Snow Days

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

Christmas at Home

Our Jesse Tree

Entryway

Entryway table

Kitchen with little stockings from my childhood

Kid art

My happy little snowmen.

The trees on the right were a very special gift from my Paul when we were at our first appointment and I was having a most difficult time with some very mean people. 

The trees remind me of how a difficult time really pulled Paul and I together

and toughened me up for battle against sin and the ruler of darkness.  ;)

On a lighter note...

Our Gingerbread house that we made at Thanksgiving.

I was noticing that candy kept missing from it.  All the children denied it, but I knew someone was doing it!

Finally... I caught Hannah one evening with a peice of candy in her mouth that could only have come from the Gingerbread house.  She fessed up and we all were reminded that whatever sin you do in secret always comes out!!  You may be enjoying it for days or weeks, sometimes even years, but the truth always comes out.  Hannah just got a good talkin' too, after all, she's just learning about these things. 

Very cute story to tell though!

Bathroom

The kids love to play with these guys.

and these guys.

I was super excited to buy brand new bulb ornaments for our tree this year.  They were a bit costly, but I purchased 2 sets of 65, one red toned, one gold toned.   The best part is... they are unbreakable!  and will last me for years!  The sad part was that I couldn't get them all to fit!

My dear friends gave me this Alaska Nativity after I did a short-term mission trip to Alaska islands.

Mikasa Nativity

It was sad to retire Buster's stocking this year.

From left to right...

Mary, Momma, David, Hannah, Elijah, Daddy, Ann

Singing snowman given to us by my lovely MIL

One of my favorite parts of Christmas are the cards.

This year, I hope to take them down one each day starting on New Years and pray for the families.

Dining Room

Living Room 

Christmas Sunday

Yesterday was our 4th Sunday in Advent, what I like to call Christmas Sunday.We had a lovely church service followed by refreshments and gift giving.The youth sang two songs, David played a guitar solo, two of our church ladies did a skit, and one of our darling 3 year olds sang a Christmas song in Russian.   We had a Carol Sing and a nice sermon by Capt. Paul reminding us that Jesus didn't only come to save us from sin but to save us for something good in our lives.

Here are 5 of the good things that Jesus saved me for...

Merry Mary

Deep David

Articulate Ann

Excited Elijah

Happy Hannah

We need Christmas...

to remind us that Hope is not the prisoner of despair,

but the captive of faith.

We need Christmas...

 to remind us that being Holy is not being distant

from the world,

but being different in the world.

We need Christmas...

to remind us that Love is not the gift of the giver,

but the giver wrapped up in the Gift.

-General William Booth

Founder

The Salvation Army

Precious Baby Mary!

This is me...

Sigh. Smile.

This is my babe!

We've had 3 babes in this home, they all have loved standing under the table here. 

8 months old tomorrow.

17 1/2 pounds of (as my mother says... "tender juicy baby flesh!") LOVE it!!

Mary has heard her name quite a lot this month. 

We are always saying "Merry Christmas"

and she perks right up and giggles thinking that we're talking to her!

I love my babes more now than I ever have.  It just keeps getting better.

I so enjoy and marvel at watching them grow,

but I'm appreciating that one day, we won't have anymore babes in the home.  Boo hoo.

At least I should start having grandchildren by the time the littlest ones grow up. 

That way, I'll never have empty arms.

Thank you Lord, for children!  (Especially mine! hee!hee!)