Christmas 2013 - #2

Christmas celebration #2 was Grandma Della's annual party on Christmas Eve.  We had a wonderful time, as usual, despite a couple of sick kids who were going on no naps and plenty of over-stimulation.  Mom tells me from experience, "It isn't Christmas if you don't have sick kids."  That old adage held up for us this year, let's hope it doesn't for years to come.  Claire especially was not herself all day, throwing up in her pack 'n play instead of napping and then being a bit fussy for most of the night.  LUCKILY, by the end of the night she was back to herself enough that I could stick her in her beautiful Christmas dress from Mom and Dad for the requisite pictures!  Priorities, I know.  The evening was so fun, though, it always just flies by.  Between the meatball and shrimp apps, the fun and adventurous mixed drink options, the Chinese food and Christmas cookies - we always leave stuffed full of fun.  Love it.  Just doesn't feel like Christmas without Christmas at my Grandma's house.  

Bow burgler

Matt got Luke into this "handsome" shirt by telling him it was invisible if he rolled up the sleeves a little.  Apparently that worked as a persuasion tactic.  I'm constantly reminding myself that logic doesn't exist with three year olds.

Believe it or not, this year's dinner was much better than last year's - I got to sit the whole time and eat a whole plate of food!  Last year I hardly was able to eat a bite of my Chinese food feast because I was on "Luke duty" plus I was pregnant and huge so found it hard to navigate my seat among all the chairs.  

Awww, young love.

Awww, youngish love.

Grandma and Me.  I think we look similar in this picture!

The "bustle".  We had to bustle her dress up so she could still be mobile.

Missing our missing grandkids & great grand kid!

Christmas 2013 - #1

Anyone who knows me knows that I am super, duper, duper into TRADITION!!  So it has become tradition to have a Christmas celebration with my immediate family, my extended family, our core little family Christmas morning, then Matt's extended family, and Matt's immediate family.  Not only does this allow plenty of time for everyone to enjoy each other's company during the most wonderful time of the year, but it usually makes the festivities last a whole week!  I love it!

This year with the holiday falling during the week, and work getting in the way of closer-in to the actual holiday celebrating, we decided to spend the weekend prior to Christmas up in WI with my parents.  It was so fun!  We had it all, stockings hung with care, gourmet meals, plenty of presents, sledding, then hot chocolate, movies and popcorn - it was heavenly.  

Finding treats in his stocking

Mom hand made another gorgeous stocking for Claire.  Adorable.  Look at that craftsmanship!

Claire liked to rip the bows off of all the presents.

New helicopter for Luke - a huuuuge hit

Simba light up toy for Claire

This teapot/teacup set was soooo cute.

Matching sweater and bear's hat, so fluffy!

Competing for best part of the weekend was when the kids were napping, and the adults were able to relax, exchange gifts and get a nice holiday glow going from the caramel martinis!

Yummy brunch after a surf and turf dinner the night before.

playing with his new "moon dough"

We got hit with a ton of snow Saturday night.

Luke helping Grandpa shovel the front walk

Spumoni "rescuing" Matt

Nice little sledding hill on the side of their house

Hot cocoa, popcorn and the newest Ice Age movie - awesomeness.

Christmas Program

To kick off the actual holiday festivities (versus the preparation), Luke's classroom had their Christmas program.  It was our first organized classroom program!  While we were looking forward to this, as it represented weeks of preparation from the kids, we also were a little concerned about how Luke would perform given his penchant for tears with crowds, attention, and group singing.  He did awesome:)  The teachers were so sensitive to him and asked that everyone wave their hands above their head for applause instead of clapping, and during the sing alongs everyone should sing quietly.  All the kids seemed concerned when they walked in the room and saw all those adults with cameras poised, it was a little overwhelming.  Luke was so cute when he came out, he was first in the line of kids, and he was nervous and concerned, but then said, "There's Daddy!" then a little later, "There's my Grandma!" as he saw us in the crowd and then he looked more comfortable.  The actual program was hilarious because I think out of all 15 kids only 2 kids actually sang any of the three songs they had prepared.  Luke was doing pretty well, shaking his jingle bells during that song at least, until his friend Shale fell out of his "train car" cardboard box and hurt himself a little.  Luke was worried about him and then didn't feel much like singing.  Overall though, it went great and Luke was so cute.

Getting ready to go to school for the big Christmas program.

The Christmas "train".  Luke is the first train car and his friend Shale is the last.  This is Luke's classroom that was converted into the performance area.

Luke's peanut gallery

Candy cane time!

Sledding

Last weekend we got a bit of a dump of snow, which meant sledding!!  While the snowflakes fell we were lighting up Donna and Emil's new backyard sledding hill.  They've been told that it had been used as a neighborhood sledding favorite in the past, and now we know why.  It was a perfect hill, just enough steepness for some thrill rides, but not so steep that it is awful to trudge up again and again.  Plus, you have those gorgeous views of the ravine to enjoy.

Luke was a little daredevil.

Claire's first time really bundled up, and definitely her first time sledding.  She loved the sledding part.

Now that's a snow angel

Donna even got in on the fun.  She says she hasn't been sledding in probably 20 years!!

A couple quick updates:

- I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but Luke apparently has developed a strong friendship with a little boy at school named Shale.  Isolene says that when she drops him off at school Luke runs up to Shale, or vice versa, and they hug each other in greeting.  How cute is that?  

- Claire has always seemed to love music, but lately she has started "dancing" when she really gets into what she's hearing.  This usually involves her standing up while holding on to a piece of furniture and bending her knees up and down to the music.  She sometimes gets her hands involved by banging on the furniture.  In all cases it is adorable and funny to watch.

- In the same theme, she also loves the piano.  Matt set her up to have her first lesson the other day and they did a few duets:)

And a few more pictures from the week to close:

Matt took Luke on his school field trip to the Botanic Garden's Winter holiday train display this week.  Matt said that Luke followed the train around the display again and again, and they even alerted the conductor volunteers of an issue with one of the trains.  

Mom's attempt at the snowman pancake concept

This is her Cher impression

She looks like such a big girl in this chair!  

Love this weird expression on her face, like it pains her to try and smile at me.  Actually, looking at this picture more closely it looks like she's constipated!  Ha!

That acrobatic elf has some impressive abs!

Luke is freakin' amazing at building elaborate train track routes all by himself.  This one pictured has a lego tower/tunnel that it goes through and then winds around the bar to the other side of the basement.

Poor little missy got her first goose egg last weekend after taking a header into the living room coffee table.

Rebuilding the truck engine with Grandpa before sledding.   Grandpa teaching him "Righty Tighty" :)

Meanwhile, Claire can't get enough of this singing and dancing decoration.

This sweatshirt came from Aunt Kathy & Uncle Bob, so was my cousin Doug and/or Warren's at some point.   I'm  pretty sure that my Aunt Penny painted this.  Luke likes Little Foot too.

Luke and I also hit our nearby sledding hill last weekend.  After going down again and again and again, basically getting a self-induced face wash every time by bailing when it got too fast, Luke decided he was done by climbing straight into the stroller and almost falling asleep before I even had time to collect his abandoned sled and meet him down there.  One pooped kid!

More Elf antics