O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him,
O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
-John Francis Wade
Merry Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had an awe-filled, peaceful Christmas. I am blessed with so many gifts, this was the best Christmas ever...until next year.
First comes first, Aaron and I celebrated our 6 month-a-versary with a romantic date to a new sushi restaurant called Yagu Bistro.
It was very yummy and reminiscent of our favorite Chicago restaurant, Sunda. It may not have had the Chicago city restaurant decor or as many menu choices, but St. Charles can boast an excellent sushi restaurant in Yagu Bistro. The sushi above, "Autumn in New York", was my husband's pick and also his favorite.
My favorite was the above sushi, "Angry Dragon." I feel blessed and especially lucky every day with my husband. Not only have I legally shared his last name for the past 6 months, we share every moment of our lives together, the ups, the downs, and the excitement. I love having such a loving, kind, silly, handsome, and understanding partner by my side.
The next day we took our little Penny girl to the vet so they could check on her knee. She was a perfect patient and when they brought her back from her blood test she had "borrowed" their special puppy patient tennis ball.
Marley was very depressed in Penny's absence (and anytime we eat at the kitchen table as he is banished to his crate so he resists begging) and was excited when she got home. He was jealous he didn't get to go "bye-bye" too.
He showed his affection for her by stealing her bone later during snack time. Don't worry she wasn't phased.
The next day was very exciting for the pups, and the rest of the family, because it was a SNOW DAY!
There was mostly ice, though, and Penny was smart enough to stay inside most of the day, while Marley slipped all over the front yard.
I attended my 23rd Basket Mass at A.S.H. on Friday, the official kickoff (my husband will be amazed I am using a football term) to Christmas week.
I sat with Grandmama & Opa and we loved the carols, the special Christmas homily, and hearing our sweet Cassie sing in the liturgy choir. After Mass, I teamed up with Cassie and my mom to deliver baskets to one of the parishes distributing them to the needy.
This Christmas tradition is one I hope never to miss again. Fun fact: This would have been my 24th consecutive Basket Mass if I wouldn't have missed last year because I technically attended it in my mom's tummy when I was a teeny tiny baby.
The next day we went to Youth Mass and since Tad was home, he played the drums in the band. He really is fantastic and had quite the fan club of ten-year-olds after Mass. I was excited to get to participate in Mass as well as a new member of the parish while lectoring.
After Mass, and a rousing meal at Steak N Shake, I was off to the annual Sherwin Christmas party for some reminiscing and cocktails.
It was a wonderful time chatting with people I haven't seen in what feels like ages, especially as it is our first official Christmas as St. Charles residents, not to mention Mr & Mrs. As usual, the yearly Muny auditions were discussed and the exciting upcoming season was analyzed.
I even had the pleasure of meeting the Master of Wardrobe. We had a delightful conversation which included Muny costume fittings and our opinion of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy novels. How those two topics were mixed into the same conversation neither of us could recall.
Sunday was our traditional Santa Brunch day at the Country Club. This brunch included Santa himself and a lovely brunch with the Schuetz family.
This Santa brunch was especially wonderful because it was the first my husband has attended.
My mom was excited to spend some quality time with her best friend Patricia as well. She flew in from London to be with her family for the holidays.
After a very filling brunch we went home to relax. Well, the boys and Cassie relaxed, my mom and I wrapped what felt like 150 presents for all our family and friends. Quality time with my momma is always fun, though, and we spent hours laughing and talking about the past and future Christmas festivities.
We then counted down the rest of the week before Christmas Eve: shopping...
And, in Tad's case, playing video games and sleeping past noon...
My Mister and I had a lovely reunion double date with a couple I made friends with in Chicago at The Winery of the Little Hills downtown St. Charles over two bottles of wine.
The company and the wine was wonderful. Honestly, I wish Bre & Joe lived in St. Charles, they are a super fun, amazing couple.
It wouldn't be Christmas without a few beers with your buddies, in Aaron's case, and I tagged along with him for the rest of the evening with two of his close friends. Not only were the drinks good, so was the entertainment of witnessing one of his friend's pick-up strategies.
