Christmasing

 Dance parties in the living room (Andrew's favorite is Jingle Bell Rock)

Making gingerbread houses

 We all gave up and took Charlie's cue to just eat them.

Looking at the Christmas tree

 

Drawing/coloring decorations

Making presents for Emily (shhh!)

Not pictured:

Pizza night, making cinnamon ornaments, wrapping presents, stringing popcorn and cranberries, sending Christmas cards, singing Christmas songs, having wind-up toy races, buying presents for Daddy, and just generally enjoying this wonderful time of year!

Ornamental

I forgot to post this last...month.  Oops, oh well.  It's still funny.

My mom got these cute little ornaments for the kids to make after Thanksgiving dinner.

Charlie's.  (I obviously did his, although he was interested in eating it.)

The back of Andrew's.  He and Emily love the sparkles.

The front.

And....

Emily's.  She was SO insistent on having those sequins on her eyes.  I laugh every time I look at it, and it is such a good representation of our funny girl.

Santa Claus is Coming to Springfield

I know I already posted the pictures of the kids with Santa, but I'm behind.  Before we did that, we went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  We really rarely go out to eat, and the kids virtually never do, so this was a special treat for all of us.  :)  It was Charlie's first time in a restaurant, and he was so good!

Here he is waiting for his food.  He's also looking for his toy, which he was unknowingly wearing.  I decided not to post pictures of him eating his eggs and biscuits, because...

let's just say it's not the most appetizing sight.  Yikes.

 Then off to Bass Pro we went!  We went on a weekday, so there really wasn't too big of a line, but we did have to wait a little while.

 Afterwards, we walked around Santa's village and played the little games they had set up (drive a train, shoot a "gun", play with remote control cars, etc.

 And, of course, the carousel.  Charlie sat on the moose for about 20 seconds.

 Emily loved her "wittle deer" and to look at herself in the mirror.  (I don't blame her.  She's super cute.)

 And Andrew.  Well, he's not conventional, this we know.  :)  He has the best time riding around on that thing.  (He chose a polar bear, and gave it a hug when we were leaving.)

An Alternate Version

 My kids, Emily in particular, have been saying some pretty funny things in relation to the Christmas story.
 1.   I mean, who can forget when the angel appears to the shepherds and says, "Ow ow ow!  No, Santa!  Get off my head!"  (Don't worry, the Santa wind-up toy got a talking to.)  "Santa, no.  We do NOT stand on that angel's head.  It's not okay.")
  2.  Apparently Andrew takes the song Away in a Manger pretty seriously, because I had to mediate a pretty serious argument over whether the Baby Jesus was crying because he wanted his bottle or whether he was "just smiling.  Baby Jesus only just smiles!"
  3.  While reading The Christmas Story, Emily looked at this page:

and said, "Okay, guys.  Now WHERE is that star??  Look, guys!  It's right behind you.  Woohoo!"

  4.  When I told her she could go watch Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, she ran into the living room and leaned down to talk to Baby Jesus.  "We gonna watch Daniel Tiger Neigh-da-hood!" then "Baby Jesus" got really excited and started saying, "Oh yay!  Woohoo!  Daniel Tiger!"

  5. Lastly, I have a feeling she hasn't quite grasped the whole eternal significance of the holiday. When I was getting out the Nativity set, I was pulling out each piece and saying what part they played in Jesus' birth.  I thought it was a sweet little moment.  Then Emily pulled out a Santa figurine and said quietly, in the most tender and loving voice, "Oh Santa!  There you are."

 

...ahem.

 

...oh, well.

 

Merry Christmas.  :)



Old Saint Nick

We have seen Santa three times now.  We went to the library, then Bass Pro, then to our church Christmas party.  Apparently, the excitement didn't wane for any of them, especially Andrew.  At the ward Christmas party, they announced, "And look who's here!"  Before we even knew what was happening, Andrew was running as fast as he could across the gym to get to Santa with a smile from ear to ear.  We called him back, but he got his time with the old man, and loved it.  He has asked for Playdough this year.  I think Santa can do that.  :)

Lately

 This doesn't look amazing, but it was so delicious.  Turkey paninis.

