The days leading up to Christmas were filled with lots of creative fun (like blowing up the bounce house in the living room!) and last-minute food and gift preparations.
We are so sick of the snow on the ground. It refuses to melt. I haven't seen temps above 30 in forever. And we are all getting cabin fever. Especially poor Sage. Who tries to tell us, "After Christmas, the sun comes out." And I say...well sort of. The general order is right. You just forgot about the 15 weeks of winter in the middle of it all.
We are trying to make the most of it!
Matt and I choose a charity each Christmas. This year we focused on the needs of children. Both locally, and nationally. We were particularly touched by the story of Safyre, a girl who lost her entire family in a fire. And all she wanted this year were Christmas cards.
We made her a card by hand, and filled it with stickers. I know it's not much. But it still felt great to be a part of her holiday.
And what Christmas wouldn't be complete without a $100 visit to the pet store?!?! I was reenacting National Lampoons Christmas Vacation on this day. Playing the part of Cousin Eddy, stocking up on supplies for my two little "Snots" at home.
I scooped each bucket of litter by hand (it's $1 cheaper than buying a new bucket). And this young male employee sat there and watched me fill and load each 30-pound bucket without ever once offering to help. But later, I saw him load a pillow bed into someone's car. Are you kidding me?!?!
Christmas Eve:
The whole family was home together.
(No work for 4 days! Woot woot!)
We began our morning with cinnamon rolls.
Followed by a costume parade.
I've never seen a cuter pair of dragons!
Later in the day, Sage and I took a nap together. Kale refused to join us. He was having a rambunctious afternoon. So dad took him outside for some snow time.
Time to make cookies for Santa. Peanut butter blossoms. You know...the ones with the hershey kisses on top.
Then we did baths. Christmas PJs. Some snuggle time.
And it was off to bed for the little boys.
Then came my favorite part of Christmas. The present-arranging! Matt brings up the gifts, and I get to play artist. So many colors, shapes, and sizes to work with. (If Macy's ever had an opening....)
Then we sit back and take in the view. Excitement sets in. (And sometimes a little nausea too, because we overdid it just a wee bit?!)
But then Matt reminds me that a Ninja Turtle t-shirt and a flashlight for the house (both of which were real gifts, hidden in the picture below), are nothing to fret over. Add in all the tissue paper and cardboard, it looks like a lot. Once you start digging in the next morning, you realize you were rather practical with your gifts. (I got Matt two pairs of underwear for goodness sake!)
So after a bit of reassurance, I go to bed with a smile on my face. Christmas is so fun with kids in the house!
P.S. I worked on my bow-making skills this year.
Finally, morning came. Sage woke up rather casually. I was standing nearby brushing my teeth. And he said, "Mom, let's go see if Santa came." Very calm about the whole thing.
We grabbed dad and descended down the stairs, as soon as those gifts came into sight, the whooping and hollering began. A priceless reaction!
Sage and Kale bee-lined for the police car. Sage got to it first, but we lured him out with his stocking. Kale then occupied the vehicle. And didn't leave it for hours. (No exaggeration.)
Eventually we lured him over to the gifts.
Slowly we worked our way to the end of the pile.
Then Sam and Alison came over....
with an announcement!
Congrats to the love birds!!
The happy couple is engaged. And they spent the morning sharing the news via text and facebook. I think we all were in shock.
The rest of the day was filled with good food, lots of alcohol, and games.
Kale developed quite the sweet tooth on this day. Santa put way too much chocolate in the boys' stockings. Each picture below highlights Kale chowing down on something sweet. (And just think about how many of those moments I didn't get on film!)
No rules on Christmas!
The sun set, the night rolled on, then I looked out the window.
SNOW! A white Christmas!
We bundled up for an impromptu walk down the street. We told Sage we were going to the North Pole. Which I guess was a little mean, because he believed it. (And told his teachers about it on Monday.)
We accumulated several inches of beautiful fluffy snow. But below that was a layer of very slick ice. Every single one of us slipped and fell, at different times throughout the walk. (Although, to be completely honest, I think poor Alison's stumble was due to a feisty fiance. Sam!)
And while I can't be sure, I think my own fall was best of all. I tried so hard to prevent the inevitable. First the left foot slid forward. Then the right. Then the left. Like I was running in place. I couldn't keep it up, and landed smack on my ass! (While holding Kale - who I balanced perfectly over my chest throughout the aerobic workout. No kids were harmed!)
After that, we cut the adventure short and headed back inside.
Next up, a late-night New Year's Eve bash....
Happy 2016!
