Christmas 2017

We had a really great Christmas weekend. Nothing beats Christmastime with little kids. Every little thing is so exciting to them. This year was extra special because we had Rob home with us all day on Christmas Eve. We decided to take advantage of two full days together and do our family presents on Christmas Eve morning. In addition to the kids’ presents from us, they also had quite a few gifts from aunts and uncles that had arrived in the mail. It was a lot, and we didn’t want Scarlett and Clark to be overwhelmed by the excitement of it all. It was great to have that Christmas morning feeling two days in a row. We opened presents, ate breakfast, and then spent the morning lounging around in our PJs watching Home Alone and getting food ready for Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas Day. It snowed all day on Christmas Eve which made things extra magical. I LOVE having a white Christmas.

That evening we went to Rob’s parents' house to spend Christmas Eve with his family. We did presents, had dinner, and the kids got to play with our niece’s hamster which was the highlight of their evening. I was in charge of let the daycare dogs out that evening, so while I went to work, Rob went home and put the babies to bed. My parents drove down to spend the night, so they hung out with the big kids until I was home. Then we read The Night Before Christmas, put out milk and cookies for Santa along with some treats for the reindeer and then it was off to bed for Harrison and Brooke. They were quick to fall asleep, and then it was on to making the magic happen.

I woke up at 5 am on Christmas morning to go hang out with the dogs again, which was fine because I was so excited I was sleeping terribly anyway. I made it home by 7, but Harrison and Brooke had already been up and 30 minutes. My dad sent me pictures of them sneaking a peek over the balcony before they crawled into bed with their dad. The morning was a happy blur of opening presents, eating candy, coffee cake, and egg casserole, and chugging coffee and mimosas at an equal rate. Santa brings mostly books and clothes in our house, and Scarlett got to the point where she was so tired of opening clothes that if she opened something and saw a white box, she’d throw it to the side and move onto the next present. Once Clark opened his Elmo phone, he didn’t care about anything else.

Home Alone 2, lots of snacking, a visit from Rob’s family, failed nap time, lots of Lego building, and by 4pm it was just Rob and I and the kids. We watched the Steelers game, put the kids to bed by 7:30, and then fell asleep on the couch watching SNL.

It was a great couple of days. All of the decorations came down yesterday and we’re ready to move onto the babies’ second birthday tomorrow! The kids still get to open presents at my parents’ house later in the week, so the Christmas season still lives on, just not inside our house anymore.

I am so grateful for our kids and that we get to experience this season through their eyes. We are beyond blessed. I hope that all of you had a blessed holiday as well, celebrating the birth of our savior. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

Holiday Home Tour

The shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, our halls are decked, and we've baked holiday snacks. Now we get to sit back and enjoy it all. We have a visit with Santa, holiday light viewings, and a whole lot of Christmas movie watching planned for this week. I am loving spending my evenings in the living room with the fireplace going and the glow of the Christmas tree, so movie nights currently hold extra special appeal. 

While the babies were sleeping, the big kids were at school, and there wasn't a bag of popcorn dumped all over the floor, I thought I would snap a few too many pictures of our home dressed for the holidays. 

 

Our Christmas tree has been knocked over twice, two light strands and a tree topper have died on us this year, and there's usually at least 3 ornaments laying on the floor. Baby Jesus is constantly missing from our manger, our fireplace snowmen are crumbling on the inside from being carried around, and the presents under the tree will have to go back on the built ins before the babies wake up unless I want them opened today. All this to say, Scarlett and Clark are loving Christmas and slowly killing all of our decorations. And you know what, I really don't care. We have to buy a new tree for next year, purchase more light strands, and the snowmen Clark and I both love so much may not survive, but that's ok. My little people love it all as much as I do, and we're going to enjoy the heck out of it all for another week, because it's all coming down on the 26th.

Gift Guide - 2 Year Olds

Shopping for Scarlett and Clark is so much easier than shopping for Brooke and Harrison. I can buy things I think are cute or things I think they need, as opposed to making sure I get whatever item they saw in a magazine or on the TV that they insist they have to have. As easy as them not having a say makes things, it's somewhat difficult because their brother and sister have EVERYTHING! Harrison and Brooke broke our teepee and lost most of our play makeup, so those are easy replacements. Books and clothes are always staples under our tree, as are art supplies. Scarlett and Clark are currently all about our play kitchen, so the food truck and hot cocoa set seemed like logical additions to their growing food service business.

