Home Decorators...

I've mentioned before (plenty of times) how I'm design challenged. Whether it's my clothes or my home, I'm completely incapable of making stylish decisions. I've also mentioned how my daughter has the same fashion issues. Fortunately, my kids do have some design potential.

Last week we gave the kids their swing set for Christmas. I came home from shopping the day after Christmas and Todd asked me to go outside to see what the kids had done to the inside. I was sure there was crayon or marker all over the walls of the clubhouse. I was wrong. I went to the doorway and this was what I found...

Not two days later was Dylan still begging to decorate her gingerbread house. We had started the assembly of our house on the 23rd as one of our 25 Days of Christmas activities. Too bad we started working on it too close to bedtime. We got the house constructed, but needed to give the icing time to harden before we added the decorations. Our house remained on our kitchen table for 4 days before we finally got around to adding the candy. Todd and I were sure the icing wasn't going to be usable, but we were wrong. We spent the morning adding candy decor to our little house.

Who would have guessed that my kids had style? They were able to completely decorate two homes in a week. I guess there's hope for our house yet.

How I Spent My Week Before Christmas...

Actually, it should be Todd writing this entry, but since I was the one that did all of the photo documentation, I'll write instead.

Last weekend was a very busy one. Friday night Todd and I went to a neighborhood holiday party. We'd been invited a few years in a row, but have never attended. This year it worked out and we were able to go. It was a white elephant gift exchange and we had a great time. We walked away with a knock-off Chanel bracelet and some Ferrero Rocher (is that how you spell that?) chocolates. Not bad.

Saturday morning our nephew was baptized and there were a ton of people, but a great morning. Afterward there was a small brunch at my sister's house to celebrate Cole's decision then we were back home ASAP. My dad came with us because it was now time to start work on the kids' Christmas present. I know, five days before the big day and we were just getting started. We bought the kids a swing set for Christmas this year, and it needed to be put together. We couldn't construct it too early or the kids would see it and we wanted it to be a surprise. So, Saturday was the day. Luckily Dylan was invited to bake cookies with her Grandma D so she was out of the house. Isaac slept since it was naptime, and neither of the kids were the wiser.

When we bought the swing set we read online that it took anywhere from 12-36 hours to construct. We were guessing it was dependant on how many people were working on the project and how "construction savvy" they were.

My dad and Todd put in about 6 hours on Saturday, and got through the first 30 pages of instuctions. You'd think that was great considering there were only 35 total pages. Unfortunately, those first 30 pages only used about 20% of the actual lumber pieces needed.

On Sunday Todd's stepdad came over to help. Again, there was another 5 hour day put in, and this time when the day was done, we had a clubhouse.

Monday was the final day available to get the rest of the swing set put together. Todd had to be back at work on Tuesday so it needed to be done. My dad gave up a round of golf to come over and help again. He was at our house be 8am and gone by 1. With a break for lunch in there too. The swing set was done.

Now I just had to continue to convince Todd that the kids couldn't see it until Thursday. Thankfully duty called and I was the one home for the next three days with the kids. It was easy to keep them from looking out the windows (especially since we kept a sheet covering the sliding glass door) and the kids and I just spent most of our time in the basement.

Christmas morning came and we opened our presents. Unfortunately it rained during the night so our swing set was all wet. I should have known the kids wouldn't care. When they saw their present they were out the door and climbing to the clubhouse immediately. Isaac even went down the slide. Since it was so wet he slid backward and hit his head on the slide, flew off the bottom onto the ground and fell backward again and hit his head on the ground. And he laughed the entire way.

Swinging and playing ensued for about 40 minutes, until it was time to go to my parents house for breakfast. Dylan wasn't too happy about that, but with the promise of more presents, and more play time later that day, she finally came inside.

Both the kids were freezing, wet and happy as can be.

Have You Seen Our Daddy???

How can you resist these faces?

For the last few days, I've been hearing some version of this question a lot. A whole lot. In fact, I've been uttering my own version of this question myself.

Friday night, Todd got home from work a little later than usual. We ate a quick dinner, then off to the Dollar Store for our 25 Days of Christmas activity. Not 6 minutes into our time in the store, the dreaded call came. Todd was wrapping our activity up before he was even off the phone. He was needed back in the office, and it was time to get home so he could be on his way.

This was not good. He gets called in occasionally and that's fine, but not this night. Any night but this night. You see, Saturday was our family Progressive Dinner (more on that later) and I was hosting appetizers at our house to start the night off. And I'd done nothing to prepare. Absolutely nothing. I had been focused on a few other aspects of our evening and hadn't even begun to prepare all of the appetizers. Friday night, we were supposed to enjoy some Christmas shopping at the Dollar Store, put the kids in bed, and I was going to hit the grocery store to start the prep work for Saturday. Obviously, that wasn't going to be the case.

As we drove home we discussed the timing of the call, and what this call out would entail. Needless to say, we didn't have much information to go on, but it was determined that Todd would wake me up when he got home and if it wasn't too late, I could do some minor grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.

Funny how things work out. Or don't. My wake up call never came, unless you count the 7:15 am "call" I got when the kids woke up. It was an all nighter and unfortunately, no end in sight for Todd.

To make a long story extremely short, he's worked about 45 hours of OT since that call came in on Friday night, and it's not ending any time soon.

The kids miss their dad. I miss their dad. If I had to guess, their dad misses us too. I just hope that some day soon, when the kids ask where daddy is, I can say he's in bed asleep. Because at least then he'd be home.

Sweet Success

Four years ago, when Dylan was only a few months old, I really wanted her to go see Santa. I had already gone back to work and the days leading up to Christmas were getting away from me. At the time, Todd was on a special schedule working only a few days a week so he could take care of Dylan at home twice a week while I worked. It worked out rather well.

