Holiday Celebrations!

Okay readers, this is going to be a long blog because I’m way behind! Here’s what’s been happening at the Coppola household to celebrate the big day- Jesus’ birthday!
1) We visited Jolly Holiday Lights. The boys loved it. Joey was very entertained and Maddox would say “Oh, oh, oh!” Both kids enjoyed it and we enjoyed watching the delight in their eyes!
2) When we got home from Jolly Holiday Lights, we celebrated Joey’s Baptism Birthday. I tried to explain the concept but he didn’t get it and Joe said I was confusing him. But, we had cupcakes and he never asked for presents. Isn’t that weird?
3) Joey had his program at church. They sang three songs. Joey did great. And, Joe and I were beaming- as were all the grandparents. We all sat in the same row and I’m pretty sure that light was radiating out of all of us! We were THAT excited. I almost cried probably 4 times. The message of the sermon was SO good….how not to miss the meaning of Christmas, how to find joy in the stress of holidays, how it’s not about gifts, but about the gift Jesus gave us. We left refreshed and happy. Joey was waving at us, and kept yelling things like, “Hey- there’s my Gamma!” and “Where’s my mom?” It was adorable.
4) That Sunday night, my sister hosted a Cousins Christmas, although only half of the Remsburg Cousins could be there….bummer. But, we all made a new recipe and everyone’s turned out great! Just last year, Reagan and Maddox were little babies, and this year, they are walking all over, eating at the “big” table, talking and playing. Time goes by fast! It was fun and my sister’s house looked fantabulous and she had the table set nice. We’ve really grown up. I still think I belong at the kids’ table but there wasn’t a place for me.

5) Joey had his program at school. They sang a ton of songs and Joey sang really, really loud- I could pick up his voice easily. It was so cute! My favorite song was about candy canes on Christmas trees. So, I’ve been making him sing that to anyone who will listen! Grandma Bobbi and Davis Jake came to see the concert and Joey kept waving at Davis and saying, “Davis! I’m right here! I’m right here! See? Wave at me!” Davis was much more interested in running in the pews but he was excited to see Joey up front.
6) In the midst of the Christmas excitement, Joe’s cousins’ Kate and Kacey signed a deal with Little Big Town! They will open for a few Little Big Towns’ concerts! We were so, so pumped for them. Joe and I have always liked Little Big Town, so now we can totally claim that we know them, too! : ) We are so proud of Kate and Kacey and hope that this leads to something even bigger….check out the poster. See? It’s for real.

7) We’ve already had a few Christmas celebrations! Our Christmas always kicks off with Bobbi and Joe’s. We usually have it the week before. And, although Christmas isn’t technically here yet, I like celebrating it the week before because we are never rushed from one place to the next- we always just focus on that one night. It was a great time, although little Davis had pink eye. The boys got spoiled, as well as the adults! And, Daddy Joe made his famous pasta with clam sauce- it’s the second time I’ve seen him cook since I’ve came into the family, so we all felt very honored! Funny....I was looking at my photos from this celebration, and apparently, I only took photos of my nephews, and not my own kids! Here's one of Carter cracking up over Elmo! I'd share a photo of Davis but let's just say the pink eye didn't do him any favors....8) This past weekend, the weather kind of interrupted our plans. We had the Bruggeman Christmas at my aunt’s house on Saturday, but we were three hours late. We took Grace and Maya because Heather and Guthrey had another party to attend. The roads were bad and it was blowing snow and it was bitter cold. But, we made it! My aunt Cathy has a big house and she always goes “all out” for any celebration so it’s always a treat to go there. She always has the best decorating ideas, the best food, and she likes us to stay as long as possible. And, she lined up for Santa to make a stop! The kids loved it. Abby Grace, Maddy and Grace sang Taylor Swift songs and I got it all on video. I loved it, but it makes me sad to see them all getting so old and grown up! Singing about “stupid ol’ pickup trucks” and broken hearts and boyfriends….my little Grace isn’t so little anymore.
9) The Remsburg Christmas has been postponed to Christmas eve due to weather. This was a complete bummer because all of us Remsburg Cousins were really looking forward to having the whole day to spend together. Now, we kind of have to jam it in on Christmas eve. So, that means we’ll all have to shove what is normally 8 hours of non-stop talking into 4 hours….it’ll be exhausting. We have a tradition unlike any other family: the girls all go to the bathroom and we tell any secrets we have. Unfortunately, they aren’t very juicy anymore since we’re all married with kids, but we usually can come up with something to share. For some reason, when I think about Xmas at Gma and Gpa Remsburg’s- my thoughts turn to the restroom. Seems appropriate for my family though, don’t you think? Here's a cute photo of my brother with "Mad Dog"!

10) Last night, we went to the Echo Valley Christmas- a lot of Coppolas and friends of the Coppolas attend this Christmas. This year, the crowd was much, much smaller but it was very nice. The boys looked so darn cute in their nice clothes that I could hardly stand it. Oh yes, I made them match. Someday, they will thank me, I’m sure of it. Joey gave Santa a huge hug – and I got it on camera! And, Maddox was good- as long as he was near Joe and I. He’s not one for a large crowd, that’s for sure! It's funny- so many people have been commenting lately that they don't know who Maddox looks like....




Well, there are a lot of holiday celebrations going on in our family, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them! It reminds me of this song that’s out right now – by Darius Rucker (sp?)- It won’t be like this for long. That’s what I remind myself when I’m stressed out and want to blow over all of the little details and “to dos” and everything else. I know these days are going by so fast. This year, I’ve brought my video camera to all the Christmas’ celebrations – I’m not usually “that mom” who does that. But, this year is different. I want it all captured.

Please pray for my Gpa Cecil. His cancer is spreading, his PSA count is up, and he’s been enduring a gradual increase in pain lately. Please pray for his comfort and that God’s will be done.

And, please send your Christmas wishes to my friend Andrea, who will spend her holidays overseas, so that we may spend our holidays with our friends and families. So many people sacrificing their own freedoms for ours this year – and every year.

Merry Christmas! I showed Joey this morning on the advent calendar that we only have two days to go before Jesus’ birthday! We can’t wait!