Christmas 2007 at the Liller Home

So we started out the day with the kids waking up at 6:45am! They just couldn't wait to check out the loot under the tree. . . and so the day began, the first of 3 stops.

You can't help but be excited by all the gifts for the kids, but we also need to make sure our kids know and remember the true meaning of Christmas. We didn't have a birthday cake this year, but we still sang "Happy Birthday Jesus" anyway and said a prayer thanking God for the most amazing gift of all - His son Jesus Christ!!!

Oh yeah, and one more heartbreak (for me anyway) was Evan asking if Santa was real the night before Christmas Eve . . . it's sad in a way because it's the end of that make-believe era when one of your children finally knows their parents are Santa. He was cool with the truth and everything, he said he suspected last year when "Santa's writing looked a lot like mom's". Maybe it's just more devastating for me as a parent. So now I just have to make sure he keeps the secret until Grant and Blake are old enough to understand . . . hmmmmm, that could be interesting!!!

An aerial view of the 3 boys tearing into their gifts.

Grant grabbing a heavy present (Magnetix).

Evan and Grant loved all the Pokemon books they received - they almost couldn't tear themselves away to open more . . . I said ALMOST! ;o)

Evan and his Pokemon Kyogre doll.

Blake loved his Dora backpack - I think he kept it on most of the day (and didn't really even bother looking at all the games that came inside it)!

This video is Blake dancing with his favorite toy, "Sing and Spin Pablo". Click the play button twice on the video to watch it. This video was taken as Grant was opening his most asked for present - a wooden mailbox! Check out his reaction by clicking twice on the play button on the video.

Next stop: The Elmlinger house

So after opening gifts at our house, it was off to Cincinnati for more! We went to my parent's house for the festivities. What made it even more special was that I got to spend Christmas day with my 2 siblings (whom I hardly ever see). My sister Melissa and her hubby Mark and my adorable nephew Kyle (2) were passing through on their move to Atlanta, GA. My brother Greg was also there (he's also moving back to San Francisco in January). So it was a great day with my family!!!

My mom had all the grandboys wear Santa hats as they handed out the adult's gifts - they got a big kick out of doing that!
Kyle and Blake had to get in on the action too, so they donned Santa hats as well.
Kyle loves Pablo almost as much as Blake, so they had a great time playing with Blake's Pablo's.
The biggest shock of all was The Wii and the Nintendo DS. See below for the video of Evan opening the Wii.
The annual Liller family Christmas photo - not the best, but hey - at least we didn't forget! ;o)

So I stood in line from 11pm til' 6am at Meijer a few weeks ago to get a Wii (which my parents bought for the family). Evan's reaction here is priceless - he totally never expected we'd get one, he knew how rare they were to find! Check it out by clicking twice on the play button on the video.

Final stop: The Liller house (Shawn's mom)

So our final stop of the night was at Shawn's mom and sister's house. We decided to stay the night there since my mom's house was already fully occupied with my siblings! A really cool surprise was seeing Shawn's sister's engagement ring. The wedding will be on March 19th, which is both Shawn and Stacy's dad and fiance David's dad's birthdays!!!

Evan with one of the things he really wanted - an Action Replay for his DS (don't ask me what it does, I'm still trying to figure out what the Wii does!!!)
Grant is a Deal Or No Deal fanatic - so he was thrilled to get the electronic game!
More Pablo/Backyardigan's stuff, what more could a 3 year old ask for?!?!

Ice Skating Fun & the Mall

We had the opportunity this past Saturday to go to an ice skating party downtown at the Pan Am rink (Thanks Cheryl & Tim!!!). I didn't think the boys would actually put on ice skates, but they all tried it. Evan was the best tryer of the group, Grant lasted about 5 minutes before he was too afraid to go any further, and Blake was the most fascinated. It was a great time - and since we were downtown, we decided to take the boys into Circle City Mall (what we're we thinking - it was the Saturday before Christmas)!!! ;o) We had a great family day, I wish we could do more things like that together more often!

Also, we didn't send out Christmas cards this year - so here is just a little greeting from our family to yours. HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and may God bless you in this coming year!
Love,
Shawn, Beth, Evan, Grant and Blake Liller


They give the little ones cones to help them learn how to skate - it helps them keep their balance. Blake thought it was a blast!
Grant was fine - as long as you kept the cookies and hot chocolate flowing!
Evan was braver than I thought he would be. The last time he attempted to skate, he quit the first time he fell. This time, he kept trying and moved around pretty well. He especially liked this penalty box - he and a few friends he met liked playing in it.
So the boys had to check out Game Stop at the mall. I think we have our very own Guitar Hero in the making here!
Nothing like eating pretzels in a crowded mall - so we just picked a non-crowded spot on the floor outside Gameworks (we went in there to play some games, but got shoved out pretty quickly when the fire alarm went off).

Christmas Concert with Steve Quinn

What an awesome night! Steve's concert was AMAZING! It was such a privilege that he asked me to be a part of it, and I had a great time! It was videotaped and everything, so I can't wait to see the whole finished production. In the meantime, Steve recorded a brand new Christmas album that you can purchase at Capstone for $15 (and I got to record with him on that as well - 3 songs including the solo I did at the concert "Breath of Heaven"), so all in all, it's been quite an awesome experience. Steve also wants to record a Valentine's Day album with me of love songs, so stay tuned for that!!!

Steve and I before the concert.
I agree Steve, it IS the Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!
The stage setting was so cool - the tech and video teams did a fantastic job!
Steve and I singing "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
Steve and I "Walking In A Winter Wonderland".