Our christmas in Pictures...

Christmas was wonderful this year. I will tell about it with a lot of pictures, and hopefully fewer words.

Christmas eve was spent with the Griffin family, all of us were there except for my sister trish and her family, and they were sorely missed!! We did gingerbread houses, christmas bingo, a nice dinner, sang songs, rang bells, Santa came!, nativity and opened lots of presents. It was such a fun night with our family.

The grandkids and "Santa"!

Mr. and Mrs. Claus :)
I love santa!!
Santa and (almost) all of his girls!
Aliah being the angel in the nativity and holding the star.
The Nativity. My mom gave us the coolest gift, a book of pictures of the last 15 years of nativities done by our family. It has been a tradition as long as I can remember.
Christmas eve was as relaxing as I can ever remember it being. We were home by 8. The kids got their new christmas jammies. We watched the short Nativity movie. Got santas milk and cookies out, had family prayer and they were in bed by 9!!! Me and kaleb watched some friends and then our tradition for as long as I can remember is to watch the Christmas Story together, so we did that too. A very nice, relaxing christmas eve.
Christmas morning: the kids were up at 8. They opened their stockings, and then left all this for opening AFTER our 9 o'clock church. They were the best. I didn't hear one word of complaint from any of them. Church on christmas was really neat, I really did enjoy it. And it was fun to come home, get back in our jammies, and then open all of our presents!!
Me and kaleb brought back all the kids a hammock from our cruise to mexico.
a surprise for all of us! a piano!!!
I ran out of all wrapping paper on christmas eve so kaleb got creative in wrapping my presents. :)
Here they all are ready for church!!!
We got family hoodie sweatshirts! We all have a nickname of the front, and a number on the back. Kaleb is 1, I am 2, ect.... love.
Here is what kaleb got!!!
Celine: a coat, new boots, lots of clothes, jewelry, perfume, i tunes, a blow dryer, a purse and other odds and ends. a successful teenage christmas.
Aliah: LOTS of crafts to do when she gets bored, a scooter, orbeez, bizus, a robe, lots of good stuff for 8 year old princesses.
Tage: best boy christmas ever. Legos, legos, legos, a nerf gun, redakai cards, ds games, more legos. He was one happy boy.
Me!! I got a printer (woohoo!), a blue ray player for our bedroom, coziest slippers ever, some good shampoo and conditioner, movie tickets, g.c. to Ruths Chris, and.....JAZZ TICKETS!!!!! We get to go to like 7 games. What more could this girl want?
Christmas day was spent with kalebs family and seeing grandparents and extended relatives. It was a great day. I ate so much food, it was awesome. :) We had such a merry christmas, its always sad when it is over. But my kids all said they got everything they wanted, its nice to hear that they have no complaints. :) I can't complain either, it was a great christmas.

Another christmas come....

Here we are. Its christmas eve again. Each year goes by so fast. I wish I could drag out christmas for just a little bit longer, I am not ready for it to be over. Today is so exciting, santa is coming tonight, the kids are jumping with joy, can't wait for the morning. But monday, it will be over. No more christmas music, no more wrapping presents, no more christmas movies, no more goodies. I want it to last longer. At the end I always start asking myself if I have made the most of this christmas season. Did I do enough to remember the real reason for the season? Did I spread christmas cheer? I don't think the answer is ever yes. But I know I do try to celebrate christmas to the best of my ability. This year has felt so busy. I feel like I didn't get to do half of what I wanted. But, thats ok. There is always next year. And I know it will be here before I know it.

Merry Christmas!!!

Sundays at christmas

One thing I love most at christmas time is church on sundays. Especially christmas sunday!! I love to sing the christmas hymns, I love lessons centered around christ and the christmas season, I love getting my kids christmas outfits for christmas sunday. I love christmas testimony meeting. Church in december is always so special to me. This year we get the added bonus of actually having christmas on sunday. It was a hard one for my kids at first. Of course I got the"why do we have to go to church on christmas??" But, I am happy to say they figured it out. They even figured out how we will do christmas. They have it all planned. We will wake up and open our stockings, go to sacrament meeting, and then come home and open presents. I am happy they thought this up themselves so they feel happy about it. So, today I had them dress up in their new christmas sunday outfits, because, lets face it. Next week I will be throwing all of our hair back in a ponytail, slapping on some mascara and rushing to 9am sacrament meeting. So, here they are in their christmas best. I don't know why I love this traditions so much, but I do. I love looking back over all the years of pictures of them in their new clothes and seeing how much they have grown.