AND THEN, FINALLY, it was Christmas Eve! We cooked and we baked and we made the house just right. My mom decided to bake a bone-in ham in accordance with my Dad's traditional Christmas Eve meal. It was one to be proud of!
Cassie even baked one of the Christmas pies!
God did most of the work setting the perfect scene, as he blessed us with a Christmas snow!
We got the White Christmas we were dreaming of!
The Christmas Eve meal was delicious, "The Program" was beautiful (Tad & Aaron read a story about a Christmas wagon and Cassie and I sang "Silent Night"), and Midnight Mass went off without a hitch. It truly was a magical, blessed, holy night. Grandmama was sorely missed, due to a nasty cold that landed her in bed for the evening, but we were surrounded by family. Then, as all children know, it was off to bed to wait for Christmas morning.
And what a Christmas day it was! Aaron and I had an early morning drive to his sister Becky's house through the snow.
When we got home it was time to be majorly spoiled by Santa Daddy and my husband.
Tad opened most of his gifts on the sly, but received lots of video games and a Swiss Army wristwatch.
My very romantic father gave my mom pearls, 100 inches to be exact. She modeled them for the family after joyfully opening them up.
My husband is an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan so I made him a special blanket and bought him an appropriate hoodie to help him cheer on his team. He loved both so much he immediately put them on. I am happy to say I have a football lovin' husband. It's always fun to cheer on OUR KC Chiefs together!
My Daddy got (a.k.a. gave himself) lots of very cool electronics. Including a fancy HD video camera. He was in dork heaven all morning!
I was very spoiled and received so many beautiful presents. My mom gave me cutie luggage tags for my suitcases, my dad got me a beautiful diamond star necklace, and Cassie & Tad gave me some musical and yummy gifts too. My husband took the cake, however, with my brand new camera (you can probably tell the difference in some of the pictures I uploaded) and a pink shell for my Mac. And lots of clothes that, I will admit, I actually picked out and tried on pre-Christmas morning.
Cassie had a pretty nice stack of prettily wrapped presents to open herself (my mom and I wrapped her gifts in pretty pink, purple, and green glittery wrapping paper). She was excited to receive her favorite Disney movies all wrapped up in one box.
After a very full morning (which included a 20 minute recovery nap on my part) we drove over the river and through the woods through our winter wonderland to Grandmama's house.
We gathered in the family room over drinks and hor d'oeuvres for "the program." We read Tiffany's annual thankful list which included lists from each family of what they were thankful for that year. Mine was, as usual, the longest by far and brought tears not only to myself, but most of the other women in the room.
Evan, with a little help from Grandmama, put baby Jesus in his manger under the tree while we sang "O Come All Ye Faithful."
My husband received a special honor when he was asked by Opa to read about Jesus' birth from the Gospel of Luke. He is officially one of the "men of the house." Makes me very proud of my Mister.
We ended the evening with "A Wonderful Life" and the phrase all the Christmas-obsessed do: Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Goodnight.
After a day of rest, and LOTS of football, we were off to Peoria, IL to visit Grandma & Gramps. There was a shocking two feet of snow waiting for us and Aaron, Cassie, Tad, and I spent hours sledding, snowballing, and building igloos. Grandma and Gramps have, admittedly, never had such an impressive fort in their front yard.
I cannot end this post without announcing that my wonderful husband is the Champion of his Fantasy Football league and we will once again be in possession of the large trophy they pass around to the winner of the league. I am very proud of him and happy I was once again his good luck charm.
I hope you all had a Blessed Christmas and will have an exciting, enjoyable, safe New Years Eve celebration. Happy 2011 to all! See you next year!
My favorite was the above sushi, "Angry Dragon." I feel blessed and especially lucky every day with my husband. Not only have I legally shared his last name for the past 6 months, we share every moment of our lives together, the ups, the downs, and the excitement. I love having such a loving, kind, silly, handsome, and understanding partner by my side.
The next day we took our little Penny girl to the vet so they could check on her knee. She was a perfect patient and when they brought her back from her blood test she had "borrowed" their special puppy patient tennis ball.
Marley was very depressed in Penny's absence (and anytime we eat at the kitchen table as he is banished to his crate so he resists begging) and was excited when she got home. He was jealous he didn't get to go "bye-bye" too.
