Christmas 2015

This year our Christmas celebrations started on Wednesday when we had donuts delivered by a couple of Aaron's brothers.  Somehow this has become a tradition and the kids just love it, since clearly we don't get enough donuts every Sunday after Mass.  

Later that day we visited our friend Jean at the care home.  We stayed a little longer than usual, and she took us on a little tour around the place to show us all "her" Christmas decos.  That was fun.  I am so glad that we have built this relationship, it is such a blessing to our family and especially the kids.

When we got home the kids went over to our dear neighbor's for cookies and she had made them each a little pencil pouch.  Clem loved his so much he has slept with it every night with his little kitten zipped up inside.

That evening we went on our annual light-look.  We'd never waited until that late in the year to go.  Suffice it to say that the eve of Christmas eve is a VERY popular night to go out and look at lights.  But we had a really good time. Just don't check the gas mileage on our van.

Earlier in the week we worked on our annual ornaments for grandparents and godparents.  We decided to take a break from the salt-dough ones and did photo ornaments this year instead, I had picked up a pack at Aldi at the end of the season last year for super cheap.  This was a nice change in pace (read: sooooooooooo much easier and wayyyyyyyyy less messy). 

Christmas eve was a really quiet day this year (plans/obligations outside the house-wise that is).  Normally we celebrate with my inlaws that day, but apparently there were some scheduling conflicts so we had the day to ourselves.  We did some shopping in the morning (groceries and some last minute Christmas gifts the kids needed to pick up for me).  I'd be a liar if I said it was a great day.  It was actually a really long day and by evening the kids about had me to my breaking point.  Merry Christmas.  But we survived, we always do.  And the rest of the weekend was pretty good.

We finished up our Jesse tree!  This is such a great tradition, I just love it.  So, so much.  I am glad I finally got my act together and made something we can use year after year.  I like it a bunch.

Christmas morning we took our annual pictures in front of the tree.

The kids were particularly cooperative this year, so that was nice!  We did have one good outtake though.

Then we headed to Mass to celebrate the birth of Christ.  We grabbed a family pic afterwards.  Always amusing.  Here are the two we ended up with. Always amusing. Did I mention that?  Clem is clutching the aforementioned pencil pouch.

Then we arrived home and St. Nick had come!  How does he do that?!  (With a locked garage door and a mama who forgot to write the check for church.  Again.  Every year, same story.  Bahahaha.)

Opening gifts was really fun this year.  We were excited about the things we Santa found for the kids.

Gemma got:

1. a new backpack for school

2. an owl pillow that matches her bedding

3. a sticker book and the Violet books which she has gotten multiple times from the library and loved.

Kolbe got:

1. the much longed-for walkie talkies (I got cold feet on the motorola ones and went with a kids set, they seem to be a good fit)

2. a space puzzle and a similar sticker book to Gemma's (which he had also been pining for)

3. a hooded bath towel (our homemade ones are getting to be on their last legs, they have graduated to pool-use now) 

Clement got:

1. Ten Apples Up On Top (about which he was positively ecstatic, see picture below) and Tops and Bottoms (I only wish I had gotten the CD version, oh well)

2. a Thomas the Train 35 piece puzzle

3. Hi-Ho Cherry-O (I sprung for the vintage version and that was a good call)

All three kids got fleece Old Navy gloves in their stockings.  Gemma got the Chime Traveler chapter books, Kolbe got Blink (game) and Clem got a Poky Little Puppy Christmas ornament for the tree.

The kids both had homemade gifts for us from school (how did their teachers know that hand-print art is my absolute FAVE!), and this was the first year they had strong feelings about shopping for Aaron and me, so Aaron got some Royals swag and I got some kitchen items, including some new glasses as we have broken almost half of ours.  Would you believe Bed Bath and Beyond still carries the exact ones we got for our wedding?!  Now we have lots more to break.... The kids also worked really hard on homemade gifts for each other (completely their idea) and it was really sweet to watch them exchange those gifts.  Lots of perler beads and paper-made creations.  And a library book (bahahaha).  It was a fun morning opening gifts together and then playing some games.  