Only one more week, I feel like a kid too. I love the anticipation of christmas morning!!! I feel just as excited as the kids. Christmas never loses its magic.

Gillman Family Christmas Card

Dear Family and Friends:

We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!!! This year has just been so wonderful and fabulous, we have no complaints! We have been busy enjoying every second of this wonderful christmas season together as a family. Celine, Tage and Aliah are doing wonderfully in all aspects of life. They love the time they get to spend together as siblings, are doing great in school and in all their after school activities. Celine is an absolute joy as a teenager. She never gives us any problems. She was in her school play Beauty and the Beast again this year and had a wonderful experience. She has pulled strait A's every semester and is very busy socially with her friends.

Tage is the best boy there ever was. He loves to play with friends, especially his little sister. He keeps his room clean without asking, and I never have to remind him to do his homework. He is having fun playing soccer, indoor and outdoor. Aliah is doing another year of dance and is enjoying it. Her big moment this year was getting baptized, it was a very special day for our family! She is the sweetest girl ever and never causes any drama. She always does what is asked and never fights with me about anything. I am so lucky to have these 3 perfect children!

Kaleb is busy loving his job and working with his dad and brothers. Family businesses are the best!!! He is 2nd counselor in the Elders Quorum and does a great job at that. We get to spend quality time together every night talking about our great life and our kids and all the many blessings we have.

I am busy being a mom and a Mia Maid advisor. Now that the kids are in school I put myself on a schedule. I make sure my home is clean every day and that there is a home cooked meal each night. I love working in the Young Woman, especially with celine! My children are an absolute joy to me and never cause me any worries. I enjoy spending time with my family and friends whenever I can.

We feel very blessed to have such a wonderful family and to live in such a blessed time! We hope your life is going as wonderfully as ours is at this wonderful, fabulous christmas time.

Merry Christmas to all!!

love: Kaleb, Meg, Celine, Tage and Aliah.

.......

are you all done laughing yet??? :) Ok, here is my REAL christmas letter! :)

Dear Family and Friends:

We want to wish you a very merry christmas! We are glad to have been able to survive another year and be here at this wonderful christmas time again. We try to sneak in moments as a family to spend together and celebrate the true meaning of christmas, but it sure isn't easy. The kids are busy with school, homework, friends, and other after school activities. We are lucky if we get to eat dinner together. Celine has developed a real social life and we miss having her around sometimes, even though sometimes when she is home she's just stays in her room anyways. :) But she is a good teenager and we still enjoy her, miraculously. Tage doesn't exactly love school, but he tries his best and thats all we ask. Him and aliah are either best friends or worst enemies, so you never know what you are going to get. When they get along is wonderful, it sure makes our home more peaceful. Aliah is still sassy and sweet as can be, and you never know what you are going to get from her either. But I know she tries hard to be a good girl. We are lucky to have these 3 kids, even on their worst days. Kaleb is surviving his job and this economy. We just feel grateful that he has a job that is supporting our basic needs as a family. He is always a hard worker, and most of the time the family business is a blessing. I am still adjusting to being home alone during the day, I get lonely sometimes. You think I would have an immaculate house and cook the worlds best dinners, but, there is so many other things I would rather be doing. Like reading a good book. Or watching glee. Or eating at Taco Amigo. :) Its a real adjustment to not be a full time mom anymore, and I do enjoy when my family is all together more now than ever. Our family may not be perfect, but we are grateful that we get to be one. We are so grateful for this Christmas season and to be able to celebrate Our Saviors birth and all the blessings he has given us. We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

We hope you and your families have a happy Chrismtas and enjoy the season!!!

lots of love- the real Kaleb, Meg, Celine, Tage and Aliah.

Celine

The older she gets, the harder it is to keep up with all thats going on in her life. I guess you could say she is a very typical teenager in most ways! I think the way she is an usual teenager is that she is a joy to have around. Me and kaleb just never have any problems with her, we rarely have to get mad at her (and lets face it, we don't even really get mad at her. Its more like talking to her.) She pushes herself harder than we ever would and she tries really hard to do what is right and what is expected of her. I enjoy being her mom, I enjoy talking to her and being a part of whats going on in her life.

For one week we had this cute little guy in our family. His name was Jake Finn and he was celines "baby" for a week to take care of for Teen Living. It made me think a lot about being a grandma and I have to admit, the prospect (someday) really, really excites me!!! I am going to be the best grandma. :) She kind of got a taste of what its like to have a baby. She only had one night where she had to put his "cry box" in and see what it was like to be up all night with a baby. He was up quite a bit during the night and she had to wake up early for church, so I think it was a rough night for her. But, I think its a good thing for all teenagers to experience. Having a baby is tough, especially if you are doing it by yourself!! But we had fun with our fake baby and we were all a little sad to see him go.