He showed his affection for her by stealing her bone later during snack time. Don't worry she wasn't phased.
The next day was very exciting for the pups, and the rest of the family, because it was a SNOW DAY!
There was mostly ice, though, and Penny was smart enough to stay inside most of the day, while Marley slipped all over the front yard.
I attended my 23rd Basket Mass at A.S.H. on Friday, the official kickoff (my husband will be amazed I am using a football term) to Christmas week.
I sat with Grandmama & Opa and we loved the carols, the special Christmas homily, and hearing our sweet Cassie sing in the liturgy choir. After Mass, I teamed up with Cassie and my mom to deliver baskets to one of the parishes distributing them to the needy.
This Christmas tradition is one I hope never to miss again. Fun fact: This would have been my 24th consecutive Basket Mass if I wouldn't have missed last year because I technically attended it in my mom's tummy when I was a teeny tiny baby.
The next day we went to Youth Mass and since Tad was home, he played the drums in the band. He really is fantastic and had quite the fan club of ten-year-olds after Mass. I was excited to get to participate in Mass as well as a new member of the parish while lectoring.
After Mass, and a rousing meal at Steak N Shake, I was off to the annual Sherwin Christmas party for some reminiscing and cocktails.
It was a wonderful time chatting with people I haven't seen in what feels like ages, especially as it is our first official Christmas as St. Charles residents, not to mention Mr & Mrs. As usual, the yearly Muny auditions were discussed and the exciting upcoming season was analyzed.
I even had the pleasure of meeting the Master of Wardrobe. We had a delightful conversation which included Muny costume fittings and our opinion of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy novels. How those two topics were mixed into the same conversation neither of us could recall.
Sunday was our traditional Santa Brunch day at the Country Club. This brunch included Santa himself and a lovely brunch with the Schuetz family.
This Santa brunch was especially wonderful because it was the first my husband has attended.
Blurry picture, but still a pretty cute couple if I do say so myself.
Tad and Dad misbehaved as usual. I guess their manners don't change no matter where we are.
My mom was excited to spend some quality time with her best friend Patricia as well. She flew in from London to be with her family for the holidays.
After a very filling brunch we went home to relax. Well, the boys and Cassie relaxed, my mom and I wrapped what felt like 150 presents for all our family and friends. Quality time with my momma is always fun, though, and we spent hours laughing and talking about the past and future Christmas festivities.
We then counted down the rest of the week before Christmas Eve: shopping...
Getting the house AND the pups clean for Christmas...
And, in Tad's case, playing video games and sleeping past noon...
My Mister and I had a lovely reunion double date with a couple I made friends with in Chicago at The Winery of the Little Hills downtown St. Charles over two bottles of wine.
The company and the wine was wonderful. Honestly, I wish Bre & Joe lived in St. Charles, they are a super fun, amazing couple.
AND THEN, FINALLY, it was Christmas Eve! We cooked and we baked and we made the house just right. My mom decided to bake a bone-in ham in accordance with my Dad's traditional Christmas Eve meal. It was one to be proud of!
Cassie even baked one of the Christmas pies!
God did most of the work setting the perfect scene, as he blessed us with a Christmas snow!
We got the White Christmas we were dreaming of!
The Christmas Eve meal was delicious, "The Program" was beautiful (Tad & Aaron read a story about a Christmas wagon and Cassie and I sang "Silent Night"), and Midnight Mass went off without a hitch. It truly was a magical, blessed, holy night. Grandmama was sorely missed, due to a nasty cold that landed her in bed for the evening, but we were surrounded by family. Then, as all children know, it was off to bed to wait for Christmas morning.
And what a Christmas day it was! Aaron and I had an early morning drive to his sister Becky's house through the snow.
Then we celebrated with his family with Christmas breakfast and presents. It was wonderful to officially be part of the Weir family Christmas!
When we got home it was time to be majorly spoiled by Santa Daddy and my husband.
The dogs opened their stockings and a few presents first so they could play with their toys and get some Christmas treats. Penny was so thrilled with her new dolly that she decided to rip it apart.
