Christmas Prezzies

The kids were given two huge presents this year. Gabriel had a new car! He loves cars so this is perfect for him. And Bryan has a new slide. Hopefully they'll want to go outdoors more often instead of watching TV indoors.

Festive Lunch

With Grandparents

Christmas Concert

Bryan singing in the concert put up by the Sunday School. He is one of the Kindergarten children singing 'Happy Birthday to Jesus'.

An Early Christmas!

On Hindsight

It's nearing the end of 2010. Looking back, it's been a good year. I'm thankful for a lot of things this year. Mostly for a great family. Hubbie's been very busy this year but he's achieved a whole lot. Very proud of him.

My two boys are great too. Bryan's progressing very well in K1, especially in his chinese. He's very smart. And generally a very good boy. Gabriel's growing up too. He's getting better with his speech but he still gets rather frustrated when he can't communicate his wants. I think he's a bit more spoilt compared to Bryan and he does have a bit of a temper. But he's still the baby of the family. And everyone at home pampers him.

I'm happy with where I am mostly. The clinic is doing better this year. And it's still busy even though it's almost Christmas. I've also stopped half of my Saturday clinics to spend more time with the family. I'm generally rather busy. Barely have time to shop or do my own stuff. So scrapbooking's progressing slowly.

I'm not very happy with my fitness levels and not having the time to do any workouts at all. I much prefer running in the gym on the threadmill as opposed to running outside. But it means I have to find a good 2 hours to spare. Maybe next year, during Gabriel's afternoon naps. I still want to get back to running 3-5km each week.

Meanwhile, in 2011 we have a lot of fun stuff and little breaks planned already. And it should be an interesting year for Bryan who is going to be in K2 and has to prepare for Primary One. Gabriel is starting school too. And I hope he adjusts well.

But to everyone else, a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

Weekly Scraps

Using My Mind's Eye - Fine and Dandy collection. The photos were taken at the Jewelbox on Mt Faber cable car. The flowers are from Prima which are stitched. 

Hollywood Star Scraps

This layout uses the last of my Webster's Pages Hollywood collection. I saved it for the best photo. I've also cut up a program from Bryan's concert and incorporated it into the layout. The kraft envelope behind has the actual tickets for the concert inside. I've also used Prima's white flowers and jewel with lace. Inspired by Prima's December BAP.

Outdoor Activities

On one of those weekends when we are all at home lazing around. And I'm not too tired to get off my butt to bring my kids out for a walk. Or rather let them run around outside the house. Bryan's too big for his bicycle so he's on his scooter. Which he has now just begun to get the hang of a two-wheeler. Gabriel's taking his push-a-round toy for a spin too. 

Weekly Scraps

2Gether - Using Prima's Jack N Jill with crochet flowers, paper butterfly and alphabets. The rub-on below is from Lily Bee. The soft colour scheme is great for baby photos too.

Live Your Dreams - Webster's Hollywood line. Perfect for photos of concerts (Bryan's K1 concert). I used this with Prima's flowers and jewels. So proud of my boy. He's my little star.

Christmas Tree

We bought new decorations for the Christmas tree this year. It now has a red/gold theme to it. We opted for big ribbons and bows instead of tinsel. And a big star right at the top. Bryan helped too. He chose the small orange ornaments and put them up himself.  

I'm rather proud of the tree this year. It's just nice. Not too overdone but not too sparse either. It looks way better in person than in photos. I cheated a bit though. While the tree looks gorgeous from the front, the side facing the wall isn't decorated at all. Ah well, we'll keep the curtains drawn so the neighbours can't see in. 

The Season of Advent

Or 'What Christmas Really Means'.

In December, when I look around. There's Christmas decorations everywhere. The Christmas trees, bright lights, the Christmas sales.

But I wonder how many people out there walking around ever think about the meaning of Christmas. The reason for this celebration.

I know my boys think about the toys they'll be getting. Most of us with a full time job think about the end of the year and the vacations they've got planned. Mothers think about the family dinners and get-togethers.

Christmas is about all those things. But it's also about a baby that was born, who changed the lives of so many. He gives us meaning and purpose. And opened the way for us to reach God personally.

I wonder what Mary thought about when she realised her child would be the Saviour of the world. How do I know what my boys will grow up to be? How do I know the choices I make for them will be the right one? Or does it not matter? Will the Lord guide them to the right path anyway?