This is celine all gussied up for the 9th grade night dance. (and finally a picture of our christmas tree!!!) Isn't she just beautiful? I totally remember my 9th grade night dance(actually, I don't really remember it because I didn't go to it!!! long story I will never tell. :) I still have to pinch myself sometimes that she is really at this age. In two months she will be 15 and we will be looking forward to drivers permits, and high school and all sorts of new things. Even though it makes me sad, I look forward to experiencing all of these things with her!!

What christmas means to me....

The tree is up, the presents are all wrapped. I've read a hundred christmas stories and listened to hundreds of christmas songs. I've listened to my children talk about christmas morning and santa claus coming. I've gone to church, I've given a lesson about Mary. I've shopped on black friday and shopped on cyber monday. I've checked off each person on my list, hoping I came up with an almost perfect gift. I've drank hot chocolate and watched christmas movies. I've looked at lights. I've decorated my house. I've even made a few of my gifts. I've been to parties and thrown some parties. I truly have tried to keep christmas with me all through this month. But when I feel the christmas spirit the most, is in the quiet moments I have, maybe at night lying in bed, or during the day when everyone is gone and I am home by myself. A thought, a story, a song, is all that it takes to make that christmas spirit burn within my heart. Those are my favorite moments of christmas. And I know that its true, that christmas doesn't come from a store. You can't buy it. Christmas is CHRIST, trying to be like him, giving gifts to him. Loving others, serving others, being the best me that I can be. I am so glad that christmas comes only once a year, but that I can keep christmas in my heart all year long.

Guess Who...

• he sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good.
• he has a beard and a kind face
• he spent his life giving to others
• he's often pictured in red and/or white clothes
• he loves little children
• he gives the very best gifts
• you can never see him, but you can feel him
• he gives us a wonderful, special warm feeling
• he can get into our homes even if the doors are locked
• he has special, wonderful powers
• we want to give gifts back to him, but he doesn't need anything we could buy; he just wants us to give to other people.
• "He encourages us to be good so we will be ready when he comes."

Have you ever stopped to think how much Santa is like Our Savior? A great family home evening lesson!

Jesus is the reason for the season. Merry, Merry, CHRISTmas.

It's the most beautiful time of year...

and I am freezin my buns off!! But I am not quite sure if I am ready for snow. My camera is not here, hopefully it will come back soon :), so I can't post a picture of our tree yet. We got it up on saturday, and I love it. We still do the real tree thing every year. I don't know if we will ever change. I love, love, love it. My christmas shopping is happily all done. I spend a little time each day by the fire wrapping presents. Now I just need to throw in some hot chocolate and I will be as happy as can be. And of course christmas music plays through my house at all times, except when Kaleb comes home and turns it off. :) here is some mandatory christmas listening music for you:

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

Justin Bieber "Mistletoe" cd.

Michael Bubles new cd (not sure what it is called).

Josh Groban "O Holy Night"

Mariah Carey "All I want for christmas is you."

The Christmas Shoes, I cry ever time.

Here are some movies I am looking forward to watching:

Elf(actually already watched it, but its a must at least 2 or 3 times!)

The Polar Express, our family tradition to watch together every year.

Mickeys Christmas Carol, a favorite since I was a little kid.

The grinch that stole christmas, the cartoon version and real version with Jim Carrey. Love them both.

National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

The Christmas Story, me and kaleb watch it every christmas eve.

The Christmas List, never heard of it? Google it. Its one of those cheesy but must watch christmas shows.

Its only 20 days til christmas, and I feel like I am barely starting to do all that I want to do to celebrate the season. I want to enjoy every moment, because it is always over way too soon!

We still believe....

Can you imagine being a kid and not believing in Santa Claus??? I know every parent does it differently, but for me, I let my kids believe as long as they can and when they start to question, I still tell them" Mom will always believe in Santa." He is part of the magic of the season. No matter how old my kids get, we still have to go see him every christmas. Celine did inform me this year that she was not sitting on his lap, so we compromised. Riverwoods shopping center is the place to go see santa. We waited in line for like a second. They have fun lights, lots of fires to warm up to, and a cute cottage where you can see santa. If you want to pay 4 bucks for hot chocolate, they have that too. :) We went there with my family one night before thanksgiving and it was so fun to see all the grandkids talking to santa. Christmas is magical as long as there are kids around who believe. As me for, I still believe.

