CHRISTMAS 2012
Christmas: filled with branches of Blue Spruce, Rosemary, Eucalyptus and snow dusted pine cones; decorations in antiqued Mercury glass and shades of smokey grey; rich textures and contrasts of velvet ribbons, chalky candles and shimmering silver. Here are a few of my favourite finds...
Checking the mail everyday with the kids to see what new cards we have received, running to look out the window every time the mail truck or ups truck pulls in the driveway so I can run out and hide all the boxes, making cookies with the kids, decorating the house so it looks beautiful for Christmas morning, wrapping presents, and of course seeing the everlasting priceless smiles on Christmas Morning...some of my favorite things!
This Christmas things seemed just a little more laid back and a little more quiet. I think the Newtown shootings had a lot to do with the quietness of this holiday season. As just weeks before Christmas 26 lives were taken way too early and even though God needed these beautiful children and amazing teachers to be his angels it definitely made us all stop in our busy lives and take a moment to reflect and give thanks to our own children and families.
I took this from a journalist's blog that I found and it is so true: He said that you really needed to see the memorials and the sight of all the candles flickering in the windows of the nearby churches and to see the little 6 and 7 year old faces standing around to really feel what has happened to this town, but....Not as a tourist, mind you, but it will help you understand what this horrific thing has done to this beautiful, placid community.
if you can’t come, please do this: Go find your child, your grandchild, your niece or nephew, or anyone you care about with all your heart. Hug them and tell them how much you love them, and as you do, think of the children and teachers at Sandy Hook. If you do that, you will have made the same journey that I did, and you may understand, just a little, what the people of Newtown must now endure.
here is the link to the article from this journalist and the movie: http://blog.ctnews.com/newtownshooting/2012/12/22/a-journey-to-newtown/
We said many prayers for these families and at church we prayed for them and before we ate our Christmas dinner we prayed for them!
I never did tell my kids about any of the events that occurred and I myself only saw news about it on facebook or through hearing it from friends because I know how sensitive my 6 year old son is and even just a one minute news brief he was asking Don what had happened and why were all those police there. I can't imagine sending my child off to school, a place where we think they are safe and then to have your whole lives changed in just one moment. It truly is so very sad and it hits home just a little bit more when you know you are the parent of a 6 year old child and when you hear the stories and interview from the parents you can totally relate to everything they are saying.
We all move on and even though we had all of these people in our hearts we were still able to celebrate together as a family but those smiling faces did not go unnoticed in our hearts.
Christmas Eve
Mom and Dad finally arrived from Florida after a long train ride that turned bad when the train hit an abanded car on the tracks. The 10 hour train ride turned into a 26 hour adventure, but they made it here and we were all happy to see them for a few weeks. Despite Poppy and Mimi being sick almost their entire trip the kids enjoyed every hug and every kiss and every minute that they could spend with them. It has to be frustrating to feel so bad when your not home and when you are surrounded by 6 lovable, huggable, snugly grand kids but we all made the best of it and held on to each other just a little bit tighter this year!
Mimi and Poppy always come with surprises and presents and this time they came with Delicious Dunkin Donuts! Mara's face lite up and she dove right in for the chocolate with sprinkles, Connor joined her and of course there was no doubt that Meggie enjoyed one or two herself!
"Ahhhh, Poppy, you're so funny"
Thank you for bringing us delicious treats and we even got to open a few Christmas presents early too. Mara got a beautiful necklace from Poppy that was given to her in a pair of socks, because we all know how much Mara loves socks and he wanted her to search the socks for her present. She loved the necklace so much that she wore it down and we need to buy her a new one. I think her little sister pulled on it just a little too tight!
Meggie was napping and the McMahon's were recovering from a great party they hosted with friends the night before so we all piled up on eachother to take a rest!
We all went to a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Trinity Church and Pop Pop came with us but he didn't feel so well so he went home to rest up for Santa! We saw him in the morning for breakfast and had our second Christmas and then Mimi and Poppy came over and we had our third Christmas and then Aunt Jess and Uncle Dave came over and we had our fourth Christmas and then Uncle Mike and Aunt Emily came and you get the idea....it was fun for the kids all day long!
Mimi with her little girls. This Christmas everyone was sick at one time or another. Peyton didn't make it through Christmas Eve Service so Uncle Dave took her home and she got right into PJ's. Of course the next morning when she opened her presents she was all smiles!
Peyton, Mara and Meggie during the Christmas Eve Photo Shoot. We decided this year to put all the kids in Pj's so Peyton wouldn't be the only one not dressed up and it actually turned out really cute! We got some really good shots of the kids in their comfy cozy PJ's.
I don't remember what Connor was doing in this picture, but we will just pretend that he was praying to God that Santa thought he was a really good boy in church and that he listened to the entire pickle story and that he was going to get a really cool Christmas gift in the morning....of course after we found the pickle!
