Christmas Time

Gracee's Choir program

Gracee as pretty as can be

Our tree

The kids with Santa

Grace and Evan at his Preschool program

Christmas is in full swing at the Garcias. We have our tree up, decorations up, reading our advent passages each night, Christmas cards out, gingerbread house made, visited Santa last night, Evan's preschool program yesterday, Gracee's Christmas program tomorrow....now all we have left is a few last minute gifts to buy, baking and waiting for Grandpa and Grandma from Washington to come visit. We are enjoying a balmy 70+ degree week here in Lake Elsinore. Hopefully the weather will be lovely during Christmas week. We are taking the kids and the grandparents to SeaWorld.

The kids are doing well. Grace has become quite a reader and will be moving into advanced reading after Christmas. She is also enjoying ballet each week. Evan is doing well in preschool. I see maturity in him every day, although he is one of the most stubborn children I know. Part of his discipline now is writing sentences. Writing is hard for him, therefore he does not try. Now when he doesn't obey the first time, we make him write: I will listen the first time. This hopefully will do two things. (1) Get him to work on his writing more and (2) help him to obey the first time. I know writing missed spelling words helped me learn how to spell growing up, so hopefully this will work in all areas. Oh parenting....the trials and tribulations. Anyway, his speech is continuing to improve. I am hoping it will no longer be needed for kindergarten next year. I signed him up over the weekend for spring Little League, so that should be a lot of fun for him.

This Christmas season, I know how blessed I am. I am thankful for the health of my family. I am thankful that I have children who know and love God and I am thankful for my hard-working hubby. But most of all I am thankful for Jesus.