Merry Christmas Grandma & Grandpa

We had the most amazing, most relaxing, most wonderful Christmas (with one exception).

The day was just perfect (almost).

The kids woke up (after 9am!). We opened presents....

Sadie the techy girl received lots of gifts that needed to downloaded/uploaded, synched, etc.

Ethan is an official spy. Complete with glasses that allow him to see behind him, a watch that can record and video your conversations and a helicopter that looks like a helicopter but *really* its a cool spy tool that takes pictures in mid air.

Madison (still the princess) received lots of make up, movies, nail polish and for the wannabe hunter in her, she got a pink camouflage sleeping bag for their upcoming hunting trip.

Jake who wants so badly to be a BIG BOY received his very own (age appropriate) lap top. He LOVES LOVES LOVES it.

The kids were blessed beyond measure.

But the one thing nobody could deny was we MISSED Grandma and Grandpa. This was the kids first Christmas without you here and they NOTICED! It was weird. It was different. They missed, really missed, you being here. We all did.

We love you SO very much and can't wait for January to see you again.

Until then, Big Hugs and ALL our LOVE.

Merry CHRISTmas

It was a MERRY Christmas indeed!

Christmas Eve with Nana & Pepe

Nana and Pepe sure know how to S.P.O.I.L. their grandkids :)

Thank you Nana and Pepe...for EVERYTHING EVERYDAY! You are a cherished and MUCH LOVE Gift day after day!

My favorite Christmas gift

My favorite gift of all was taking the time to capture some precious moments with precious people.

A gift we will all cherish for years on end.

Merry CHRISTmas from our Family to Yours

It’s that time of year again…that time of year where I sit at my computer for hours trying to sum up the year’s news, events, mile stones and blessings in one short and sweet letter.

This year was especially difficult because we have had SO many of the above.

For starters our family has grown again. Most of you know about our Miracle Baby, Jacob! He is the most amazing, tender hearted yet spunky, with the BIGGEST smile EVER, sweet boy the Lord could have hand picked for our family. He has completed us and brought more JOY to our family than we could have ever imagined and definitely more than we can express in one short annual Christmas letter. Jake is indeed our biggest 2010 blessing but the blessings didn’t stop there…

Brian traveled to Haiti twice this year and is planning his 3rd trip before the years end. Ethan at his tender age of 8 is already mission minded and has a heart to serve the Lord in a capacity beyond his years. He will be going on his first mission’s trip THIS year. He is going to Haiti with Brian in just a few short days. I must confess that as his mom I am a “little bit” scared for him but mostly I am overjoyed that he has a servants heart and he WANTS to go with his daddy to deliver Christmas presents to the children living in an orphanage. I must also confess there is not much more that can make me more PROUD of my boy!

Madison our beautiful child ~also known as HOLLYWOOD~ has grown and blossomed so much this year. Almost all credit goes to her 2nd grade teacher. She has found a way to connect and relate to Madison like no one else. Madison adores her, LOVES school and wants to be a “cowgirl” like her teacher. So much so that she asked her daddy to buy her a pink rifle :). Of course those of you that know Brian, know that just tickled him inside and out. And as if that wasn’t enough the girl now wants to go hunting. OH MY!!! Needless to say Brian is in his Glory with his 3 mini hunters :)

Sadie on the other hand has NO interest in hunting or guns or even eating meat for that matter. In fact, she would be a vegan if we allowed her and she prays daily for safety for the “poor animals”. It is the sweetest thing ever!!! She has the biggest kindest heart of anyone I have ever known. She is tender and thoughtful, generous and giving. Forgiving and truly truly loves with Agape love. I hope to be half the person she is one day.

I am honored beyond words to be the Mother of these 4 kids. I will never know why I was chosen but I will forever be THANKFUL.

My life is so full that if I receive nothing more in 2011 I can honestly say I am so content, so happy, so at peace, so IN love and loved….

This has been a wonderful blessing filled year indeed. Oh!! I almost forgot Molly (our absolutely PERFECT dog) needed a play mate so when Brian found a stray pup on his job site he brought him home for Molly and the family. While Lincoln is not quite “perfect” he is perfect for us and we are most hopeful that Molly will be a good influence and help him quickly out grow some of his less than desirable puppy habits.

Well, I am certain I left out many many things but I do think I at least covered the big things. My 2011 resolution is to keep this blog better updated and when that fails you can always count on facebook for news about our Growing Garcia’s. :)

May you and your family embrace this holiday season and all the chaos it has to offer all while remembering the Reason for the Season ~~ A King is Born.

Much Love and Many Blessings,
Brian, Jennifer, Sadie, Ethan, Madison, Jacob, Molly & Lincoln

Merry Christmas

At 8:00am this morning we woke ~YES, we WOKE~ our children up.

And this what they rest of the day looked like...

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve this year with my parents as Tradition would hold but nothing was "traditional" about the evening.

In fact, it was an evening full of new beginnings, new memories and new traditions!!!

