Christmas Pajamas

Every Christmas Eve since I can remember, my parents would tell Emily and I that we could open "just one" present (we had a tradition of opening presents Christmas morning- so to us, this was a big deal). We always got so excited as we ripped open our own box. But excitement soon turned to disappointment when we saw what lay inside.....matching pajamas. Now, let me just say that although it is very amusing to parents to see your kids in matching pj's, it's not cool when you are 14 and your 8 year old little sister is matching you. But we eventually got over it- and actually started to look forward to what mom came up with each year.

Did I mention that she makes the pajamas?! That's right. Homemade matching pajamas...even better :)

As the years have gone on, mom has added to her project. When John and I were engaged, he spent his first Christmas with the Riolo family- and got his first pair of homemade pajamas. I don't have any pictures- but lets just say she wasn't quite sure how to sew pants for someone 6 foot 8. And the the following year, she tried to correct the mistake by making pajamas for someone 8 foot 8! Finally, 7 Christmas's later, she has perfected his size.

Anyway, now our kids are the beneficiaries of the pajama tradition. So here's this years' pj's....good job mom! :)

Tiny Dancer

Well, it was exactly what we had anticipated...not as much dancing as it was standing around nervously lifting up her tutu :)

Bella had her first dance performance this morning, and call it first-time jitters or just stage fright- the poor thing was scared out of her mind. We got some great pictures, but the video is even funnier. Click on this link to see a photo album of the performance: http://picasaweb.google.com/Bri.and.John/DanceRecital#

Nevertheless, I'm still so proud of her and I thought she looked gorgeous in her bright yellow costume. Maybe next time will be better! We love our little ballerina.

My Boys.

"The father of a righteous man has great joy; he who has a wise son delights in Him".

Proverbs 23:24

For no reason in particular, I just had to share this picture of my two boys. It touches my heart and makes me smile when I look at it- ....I even wonder if God has it in His plans for Tyler to have a son of his own someday..... Thank you Lord for these two wonderful blessings in my life.

My Angel.

Here's a quick snapshot of my precious angel before our church's kids Christmas performance. The three year olds had to wear white since they were the angels....and angel she was indeed. :)

Hectic Life

"Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans."

-John Lennon

I know I haven't posted a blog entry in forever...but I blame it on the busyness of our family's' everyday. But lately I have felt convicted to slow down and enjoy the little things that are zooming by around me.

Work, raising kids, keeping up with the house, bible studies, outings with friends, dinners out, date night with my husband, church activities, holiday parties, Christmas shopping....augh! The list goes on and on. Even as I sit here and write, I'm feeling guilty because the kids are napping, and there are at least 5 more productive things that I could be doing. But before I started writing this blog, I saw the picture posted above, and it made me pause and smile. It kind of represents how our family is going down our path...keeping busy...but to stop and pause for a quick kiss or to enjoy each other is what I look forward to the most. My kids may never remember how hard I worked to keep our house clean, meals prepared and everyone on schedule- but I hope they look back and remember that mom and dad always had time to love them......and maybe steal a quick kiss :)