The big guy says Merry Christmas from the Joyces!

It's MLK. Not Santa. Sorry. This post is very late. Actually, it's not late; we're just keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long, right?

Connor

Favorite gift to give: Orioles Santa cap to Graeme
Favorite gift to receive: Under Armour metal spike baseball cleats

Graeme

Favorite gift to give: Credit Card Monopoly

Favorite gift to receive: Nerd book from Mom.
Just kidding: definitely ipod touch.Owen

Favorite gift to receive: DSi
Favorite gift to give: "The Nutty Professor" movie and snack basket for Dad

Reilly

Favorite gift to receive: DSi to share with Owen,
first ipod from Aunt Meg
Favorite gift to give: ball books for Pierce

Pierce
loves his coloring book from Nana best of all.

I was laughing so hard I cried over the "Report Card" the boys made me. I got the highest scores in "Encouraging" and "Overall Awesomeness" but was scored lowest in the winter marking period for serving soup regularly.
Hopefully I made up for it by serving cookies for breakfast.
Dad gave each of the boys his OWN 2009 complete set of baseball cards. Go e-bay Dad! They were thrilled!

" I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

Martin Luther King

Now who's gonna clean up this mess?

P.S.
And Santa really did come. However, only half a gift: a large bucket of baseballs. The note he left explained that due to our huge snowstorm (a real white Christmas in MD) rooftop landings were tricky this year and the professional grade batting tee he'd planned to give the boys slipped out of his sleigh and plummeted to the ground somewhere over Delaware. Only a heroic dive by Blitzen had saved the balls. He promised to send elves out in search of the batting tee and mail it to us via the post office when it was located. We waited several weeks, started to doubt the elves, and then, one day while I was out running errands, our mailman Bob delivered the package to Connor, just like this:
That must have been some tumble from the sleigh! So, as I said, we're keeping Christmas in our hearts all year long and we hope you do, too.

Why walk when you can run... everywhere!

Mommy made me stop for just a second to take these photos for Aunt Priscilla because I am wearing Timmy's hand-me-downs for the first time! Thanks, they're just my style! Now she's making me go take a nap so she can do the Christmas blog... finally!

Christmas Eve

"Over the river and through the woods,
to Grandmother's house we go!"

We all love the annual family tradition of crossing two bridges and traveling down Jim and Sheila's unpaved, wooded country lane on our way to celebrate Christmas Eve with the Joyces. We arrived all aglow for mass, dinner and presents with the Joyce grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We celebrated mass at St. Peter's where Peter's sister Catherine is buried and it was special to feel the whole family was together remembering Christ's birth and the gift of life He gave to all. Dinner was perfect, as always at Grandma's, and Grandpa won the Best Cookie Award with his Austrian Chocolate Balls. Young and old enjoyed the generous and thoughtful gifts (Pandora for all the girls) and there really is nothing like kids' eyes glowing in the fireflame and treelights as they open their new toys, even though Timmy already had Hungry Hippos! Sawyer was adorable (read "sleeping") for the most of the night and it was fun to see him join in the family fun for the first time. All cousins were home in their own beds in time for Santa, although it was a close call at our house. And we heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Snowdude says,
"There will be
S-NO-W School
all week!"
Yes, that is a carrot mohawk.

Heaven and Nature Sing!

This week we enjoyed the heavenly music of children's voices at the boys' annual winter concerts and right on cue, mother nature chimed in with a blanket of Christmas snow! The little boys had tears streaming down our faces as they caroled away in the best NAPS Christmas pageant ever and the middle schoolers' Lullaby on the Wind brought peace and joy to our hearts.

... and it's still snowing, right outside my kitchen window!!!!

Merry Christmas!

Rock-a-Bye Baby

So I found this picture on my camera this morning which means Daddy snuck in and took it sometime after midnight last night when he finished grading final exams for the night. He, I guess, is documenting Pierce actually sleeping in his crib since all week I have been putting him to bed, waiting for him to drift off, and then hauling him back out again fast asleep so I can rock and snuggle myself to sleep with him in my arms because he is just so sweet. What a gift, each and every little child of God. Night-night Little P.

Peace in the Sorrow

As we walked through the last week, our tears fell all along the way. And yet, we lift up our hearts and are glad that at Christmas we remember the true and living birth of that one baby boy whose great work and glory it is to bring Mariah and even all of us into eternity together. Families are forever. Sweet Mariah, hugs and kisses to you and your angel friends.