless Wednesday

A peek at our Christmas village.

...and Dahlia's little tree.

More to come. It's finally coming together.

Now just to keep Milana's hand off of everything.

Ha ha......a girl can dream!

Party Party !!

The season began today with the annual Christmas party of the Adoptive Families of Quebec. I remember the first one we attended six years ago, before we had Dahlia. Going to one of these without children could be considered a form of torture but I was so anxious to see other kiddies who had similar experiences to the ones we were about to embark upon.

Fast forward to today when were there with our two kiddies - meeting Santa, of course. This was the best shot we got of Milana. After this one she began to realize that we were actually that close to that red man and weren't leaving immediately so she decided she was going to and squirmed and tried to crawl into my neck.

Milana's first Santa encounter - December 2009

But notice how nicely Dahlia is sitting on Santa's knee. The following picture is the first one we have of Dahlia at this same function, 5 years ago and she was having nothing to do with that red man either. Times do change.

Dahlia's first Santa encounter - December 2004

( Ahem....we do have other little outfits and you'll see some of them. This is just the first party.)


Look at these girlies. Here are some of our dear little friends who were from our first trip to China, along with their little sisters.

Edible.


Great friends!

They grow up so fast. An old cliche - but so true.
My house should be all decorated by now but I still have boxes in every room (you'd think we'd moved or something). I should have it all together this week and then we take our Christmas pictures. Dahlia's use to the routine - Milana.....brace yourself sweetie.

And then we've got more parties to go to. After that we'll start preparing our own Christmas celebration. This week we'll begin the real Christmas story from the bible too. With all the parties and gifts and Santa - it's so important to remember Who were are really celebrating.

Do I hear an amen?

Wordless Wednesday

We love our "Zizi" !!

Happy Wednesday.

What a game !

Like the headline read....it was unbelievable. After a very ho-hum Championship game where it looked like Montreal had all but given up, the winds shifted in the last 10 minutes of the final quarter and we pulled off a win.

The 97th Grey Cup win!

It had been a great year for the Montreal Allouettes. They were a shoe-in to win the Grey Cup (Canada's, sort of, equivalent to the SuperBowl).

Now if anyone is wondering....hmmm.....I wouldn't have pegged Wanda for a football fan - you'd be right. I'm not. However, Danny is. But he hasn't allowed himself the pleasure of watching the game in years. He played football in University but that was it. He's also the type to never take a break, let down his hair and chill. Rarely will he give himself something for pleasure.

I, on the other hand, can find pleasure in an ant crawling along the windowsill (on the outside) so it thrilled me when he started watching the Als this season. And I started making him watch the games as he really enjoyed it (ergo: I enjoyed him more.....get it?!)

Then Dahlia really got into it and would ask....so, are the Als playing this week-end? There's something awfully cute about a 6 year old asking when the game is on.

And so, we all watched. And I even got some of it. Especially when Danny would shout for glee and the popcorn would go flying.

Avon Cobourne, Alouette's running back did a fine job.

Mighty fine!

Quarterback Anthony Calvillo.

Armchair Quarterback Milana M. (on a popcorn break?)

Runningback Dahlia M. and The Coach (Dad).

Here comes the Grey Cup - carried by two fine Royal Canadian Mounted Police

(without their horses).

Ahh....victory is sweet!

I ♥ Faces ("We Heart Tooshies" Photo Challenge)

Yep....that's my littlest's tooshie !!


(For more tooshies - check out the other entries.Can you say - cute!)

I think I'm hearing some jingle bells !

With less than a month (say wha...?) till Christmas, it was time to get into the spirit of the season. We had another day off of school today so we hit the shopping mall (no Black Friday here but no great deals either) to grab a few snaps of the kiddies.
The only reason I couldn't shoot the top of the tree was because I refused to actually get on my belly to snap it. A deep knee bend was all I could muster (well....in public anyway).

It was quite a challenge to get them even in the same shot - let alone looking in the same direction. The area was almost deserted so Milana was like a wild child - she couldn't believe how much freedom she had to run with complete abandon. And she held very little regard for her Mother's pleadings to sit and look pretty (please). No, she was having none of that.

I managed to get a few.

(click on any picture to enlarge)

It's such a beautiful shopping center and one of the things I love best is the parking. You know, normally you park in another state/province and then walk to the mall. Well, I'm thrilled to say in front of almost every entrance there are about 10 handicap spots and about 10....wait for it.......spots for parents and children with strollers. Oh, hallelujah....what could be better than that?

We're just so civilized here, eh?

I dragged a chair over for these shots. (No, not from my home.)

:)

hey, where y'a goin little one?

Home.......I got my coffee. We're done!

Can't wait to see all the Christmas cheer coming up in Bloggyland !