We did it! Our family made it all the way through December in one joyful peace. I didn't know it was possible to enjoy the holidays anymore. I made a comment to Matt the week before Christmas about not feeling as overwhelmed about everything this year, and he informed me he'd been praying that I would be able to enjoy the Christmas season. So praise be to God for the joy and blessings we felt this Christmas.
We kicked off our Christmasing the Saturday after Thanksgiving with the Myron Schulz family.
 |
| Joanna and her cousin Adrienne donning their matching hats from Aunt Brenda! |
The next week, we set up our nativity scene. The past few years I've realized that my favorite thing about Christmas decor at my house is taking it down afterwards because it makes the house feel so much more neat and clean. So this year, instead of feeling claustrophobic for the whole month of December drowning in my Christmas decor, we just put up the nativity scene and a string of lights on the porch. And wallah. Happy mom, happy home. Let's go celebrate Christmas!
 |
| The boys and Joanna created their own nativity scene after studying the one I put up in the living room. |
 |
| We decorated a gingerbread house! It went great after I spent a very frustrating length of time getting the pieces to stay together and stand up. If we do this again I will be sure to get a pre-fab one that only needs decorated. |
 |
| But the boys had fun!! :) |
The first weekend of December, we missed my Dad's family Christmas for Andrew and Hannah's wedding. The wedding has
a blog post all for itself...
The evening after the wedding and reception, the Gary Schulz family (minus the honeymooners) gathered at Mom and Dad's. The grandchildren had their Christmas gift exchange while Steve and Julie's family was around.
[Side note: We got a new camera that weekend. So from now on you
may experience the results of us playing with our new "toy" (several cellphone pictures are still scattered throughout).]
 |
| There were way too many fancy cameras around the weekend of the wedding. Actually, the Schulz family just has a few too many cameras. We ought to be a well documented crew! :) |
Spreading out Christmas events was kind of nice, because the boys got to be entertained by their gifts for the whole month. Just as the novelty of one set of gifts wore off, they got a couple more things to keep them busy.
Then there is the everyday that happened in December.
 |
| Always so well provided for by her big brothers. |
 |
| Playing Upwords at Grandma Lanz's |
 |
| The boys LOVE the days when Blessing comes over! |
 |
| We FINALLY got our carpets cleaned for the first time since we moved in and I was SO excited! Between spitting up everywhere for the first 15 months and potty training for the next year and a half of his life, Levi's first 2.9 years have been a pretty icky situation for our carpet. :) Not to mention two more babies to contribute to the grime. |
 |
| I am always worried about what I will find when I leave the boys to their own devices downstairs. But it is SO worth getting a few extra things done upstairs (I think...)! |
 |
| They were playing "going to Menards." Only Matt's boys. |
 |
| This is how we settle the argument of who gets to wear what color of socks. |
 |
| And this is how we settle the problem of getting hair in their mouths during haircuts. |
 |
| Matt was playing with the camera, so Joanna had to give me some kisses. |
 |
| Matt's latest project was making a cider press! |
Matt took off work for the week of Christmas and spent all of his free time working on some homemade speakers.
 |
| Micah helped too... |
 |
| Basically done...now we just need to find a place to put it... |
 |
| Our sweet baby turned five months old in December! She is so happy and content, and always wanting to be in on all the action with her brothers! At this point she had just gotten her first two teeth, started sitting up on her own, and had been waking up several times at night (a month later, we are seeing some improvement in that area). |
 |
| And her brothers still adore her! |
Back to Christmas. Alice, our Chinese friend you may remember, is now living in Minneapolis and working at Deloitte. She took advantage of her two-week holiday break and flew down to spend Christmas with us! We went up to Cedar Rapids to pick her up on Friday night, then spent Saturday doing food prep for the rest of the weekend.
 |
| This is the first time she had visited us since we had any children, so there was much more excitement this time around! It is also the very first time she got to meet Joanna (we've stopped to see Alice in Minneapolis when the other boys were babies). |
Saturday night we began our Christmas marathon with Lanz Christmas at Grandma's.
 |
| Abram and Micah "sharing" |
 |
| Lanz Strings Ensemble |
After church on Sunday, we gathered at the Gary Schulz home with Matt's family. This year we organized a nativity play for the children and it went pretty well.
 |
| The "angel dance" was the only un-angelic part. :) Mostly due to my boys... |
 |
| Newlyweds... |
 |
| This is how Schulz brothers play four-on-a-couch. |
On Christmas Eve, we celebrated with our little family at home.
 |
| Alice brought gifts for all of us! |
 |
| We got the boys a toy kitchen for Christmas (a garage sale find) and it has been SUCH a great entertainment. |
 |
| The boys made a kitchen table out of the piano bench and the wooden benches Matt helped them make a few months ago. Perfect! |
 |
| Meanwhile, Joanna just wheels around in the new scooter from Grandpa and Grandma Schulz. |
Tuesday, Christmas Day, we celebrated with my family.
 |
| Levi was really excited about this picture. Micah is wondering what is so upsetting about getting ready to opening presents. |
And just like that, Christmas was done. But we didn't do a whole lot of relaxing until the year was done.
We brought Alice back to the airport on Wednesday morning, then made a stop at Stringtown in Kalona on our way home.
 |
| More gingerbread houses (from Lifesavers book boxes that they got from my mom). |
Matt didn't know what to do with himself on Thursday, so he went to work for a half day. Then he got bored there and came home. :) We spent the day Friday going with my family to visit Grandma Knobloch in Peoria. She took us out to eat and then we played instruments for the residents at Skylines (nursing home) afterwards. On Saturday, my family had a pizza cook-off. Then on Sunday night, Uncle Tony, Aunt Peggy, and my cousin Abby arrived. Abby spent the night with us, so it was good to catch up with her! Most of the rest of my mom's siblings showed up Monday and we all welcomed in the New Year together. Schmidgall Christmas was in August this year and we weren't able to make it (due to a three week old baby), so it was nice to get together with them. It was very last minute!
 |
| A few other evening visitors. |
Hope you all have a very blessed 2019! We pray for many of you often and hope you will look to God to supply all of your needs in the new year.
