Widney Christmas Tree Watch 2012

One post a day until the tree is packed away.

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Wednesday, February 1, 2012 

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Friday, February 3, 2012

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Christmas - Old School

Christmas 2007 - Widney House, Tulsa

I found these photos while flipping through an old site of ours.

Back in the day, this is what our Christmas Eve table would look like when J's parents, siblings and grandparents came over for dessert after Christmas Eve service.

A Christmas Weekend!

I've started several blog posts but didn't finish them. Here is one from the weekend of December 4th/5th....

Moo Moo, our annual houseguest from the North Pole, has returned with is usual adorable sweetness mixed with madness.

It wouldn't be Christmas season if J wasn't working on a set. This time around, he designed a set for Willow Creek Chicago and Soul City Church. And in his spare time, he designed the jacket cover for Park Community Church's new Christmas album and did a Christmas logo for Daystar School. At least three churches used his past set designs. Interestingly enough, J no longer works for a church.

Friday morning, the kids had chocolate milk (from Moo Moo). In the evening we had our weekly Family Friday Night and watched 'A Christmas Carol' with Jim Carrey.

Saturday, Motor Mouth had a swim meet. J had an early set load in. I was alone with the kids. It was the first snowfall of the season. I neglected to purchase snow boots for my children in the fall so I dressed them with rain boots. So trailer trash, I know.

We have garage parking at home. The ramps are heated so the snow doesn't ice or build. But it wasn't working on Saturday morning and the 'Snow Fairies' hired by the condo association had not yet arrived. After many attempts to get out, I had to go up to our condo to get the shovel and my gloves. I felt like mother bear digging out so my baby bear could go to his swim meet.

I forgot to pack a towel for the swim meet. Let that sink in.

After the swim meet, we went snow boot shopping. Better late than never!

Sunday, the kids and I made Christmas cards. I really let the kids make their own design choices and write their own words. Mini Me asked me to dot the letters so she could trace them. It was her idea. What a smart girl I have! Every card was unique. I wish I had taken a photo of them.

Aside from the madness, it was a really great weekend. 

2006 Christopher Radko Adoption Ornament

I've been searching for this 2006 Christopher Radko adoption ornament for 4 years.

Radko and the Dave Thomas Adoption Foundation team up yearly to create an ornament in honor of adoption. Naturally, I wanted to get one for Mini Me.

But I couldn't find it in Tulsa when we lived there and it went for oodles of money on eBay. Finally, this year, I waited until the last 50 seconds of the auction to enter my max bid. I won it for less than half the price of the original $40. Whoooooohoooooooo!!!

Ornaments of Life

This tree makes me cry. Every time I went to our friends' home, I would sneak away to the sunroom and stand in front of this tree trying not to tear up and not to let anyone see me tear up.

Why???

It's hard to tell in this photo, but there are hundreds of ornaments on this tree. Many of the ornaments on tree are 30-50 years old.

Our friend Neon Signtist's mom, Merry, purchased most of these ornaments. I never got to meet Merry (stupid cancer). Among the many beautiful and unique items she left her son were these precious ornaments. It's their love and history that make me tear up.

If you live in Tulsa, you might know of the home these ornaments came from. For about 30 years, there was a Christmas light display home in mid-town that backed onto a lake. J and his family would drive past this home when J was a kid. Imagine J's full circle experience when he became best friends with Neon Signtist and his lovely wife, Starr and we both got to help put up those lights a few years!

We are creating Christmas ornament memories for our children. A few years ago, we began to give each child a special ornament. They used to have their own trees in their bedrooms setup but it's a lot of work...

Mini Me 2010

 Mini Me 2008

 Mini Me 2006 from her birth grandparents

on her birth father's side

 Mini Me made this at Mom's Day Out 2007

 Mini Me 2006

 Motor Mouth 2009

 Mini Me 2009

 Motor Mouth 2004

 Mini me 2006 from J's mom

 Mini Me 2006 from me and a copy from J's mom

 Motor Mouth Adoption Ornament 2003

 Motor Mouth 2006 from birth grandparents

on Mini Me's birth father's side

 Motor Mouth made this at school 2007

Motor Mouth 2010

 Mini Me from Mom's Day Out 2007

 Motor Mouth 2006

I found 6 of these!

 And we have 1 of these...

Christmas 2009

This is a bit late, but I've been busy!

We had a wonderful Christmas

celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus

It wouldn't be a Widney experience without drama...

Baby Jesus the crip.

Winter Tree

J plans to keep it up all 'winter'

(like we ever take a tree down before Easter)

Kids' Christmas Tree

We give the children a new ornament each year

The full collection of homemade snowflakes!

Santa said MooMoo can stay until New Year's Eve!!

Spoiled or blessed - you decide

Gifts from 4 sets of grandparents, Santa, godparents, us

And this didn't include all of the Tulsa presents!

New PJs, new robes, happy smiles

The kids asked for robes!

I fixed a traditional Trinidad breakfast

"Playing" with a learning toy

Our 3-yr old 'reading'

We wore our PJs ALL day!!

I spent the day cooking dinner

The BEST turkey recipe ever is HERE

J made this dish that will become a new tradition

It's a cranberry relish on a pineapple bread pudding

(tastes WAYYYYY better than it sounds)

And the reason I spent all day cooking...?

I made my mother-in-law's recipe for dressing.

I didn't realize I had to fricasse chicken AND make cornbread

BEFORE I could make the dressing.

It turned out GREAT. J said it tasted just like his mom's!

Next year, I am going to try my mother's recipe

- it's not as many steps...

It was a good day. A good day indeed!

Bye Bye 2009 - Bye Bye MooMoo

And so it ends. A year of changes, challenges, some highs, and, thankfully, not many lows.

One of the highs was a wonderful little cow named MooMoo that joined our family December 1st. MooMoo was supposed to go home with Santa on Christmas Eve, but the children loved him too much to say goodbye so soon.

Santa gave MooMoo 1 more week with us.

At midnight on December 31st, we said goodbye to 2009 and MooMoo.

But not before he left us this present the morning of New Year's Eve...

(Milk Duds. My MIL's idea.)

MooMoo the Christmas Cow - Extended Sugar Frenzy

The children were NOT ready for MooMoo to return to the North Pole on Christmas Eve, with Santa. Mini Me bawled. Literally, boohooed. The ugly cry. Who knew a singing, dancing cow would ingrain himself into the hearts of our family??

J sent Santa a text to see if MooMoo could stay.

Santa said 'Yes!' We were so excited.

Until Monday morning....

And that, boys & girls, is what a sugar induced cow frenzy looks like.

I think the MooMoo has mad cow disease...

Merry Christmas

And a short dance for you...

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

MooMoo the Christmas Cow - Live, Love, Laugh

Working has really kicked my butt!

I was late RSVPing to Santa by the deadline.

All the visiting elves were gone.

The Widney's got MooMoo the Christmas Cow.

MooMoo has been wonderful and sweet.

He dances and moos "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

and is pretty good, except for when he is naughty!!

Our family will miss MooMoo when he hitches

a ride back to the North Pole with Santa tomorrow night.

Helping to make the gingerbread houses

Showed up in my purse...

Shhh...I brought him to work w/me one day

Playing games. Literally.

This is where MooMoo was found one morning

What? Was he lonely?

MooMoo got into the Christmas decorations!

MooMoo had to do some corner time...

How sweet!

Cuddling with the bears Santa gave the kids

when they had their picture taken that day.

Spooning? Really? MooMoo!!

We are all going to miss MooMoo!!