Play Makeup / Where's Your Hat, Abe Lincoln? / Dress / Teepee / Wooden Hot Cocoa / 

Button Henley / This Little Trailblazer / Color Wonder Kit  / Food Truck

All of the items listed are still available with guaranteed Christmas delivery if you order before the weekend is over, so get shopping.

Harrison and Brooke have been asking for an elf this year, and I refuse to do Elf on the Shelf, because there is no way I would remember the darn thing every night. Our "elves" will start leaving a few little surprises in their stockings starting this weekend, and there's a strong probability that I'll forget to put something in their stockings at least once. Maybe I should just get them the darn elf they want? I'll save that decision for next year.

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf? What about invisible elves that visit in the days or weeks leading up to Christmas?

Gift Guide, The Big Kids

We are officially done with our Christmas shopping. Hallelujah!! I also have everything wrapped, save for a couple things that are being delivered at the end of this week.Christmas music is on repeat, all of my favorite holiday movies have been watched at least once, and it is snowing like crazy outside today. It's safe to say, the Christmas spirit is at an all time high around our house right now.

As much as I always try to be on top of gift giving, wrapping, sending Christmas cards, it doesn't always happen that way. Case in point, I should be addressing our Christmas cards that have been sitting on the piano for 2 weeks. Instead I am writing this post. Usually I am scrambling last minute to get things ordered before the 20th and then I wind up wrapping the last of the gifts on Christmas Eve. I always love looking at gift guides to see what other people are getting their kids, and what fun gift I didn't know about but should have picked up. Today I'm going to share a few of the things that will be waiting for Harrison and Brooke under the tree.

Fridge Rover / Fairy Wand / Wizard Wand / She Persisted / We're All Wonders / 

Snow Tube / Craft Box  / Buffalo Plaid Dress / Star Wars Shoes

All of these items are still available and if you order them now, will be received before Christmas. The Fairy and Wizard wands, which were number one on both kids' lists, have a big mark down on Amazon. I actually re bought them while writing this post and will be taking the ones I bought at Target back. The mark down is that good. 

Are you done shopping, or still trying to piece together a few last minute items to finish off shopping lists?

Breakfast With Santa

We're still here! We survived November, had a great Thanksgiving spent at my parents new house on the lake with most of my siblings, and are soaking in all things Christmas. The warmer than usual temperatures we've been having a great, but I could really go for some snow right about now to add some extra holiday cheer.

Over the weekend I took the kids to one of our favorite annual events, Breakfast with Santa. The YMCA puts it on each year, and it's always a blast. Reindeer, bounce houses, crafts, really good coffee. The highlight of the morning was doing the chicken dance and the Casper slide with the littles, Brooke, and my mom. They love to shake it!

The kids got their first chance of the season to sit down with Santa, and no one cried. So, winning! (Although I do love a good screaming kid on Santa's lap picture.) Once the kids warmed up to the big guy, H and B told him what their #1 must have item is on their wish list. Then they wrote him a letter to make sure he doesn't forget. Thankfully their lists haven't changed, so we already have the desired item tucked away in the back of my closet. Santa is on it this year!

We started our nightly advent books and scripture readings on Friday evening. The first night involved tears before we got started, tears when we tried reading a book, and a general IDGAF attitude by the two littlest people regarding the whole ordeal. Saturday night went much better, and so have the nights since.Once the babies realized there were books and treats involved, they were all in.

We got a chance to go look at downtown lights with Rob's parents a couple weekends ago, the large tree lighting at the outdoor mall was a couple weeks before that, and we've been driving by a few our our favorite houses with great light displays. It's been wonderful to reintroduce Scarlett and Clark to so many of our favorite traditions. Brooke and Harrison are as excited as we are to show the babies all of the Christmastime fun. Clark especially is enthralled with all of it. He's obsessed with lights, he calls them "ligh, lighs," so something as simple as an evening Target run turns into holiday heaven for him. We have a few more things to check off our holiday bucket list, and I can't wait to experience it through their eyes.

What are you favorite traditions with your family?