~Christmas Eve~

(all photos courtesy of my DSL, Brandy)

                                                                        Ann

I had all the hot food lined up on the table to eat.  Paul opened the kitchen window and the veggie bowl broke.  First the boys said to me "This means we don't have to eat any vegetables. Yay!"  Then about 10 minutes later, my dad walks through the kitchen and says "Oh goodie, we don't have to eat our vegetables"

                        "The Twins"
                        Jacob and Rachel.
                        15 years since our last Christmas together. 

Ann   Mary  Hannah

                                Paul and Elijah

                                    David

        Mary tearing off her clothes to get her new jammies from Grandma and Grandpa on.

                                         Paul and his girls.

      Me, opening a super-soft-pink bathrobe from my parents.  I sleep in it, it's so cozy on my skin.

      Elijah and David opening their marshmellow guns that Uncle Jacob made them.  They love them    and we don't mind getting pelted with marshmellows as long as we can pick them up fast enough to eat them.

                                Hannah and her whistle. 
                                Yes, feel sorry for me.

                     Ann and her recorder.
                     Feel even more sorry for me.  LOL!
          

                    My Dad. Grandpa, playing with the boys' gift.

Auntie and Uncle gave Mary this super cool bear that hiccups and sings and talks and everything. 

         My parents started with 2 and now they have 4 ;)

                                                     My Mom.  Grandma.

Balloon toys that Grandpa brought and made.

Lots of food and cooking.

A walk through "the forest park". (My favorite part of the day was taking a walk with my family. 

My dad always took Jacob and I for all kinds of interesting "exploring" walks when we were kids.  It's in my blood)

Laughter

Conversation

Three Stooges episodes

Present opening.

a wonderful day!!

and later

making Cinnamin Rolls,

Cookie decorating,

putting cookies out for Santa

Staying up half the night to put those finishing touches on the stockings and presents.

Our First ARC Christmas

What I'd rather share are the faces and stories of our men and women, staff, volunteers and Comrads.

But, I only tell our own story.  Theirs is theirs ;)

                     Chouinard's *first* ARC Christmas. 
                          We figure 20+ more. Smile.

                                                   Ann.

                                                   David.

                                                    Hannah.

                                                   Elijah.

A very scared Mary with a very brave Daddy.

 fellowship, gifts, fun, singing,

food, laughter, serving

Blessed

for sure

Simple Christmas Pleasure

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred,

and we are better throughout the year for having,

in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."    ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." ~ Peg Bracken.

"God loves each of us as if there were only one of us." ~St. Augustine

Merry Christmas!

Christmas at Home

Dining Room

We added a short and stocky nutcracker to our collection this year,

but he didn't make it in time for the picture. 

Many of our Christmas decorations were gifts throughout the years.  It makes them all more meaningful as I reflect and tell the children where things like my Alaskan Nativity came from.  It's hard to see here, but it's up high, away from little hands.

The star of the show this year.  Our Olive Wood Nativity all the way from Bethlehem!  

It seems like ages since we were in Israel and Jordon, but it was only 9 months ago.  We are filled with so many good memories, pictures and a few souvenirs though.  

The star up top winds up to play music.

We've squeezed in a few Christmas activities too.  The siblings shopped for each other at a trip to Toys R Us after a (looong) store inspection and A&W for lunch,  we've lit the Advent candle and done the readings at church, we drove around and looked at some amazing Christmas lights, we've wrapped gifts for our people, and we will spend this week christmasing our way through the ARC and preparing for our Christmas at home too- we have menu's to plan, presents to wrap, cookies to bake and bathrooms to scrub!

We are very much looking forward to having Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle for Christmas Eve and Grandma for Christmas morning.  I feel SO blessed to have Christmas with family.  It's been many, many years.  God keeps showing His unmerited favor.  I should do a post all unto it's own about that ;)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Traditions

Setting up the Santa Train

Stringing Popcorn Garland

(of which Mary keeps eating it off of the tree)

Our nightly Jesse Tree  

Building our Gingerbread House



The other tradition that was not captured on film was

Mommy crying as she unpacked the ornaments made by so many little hands

hung in so many different homes

and then

Mommy freaking out over swarms of little hands

grabbing for ornaments

to precariously perch on the tips of tree branches

only to come tumbling down again and again

and finding several of them in Mary's crib because they were her "babies" 

and ornaments that brothers' hung in sisters' hair

and ear-peircing shrieking when they got tangled

Christmas

just wouldn't be Christmas without all my little helpers.

Christmas began last night!

There has been a lot of secret keeping among the Chouinards.

I've got so many in my head to sort out that I'm afraid I might tell a secret to someone I wasn't supposed to.

So... I told the children this morning... I'm done spilling the beans! 

Santa came to visit last night!!  You should've seen Hannah's face when she opened the door!

(My camera has been acting funny, so I didn't get that many good shots)

Hannah ran to the top of the stairs with everyone else

because she was both excited and leary at the same time.

*F* played her violin for Santa.

Santa brought presents and everything!!

Santa double-checked that he gave out all the presents.

What a fun filled evening!

THANK YOU to our two lovely friends from church and their daughter!

It was such a special and memorable treat for us all!

Christmas- Salvation Army Style

1200 people served Thanksgiving Dinner

1 Starlight Parade Float

6 Bellringers

3 Service Club Bellringers

1 Corps Day of Bellringing

1 Advisory Board Day of Bellringing

Countless kettle counting

2 ELFF Nights (collecting 23,000 non-perishable foods)

325 Nursing Home Gifts

225 Christmas Food Boxes

435 Children who received Christmas Gifts through our Social Services

30 Corps (Church) Children who received Christmas Gifts

85 Corps, Church, and Advisory Board  who received Adult Christmas Gifts

30 Women's Ministries Gifts

78 Foster Children Christmas Gifts

65 Sr/Disabled Gifts

Thousands of generous donors

4 Advent Sundays

26 (2 more to go!) Jesse Tree Ornaments (just the Chouinards)

3 Corps Related Christmas Parties

1 Christmas Service

2 Class Parties (David's and Elijah's)

2 Teacher Gifts

95 Christmas cards

4 Christmas Performances (3 Chouinard children)

30 volunteers

10 Employees

5  Salvation Army Officer Children

2  Corps Officers

Potatos, Re-Furbished Bikes and Turkeys

Toys and my baby girl

Food Boxes

Bread and Turkey Roasters

more food boxes.

1 Baby Jesus, God with us