SANTA CLAUS CAME TO THE WANSTRATH'S

HO HO HO AND MERRY CHRISTMAS. SANTA CLAUS VISITED OUR HOUSE EARLY CHRISTMAS MORNING AND THE BOYS WERE SO EXCITED. MILES WOKE UP FIRST...SURPRISE SURPRISE....LUKE WALKED UP AND HAD A LOOK AT ALL OF THE TOYS WITH CONFUSION. HE TOUCHED A FEW THINGS AND THEN SAID, "ELMO" WANTING TO FOLLOW HIS MORNING ROUTINE OF WATCHING HIS ELMO MOVIE. MILES, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS VERY IMPRESSED. HE SAID HE COULDNT BELIEVE HIS EYES. IT GETS MORE AND MORE EXCITING EVERY YEAR. WE HEADED OVER TO NENE AND PAW PAW'S IN OUR PAJAMAS TO SEE WHAT SANTA BROUGHT TO HER HOUSE. I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME AND I CERTAINLY LOVE SEEING THE LOOK ON MY BOYS' FACES WHEN SANTA COMES.

UNCLE WILL HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

UNCLE WILL CAME HOME FROM KANSAS FOR AN EXTENDED HOLIDAY VISIT. MILES HAS BEEN ANTICIPATING HIS ARRIVAL FOR WEEKS. UNFORTUNATELY LUKE DOES NOT REMEMBER UNCLE WILL SO IT TOOK HIM A BIT TO WARM UP TO HIM. MILES THINKS ITS THE GREATEST THING PLAYING WITH UNCLE WILL AND JUST BEING AROUND HIM IS SO "COOL." WE ARE SO GLAD THAT HE IS HOME FOR A WHILE. HIS FIANCE, MONICA, WILL BE JOINING US ON DEC. 26TH FOR A FEW DAYS.

CHRISTMAS EVE AT AUNT SHERRY'S

OUR FAMILY CHANGED TRADITION THIS YEAR AND HAD CHRISTMAS EVE AT AUNT SHERRY'S HOUSE. WE HAVE DONE IT AT MY PARENT'S HOUSE SINCE GRANNY PASSED AWAY BUT THIS YEAR AUNT SHERRY WANTED TO HOST THE EVENT. WE HAD A GREAT TIME EATING SNACKS AND DOING OUR YANKEE SWAP. THE CHILDREN ALL SWAPPED ORNAMENTS AND OPENED PRESENTS FROM THEIR AUNTS AND UNCLES. AUNT SHERRY CAME UP WITH SOME MORE BRILLIANT ADULT GAMES. KYLE AND I TOOK HOME THE PRIZE AS THE COUPLE GAME WINNERS FOR THE SECOND CHRISTMAS IN A ROW. WE MUST REALLY KNOW ALOT ABOUT EACH OTHER. WE LEFT ABOUT 8:00 SO THAT WE COULD COME HOME AND GET READY FOR SANTA TO COME. MILES IS SURE THAT HE SPOTTED HIM ON THE WAY HOME FROM AUNT SHERRY'S HOUSE IN THE NIGHT SKY AND TOLD DADDY TO GO FASTER SO THAT WE COULD GET HOME AND GET TO BED.

GINGERBREAD HOUSE

MILES AND LUKE WENT TO ALEX'S TO MAKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE. THEY HAD SO MUCH FUN PUTTING ALL OF THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF CANDY ON THE HOUSE. LUKE HAD MORE FUN SNEAKING GUM DROPS AND EATING THEM. IT TURNED OUT REALLY CUTE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO IT AGAIN NEXT YEAR.

CHRISTMAS WITH ALEX

MILES AND LUKE ENJOYED GOING TO ALEX'S HOUSE ON DEC. 22ND TO CELEBRATE OUR ANNUAL GIFT SWAP WITH HIM. DADDY, MOMMY, MILES, LUKE, SHANNON, ALEX, AND JAMES ENJOYED SWAPPING PRESENTS. WE HAD GREAT FINGER FOODS AND THE BOYS PLAYED FOR HOURS IN ALEX'S PLAYROOM. WE ALWAYS HAVE SO MUCH FUN WITH THEIR FAMILY. NOTICE THE TRAIN STICKERS ALL OVER ALEX AND MILES IN THE FIRST PICTURE. THE BOYS LOVE THEIR TRAINS.

HOLLYWOOD

LUKE WAS JUST MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS SUCKING HIS "WOO WOO" WHEN HE FOUND MOMMY'S GLASSES ON THE COUCH AND DECIDED TO TRY THEM ON. THIS PICTURE IS PRICELESS. THEY ARE AS BIG AS HIS LITTLE SWEET FACE. HE IS READY FOR THE MOVIES.

CHRISTMAS AT GRANNY AND PAW PAW'S IN PARIS, TN.