Tad opened most of his gifts on the sly, but received lots of video games and a Swiss Army wristwatch.
My very romantic father gave my mom pearls, 100 inches to be exact. She modeled them for the family after joyfully opening them up.
My husband is an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan so I made him a special blanket and bought him an appropriate hoodie to help him cheer on his team. He loved both so much he immediately put them on. I am happy to say I have a football lovin' husband. It's always fun to cheer on OUR KC Chiefs together!
My Daddy got (a.k.a. gave himself) lots of very cool electronics. Including a fancy HD video camera. He was in dork heaven all morning!
I was very spoiled and received so many beautiful presents. My mom gave me cutie luggage tags for my suitcases, my dad got me a beautiful diamond star necklace, and Cassie & Tad gave me some musical and yummy gifts too. My husband took the cake, however, with my brand new camera (you can probably tell the difference in some of the pictures I uploaded) and a pink shell for my Mac. And lots of clothes that, I will admit, I actually picked out and tried on pre-Christmas morning.
Cassie had a pretty nice stack of prettily wrapped presents to open herself (my mom and I wrapped her gifts in pretty pink, purple, and green glittery wrapping paper). She was excited to receive her favorite Disney movies all wrapped up in one box.
The morning was eventful and everyone received so many wonderful gifts. We all felt grateful for what we received, especially for the family surrounding us as we opened our gifts. We are a lucky (and very grateful) family.
Let's not forget the real reason for the season, though. As I sat in the family room surrounded by my parents, siblings, and wonderful husband I could not help, but feel sad for those who do not feel joy during this Christmas season due to loss, illness, or bad memories. Jesus was born on Christmas Day and gave us his life and love for all time. This day is meant for the celebration of God's gift of this tiny baby Jesus to all of us. I hope that those who feel the darkness of loss and sadness during Christmas feel the light of the Christ child shining down on them in a special way.
After a very full morning (which included a 20 minute recovery nap on my part) we drove over the river and through the woods through our winter wonderland to Grandmama's house.
We gathered in the family room over drinks and hor d'oeuvres for "the program." We read Tiffany's annual thankful list which included lists from each family of what they were thankful for that year. Mine was, as usual, the longest by far and brought tears not only to myself, but most of the other women in the room.
Evan, with a little help from Grandmama, put baby Jesus in his manger under the tree while we sang "O Come All Ye Faithful."
My husband received a special honor when he was asked by Opa to read about Jesus' birth from the Gospel of Luke. He is officially one of the "men of the house." Makes me very proud of my Mister.
K-K snuggled with her grandchildren, including the McElwains who came all the way from Colorado Springs to spend Christmas with us. We were very blessed to have them with us and to enjoy lots of laughter with their little ones Evan and Caleb.
The Christmas feast was delicious, including the Roast Beast. I will admit I stuffed myself, having two helpings of everything. Guess my diet is starting January 1st. I can't help myself at Christmas time especially with Grandmama's cooking.
Grandmama, K-K, and I even got to have some bubbly with dinner. Not to mention Aaron and I sat at the "big kid table" in the dining room with the adults. Kevin and Tiffany assured us that once we have little ones of our own we will soon be demoted to the kid table once again for many, many years. Don't worry, we will enjoy it for at least a couple more years!
We ended the evening with "A Wonderful Life" and the phrase all the Christmas-obsessed do: Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Goodnight.
After a day of rest, and LOTS of football, we were off to Peoria, IL to visit Grandma & Gramps. There was a shocking two feet of snow waiting for us and Aaron, Cassie, Tad, and I spent hours sledding, snowballing, and building igloos. Grandma and Gramps have, admittedly, never had such an impressive fort in their front yard.
Grandma's cooking was enjoyed by all, including her yummy cherry turnovers and apple pie. Everyone even played more than a few games of Shanghai Rummy.
I cannot end this post without announcing that my wonderful husband is the Champion of his Fantasy Football league and we will once again be in possession of the large trophy they pass around to the winner of the league. I am very proud of him and happy I was once again his good luck charm.
I hope you all had a Blessed Christmas and will have an exciting, enjoyable, safe New Years Eve celebration. Happy 2011 to all! See you next year!
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