Christmas Lists

For those who have asked, each of the kids has an Amazon Wish List (so do hubby and I), and I'll put the links below.

And just FYI, I use the wish list feature at Amazon because it's easy. However, I don't believe they have the lowest prices on everything so if you plan to purchase, don't feel obligated to use Amazon, find a lower price somewhere else! But if you do purchase somewhere else, please let me know what you bought for which kid, and I'll take it off the wish list so we don't get duplicates!!

Trevor

Blake

Isabelle

Me

Me & Hubby

Also, the sizes all 3 kids are wearing are listed under their pics on the right side of the blog. Honestly, the boys don't really need any clothes at the moment. Izzy is quickly growing out of 9m things, so anything winter 12m would be great (clothes and jammies).

Christmas Photos

So it's 6:45 am.... why am I blogging?

Well, I slept like cr@p, I was supposed to babysit a friends kids who would arrive at 6:20, but at 6:05 she texted me to say her hubby wasn't working today so I get the day off! While yay for that, I am bummed to be up and showered and dressed. I'll be taking a nap for sure today!!

Anyway... since I'm up and the kids aren't (rare!!). I figured I should post all the Christmas pictures that haven't made it up here yet! So a compliation of our various holiday celebrations!

Our, very successful, visit to see Santa earlier in the month

Helping Daddy make the gingerbread house!
Christmas morning, opening movies from Santa

Christmas morning playing with the Play-Doh ice cream factory Blake got!
Opening (more) Hot Wheels tracks that they got at Grandma's

Helping distribute the gifts

Reading one of our new books with Mam-gu


It's funny. My folder of photos contains 118 pictures of various Christmas festivities... and these are the best ones of my kids! All the rest are blurry, full of their backs, show only wrapping paper, etc! There is not one decent picture of the two of them in their cute matching holiday shirts, or any of the 4 of us! Oh my!!!

Quoteable Moments

Tonight we opened the Christmas presents from my brother Tim. While Tim was here just after Christmas, it seems that Amazon misunderstood his request for Expedited Delivery (and his extra payment) that guaranteed the gifts would arrive on 12/27. The gifts have arrived over the last few days, and finally the last one got here today.

So after dinner we opened.... a Wii game for Daddy, Monopoly Here & Now for Mommy (the only Monopoly recieved this year!), Hi Ho Cherry-O for Blake, and a Lego Star Wars vehicle for Trevor.

Trev was thrilled, Blake was thrilled. Each started to play, with help from one of us. A few minutes later, Blake has Hi Ho Cherry-O set up, and is ready to play. The following conversation was recorded in its entirety with no editing from Mommy or any one else...

Blake: "When are you gonna be done?"

Trevor: (completing step 3 of 16 in building the Lego vehicle) "Probably never!"

It was hilarious (and totally unprompted! I swear!)

Naughty or Nice... how about 1/2 nice?

For weeks, Trevor has been telling me adamantly that he doesn't need to go see Santa. After all, Santa is magic and can see Trevor writing his Christmas list and so he already knows what Trev wants, so why bother to go see him and sit on the lap of a stranger.

Interesting theory, and one that I don't really know how to respond to. I tried pointing out to him, that even tho he can leave messages on a phone for someone (like Grandma) they still like to see you in person and talk to you. Nah, he's not buying that one. I tried telling him that santa would want to talk to him about which gift on his list he would REALLY like, and if he's been good etc. No dice.

Suddenly, I remembered that Santa has a little cottage in the town Grandma lives in, and he's there every night. So, I suggested to the boys that we could go see Santa in Grandma's town, and Grandma could come with us. Bingo! Jackpot! That was the ticket. Blake was instantly sold on going, and if B is going to do it, so is T (and vice versa!). So tonight we will go see Santa with Grandma.

T is now VERY excited about going to see Santa. Heck, you would think it was his idea all along, and I've been stopping him! So on the way home from school, we had the following conversation:

T: I'm excited to see Santa today! I can't wait that long.
Me: So what are you going to ask him for?
T: You silly goose, he already knows what's on my list!
Me: But I bet he'd like to know what 1 thing you'd really, REALLY like from your list.
T: Well... R2-D2 is what I'd really like.
Me: Okay. And if he asks you if you've been good this year, what will you tell him?
T: That's I've been half good. I didn't get to play Wii sometimes. [Note: If he has a bad day, there is no playing of the Wii allowed before bed.]

{pause}

T: So I only get half the presents since I've been half good!!

I was dying laughing!! I absolutely adore 4 year old logic! And I didn't even suggest any of that idea. It was all him.

And to think a few weeks ago, I was worried he wasn't getting the idea of the spirit of Christmas because he wanted no gifts for anyone except him!!! Oh, what a sweet sweet boy!

Christmas Tree

Yay! The Christmas tree is up! I LOVE the smell of a real tree in the house and we had lots of fun getting it and decorating it! When I say we, I mean the boys. Hubby and I don't get to have fun right? We just do all the work so the kids can have fun!!

We went tree hunting last weekend, at a farm about 45 minutes from home. Yes there is one about 5 minutes from home, but their selection of tall trees (8.5 feet) is poor, so we take the long drive. The amount of time to drive and bundle up the kids - it was about 15 degrees - was longer than it took to find a great tree. But that's ultimately a good thing... we had lots of selection, and found a beautiful tree for only $40 in about 10 minutes. Way before the boys got tired of walking in the snow and knocking snow off the trees.



Daddy cut down the tree, we caught the farmer's wagon just in time, and hauled it back to the finishing area. We watched them shake the dead needles and snow off and then send it through the machine to tie it up - the boys love both of those things.
Then we (me and the boys) left Daddy to strap it to the roof... we went to have FREE hot chocolate! And while we were there Santa stopped in to say hello. Neither of the kids were really excited about Santa... he's just another stranger to them. They said hi, but that was about it. They have NO desire (even under threat of no presents) to go sit on his lap and talk to him. I'd love the photo of them with him, but I don't want the stress of trying to get it... I've got enough stress right now! So, I guess no Santa picture this year! oh well...

We got the tree home, and put up. We were letting it unfold and warm up before decorating and it decided to fall down, not once or twice, but three times!! Fun times! After re-cutting the bottom, and adding some blocks, we got it to stand up. Let the decorating begin!!

I've determined the easiest way to decorate a tree with young children involved. 1. Let them hang only the unbreakable ornaments wherever they can reach. Later you can hang the breakable ones up above these where they can't reach, thereby insuring that they 'might' not get broken. 2. Let them hang the ornaments wherever they want. Then when they are in bed or otherwise distracted, redistribute as necessary to avoid 15 ornaments on 1 branch and none anywhere else! Or leave them like the kids put them if you're not as picky as I am!

None the less, for better or worse, the tree, the house -both inside and out- are decorated. Heck, there are even presents wrapped under the tree already! Sometimes being pregnant is a good thing for me.... I figured I better get a head start on things or we wouldn't get it all done in time.

Actually,we've even already made Christmas cookies!! Woo Hoo!!



Now we're almost ready to host hubby's family on Christmas Eve, and then my family for Blake's birthday! If only I knew what to cook for Christmas Eve!