Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas in FL with the whole Coleman clan coming together for the holidays. The family has grown quite a bit since the last time we were all together. The kids had a great time with their cousins and we look forward to all being together again in the future.

My sister's son, Atticus, put Ryan on his wish list for Christmas, so his Dad wrapped Ryan up for him to open.

Miranda has been wanting a pink butterfly chair for Christmas and Santa did not disappoint her. She loves to sit and read in her new chair.

I know these pictures are a little out of order, but this year my parents thought it would be fun to act out the nativity for Christmas Eve. There are enough grandkids now and they had a great time getting dressed up.

Evan's first Christmas went much better than I had feared. Once we took the "no-nos" off, he was a much happier little boy. We just made sure he kept those hands out of his mouth. He had a great time opening his gifts.

While the women were in the kitchen cooking Christmas Eve dinner, my Mom bought a gingerbread house kit for the kids to do. They had a great time decorating them and my sisters made award certificates for them to reward them for their creativity.

December 2009

December flew by and now I can hardly believe it is mid January! Here is a recap of the fun December was filled with.

Olivia was a donkey in her preschool Christmas program. She had a blast and we could hear her singing above everyone else.

Ryan started wrestling and it has been quite an experience. This is a picture of him after his first tournament. He didn't do as well as he would have liked and didn't take kindly to losing. I have to admit that I was a little surprised at how many boys cried after they lost a match. We stressed to Ryan that he is new to the sport and will get better. He has another tournament next weekend so we'll see how it goes. I am praying that wrestling teaches him how to lose with grace.

Our Christmas tree.

While Duane was gone for two weeks at a course in VA, the kids and I tried to find different activities to keep us busy. These are the graham cracker houses that the kids made. They did a fantastic job and can't wait to do it again next year.

Evan had his palate surgery done on the 15th. I stayed overnight with him at UNC and it was hard to see him in pain and not eating. The first week was a little rough, but he is now back to normal. He is free to put his hands in his mouth and go back to a regular diet.