"In a Pickle"
You can read all about the pickle and its meaning here:
Our pastor did an amazing job with the kids and the Christmas Eve service and then every family received a pickle ornament. It is to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas that it isn't just all about the gifts but the gift of Jesus himself!
The whole clan...all 6 of them! Peyton, Carson, Colton, Connor, Mara and Meggie! oh and of course our Mimi!
Colton, the Christmas Elf! Colton celebrated his first Christmas this year and was the cutest elf. He is always all smiles and such a happy baby. They are truly blessed to have had such an angel!
Mimi and Poppy with their two youngest grandbabies!
Mimi and her girls...all grown up!
Another year, another goodbye to good old Clarke! Although the kids loved looking for him each and every day, I don't think they thought he was watching them all the time because we still had a few discussions about being good, but he went back to the North Pole to rest up for next year and he just might bring more excitement next year by doing some fun tricks for the kids. They started to say thinks like we think he hides in the same places all the time so next year we will have to get more creative because Connor is already starting to ask questions about what Santa's he thinks is real and why there are so many of them! The magic is still there no doubt because his excitement on Christmas morning was priceless but I know I will have to keep that magic going and each year as they get older it will be harder and harder.
Santa brought all the presents and the pickle was placed. We are all ready for Christmas morning. Santa enjoyed his milk and cookies and everything is in place for the three little McMahon munchkins!
Christmas Morning
Connor had all of his presents hidden in his room form the Winter Wonderland at school and he was so excited to finally give them to us! 
Mara tricked Connor on Christmas morning and wrapped up his old DS and gave it to him because we told her not to tell Connor he was getting the 3DS and the night they slept at PopPops she let the secret slip so we had to cover it up so he would be really surprised.
Connor's favorite Christmas gift...the razor e sparks scooter! Boy does that thing go fast. He was flying up and down the house all day on Christmas. I think our kitchen floors are feeling the beating just a little too much, but he sure was excited.
Meghan was just happy to have Connor's old DS and she just kept playing with it all morning. We had to get her to stop playing so she would open up her presents.
Meg got a new doll and a new stroller for her doll and Mara got a camping set complete with an suv and all the camping supplies.
Sisterly love....oh so sweet! But really all they wanted was the CANDY! I found these great pj's at the Children's Place and they had candycanes all over them and said, I want Candy on the front. Perfect for my candy loving girls! 
One of Mara's favorite gifts was her Barbie Make up and Pedicure set. She loves it and took everything out and organized it to her liking. She loves to look pretty and Pop Pop tells her everyday that she is definitely not going to be the athlete in the house but she sure is going to be the model!
The make up set was from Connor and Gramma and she was so excited that she ran right over and gave Connor a great big hug. This is what Christmas is all about. The love we show for eachother and the love of giving to others!
Connor got Mommy a reusable tote bag that is insulated which will be great for my triathlon races this summer to store my gatorade and water bottles. He was so happy that I loved it so much!
Daddy got new work socks, which were a big hit too! Connor was capturing it on video so he could relive the excitement on Daddy's face. All this through the eyes of a 6 year old little boy! 
The presents were all unwrapped and Meg was enjoying her new winter hat and her m's as she calls M&M's. 
I think by 8:oo all the candy from the stockings was all over the floor and their tummys were full. Santa even put a ton of candy canes on our tree this year too!
Christmas with Pop Pop
Pop Pop with his best friends on Christmas Day. We got him a new Flyers Jacket and he loved it along with his yearly calendar of the kids, which is the only gift he ever asks us for and we always give him a new mug and this year it was of his "Mara".
Mara happy that she got a Fairy movie and a new outfit for McKenna. She finally got her gymnast outfit and hoolahoop! 
Mimi trying to tell Connor to not cut our heads off...
and take two...he succeeded! daddy is now in the picture!!
The entire Mcmahon and Panhuise Family opening all of our presents on Christmas day! It was a super fun day and we all had so much fun. Thank you to all who made it such a special day!
Merry Christmas 2012
The many Smiles of the Day
Meggie loves to clean so aunt Jess got her a toy vacuum so she can follow me around the house!
Connor loved his new soccer ball ornament and his awesome USA hockey jersey. Even if it is a big big, he will for sure wear it for years to come. Mara got a new camera since one of her favorite things to do is play photographer. 
Meghan got a new track suit and a really fun wooden block game that she makes a lot of noise with!
Ready, Set, Go!
Two beautiful little girls having a fun time with their grandparents and Uncle. Our favorite things are each other. Meghan and Mara are inseparable. They play so great together and always tell each other that they are best friends. They love to play house and dolls and just tear the house apart together. 
Happy New Year 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment