The 25 days of Christmas

On the 13-25 days of Christmas we:

13. Had a sick day and played nurse for a friend while kids and daddy had a movie party and raided the Christmas popcorn tin.

14. Got really cold noses at Lights of the South.

15. Went to a primary girls Christmas party, made ornaments with a friend.

16. Watched a kindergarten Christmas program and went to class parties.

17. Wore pajamas to school for Polar Express Day and to story time at the mall.

18. Caught strep throat and went to the doctor for medicine.

19. Set up the entertainment center as the Nativity Center.

20. Have a craft day to make presents for each other.

21. Visit the post office and go out for hot chocolate and Christmas-sprinkled doughnuts.

22. Put on the Nativity play with friends.

23. Bake cookies for Santa. Each contributed in his or her own way.

24. Christmas movie marathon, wrap presents, bake pies, and drive around the neighborhood to look at light displays. Leave cookies for Santa on the table and reindeer oats on the lawn. Open gifts mom made!

25. Merry Christmas! Exchange gifts, have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, make an Easy Bake Oven birthday cake for Jesus, watch and perform the nativity.

A few present-opening highlights (the only ones I could get in before I ran out of photo storage from google/blogger/picasa):

 Santa delivered

 Mike had to beat them down the hall to get a first glimpse picture

 I wish he had filled my stocking with ear plugs to accompany this gift

 Dora and Boots go for a walk in the stroller

 Finally, the new bike!

 
 To Andy from Lenna

 To Becca from Lenna- a giant fuzzy worm thing. She rides it up and down the hall.

 For her upcoming trip to Paris

 Night vision goggles, something every good spy needs

 A Dora dolly, that doesn't sing, talk, or beep. Just lets you brush her hair. Mom-approved.

 
 A Christmas pillowcase

 An Alaska fish ornament

And the post-opening piles. I am amazed every year at all the stuff that appears under the tree that I didn't buy. Thank you to all of the people out there who love my kids and help make their Christmas morning special.

Lenna baked the 3-layer cake and frosted it herself. Rebecca relinquished her hold on the baby Jesus toy just long enough for a song.

We did things a little bit backward this year. I gave over Christmas Eve to Santa. We watched the Santa movies, set out the cookies, listened for his sleigh bells, and had one last hurrah with his elves. In past years I try to push it all in and find a balance between the Nativity story and Rudolph's bright nose and always feel rushed to do everything and guilty we didn't focus more on the spiritual side of things. So I just decided to do less. Christmas Day we celebrated Jesus' birthday- complete with presents, candles, Christmas hymns, and the nativity DVD with scripture reading, the Choir, and the real Christmas story. Santa and his elves and reindeer had already faded back to the North Pole and didn't even make an appearance after they were hastily accounted for in the gift-giving.

I am sure we will still make adjustments next year and every year after, but for now I think that is how we will keep doing things. I know I certainly enjoyed both days more- Christmas Eve was all about excitement and anticipation and junk food and Christmas magic. Christmas Day was peaceful and calm (after 9AM) and focused on the Savior and family and gratitude. And that worked for me!

Crafty to-do list- Done!

Remember this post from forever ago?
As of last night, I am finished! Thought I would type myself a little update of my progress. For those days in the near future when I feel like I never accomplish anything, I can look back and say, "Oh yeah, I can do stuff. It just takes a lot of planning ahead and time and someday I can be crafty again when naps and routines return to normal. Like next summer maybe." 

So here is my list of things to make:
I will insert pics of anything I managed to finish and photograph so far!

Birthdays:
Andy: hooded towel, tool set

I put togther the tool box with a simple box and a few "real" tools from target, complete with safety goggles and a box of nails. He and Mike are already replacing the boards on the deck.
Becca: quiet book

This one had a post of its own if you want to scroll back thru the archives.

Lenna: hooded towel, message board, bedroom make over

I made the mobiles, canopy, and painted.
Christmas:
Andy: marshmallow guns, pirate map

I packaged it up with a wooden treasure chest for him to paint and a cool lock for when he needs to hide the treasure.

Becca: doll house (I painted some little nesting dolls so she would have someone to live in the house. Do they look like anyone you know?)

Lenna: ribbon barrette craft kit, blank books, room makeover-mobile, canopy, murals (moved to birthday)
No pictures here, all the room stuff above. Instead of just a barrette kit I made her a craft kit with several different packets- a sewing bag with supplies for matching doll and girl aprons and to make a baby quilt, a knitting book and yarn, a hair clip kit with barrettes and bands and flowers and ribbons, etc. and a tote to store it all in along with some coupons for some "mom time" to work on stuff together.

All: pajamas, surprise balls, activity advent calendar, nativity puzzle blocks, Elf on the Shelf
I didn't take pics of the surprise balls I made before they were enjoyed, maybe Sandra can snap one of her kids taking them apart? the activity calendar and Elf are more activities than crafts, but we did do them!

Strike through the things I decided not to do. Andy got marshmallow guns at a party and really only needs two. Lenna got a gift basket from church with 3 blank notebooks and when I was moving her desk, I found another 6. That should be enough for any aspiring writer, right? And I never got to the nativity blocks. Since I never got around to opening three of our Christmas boxes anyway, I didn't think they would be missed. Maybe next year?
We did add in some fabric art ornaments for the grandparents and magnet faces for relatives as well. And some wire ornaments I didn't take any pictures of (Sandra? got any?)

So there it is. My season of crafting! I have to re-upholster my rocking chair cushions before the baby comes and crochet her some little shoes (because as much as I love hand-me-downs, everyone should have a little something that is just their own!) and then I think I shall retire the sewing machine and glue gun and paints for a while. On to the next season of mothering an infant and adjusting to changes and all that stuff.

Ta-da!

The First 12 Days of Christmas

The First 12 days of Christmas we:

1. Got a package from the North Pole

2. Earned 50 cents to donate to the Angel tree at school
    Did a secret service for a family member

3. Decorated the short Christmas tree (kids only! no help from mom and dad) and hung lights on the porch

4. Went to the county tree lighting celebration

5. Had a visit from Saint Nick

6. Wrote letters to Santa

7. Watched Christmas movies and ate popcorn

8. Made treats to take to school

9. Mom visited our classrooms and read stories and passed out food (it is good to be the cool mom!):
Stick balls and a porcupine for the kindergartners

Orange cookies and Christmas oranges for the 3rd graders

10. Filled a Kmart cart with groceries and toys for the Salvation Army and paid using our pizza money and went home to leftovers for dinner instead

11. Donated our outgrown clothes, toys, and bean bag chair to the stuff swap at the church, and didn't bring anything for ourselves home in return; Had hot chocolate and cookies at the table while daddy read stories

12. Put up the big Christmas tree and nativity sets


Whew! OK, whose ready for the next 12? Not me, but here they come anyway!

He knows when you are sleeping

We have an "in" with the Big Guy up North. My parents live in North Pole, Alaska and my kids firmly believe that their grandpa is best buddies with Mr Claus. I intend to exploit this belief to the fullest extent of my capability.
This year, right after returning home from our Thanksgiving trip, the kids found this package:

The letter on top was from Santa, explaining that Grandpa had mentioned that they needed some looking after, so he was sending some helpers to watch them until Christmas. Inside were two little elves.
Dolls to the untrained eye, but real magic Christmas Elves to those who believed in Christmas magic. The elves report daily to Santa on what they see around the house, and do most of their moving around at night while we are sleeping. You never know where they will turn up or what they will be into.

In this picture, they have been playing dress up with the jewelry Becca left out, and taking turns riding on their make-shift sleigh.
Other nights we have found them in the popcorn bucket, reading Christmas books to the teddy bears, playing with the kids' toys, snuggled in bed with the kids, on top of the bookcase riding Rudolph, ready to jump down and fly, tangled in the Christmas lights they had hung, in the Christmas tree branches after decorating the tree with the kids' socks from the laundry I left of the couch, or having a puppet show.
I have gotten into the habit of helping them find their way to bedrooms just before clean up time, bed time, or any other time the kids need a little incentive to be on their best behavior.
Every house should have an Elf!

Baby Jesus

I love Christmas. I love that Rebecca is learning about Christmas. She is crazy about Santa Claus and thinks everything with a bow on it is her birthday present, but when it comes down to it, she gets it.

It's all about Baby Jesus.

And to prove it, she has kidnapped all the Baby Jesus' from all the Nativities and tucked them in to sleep in her bed. "Shhh! Baby is sleeping!"