I was getting more and more discouraged that Christmas was fast approaching and I still didn't have my coveted picture of Dylan's first Christmas visiting Santa. I came home from work one night, and this is what I found on our Christmas tree:

Todd had dressed Dylan up and taken her to see Santa while I was at work. She had no tights on, no shoes on, but a huge smile. At 3 months old. It's still one of my very favorite pictures.

The following year we had Isaac. He was only a couple of weeks old when we went to see Santa. We also worried that Dylan would have a problem with Santa, so we decided to make it a family affair. We went early one morning during the week so we wouldn't have to stand in a long line and got our picture taken.

Obviously Isaac didn't care one way or the other, but Dylan on the other hand looks like a deer caught in the headlights. At least she wasn't screaming.

Until last year. It was awful. But, I knew it would be. I think Dylan saw Santa on three different occasions, and each time it was more of the same. She did not like him. Not at all. In fact, I think she thought it was our greatest form of torture to make her sit on his lap. I was more worried about Isaac going into the pictures because he had just turned one and I thought for sure he was not going to be happy. Nope. It was 2 year old Dylan freaking out. So much in fact that it had to be another family picture, and that didn't even stop her from screaming. I do love this picture though.

Isaac again doesn't seem to care, he just looks at the camera. Todd and I are smiling, and Dylan is screaming bloody murder. Makes me laugh and shake my head every time I think about it.

This year, though, this year was better. In fact, I really don't think we'll ever get a more perfect shot of the kids with Santa. Dylan was ready with her request for Santa and we spent plenty of time prepping her so she knew that she would sit on his lap, smile, take a picture and ask for what she'd like for Christmas (currently it's an Eyeore figureing from the Dollar Store. Easy enough,)

Last night was the night and we went to see Santa.

Does it get any better than this?

Matches

Alright, I've avoided blogging for long enough.

Last December I wanted to make sure we brought some holiday spirit into our house. If you read the previous post written by my husband, I'll need to explain that his "bah humbug" attitude does not just apply to Christmas lights. He's pretty much a Scrooge regarding all holidays. I'm not sure why, but it potentially becomes a bone of contention for me for the final three months of the year.

So, last year I took matters into my own hands. I decided we needed to bring some holiday cheer into our home to hear up for Christmas. I planned some sort of activity or craft or baked good for each day of December leading up to Christmas. You can read about last year's activities here. We took pictures each day (I knew that was the best and easiest way to insure Todd would play along) and I created a scrapbook with all of our memories. It became our Daily December Journal. I loved my book so much and the fun things we were able to do as a family, that I decided this was now a new tradition. We've been on task each day this month so far, and I think Todd is even beginning to enjoy the things we do too. I am also well aware of the fact that this tradition will only change, grow and get easier as we can implement some different ideas as the kids get older.

Obviously, because of this tradition, I have plenty to write about, and more than enough pictures, but I'm not going to bore you with any of those details. I may post some of my favorites later this month, or early next year, but for now, I'll just share a funny little story about Dylan.

As always, I put away all the fall/Thanksgiving decorations after I got home from shopping on Black Friday. And, as always, the Christmas decorations were brought out. I learned from my sister that the easiest way to TRY to keep the kids from touching all of your decorations was to give them something of their very own to play with. Last year, for one of our 25 Days of Christmas, I gave them the Little People Nativity Set. This year, I placed the nativity on a small table in the front room where the rest of our holiday decorations are. I love to collect nativities and have quite a few around the room. My favorite to date is the Willow Tree Nativity I got the day after Christmas a few years ago. I love it. The kinds on the other hand, love to play with their nativity set. They play together, fight over the pieces together and sit and read a board book I placed nearby and the birth of Christ. It talks about Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, the baby Jesus and all the animals in the stable. They sit together, look at the pictures and pick up the appropriate piece of the Little People set. They truly love this little Nativity that is all for them.

Last week after I got out of the shower, Dylan came into my room so excited. She said, "Mommy, mommy, I made matches!"

Huh?

"I made matches. Come see."

At this point I was a little worried. I had no idea what she was talking about. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the front room. She proudly showed me how she made matches with her nativity. She had climbed on top of the piano bench and matched all of her Little People toys to the corresponding Willow Tree figures I placed on top of the piano. And she matched them all correctly too, right down to the creche. I was so surprised to see that she understood that her nativity and mine had the same animals and people. I had never show her this, but she proceeded to tell me where the Wise Men were, the camel, the sheep and baby Jesus. I was so touched that she "got it" that I went and got the camera to take a few pictures of her matches....before she got reminded that she wasn't allowed to touch mommy's nativity, only hers.

Bah Humbug

(Todd "Bah Humbug" here complaining)

It is only December 1st and I'm already through. Bah Humbug. Yep I hate Christmas already. Actually I only hate decorating the outside of my house so I haven't gone full Bah Humbug yet. I'm sure it is coming though.

7 of the 8 strings of X-mas lights we have are broken. They are probably not completely dead but after spending 30 minutes trying to fix the first one and calculating my hourly wage verses just buying new ones I said forget it.

Bah Humbug

So until I get new lights this is all we will have. Bah Humbug. To add insult to injury I used to have a single strand of 150 lights that wrapped through the grill by the front wreath. Yep after spending 30 minutes wrapping it in and out of the grill I plugged it in. Bah Humbug. Yep, it is in the trash can now.

FREE - 7 sets of icicle lights, partly working. Bonus 1 strand of 150 lights also partly working. They will be in my trash can until the garbage man comes on Thursday. Don't ask me to go out and get them...they've already wasted enough of my time. Bah Humbug. :)