We had an enjoyable time with both extended families on Christmas afternoon/evening (my family) and the evening after Christmas (Aaron's family) and are actually having a quiet day at home today since the weather was too iffy to travel to see extended-extended family.  This post is too long to detail those with pictures and commentary, so I think it's time to wrap this up!  Merry Christmas to all!!

Journal: December, it's all good

TODAY

Out my window: cloudy, cool, dreary.  Lest you be fooled, it has been sunny and unseasonably warm all week (like upper sixties some days).  Cooler next week, but still warmer than average.  I'm not complaining.

Around the house: Nothing much of note, gift wrapping is mostly done.  All the Christmas decorations make things feel so cozy and cheery.  I'm getting the piano tuned this week.  It has been sadly neglected for, well, I am scared to look how long.  But now that I've been playing it more (I accompanied for the Christmas program at the kids' school and will be doing another thing with the same music teacher in February, so I actually have a reason to practice) it makes sense to keep it tuned.  That and I'm pretty sure it is better for the piano to not let it go un-tuned for long periods of time.

 
The kiddos: Looking forward to Christmas break!!  Kolbe had his "Santa's Workshop" (an annual thing they do with the kindergarteners at our school) on Friday.  It was two hours, the first hour being various centers in the classroom where they made some ornaments, santa hats, did puzzles, played BINGO, etc., then they had recess and came back in to the lunchroom and built gingerbread houses with graham crackers and lots (and lots and lots) of frosting.  I got to go and help out and it was a great afternoon!!  I felt like a frequent flyer at the school this week, between music rehearsals and the program and then the Santa's Workshop.  Sooooooo much fun!! 

In the kitchen: This past week we had crispy chicken salads, spaghetti and meat sauce with steamed baby carrots, German sausage and sauerkraut, and my hubby grilled meat on Thursday with some great leftovers that kept us from having to eat the tears of our forefathers for dinner Friday night because I was just done and that blasted dinner fairy didn't bother to show up (again).  Up next week: shepherd's pie (most likely), more salads, maybe some chili, chicken parm, steamed broccoli, other stuff....

 

Learning: Jesse Tree, really enjoying the readings this year and I love our simple yet colorful ornaments.  Our tree is starting to take shape, even though Clement is dubious that it is really going to look like a tree.  I caught him trying to rearrange the ornaments one morning he was so frustrated with it!!

Reading: Enjoying our Advent Picture Book a Day selections immensely.  I've rearranged a few things, but we are mostly sticking to my original list, and I have also grabbed about a dozen (maybe more?) other Christmas titles from the library (some new to us, some old favorites) that have gotten lots of mileage in our book basket.  We are reading The Family Under the Bridge at breakfast.  I read it with Gemma last year and this year everyone is enjoying it.  Gemma and Kolbe have been referring to each other as Monsieur and Madame, haha.  I have started Fire Within.  It is going to be a good read.

Watching: I actually left the lunch dishes in the sink (this NEVER happens around here) and watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas with the kids this afternoon.  Love!!

Bringing me joy: Accompanying for the Christmas Program.  Man I miss playing the piano, it was so much fun!!  Reconnecting with a good friend.  Reading good books. Errands with the kids in weather that does not require coats and hats and gloves and insanely cold blasts of wind every time I open the car doors.

Thinking about: always something!

 

Pictures to share:  

I am so glad that there is only one "S" in Christmas!

Journal: Christmas 2014

TODAY

Out my window: It was sunny earlier but now it is cloudy.  It is supposed to get pretty cold tonight and for the next couple days.

Clothing myself in: Typical Monday clothes.  Trust me, that is enough of an explanation in and of itself.  I did have the decency to put on a pair of jeans when we headed out to the library a bit ago.

