Merry Christmas 2011!

Coincidentally, exactly a year ago today I was in a hotel room in Columbia, MO typing out a blog post while Addie napped. Here I am, once again doing the same thing in the same place.

What happened to December? I posted on December first with the full intention of chronicling our month and preparations for Christmas. I discovered long ago that even our best laid plans can be thrown for a loop, which is okay, just not quite what I'd anticipated. 

Saying Addie loved her advent calendar and 25 days of crafts for Christmas would be an understatement. She asked for both every day, multiple times a day. Just one of the many crafts we've put together (and pulled apart, and put back together, and pulled apart and put back together...):

It's been fun seeing Addie's interpretation of where some of the figures are placed on each of the crafts.

She's also spent plenty of time redecorating the tree.

I haven't been too picky about the decorations this year, as long as she is playing with Addie-safe ornaments. This usually consists of the ones she's made, anyway, and she really enjoys taking the ones she's made on and off the tree.

A week ago the three of us celebrated our little Chaney Christmas. As part of our celebration, Addie opened a gift from my mom (Mimi). Mimi was giving her a dollhouse, which is too cumbersome to tote back to Florida from Illinois.

I think our opening presents photos are on our other camera, but just know that Addie was a pro and was a present opening champ. She's going to have a lot of fun these next couple of days!

You may notice that Sabian got a hair cut. 

Last year it was No Shave November for Speed the Light. You might remember the results of Sabian's challenge to raise $75 to meet our fundraising goal. This year he proposed a similar challenge, although the stakes were higher - $500 and he'd shave his head. They raised half. As I was counting the money, I won't lie, I breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking my husband was going to keep his head of hair. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about supporting our missionaries, but was okay with $250 and all of his hair. Then he announces he'll shave some of it...news to me. He let as many kids as wanted to chop a lock of hair with scissors before the clippers came out. Brave? More like questionable sanity. The clippers came out and, unbeknownst to Sabe, our "friend" who was supposed to do a "good" job on his hair was convinced to shave the shape of a cross on his head, which, because he is the guy he is, he kept for two days so he could visit the kids at school and they'd be able to see it. Later, our "friend's" wife came to our house and fixed the cross.

I don't mind the cut, but let's just say Addie has been less than thrilled with her new Daddy. If I had the video handy, I'd post it, but she wouldn't have anything to do with him until later after we got home. In fact, she still tells him often, "Daddy, I don't like your hair cut," and the other day when I told her I was going for a hair cut she was more than a little concerned.


The day we had our Chaney Christmas was also the same day as Wewa's Christmas parade, where Addie acquired Halloween proportions of candy.

Addie was not impressed by the clowns but was all about candy and beads.


While December didn't yield quite all of the activities I'd planned, it's been a fun month and we're having fun with family and looking forward to more festivities with more family and friends.


Speaking of, Addie is up and Sabian and his mom are on their way.


Merry Christmas and Happy 2012! I am thankful for our year, for our family and friends, for the things God has taught us and blessed us with and for the things God has in store for us.