For starters ~ we'll start with the best instead of saving it for last ~ my sister, her husband and their 3 children all celebrated Christmas in Florida for the first time EVER! What an amazing treat it was to have 6 children around the table, around the tree and around each other. Truly a special special treat!!!

The night was full of fun as we played games like, Twister, White Elephant and playdoh.

We laughed, we cried, we opened presents, we ate....Oh did we EAT!

We "traditionally" have Ribeye Roast for Christmas Eve dinner but this year Brian made Lamb Chops on the grill and my momma ~with the help of her 6 Elves ~ (Sadie, Ethan, Madison, Coral, Canyon and Chason) made all the scumptious side dishes. And man oh man were they YUMMY!!! Even 2 year old Chason enjoyed the feast.

The night couldn't have been any more perfect!

Merry CHRISTmas

So here we are – the end of yet another year and the start of yet another Christmas letter. 2009 has been full of challenges, triumphs, changes, struggles and blessings overflowing. Where oh where do I begin? I guess it’s always fun to start with the kids so let’s begin there.

Sadie –oh my girl- Sadie. She has gone all of 2009 without breaking a bone, having a surgery or visiting the ER and she has had only a few colds. This isn’t just MAJOR for my girl ~it’s a MIRACLE!! So we are indeed rejoicing! She is doing well in 2nd grade and loving her new school. She just completed another year of gymnastics and plans to add softball to her athletic career this Spring. This petite ~ weighing it at just 37 pounds ~ 7 year old little lady proudly carries a smile ~ missing 7 teeth  ~ that manages to light up every room when she walks in ~EVERYTIME. She is spunky and FULL of life!!

Ethan is – ALL BOY - and very quickly turning into a young man on me. He loves football, fishing, hiking, camping and now hunting. He is Brian’s right hand. He is driven, ambitious, serious, confident, sincere and a man’s man. Brian has taught him that vegetables aren’t food they are what “food” eat. Brian has also taught him that Hannah Montana is lame and that the Disney Channel is for girls. And while he is serious about those things he has also taught Ethan that being a man of God with character, integrity and values is more important than any of the above.

Madison - our precious precious -Madison. She is still very much our “Hollywood”. She is one of those kids that you can tell EXACTLY what and how she is feeling based off of her current emotion. And her emotion can change literally without notice. She can go from a deep belly laugh to an inconsolable cry without hesitation and vice versa. Those of you who have seen it ~ know ¬this girl has talent.  She too is loving her new school and doing very well in 1st grade. She is making many friends. She is loving and motherly. Tender and genuine and she loves with her whole being.

As for Brian and I - we celebrated 15 years of marriage this past May. Brian took me to Jamaica for a week and we had a wonderful 2nd Honeymoon.

In August Brian and I went on a mission trip to Peru where we ministered to the locals through an English camp and sought to meet the basic needs of the people in Lima. It was an amazing journey and one that stretched, tested and grew my faith in ways indescribable and so it will always be a cherished season for me. We are eagerly anticipating the day we bring the children with us.

But for now, we feel lead to be “missionaries” right here in PSL. And we are trusting in the Lord as He continues to direct our paths…

More to come in 2010 ~ in the meantime you can see what the Lord is doing in our life through our family blog and also on Facebook. The blessings (or curses) of modern technology. 

Wishing you and your family a truly Merry CHRISTmas and a Blessing filled 2010.

All our love,
Brian, Jennifer, Sadie, Ethan and Madison

Deck The Halls

Those of you that know Brian and I ~know we LOVE to decorate for Christmas.

You might even say we kind of go overboard a *little*. It takes Brian 5 days (with help) just to decorate the outside of our home and then about another 3 days to decorate the inside of the house. We just LOVE LOVE LOVE to go all out for Jesus' Birthday.

This year though Christmas kind of snuck up on us and between our schedules, the weekend rain, and the (un)avaialability our elves (helpers) our home is NOT decorated this year. It hardly even feels like Christmas without the 10,000 light display you can see from outter space.

Thankfully though we did manage to get our 2 Christmas trees decorated.

And once the baking starts, the family arrives and the Celebration of our Redeemer's birth begins we won't even miss the "stuff".

Merry Christmas to you and yours and our prayers for a Happy, Healthy and Blessing filled New Year.

Good Bye Christmas

It is DONE! FINISHED! OVER!

I don't know why but once the final dished is washed, guest has left and child has fallen asleep on Christmas night I become a Bah humbug and begin removing all evidence of Christmas.

As of 2pm today every tree trimming, yard ornament, stocking, and Christmas decor was packed up and stored up in the attic.

All gone till next year...

Whew! I'm EXHAUSTED!!

Family

Pictured above are the Garcia Grandchildren. Eugene, Angel, Crissy, Cara, Patrick, Matthew, Ashley,Timothy, Josh, Elizabeth, Michael, Jackson, Sadie, Ethan, Madison, Elena and Christian.

Not pictured and terribly missed Aubrey.

