Christmas Prep... THE day... and the Aftermath!

We started the Christmas season out by making our traditional paper chain to mark the days until Christmas.  Of course every link must be decorated...with glitter glue..and paint...and stamps.  This is no small task.  By the end everything in sight had been painted or glittered, including our noses.  The kids used the red marker to transform us all into Rudolphs!   The kids also painted Nutcrackers this year.  You'll be happy to know that Sam's can "really crack nuts" - meaning some salted peanuts (already shelled) he found in the pantry.  Does anyone know how to remove peanutbutter from Nutcracker beard?  

Sam & Grace left notes for Santa and Santa left one for them, complete with the real footprints of Rudolph and an apology from Santa for Rudolph stepping on the note.    

On Christmas morning I was awakened at 5:30am by a very relieved Sam who notified me that Santa hadn't left coal for us after all.  Perhaps someone was a little nervous about whether he was on the naught or nice list?    I went back to bed and Sam went downstairs to shake every present in an effort to discern which were Legos.  He then proceeded to dig into his stocking and had consumed nearly his body weight in candy by the time I woke up to check on him an hour later.  A few DVRed Christmas movies (don' you love the old clay-mation ones?) to buy everyone else some sleep later he and Grace POUNCED on their grandpa and literally dragged him out of bed.    

Everyone had a fun Christmas.  Sam got his Legos.  Grace got a guitar and rollerskates.  Gary got a lot of silly stuff (sorry, Gary!), and Heather (who was laboring under the mistaken idea that we were only exchanging silly stuff) got in iphone!  

At the end of the day we balled up all the wrapping paper and had a "snowball" fight with it.  It was great to have my parents here for Christmas.  Especially since they took turns with the assembly nightmare that follows Christmas!  :-)    Merry Christmas!

some Christmas traditions

A few of our Christmas traditions:

The Nutcracker was great. 

Sam & Grace were excited to deliver presents to friends and neighbors.  I'm not sure if the neighbors were equally excited about our rendition of "Christmas Bells are Ringing" complete with jingle bells.   I wasn't feeling well, so at least they were spared my off-key attempts to join in.  I waited in the car.  

My parents were visiting from St. Louis this year for Christmas.  We took them to the zoo for our traditional live nativity.  Sam joined in with one of the kings at the end of the performance for a photo op.   We were recalling the Christmas Sam was 2 and Grace was 1 when we first saw the live nativity at the Richmond zoo.  Sam later told everyone that Jesus was real because he had SEEN him be born at the zoo!  

Grandma & Grandpa weren't here long, but managed to cram in some good spoiling while they were.  They're posing here with Sam & Grace after a last-minute train ride at the mall.  They left from the mall to drive home.  Grace started crying quietly.  Sam ran after them to give them one more hug and then came stomping back super mad.  I told him it was okay to be sad (he assured me that he wasn't sad), but when I put my hand on his shoulder he broke down sobbing.   Grandma & Grandpa will be missed!  

Give Thanks!

I'm way behind and I just started!  I thought I'd at least be able to stay up on my blog since it is new.  I shouldn't have to play catch-up with it like I do with scrapbooking the last 6 years of my kids' pictures.  It'll happen.... some day.  

We had a fun Thanksgiving in DC with Gary's family.   They did a progressive thing and we had appetizers at his mom's; dinner at our sis-in-law's; and dessert at another's house.  Everything was delicious!  Everything was gorgeous:  gorgeous place settings,  heavenly mashed potatoes that I've since tried to replicate (with disappointing results... even after I got the recipe!) and pumpkin pies of every variety.  There was some jockeying for a piece of the lone pecan pie.  I managed to wrestle my way in for  a few snitches and it was totally worth it.  

Speaking of wrestling, Gary entertained the troops on the trampoline outside for hours.  It was all fun and games until Sam threw his cousin into a metal fence.  Okay, that's just how his mother perceives it.  Even the victim said they were wrestling and Sam ended it when his cousin accidentally went flying off and hit his head on a wrought iron fence.  Good times.  Nothing gives me a reason to be thankful more than the fear of permanent brain damage that is averted!  I've never felt a bigger egg on a head (which all the cousins thought was cool).  Hmmm... time for us to make our exit!  

 A good time was had.... by most.