Around the house: Finding spots for (the kids') Christmas presents.  I have decided that we're not going to keep toys in the living room anymore.  We used to have a big bin, but it rarely got played with aside from a couple things, namely the playsilks.  We have our playroom in the basement with our kitchen set and food, balls, tools, dress up clothes, and a few other things.  And then Gemma has her things in her room, she is more into craft stuff and stuffed animals anyways.  The boys have a nice sized bookshelf in their bedroom closet, so I have some various sized little bins that we've collected over the years, and the rest of our toys that aren't packed away (new and existing) I've divvied up amongst the bins.  We'll see how that works out.  We also have some stuff stored in our kitchen that they play with.

 

The baby/toddler: He has hit a phase where he will only wear button-down plaid shirts.  For real.  Luckily we owned a few (I had to hit up the 3T bin) and he got one for Christmas.  I may pick up one more to get us through to spring, but oh my.  For real, if one of his button downs wasn't clean, he would refuse to get out of his pajamas, or if he finally got out of them he would go around the house in his underwear.  OH the life of a two-year-old.

 

The kiddos:  Christmas break has been nice, although today has been a little rough (understatement).  We really struggle with a lack of routine around here.  We got out and went to the library though this afternoon, and that seemed to help hit the reset button.  Sort of.  :-/

For Christmas, Kolbe got the Fighting Robots he had been yearning for.  He had seen them at Aldi a month or more ago and just been pining for them.  Seriously, every time we went he would just stand there and stare at them, listing all the things about them that were amazing.  We (Santa) originally weren't going to get them, but then after hearing his adorable desperation, and listening to Gemma tell him she wished she could buy them for him, we booted one of his Christmas gifts down the road to his birthday and picked them up.  Oh my was he thrilled.  We have video evidence of him opening it that is absolutely precious!  And despite my preconceived notions, they ended up being a really cool toy!  We're all having fun with them.

Gemma got quite a bit of craftsy stuff for Christmas, and a few duplicates that we're still trying to iron out.  ;-)

All the kids had fun, we spent Christmas eve with some of my inlaws and Christmas evening with my entire family.  We were originally supposed to make a day trip together this past weekend to visit Aaron's extended family, but we had boys on the tail end of fevers, so I stayed home with them and just Gemma and Aaron went.  That was a bummer.  We rarely travel as a family (we rarely travel at all), and Aaron is done with his time off for Christmas (he was back to work Saturday) and doesn't get New Years off, so I was really bummed that we had to split up Sunday.  But oh well.  Many people have it much worse, I should quit griping.

Oh and also, we went to the dentist last week and she recommended Gemma see an orthodontist this Summer.  At seven.  Does anyone know anything about this?  Seven seems awfully young to us to treat anything orthodontically.  She is still growing, her mouth is still growing, she only has a small handful of adult teeth that are at various stages of coming in and her pain tolerance is probably in the negatives on a scale of 1-10.  I realize I am not a professional, but as with anything health-related, our MO is typically to take the road of least intervention.  Orthodontics for someone her age would seem to me about as effective as trying to shovel your driveway during a blizzard.  Our thoughts are let things settle out, grow in, and check back when she is a tween or early teen.  I would welcome others' thoughts and experiences in this realm, as it is admittedly uncharted territory (as is everything with your firstborn).

In the kitchen: Lasagna with steamed broccoli and cauliflower, white chicken chili with sour cream and cheese, chips and guacamole, homemade pizza, and a tasty recipe for foil-baked fish our neighbor recently gave me.  These holiday weeks I have taken "the Fathers" (as we have dubbed them) all their food early in the week, so the bulk of my cooking has all been clustered towards the beginning of the week.

Crafting: HA! no.  I did pick up a kit for some foam picture-holder ornaments that I think we will make next year instead of salt dough.  A+ for planning ahead, even if I get an F for crafting.

Learning:  We will start work on thank you notes, probably tomorrow. 