There are 18 grand kids in all and it was treasure to have (almost) everyone here at Christmas!!

We missed you Greg, Marisa and Aubrey. Pray you are all feeling better soon!!

Christmas Day

I don't believe it but it's true. I have only a VERY FEW pics of Christmas...My camera is on the fritz :-(

We spent Christmas Eve with my folks. We had a beautiful feast - turkey, ham, home made mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, green bean casserole and so much more. Oh, it was all SO yummy!!

In past (before grand kids) we waited until midnight to open presents. In recent years we opened presents after dinner - when it got dark. This year my parents bumped dinner to 1pm and were begging (my parents NOT the kids) to open presents by 3pm ON CHRISTMAS EVE. It gets earlier and earlier every year. I'm certain we'll be opening presents on Thanksgiving in no time. Gotta love grandparents :-)

I have to say, I not much better.

On Christmas morning I woke up at 5:30am. Had some coffee, paced a bit and woke Brian at 6am. I couldn't stand it. He blew me off for a bit and the agreed to wake the children.

They stumbled into the living room where their tired eyes discovered 3 hermit crabs. Well that sure woke them up quick!! Those crabs were a hit. A true hit!!

We then proceeded to open presents one at a time. And I kid you not after each present was opened the "receiver" gave the "giver" a running hug - tackling to the floor every time! :-) The sheer excitement was a gift in and of itself!

Sadie is the proud owner of her very own MP3 player - which she has successfully deleted all of the music off of 3 times!!

Madison finally has her very own DS - and feels so grown up.

Ethan was given (BY HIS FATHER!!) a riffle. The kid in The Christmas Story would be so jealous.

Later in the day we served Prime Rib Roast to 35 Garcia's!

It was a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of laughter, food and family.

Photos From Christmas Eve

Thanks to my awesome Dad I now have a few more photos of Christmas Eve:

Nana helping Sadie with the doll house :-)

Ethan checking out his REAL tool box. He LOVES having his own tools.

Sadie helping Madison open her new bike. Check out Madison's outfit....Yep, it's a bathing suit!!

Here's Ethan putting his tool bench together

Ginger Bread House Redemption

Brian has been redeemed!

This Christmas (Eve) my parents blessed Sadie with a doll house and Madison with a new bike while cursing Brian with the challenge of putting both together.

After the Ginger Bread House Disaster we were all a little unsure of just how well this would go over...

But I am please to announce that Brian successfully put both together.

My parents gave Ethan his very own work bench - which Ethan proudly put together with his very real tool box. Sadly I have no pics :-(

Cookies and Cocoa

Thanks to Ms. Debra I was able to create this slide show and capture the memories that were made by all!!!

Merry Christmas!

Cookies and Cocoa

My friends http://thegrandstaffs.blogspot.com/ have an annual Cookies and Cocoa party. All their friends come and share good times over good coffee, cookies and cocoa. Its truly a grand time.

Well this year as Brian and I were preparing to go to Christmas Party after Christmas Party the kids asked if they could please have a Christmas party for all of their friends.

So of course I said "of course!" And I borrowed my friends idea - no point really to reinvent the wheel, right?!

So the Growing Garcia's hosted their very own Christmas Party yesterday. They cleaned before hand, planned the menu and helped prepare the food.

There were roughly 50 people here.

The kids had SO much fun!! They played indoors, outdoors, on the vacant land and on the park. Some hung by the cookies and cocoa. And others wanted to brave the pool. It was spectacular.

It was scheduled to be "mid afternoon" party. However, the festivities began when the first guest arrived at 10am and it ended when the last guest left at 11pm! Yep a 2 hour party actually went for 13 hours!!!

And guess what? I have NO - I repeat NO pictures!!! I'm shocked. Me - NO PICTURES!!

So those of you reading - that came - and TOOK pictures - would you please forward them to me?

Christmas with Friends

After the Christmas Party at school we headed to Oxbow Nature Center where we met our friends http://nicksnest98.blogspot.com/.

Our families hiked Oxbow and celebrated our "Christmas" on top of highest observation Tower.

Ethan was of course in all his glory, leading the pack with his backpack and map - missing only his binoculars. The Ancewicz boys along with Sadie and Kelli followed suit and lead us down trail after trail.

Madison earned her name 'Hollywood' by reminding us the whole time that she was not so into this hiking thing. She was rather...itchy, tired, hot, thirsty etc. But then in traditional Madison fashion her mood changed on a dime. The instant she saw a turtle she became giddy and happy and we even got a little laugh and a pep in her step. :-)




It was truly a great time with great friends and I'm looking forward to our next adventure :-)

Christmas Party @ School

Today I had the great pleasure of attending a Christmas Party at the kids school.

It was fun meeting the kids BFF's and their parents.

Ethan actually has a (I can't believe I'm even gonna admit this!) A GIRLFRIEND!! She has stolen his heart and makes him all goofy and silly. I'm not sure if I'm jealous or if I think its cute...and I'm hopeful that by the time I figure it out it'll be over :-)