MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

WARNING!! THIS IS A MONTAGE OF OUR ENTIRE CHRISTMAS
I BELIEVE THERE ARE 3 POSTS. YOU MIGHT WANT TO GET A CHAIR AND SOMETHING TO EAT. THANKS FOR READING OUR BLOG AND SHARING OUR CHRISTMAS!

Jia-About to discover Christmas

YESSSSS!

Jia's pickle-for the whole pickle story please google
It is a German tradition

Anna in her nice "Florida weight (perfect) Jacket from
Nona and Grandpa

Jia LOVES her monkey slippers

Katie with her jacket in Navy.

Some stocking gifts

Anna and Katie reading their "pickle" clues.

Anna was the winner this year and the lucky recipient of a
twenty dollar Target gift card

Jia with her beautiful dress. We were disappointed that her school did not have a winter show this year. She will wear it when her sisters get inducted into the National Honor Society later this month.

This picture is for Ellen, Sunny, as you can see, was right in the middle of the festivities

Drew opening his Tony Dungy book which he is actually reading!

My Chihuahuas received little blankets

Our pug (BennyFoo-not pictured) received a Stetson University collar

Anna requested skull head footy pj's
It makes me sweat just looking at it

Tim Tebow, a man that is grateful to our Lord and
thanks our Savior for all of his blessings

Don't know what time it was, but it was still dark out when....ANNA jumped in our bed waiting to open gifts, in her defense Jia was already sleeping with us as Jia made up the law that everyone had to sleep upstairs so we didn't get an accidental peek of Santa and he would take all of our presents back.

As you can imagine, the usual mayhem ensued. It took about two hours:

Highlights:

Katie asked for a Belgian Waffle Iron and a 4 slice toaster and got both for Christmas

Jia got a beautiful grown up dress from Nona and Grandpa. She also got a pair of sock monkey slippers from Auntie Jenny and Uncle Craig that we haven't been able to get off her feet.

Anna loved the surfboard memo station that Auntie Jenny and Uncle Craig sent, and of course my shopper was thrilled with her stack of gift cards.

I was perplexed by electronical gifts: a new phone on which I am determined to learn how to text and a ITouch 4G which is supposed to be really cool (I am a cave woman, and besides blogging I am a little out of touch, so I will need huge amounts of lessons)
In an effort to get Drew to learn how to read again (joke) he received 2 sports books and a huge manual on how to use his IPad (hopefully now he won't hours playing a game called "Angry Ducks"??????? We also bought him a pair of reading glasses in which we all agree he looks just like Grandpa.

We made Drew happy this year by having a Honey Baked ham, Katie made my Mom's delicious twice baked potatoes, Anna was in charge of the yummy deviled eggs and the apple pie was from Publix.

My job was to wrap all of the presents for the gift exchange job later and to clean up from my last wrapping job.

Last picture, some of you know our love for this boy who is full of grace and talent, which he never takes for granted.

CHRISTMAS EVE

Merry Christmas Eve from The Parnham Family

The Women of Parnham South
Anna didn't get the red and black memo

SHHHH! You'll wake up ANNA
Jia was sleeping like a log

My favorite Holiday of the year and I guess a lot of people don't even call it a Holiday. Everything is finished, the children are excited and we can sit back and enjoy the REAL relevance of the birth of Christ.

This year we attended a new church. I am very picky. I want something meaningful. Mega Churches are extremely uncomfortable to me. Growing up, church was very solemn and dignified. We had stained glass windows and pews, long lost hymns and stern pastors. Now I realize these things are few and far between, especially in South Florida. But we have been turned off by our regular church who have done the EXACT SAME Christmas Eve program three years running. Plus, I hate to say this but our pastor was less than inspiring.

Anyway, we went to a church that meets in a local middle school, it is very small and the pastor was EXTREMELY welcoming. His sermon brought tears to my eyes (really), the only thing I didn't care for was the BAND music, but as I said I am old fashioned. We didn't get to go this Sunday, but we will try it again this week.

After this we were treated to a wonderful dinner thanks to a gift card from our dearest friend Ellen. We ate so much we were stuffed, but still HAD to have dessert,because it was there, right?

Then home to put out chocolate chip cookies milk and reindeer feed out for Santa.

I think I got a little inkling through to Jia about baby Jesus even in her hard to understand world of Santa and presents.

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEARS PICTURES

The Cutest Picture Ever!

Thank you El!

These photos created quite a controversy as I had them planned for the beach (note the sea and sand colors?) We also had our wonderful friend Ellen agree to take them for us, so we could actually have the 5 of us in one picture. (Someday, we will actually break down and use a professional photographer.) Anyway, we ended up in the same grassy spot we always use. (FYI: Jia is still afraid to let her bare feet touch grass, but she doesn't have a screaming fit over it anymore as long as someone carries her 7 YEAR OLD self through the wilds of Pembroke Pines.)

