Merry Christmas!!

Jay's exciting gift this year was a new white fire helmet to use in his Lieutenant position. I finally surprised him with a gift he didn't know about!

Caden and Daddy have been having fun building their newest Lego creations from Santa - a fire brigade and pirate ship.

Our Christmas Eve tradition is to have the grandkids build gingerbread houses with their Grandma Nancy. I think they eat more sugar that night than all year long :-) Can you tell from the smile on Caden's face?

Addie takes a while to wake up, so Christmas morning was somewhat uneventful for her. She spent most of her time cuddling and sucking her thumb, but eventually opened her gifts.

Christmas Eve - ready for the party!

Our favorite Christmas photo :-)

Making cornflake cookies with Daddy - a favorite recipe from Jay's childhood when his Grandma Margaret used to make them.

Christmas was great this year. Both Caden and Addie are at the age where everything about Christmas is exciting from decorating to baking cookies to opening gifts, of course. We hosted Christmas Eve with our families as we usually do. On Christmas Day we relaxed in the morning and went to Jay's Uncle Joe's house to celebrate with Poppi and his family. Surprisingly the kids slept until about 7:30 Christmas morning so we didn't have to get up too early. Santa brought the kids lots of fun stuff, but we didn't forget to stop and remember the real reason for the holiday. We also missed those that are no longer with us, especially Grannie Frannie. She was here in spirit. Our little Addie does all the singing in our household now :-) And we must sign her up for dance class soon, too!

We hope that you enjoyed your holidays, also! Winter in CT has been rather mild. It was 62 degrees today! We are hoping that the snow isn't waiting until later in the season and that we just won't get much. We certainly had plenty to go around last year.

We wish you a 2012 filled with happiness and good health! Happy New Year!

Firehouse Xmas Party

The kids visited with Santa at the annual Huntington Fire Co. Christmas Party in early December. Caden and Addie anxiously awaited Santa's arrival on the fire truck. Each year that I wait with them I am brought back to my childhood when I would anxiously wait on my Grandma Laurenda and Grandpa Hubert's couch for Santa's arrival. It was the highlight of my holidays and a tradition that I will always hold dear to my heart even now, years after the last visit from Santa on Christmas Eve. So when I wait with Caden and Addie to hear the sirens of the truck arriving, tears usually fill my eyes as I remember to embrace those moments with my children because they really do go by so fast.

Christmas Pageant 2011

Happy Birthday, Jesus! This year our church Christmas pageant was a puppet show told from the perspective of a star watching over the stable. It was very cute. We helped create the scenery as a family. Caden held up his cow puppet and Addie held the sheep and sucked her thumb :-) Their part was simple - sit there, hold your animal, and smile....and look cute, of course :-) It was a success!

Congrats to Lieutenant Mitchell & Happy New Year!

Firefighting has always been a dream of Jason's. He is actively involved in our local volunteer fire department. In fact, when we moved to Shelton, we found our "family" at the firehouse. We quickly became friends with the firehouse community and are so grateful for all the friendships we have formed there. The kids love visiting the firehouse and I am on the Auxiliary which helps plans parties and helps out whenever there is a need.

But the reason for this post is to congratulate my husband on his recent vote into a Lieutenant position at the firehouse. I am so proud of him and the selfless acts he provides to help our community all on a volunteer basis. The volunteers in our town would run to help anyone in time of need even when it means sacrificing time with their own family. Yes, I get annoyed by the late night or dinner time fire calls. They always come at an inconvenient time. But that does not stop me from remembering what an amazing job our volunteers do and how committed they are to helping others, usually complete strangers. So next time you see a fireman/woman in your town, be sure to thank them, especially those who volunteer. Being a volunteer is like having another full time job at times and those that give their time never think twice about that. They are there to help and that is just what they do.

Jason, I am so proud of you. I know being a paid firefighter has always been a dream of yours. However, your duty as a volunteer firefighter makes it clear to me that you do perform each task with pride and a true love for what you do. You make Caden, Addie, and I so proud each time you walk out that door. Sitting by the pager and listening to your voice and praying that you and everyone else are safe has become a part of my duty as your wife. It is worrisome, but makes me proud to call you my husband. I love you! Congrats Lieutenant Mitchell!!