WE SPENT DEC. 21ST AT GRANNY AND PAW PAW'S IN PARIS, TN. THE BOYS HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME OPENING PRESENTS FROM SANTA AND FROM GRANNY AND PAW PAW. IT IS SO NICE WHEN WE GET TO VISIT WITH THEM. WE HAD A GREAT LUNCH AND MILES, LUKE, DADDY, AND UNCLE BLAKE WENT DOWN GRANNY'S BIG GRASSY HILL ON MILES' SLED. HE HASNT HAD A GOOD SNOW IN HIS LIFETIME SO WE THOUGHT WE COULD USE THE SLED AT GRANNY'S BIG STEEP HILL. WE HAD A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS THERE. MILES AND LUKE RECEIVED GROCERY CARTS FROM SANTA AND A NEW CASH REGISTER ALONG WITH COUNTLESS OTHER GIFTS. PAW PAW, AUNT ZUZANNE, UNCLE BLAKE, DADDY, AND MILES PLAYED A GAME OF GO FISH AFTER LUNCH. IT WAS GREAT FUN.

FUN AT UNCLE BLAKE'S AND AUNT SUZANNE'S

UNCLE BLAKE AND AUNT SUZANNE HAD US OVER FOR A PRE CHRISTMAS DINNER AT THEIR HOUSE. DADDY, MOMMY, GIGI, AND BUDMAN WENT TO EAT ALONG WITH AUNT SUZANNE'S FAMILY. WE HAD A GREAT TIME RUNNING AROUND UNCLE BLAKE'S HOUSE AND GETTING INTO NEW THINGS. HE HAD A DOG NAMED MAGGIE AND SEVERAL KITTY CATS THAT WE LOVED PLAYING WITH. WE ENDED THE NIGHT BY PLAYING WITH SOME LEGOS THAT UNCLE BLAKE HAD. MILES BUILT A TALL TOWER AND LUKE LOVED KNOCKING IT OVER. GOOD TIMES.

OUR FAMILY

THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN AFTER MILES' CHRISTMAS MUSICAL TUESDAY. IT WAS SO NICE THAT KYLE COULD BE THERE TO SEE MILES SING. WE HAD A GREAT TIME BEING ALL TOGETHER AS A FAMILY. ONCE AGAIN, WE ARE SO PROUD OF MILES AND HIS PERFORMANCE WITH HIS CLASSMATES. LUKE SEEMED TO ENJOY IT AS WELL.

MILES PERFORMS AT HIS FIRST BAPTIST CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

MILES PERFORMED TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH HIS PARENTS' DAY OUT CLASS AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH. THE 4 YEAR OLD CLASS SANG 4 SONGS. I KNOW THE PICTURE IS A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO SEE BUT MILES IS IN THE MIDDLE IN THE BACK ROW. THE 4 YEAR OLD CLASS DRESSED IN WHITE, THE 3 YEAR OLD CLASS DRESSED IN GREEN, AND THE 2 YEAR OLD CLASS DRESSED IN RED. MILES DID VERY WELL. THEY LEARNED SIGN LANGUAGE TO GO ALONG WITH THEIR SILENT NIGHT SONG AND IT WAS A TEAR JERKER. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM. DADDY, MOMMY, LUKE, NENE, PAW PAW, GIGI, AND BUDMAN WERE ALL THERE TO WATCH HIM. I LOVE YOU, MILES.

OPRYLAND HOTEL

KYLE'S WORK CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS HELD IN THE PRESIDENTIAL BALLROOM AT OPRYLAND HOTEL ON DEC. 15TH, 2007. THE WHOLE FAMILY ATTENDED FOR BRUNCH, SANTA, CRAFTS, AND SOCIALIZING. AFTER THE EVENT KYLE, THE BOYS, AND MYSELF WALKED AROUND OPRYLAND'S CONSERVATORY ADMIRING THE DECORATIONS. WE HAD A GREAT TIME. KYLE, MILES, AND LUKE TOOK A BOAT RIDE THROUGH THE CONSERVATORY. MILES LOVED LOOKING AT THE FISH BELOW AND LUKE WAS AMAZED AT ALL OF THE DECORATIONS HANGING ABOVE...ESPECIALLY THE HOT AIR BALLOONS.

CHRISTMAS P.J.'S

MILES AND LUKE GOT INTO THEIR MATCHING SANTA PAJAMAS AND I GOT A FEW SHOTS IN FRONT OF THE TREE. IT IS GETTING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT TO GET GOOD SHOTS OF THEM BOTH TOGETHER. THEY WONT SIT STILL VERY LONG. THIS IS AN ADORABLE SHOT OF THEM ANTICIPATING SANTA'S ARRIVAL IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. I DONT KNOW IF MILES IS GOING TO MAKE IT...HE IS SO ANXIOUS. I CANT WAIT TO SEE LUKE'S REACTION TO WHAT SANTA LEAVES UNDER THE TREE.

BOYS WILL BE BOYS

IT WAS A WARM DECEMBER DAY AND DADDY AND ADAM WERE HANGING OUR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. THE BOYS WERE SO EXCITED TO "HELP OUT." I DRESSED THEM IN THEIR MATCHING SWEATERS THAT NENE BOUGHT IN ITALY. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT THE BOYS WOULD DECIDE IT WAS A GREAT DAY TO DIG IN THE DIRT AND HAUL IT IN THEIR WHEELBARROW. THEY WERE FILTHY BUT HAD A GREAT TIME. MILES AND OUR NEIGHBOR, CHRIS, EVEN DECIDED TO DIG UP ONE OF OUR DEAD TREES AND DISPOSE OF IT. THEY HAD A GREAT DAY WORKING WITH THE "BIG BOYS."