Despite the snow and ice and deep freeze outside, we had a lovely time at our annual church Christmas program.  The kids were toys in a toy shop this year, trying to figure out what it meant to be a gift.

Alyson was Polly Pocket.  A silent, dancing Polly Pocket.  She actually did sing a little bit, but she refused to say her line and spent the majority of the program twirling around the stage.  It’s a good thing that A) she’s cute and B) I didn’t have duct tape.

BJ was Spaceman Spiff and he did a fantastic job!  His work in speech has really paid off.  He spoke clearly and loudly (but not too loudly).  And he was in control of himself the whole program.  He also sang wonderfully.  When his mic was having issues, he did a wonderful job of staying calm and repeating his line.  Nothing really flustered him.

GI Joe, oops, Christian really stepped up to be one of the stars of the show this year.  It’s so odd for us to see Christian and his friend Alivia step into the lead roles that Nathaniel and Karisa have held throughout our years at Grace.  He had a lot of lines this year.  He did get a little lost in one of his first lines but recovered quickly.  He even ad-libbed a little, added in a phrase that was requested at this morning’s rehearsal, and sang a verse solo, loud and clear.  He said he was nervous, but he sure didn’t show it.  He acts like a pro up there.  He did a fantastic job.

As a side note, I didn’t realize his costume only had the vest.  I mentioned to him maybe we could’ve chosen his t-shirt better.  He replied, “This one’s perfect.  The tag says Old Navy”.  LOL!

We’re so proud of the kids (particularly the two that did what they were supposed to).  We were sad that so many family members weren’t able to make it this year, but perhaps there will be an Easter program this year(?).

On a side note, everyone is invited to two more Christmas events at our church:

Next Sunday, 12/21, 9:15 am is the Birthday Party for Jesus.  It’s one of my favorite hours of the year with carols sung around the Christmas tree.  I can’t seem to get enough of Christmas carols.

Christmas eve, 11:00 pm is the Candlelight service.  We usually bring the kids in their pajamas, although all three stayed awake last year and enjoyed singing carols by candlelight after a few readings.

We wish you all a very merry Christmas!

On Sunday, the kids had the opportunity to sing at church.  They even dressed up for the occasion.

They did a wonderful job.  Christian lead a responsive song, even though he was losing his voice.  Alyson sang out so everyone could hear her.  BJ stood so still.  They all looked like pros.  We’re so proud of them 🙂

It was a beautiful weekend for this year’s soccer kick-off.  We spent all day Saturday in Edmonds at Sno-King’s annual Everybody Gets to Play day.  There were bouncy houses to jump in, freebies to be had, team pictures, and soccer games.   Sunday, we had our church Rally Day picnic, but only got to stay for a little while because we were off to two more soccer games.  I’m quite sunburned after two days in the sun.  Here are a few pics from this weekend:

Alyson enjoyed playing in the dirt both days (and required a bath immediately upon arriving at home).

BJ’s team is unstoppable again this year.  Saturday was fun because with the festival there was music and the BJ started a few dance moves.

This weekend, BJ was on top of his game, both defending:

And on offense.  He scored a goal on Sunday.

I need to try harder to get good pictures of Christian at soccer, but this one’s cute:

And two pics from the gunney sack race at the church picnic.

The boys leapt over the finish line at the same time for a photo-finish.

(Sorry for the wait, Mom!)

Tuesday was the first day of 4th grade for Christian and 1st grade for BJ.  They are both happy with their new classes.  Christian hasn’t even complained about dropping to two recesses.  Here they are, the school kids:

The only downside so far is with all of the road construction, the kids have to walk up the street to catch the bus.  It’s not very far compared to how far some of the kids have to walk this year, but still different from just across the street.

Alyson, of course, loved to walk her brothers to the bus stop on the first day.  She is spending some time with the Pre-Ks and Kindergarteners at daycare.  It’s too bad she has two full school years before she’ll go to Kindergarten.  She’s such a little smartie.  Her teacher said she knows all of the answers but sometimes gets shy around the bigger kids.

The soccer kick-off is this weekend, so stay tuned to Bill’s blog for schedules and news.  He’s coaching BJ’s team this year, and it looks like they’re shaping up to be another unbeatable team.  Alyson is not playing this fall.