Christmas Creations

We did a lot of decorating this year:  gingerbread men, gingerbread houses & a Christmas tree!  They made wonderful centerpieces for my table.  Jo was so proud of her house - not sure if she is ever going to let me "take it down." 

St. MM Christmas Parties

The next day was a 1/2 day of school with the Christmas parties ending the day.  We had the 1st grade decorate Christmas trees (made out of an ice cream cone), and it was a huge hit!  The 4th grade made a very cool ornament & then played Rob Your Neighbor (I heard it was very fun). 

Just a few candy items were eaten....

Rosie's class won PJ day, so they were very happy not wear their uniform for one day!

St. Mary Magdalen Christmas Program

Monday, December 21st was the St. Mary Magdalen School Christmas Program.  There are special songs sung by the lower grades, and the upper grades perform a very entertaining play (8th graders have the leads & the other grades are the chorus).  The play is always focused on the birth of Jesus with funny & current references to add some humor to the program.  They are always so GOOD!

Our three girls - so beautiful!  Jo insisted on getting dressed up - she wanted to be up on stage all night long.

Christmas Piano Recital

The Christmas recital was on Sunday, December 13th, and it was wonderful.  The family who hosted the recital have a beautiful home in Webster Groves - very traditional with a large open room for the recital.  It was really lovely & so calming to listen to the Christmas songs from the very talented children.  Rosie played Up On the Housetop & Silent Night.  It sounded perfect to me!!  We are so proud of her dedication to piano.

GO BLUES!

The evening of Friday, December 11th was Rosie's official birthday party!  We surprised her with Blues tickets, and she was so EXCITED!  As you can see, she brought a few friends (Megan, Caty, Sarah, Gabby & Cara).  Not sure what the three gang members on the end are doing....  they are goofballs.

I could tell who was a bit worn out from Prairie Days - Rosie & Megan - they calmly watched the game while Gabby & Sarah & Cara danced & hooted & hollered at everything.  Caty was perfect as usual!  It was fun to watch them though - they make me laugh so much. 

The best part was getting on the overhead TV - it was so cool!!!  The camera came around & there we were -screaming our heads off!  They were so happy!!!  The most amazing thing was my brother was at the game & saw us - I didn't know he was going & he didn't know we were going to the game.  But then he saw us on the big screen!  Too funny!

Back to our house for a spendover!  A perfect birthday for my 10 year old!  We all love the St. Louis Blues, and now Rosie & Anna have real jerseys to cheer them on.  Unfortunately, they lost that night 5-3 (& yes, they were winning 3-0 - they lose at home for some unknown reason - I won't mention how mad Pete was with the game). 

Prairie Days

Friday, December 11th was Prairie Days - the culmination of so much learning for the 4th Grade.  Mrs. Jorcke is famous for an amazing day called Prairie Days.  Most parents participated in the day as well, and it was so rewarding for all of us.  Rosie & Megan (& Carrie & I) made bread (with a breadmaker due to time constraints!)  We were in the St. MM gym and the kids were divided by station for Activity One - Get the Food Going so we can eat at 2pm!

The kids dressed up as well (and some parents - I'm a dud as usual with no costume).

Measuring the ingredients for the bread!

Full length shot of Rosie & Megan - everyone looked so awesome - amazing outfits!

Activity Two - Tin Smithing - how the frontier folks decorated - pretty cool!

Activity Three - after lunch & Spanish class, the kids put on four plays & they were so cute.  Rosie was Laura Ingalls in her play - she spoke very clearly & loudly for all to hear!

Activity Four - the feast which consisted of apple butter, regular butter, bread, gingerbread cake, ice cream & lemonade.  All made by the 4th graders, and it was delicious!  We even have the recipes to make them again.  Amazing what few ingredients can make!  That's Jo in her pajamas (PJ day at her school) eating away.  I had to pick her up after bread making so she could watch Rosie in her play.

Jo & Anna both watched Rosie "perform."  Everyone loves Jo Jo at her school - she always has a million kids around her.  It is so darn cute.

The Real Truth to our Christmas Picture

Take One of our Christmas card photo was over Thanksgiving, as usual.  Unfortunately, our family ones did not turn out on Pete's camera which bummed us out.  Typical Carollo good times!  Anyway, we quickly took more pics the following weekend which put me a bit behind on my cards this year.  As my sister Mary put it "isn't Christmas all about running around?"  So true.

Take Two - if you notice, Jo has two different shirts on because she got a few spots on the green one.  Typical Jo Jo! 

Using our tripod - we finally had Jo stand behind us because she thought waiting 10 seconds was hilarious & kept jumping around!

These pictures make me laugh because it was FREEZING!  We took them in 10 minutes, and then hustled to dinner!  Brrrr....  Anything for a picture....