Career Step Christmas Party

This year's Christmas Party was much more humble than last years'. This year we did a service for the national guard. Each of the employees chose a name of a child and provided needs and wants for them. It was so much fun to go shopping for the little 2-year-old girl my family had. At the party we presented the gifts and food baskets to the Guard . We helped out 13 families! So cool.

At the party there was ice skating, billiards, Santa and dinner. We also got family portraits taken by a professional photographer. I hope they turned out good. I'll post them when we get them back. I forgot to bring my camera but have lots of camera phone pictures!

Tessa's first time on ice




This skating rink was on the roof of the building. Aaron and the kids skated while I was given the assignment of completing the get to know you game (that I won last year--Andrea kept giving me a hard time about not winning--but last year I didn't have kids with me and I didn't have my arms loaded down with teddy bears and candy canes, that my kids handed to me after getting them from Santa.)
Ryan was the first on Santa's lap.

I love how Tessa is looking up at Santa.
Too bad I had just my cell phone on this photo.

Kielle wasn't sure she wanted to sit on Santa's lap but did anyway.
(Nathan didn't and I didn't get a chance to take Ada's photo.)

Nathan has no tolerance for not following ALL the rules when playing chess
(unless your name is Tessa and are his baby sister)

Aaron helping his little girls with their pool shots:

While the rest of us went into the kids playroom, Aaron and Ada played their own round of pool. He said she was really awesome and sunk all her balls! She's turning into a regular pool shark. It is time to clear out our garage again so we can play on our table!
The kids decorated their own cookies...

Kielle was so good. She let me put her in a shirt with little ruffles and pigtails in her hair for our family photo and didn't complain about it once.
She looked so cute and this hat and pig tail combo was the cutest!

Kielle ended up leaving the party early for a birthday party that was 5 minutes away from our venue. She went to a space center party and they got to simulate a space flight. She sat us all down afterward and explained in detail all the cool things they did there.

We had a really fun and late night!