'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

We did a lot on Christmas Eve. Phil and I took the girls to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel, something the girls have been looking forward to since we first saw it advertised. We also spent a couple hours playing at a friends house, had someone come out and give us an estimate for carpet installation, made cookies for Santa and went to the family church service. We were going to make cookies from scratch but we were so busy we cheated and did break and bake cookies instead. They wore their new aprons and chef hats, early Christmas gifts from our friends, The Pearce family.

We also scattered our reindeer food. Megan insisted on taking "Giant Pooh Bear" outside to help, so Phil carried her so Pooh wouldn't fall into the snow.

I'm going to have to get another picture of the girls in these dresses. They looked really cute but were way too active to get a good picture. They're not used to staying in the sanctuary and it was a bit much for them even though it was a family service. I think they enjoyed singing happy birthday to Jesus the most. Only problem was they wanted to blow out the candles at the altar afterwards.

2009 Christmas Card Photoshoot

Here are some of the hits and misses from this year's Christmas card photoshoot.

Snow!

We just had our first snow of the season. The girls were so excited to get outside and play. They made snow angels, threw snowballs and played on the sled. Phil even made them a snow man. I made snow cream for them but I think they prefer to eat plain snow. Makena really liked pulling Megan on the sled. Phil also got an excellent work-out pulling the girls up and down the hill countless times. This was the first time he had gotten to play in the snow with the girls. They've gotten to play in the snow in the past but Phil was always working. So despite the workout I think he enjoyed it, too.

There is at least one good thing about living on a busy road....they've done a great job of keeping our street clear.

Moore Family Update

Our family has a lot going on right now. There are some big changes ahead and we wanted to share them with you.

I'm moving quickly through my pregnancy and am now around 29 weeks. Our little guy is due March 8th. Megan was born around 37 weeks so we're going to try to be prepared for a late February arrival. My belly is bigger and I'm carrying lower with this pregnancy. I feel much more pregnant than I actually am. I'll try to post an ultrasound pic soon!

Phil has also signed a contract with a local surgical group. The end of his training is in sight! He will finish his fellowship at the end of June and will start his new job August 1st. We're really, really, looking forward to this transition. His hours shouldn't be nearly as crazy as they are now. They've already told him to be thinking about when he would like to take vacation next year! What a change of pace this is! After 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of med school, a 6 year residency and a two year fellowship I know he is ready to be done. I have no idea how he does it.

On the home front....we will be putting our home on the market in a couple of months. We've been actively working on small updates and home improvement projects to make our house more appealing. We've done a lot of work on the outside of our house this year. We've had our house painted and deck repaired and stained. And now have a new porch, roof and awning. We're currently working on some indoor projects. We have also decided to build a new house. On Monday, we will close on our construction loan. We've found a builder and a plan that we really like and we're excited to get started. I'll probably be posting some pictures of our new place through the construction process. It's going to be a lot of work but definitely worth it in the end.

When you add all of this to our usual activities, factor in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, and November and January kids birthdays......our plate is completely full. I will try to keep you all updated as well as I can.

The Princess and the Frog

I took the girls to see The Princess and the Frog, the latest Disney princess movie, with their friend Addison. We went on opening night and all of the girls were dressed up like princesses. It was a really cute movie. When we were leaving we spotted a girl dressed up like Princess Tiana, from the movie. Thanks to Carla for taking and sharing these pictures!

I was really afraid Megan wouldn't want to part with this frog.

Festival of Lights Hayride

Last Sunday, we went on a hayride with a group of friends through Tanglewood's Festival of Lights. We took hot chocolate and played Christmas music. Makena and Megan always enjoy seeing the Christmas lights. Makena was super excited to see her friends. Here she is looking at the lights with some of her buddies..... all boys of course. This girl is going to be trouble! Adam enjoying hot chocolate...

Megan with a little hot chocolate on her face...

Megan getting in on the action...

Wyatt, Megan and Makena