Anyway, here are some of the pictures we took and didn't use, also our Christmas card is at the top of this blog.

We thank Ellen for driving all the way out here to take these pics.

OH, and if you look at our Blessed by Three blog pictures, they have been updated by the wonderful Tina at Tina@TheStoryofYou. If you ever want a professional blog with a beautiful look from a terrific person, please use Tina. A lot of her blogs are for the Chinese Adoption world, but she can really do whatever you want. Happy New Year, Tina!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU!

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

We have many, many pictures to share of our Christmas card shot (which are now going to be Happy New Year pictures), our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. HOWEVER, at the end of Boxing Day I am exhausted and overwhelmed, so I will be posting them in the next couple of days. I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. We did....

The Polar Express

Jia: ready for school

Yesterday Jia had Polar Express Day at school. All the kids wore pj's and they watched the movie, drank hot chocolate and their teacher gave them each a bell to wear around their necks. It was really cute.

Today, they had a class party, made reindeer food, menorahs, Plates for Santa's cookies, and they had a book exchange.

Meanwhile, Katie and Anna had a Chemistry exam...sigh....

Oh Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas Tree
tied to the ceiling with fishing string to prevent kitty accidents
no tree skirt to prevent doggie accidents
it's the price you have to pay!

Anna took some up close shots
I think if you click on them they will get bigger

This is my Mexican tree
it is decorated with painted tin ornaments
and poinsettias which are native to Mexico

Jia decorating her pink tree

Katie's white and green tree
she added the angel cards for the needy children she
bought presents for during Angel tree time

Annas' purple and silver tree
amongst the many, many things in Annas' room

decorating the big tree

Drew is relieved that the Anna took over the light stringing this year

Katie unwrapping some breakable ornaments
(or as she used to say: "glassable")
Where did my baby go??

Jia after a beauty treatment from Anna

Best Buddies...except when their not

Studying-That's What We Do!

Yes, It's Me!

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, you know how much I LOVE our Christmas tree. It is full of decorations from trips, special occasions, gifts from friends, my Christopher Radko collection, everything from handmade ornaments from my girls to a Waterford crystal champagne glass from 2000.

The BEST thing about our tree is that we have a Santa ornament with a picture on it of every Christmas of Anna and Katie's life (thank you Momma Rita) and one of Jia every year since she has come home.

My lights have to be clear=stars, but I have some renegades around here that have put a colored light tree in the other room while I was napping, haven't seen it yet.

It was a nippy 36 degrees here today, so the girls and I took a day off, too cold to go outside!

Funny Jia story: presents have been accumulating, and little Jia's wheels have been turning, so she is getting suspicious about Santa. I have the perfect story for all of you Mom's out there: " Jia, Santa has so many presents and Mommy has some extra time so he drops some off for me to wrap." My story (lie?) worked perfectly today when there was a sharp knock on the door and the UPS man dropped and ran. Anna opened the door and brought in a box. I said Jia, That was Santa Claus! Did you see him? no, "oh, wow, I guess he ran away because he thought you were in school and since you were home he didn't want you to see him!" She bought it hook, line and sinker....I have a little gnawing part of me that feels guilty for promoting this Santa stuff, but I can get over that.

My Angels

Everyone knows what special children Drew and I have been blessed with. For the last two weeks they have been volunteering at the Salvation Army Tree in the mall. If you are not familiar with this, the angels are needy children who have been asked what their "dream wish" toy would be, this is placed on a card along with the childrens' clothing size. The angel cards are placed on a Christmas tree in the mall and people come and "adopt" a child. When they are done shopping they bring the presents (usually the toy and a bunch of clothes) back to the mall and they are bagged and labeled for the needy children.

Anna and Katie still have one day left to volunteer for this-December 12, which is the last day for the project. THEN they will be working at "Sorting Saturday" to help distribute food to the needy.

Our girls realize that their lives could have turned out very differently and they are very thankful for what they have.

More importantly, Drew and I realize that OUR lives could have turned out very differently without the blessing of our beautiful girls, and thank God every day for giving us the right family. Sometimes His ways are roundabout, but He always knows what is best.

Did you miss us?

The girls' shirts read "Hello I'm College Bound"

They are from National Honor Society

We haven't posted in so long, I thought just a short hello and some pics of the girls would be nice. The girls have been so busy I don't think we have all been in the same room together this week.
Tomorrow we have a Parent-Teacher conference with Jia's teacher...we will report back.