The kids wanted bowls of snow for dinner.  :)  Then Andrew invented snow banana ice cream, which as a ball of snow on top of the banana.

Cookies

We made Christmas cookies!  Andrew and Emily loved helping.  Their helping was mostly trying to eat dough and slapping the cookies into weird shapes.  But they were cute.

 Then the kids decorated them.  Emily kept putting more colors on them and saying, "Look, Mama!  I painting!"

Here are some cookies we made.  My favorite is my Julia Child one.  She lost an arm in the process, but I still love her.  :)

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines

I LOVE Christmas.  I mean, I really love it.  I have read a lot of blog entries over the last couple of years about the commercialism and over-doing of Christmas.  I'd like to give my few words on it.

Yes, there are people who take it too far.  Taking out payday loans and using every last cent they have to make sure their loved ones have mounds of gifts under the tree.  Stressing out over family gatherings and trampling strangers in order to get a good deal.  I certainly don't advocate that kind of behavior.  But I am a big supporter of making every day during the Christmas season a magical, special day.  Remembering Christ's birth is in no way marred by the fun and magic of Santa and his little reindeer.  Maybe it's just me, but there is something amazing about seeing a child learn both about the do-gooder who brings presents to the children of the world and the Son of God who came to give us the greatest gift of all - Himself.

Here's a few things we've done so far.

We've been reading a scripture a night about the Savior's birth.  Andrew has really gotten into it and has been "reading" some on his own.  My favorite thing he said is "Heavenly Father made the to world because He loves me."

The local library had a night of pictures with Santa and games and activities.  The kids had such a fun time, and the Santa was really sweet.  I'll post those pictures when we get them.

Here we are waiting to see Santa.

Caught

While at my parents' house, my sister Amy said that it was much too quiet.  So my sister Jeanette went to find the trouble.  And....she found it.  In my parents' room.

 

Oops.

Okay, not really.  It wasn't me, believe it or not.  It was my sister's twins.  They were very thorough with nail polish, cold cream, and perfume.  Gotta love toddlers.  :)

And here was the clean-up crew.  We got a lot of it off, thankfully.  We both felt a bit high by the end of the process, but at least it looked better in the end.  :)

My brother Michael said it best.  "I feel bad thinking this, but when it happens and it isn't my kid....it makes me so happy."  HAHA.  Yep, it happens to the best of us.  :)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was really great this year!  We got to spend the weekend before with the Barnards in Salem and then on Thanksgiving day, Mike's sister and our neice came to visit.  It was great!

Watching the parades and putting together puzzles?  Oh yeah!  I am totally keeping up that tradition.  Emmie and Andrew both enjoyed it.

Mmmmmmmmm........

The spread!  Not pictured was the mounds of extra mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, turkey, and gravy.  It was all sooo tasty (if I do say so myself.)

It was Charlie's first Thanksgiving.  He loved all the attention, the rolls, and the mashed potatoes.

Emily apparently has to have a foot on the table to eat her turkey.

My kids are obsessed with decorations.  Our walls were covered all the month of November with construction paper decorations.  We made a tree and added leaves with things we were thankful for.  We weren't super diligent, so there weren't a lot, but Andrew's were the most interesting.  My favorites are 'potato' and 'all of things.'  That's what I am thankful for most right now.  All of things.

You may have to click on this picture to see it, but it is by far my favorite decoration of all time.  Andrew drew a pilgrim on the Mayflower and he's saying "Happy Thanksgiving."

These two kiddos are just so sweet!!!!

Holding hands?  Could they be any cuter?!?

Charlie had fun with his cousin Sawyer

I love this one of Mike and the kids playing at Grandma Jacobs' house.