Christmas

These are some pictures from Christmas. We had a great time and spent lots of time with family. We did the English side gift exchange on the Sunday before Christmas so Karl could be there. We got an emergency radio/flashlight. Terica made a really cute wooden picture of our family (I'll post a picture of it later).Natalie got dress-up cloths and a monster size coloring book. Julia got a Curious George doll that sings her to sleep, and a little toy that sings when you push buttons. Jake and Sariah had our names for Christmas and they sent us a food storage chart, and some cute rag dolls that Sariah made. Supposedly there is a game on it's way, but we don't know what happened to it. On Christmas Eve day we went to Andy and Terica's house and then that night we went to the English's. Dad read the story from the bible, then we sang LOTS of songs from the hymn book. Then some people played games and others watched the Nativity Story movie (the full length, non-cartoon one), it's one of my favirites. Adam and Gloria, Nicole, Cherise, my parents, Cami, Marcus, and our little family were all together for that.

Then we went home and prepared for our little Christmas the next morning. Marc got baseball tickets, and a picture collage to take to work. Michelle got a watch, a bookmark, and a scarf, hat and mitten set. Natalie got a Belle doll, a tent, sleeping bag, and yellow treats (which was all she wanted, "yellow treats in yellow wrapping paper"). Julia got a Mrs. Potato Head, some books, a ball, and stuffed bird. It was fun for it to be just our little family that morning and to see the surprise on the girl's faces when they opened their presents. That's my favorite part about Christmas, how excited they get about the littlest things.

After opening gifts at home we headed over to spend the day with the Maddox family. We were very blessed there as well. They are soo good to us. We got some 100 hour emergency candles, and a beautiful picture of Christ. Marc got nice gloves and a hockey book called Game Face, I think. Michelle got a great beading set in a handy carrying case. Natalie got cute jeans and some pj's. She also got and jewelry box that has Zoey from sesame street and plays music, a necklace and bracelet set, and some little dolls with plastic outfits you can change out. Julia got a cute vest and some pj's. She also got a worm that sings and glows to sleep with. Kevin had us for Christmas and he gave us a new game called Killer Bunnies, which we love. That's all I can think of as far as gifts go, sorry if I skipped any, needless to say we are very blessed. But the best part was getting to see so much of our family. Adam and Gloria, Nicole, Cherise, and Karl visited form my side. And Rob and Sarah, and Scott and Caroline visited from Marc's side. It was so much fun!

Exciting e-mail!

So, the other day Marc called me and asked me if I'd checked my e-mail that day. I hadn't so he told me to go check it and to my pleasant surprise this is what I found.

I am excited to announce Marc Maddox has been promoted to Accountant I and will begin transitioning to his new role this week. In Marc's short time with us he has demonstrated a high sense of urgency, attention to detail, and overall high customer service. Marc always volunteers for special projects and seeks out ways to provide assistance to the department as a whole.

Please join me in congratulating Marc!

Jordan Martin
Director
Client Accounting Services
Colliers Turley Martin Tucker

Marc has been with this company for about two months and we were very excited to hear this news. It is great for me to hear from others that my husband is doing the amazing job I know he is capable of. And getting recognized for his hard efforts. I knew that once he got the opportunity to prove himself in his field, they would not be disappointed. I love you honey!

We had a great holiday season. These pictures were taken at a Santa's Cottage event at the elementary school. It was hosted by the Parents as Teachers program were are involved in. As you can see they had a reindeer, Mrs. Clause, and Santa. Is it wrong of me as a parent to just LOVE the picture of Julia crying with Santa? It's one of my favorites. The thing is she's usually not afraid of strangers. In fact that very same morning she walked up to a teenager she didn't know, with her arms out wanting her to pick her up. The girls had a great time. Natalie made a gingerbread house, and got to meet a gingerbread man, which she was very excited about. She remembers making ginger bread houses with Grandma Maddox last year and can't stop talking about it. They also made other cute ornaments, and reindeer food. Natalie got to pick out some gifts on her own as well. Uncle Kevin got a travel trivia game which, I'm sure he'll use often, lol. Aunt Nicole got a cute little velvet purse to go with the purse I made her for Christmas. I just love the holidays. It's so much fun when you have little ones and they get excited about the littlest things. The way their faces light up when you talk about Santa. The way Natalie constantly wanted to sing Christmas songs and is upset now that the radio doesn't play them anymore. I especially love that she added her own line to "Santa Clause is coming to town." She sang it to Julia when we were on our way back from Thanksgiving. She sang, "He sees you when you're sleeping, he sees you when you are awake. He sees you when you're making a mess, so be good for goodness sake!" Julia was having a hard time and Natalie made it all better by singer her to sleep, she kept saying, "It's OK Julia, we're almost home, just go to sleep." As she stroked her face. Anyway, I loved seeing the joy of it all through my child's eyes. She asked Santa for yellow treats in yellow wrapping paper, and a princess Belle doll. And that is just what she got, and lots more.