Its beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas is up on my blog! Now I just need to get christmas up in my home. Shopping is almost done, wrapping is about to begin! My favorite things about christmas: wrapping paper, christmas music, nativities, christmas stories, christmas sunday, christmas pajamas, christmas church clothes, hot chocolate, the polar express, elf, Mickeys Christmas Carol, christmas lights, temple square, the christmas story on christmas eve, thinking of the birth of Our Savior, thinking of his mother Mary, seeing my kids faces on christmas morning, snow on christmas, christmas parties....I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!!

Thankful....

Lately I have been thinking a lot about all of the many things that I consider blessings in my life. How could I let this Thanksgiving holiday pass without doing a post on how thankful I am for all that I have been given. I find myself being so grateful for things like, having a roof over my head, and a car I can drive. Food in my cupboards, a warm house to be in when its cold outside. I am so thankful for an amazing husband, who works so hard for our family to give us all these things to make our lives more comfortable. I am so grateful that he works so that I have the choice to be a stay at home mom. That I don't have to do it all on my own, but I have a partner to share everything with. I am so grateful to be a mom to 3 kids, who are wonderful and special and unique. Who all bring something different to our family. I am grateful to be able to be around every day, to be the one who gets to drop them off at school, and is home when they are done. I get to be there for the ins and outs of their growing up. I get to be their mom. I am so grateful for family, who loves and supports and is always there. Me and Kaleb both have amazing families, and I am so proud and grateful to be a part of both. To be a Griffin and a Gillman. I am grateful for sisters. I have 7 amazing sisters that I love and admire. I am glad that I get to be close to all of them. I am grateful for my parents, to have them close, that I get to see them often and that my kids get to know their grandparents. I am blessed with amazing, amazing friends. In all different places and aspects of life. Yet each one touches my life in a different way. I am so grateful for the gospel, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. For my Savior, for my Heavenly Father who is there for me always. I am never alone. I am so blessed to be a part of the Young Womans program and get to know and teach some amazing girls. I am blessed with a great ward that I love. I don't feel this way all of the time, or even say it, but I am blessed that I get to be me, good, bad and ugly. When I think of all that I have and all that I am blessed with, being me isn't so bad. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!

Beauty and the Beast

Celine had the amazing opportunity again this year to be a part of her school play, Beauty and the Beast. She auditioned right at the beginning of school and got the part of one of the villagers. This includes practices every day after school, practices on saturdays, putting together the costumes, and lots and lots of fun. Celine is so amazing on stage, I love to see her doing what she loves!! They finally had their performances this last thurs, fri, and saturday. I went to all three nights because I just love to see her up there and it was such a cute play. They all did a wonderful job. I think being a part of something like this is so good for kids!! She was wonderful and had so much fun, but I am glad to be able to see her a little bit more. Being a 9th grader has kept her busy, busy and social, social. But I know thats how it is at the age of 14!! She had lots of friends and family come and support her. I am so proud of her!!!

Celine and her dad.

Tage wanted a picture with just him and his big sister.
Celines good friend jackson. He brought her a dozen roses on opening night.
me and my girl.
Celine and her best friend lauren, who played Madame Grande Le Bushe. She was the wardrobe and she was awesome!!
lauren, celine, robert(who played gaston and was awesome!!) emily,(a napkin) and monica who played the duster.
One of celines best friends, blake. what a great kid.
The kid on the right in the black played chip.
Belle, played by Noelle. She was amazing!!
Emma was Mrs. Potts. She was amazing!!
Tate played Cogsworth.
Jared was the Beast. He was great.
celines friend nate.
I am so proud of celine, and I can't wait for the next play that she will be in! She is an amazing girl, a fun teenager and I am so glad I get to be her mom.

Aliahs Baptism Day

Saturday, Nov. 5th was Aliahs baptism day, something she has been looking forward to for months! It was a beautiful day, for her, for me, for our whole family!! We had so much family come and support her at her baptism, my heart felt so full as I watched her go into the water. This is my baby, this is my little girl, growing up so fast. I felt the spirit so strongly that day, and I knew how much her Heavenly Father loves her. She is such a special little girl, with a big personality. I am so grateful to be her mom and get to raise her.

I am so proud of her for the step she has taken. It is bittersweet for me to know that she is my last. I have so many lasts to look forward to with her. I love her so much. And I am so grateful for the special day she had.