Reading: I picked up Come Be My Light from the library but am not much further than the first chapter.  And I have 5-10 pages of theology I need to read.  I am feeling seriously unmotivated to read for whatever reason.  My parents got me my very own copy of The Hidden Power of Kindness for Christmas.  It is one of those books that I think I just need to continue to read and reread.  I also got the first three American Girl "Kirsten" books at the library today.  Gemma has been needing some new chapter books for us to read together at bedtime, and I think we'll both enjoy these.  I know I loved them years ago.

Watching:  My dad and I went to see Unbroken this weekend.  It was very good, I loved the ending.  But I still think the book was better.  We were loaned a copy of For Greater Glory that we are hoping to watch soon.  We needed something light and brainless last night before heading to bed so we turned on an episode of Finding Bigfoot.  Bigfoot stuff fascinates me, but those guys are just goofballs.

Bringing me joy: Is it bad that I have to sit here and think?  It has been a gripey day.  I love having time with my hubby after the kids are in bed.  The best.  I got up and went to early Mass by myself a couple days last week and it was glorious.  Gosh, now I sound like I don't like my kids.  I do, they just exhaust me sometimes.  We listened to Curious George on CD during snacks today and that was fun.

Thinking about: The kids' birthdays.  Less than two weeks away, sigh.

Pictures to share:  

Christmas morning.

At church before Mass.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Journal: December?!

TODAY

Out my window:  Sunny and warmish.  We had such a really cold snap a couple weeks ago (like, it got down to single digits one night), it froze all the leaves that were still on the trees and now they aren't dropping.  Hoping for no significant ice in the near future...  Looks like it's cooling down some again tomorrow for the week.

Clothing myself in: Jeans and a new red hoodie from Old Navy with a gray tank under it.  Old Navy, Maurices and a little bit of Target here and there.  That is what you will find in my closet, folks. 

Around the house: Over the course of the holiday weekend we've gotten our indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations up.  It makes me smile.  I am always ready to take decorations down come the Epiphany, but oh how I like them when we first get them up.  We're starting to have items that the kids remember and ask about each year and I just love that we are developing those traditions.  Although if someone asks me to wind the snowman music box one more time...

The baby/toddler: Cute.  Hilarious.  Tenacious.  Loves to climb on the counter and "help" while I am cooking (sigh).  Has napped for about 10 minutes the past two days and fallen asleep on Aaron's lap before 7pm (sigh).  He has soooo many words and sentences, but not necessarily more sounds, so he is getting a little harder to understand...

 

The kiddos:  My sister and I took her and my kids to the local science museum over the Thanksgiving break and OH MY we had fun.  We were there for almost 4 hours and the only reason we left was because they were closing.  I foresee going back again sometime in the next 4-6 months (or sooner!!)

In the kitchen: Spaghetti, Honey Chicken, Meatloaf and Bean Enchilada casserole are on the menu this week.  Yesterday I made some roasted brussels sprouts and broccoli and it was so.freaking.good., so I think I will be doing a repeat of that soon.  Maybe some broccoli salad?  I made some for Thanksgiving and already want more.  We've been making fried potatoes with relative frequently of late as well.  Yummo.

Crafting: blah.

Been chipping away at the Christmas shopping.  Probably 80% there. 

Up next: wrapping.  blah. 

Learning:  meh.  Science museum?

Reading: I have our Advent Picture Book a Day selections all ready to go, and am super excited about those.  Started The Family Under the Bridge with Gemma and am reading (and loving) My Sisters The Saints myself.

Watching: Had to break out Elf while we put the tree up last night after kids were in bed.  Keeping up with Gold Rush Alaska, and have caught a few episodes of Eat: The Story of Food which was really cool.  Have DVR'd a few things (Up, the second Ice Age movie and Horton Hears a Who) for the kids to potentially watch.

Bringing me joy: Advent.  The coming holidays.  Christmas decorations.  Clem, in all his cute glory.  Afternoon with my sis (et al) at the science museum, it really was so great.  My super great hubby.  The kids, even when they make my eyeballs want to pop out of my skull.

Thinking about: 

Pictures to share:  

Clem likes to color.

 Turkeys

 

Found him sleeping like this one night when we went to tuck him in.