It's over already?

Isn't it weird how Christmas is like a wedding? You plan and plan for what seems like forever, and then it's over before you know it. This year Christmas was such a blur. Or maybe it was the stuffiness in my head from being sick the whole week. At any rate, even though things didn't go quite as we had planned (do they ever?) we had a good time just the same.

Every Monday before Christmas the old train depot here invites families to come see model trains, tour train cars and take a small train ride. We were glad that our niece and nephew could be here this year for it as well.
Our niece, Autumn, a.k.a. Cindy Lou Who


Sarah and Me with Dominic and Jordis

My boys

A few days later we had our Christmas with Jason's family. His dad just had back surgery and wasn't able to join us, but we were able to send him some food and videos of the kids wishing him Merry Christmas.

You really can't trust these three together.

You probably can't trust them here, either, but they sure do put on a good show. Ha, ha, just kidding. This actually turned out to be a great picture.

On Christmas Eve we went to my dad and step-mom's and the kids were much less cooperative. In their defense we didn't go until 8 p.m. so it was technically past their bedtime.

A little sugar perked them up though and we all had a nice time. The ride home was quiet as well.

Santa liked chocolate and coconut this year and made sure the kids were well taken care of.

My mom and step-dad came over for Christmas dinner and that was a more laid back celebration. The kids were so lackadaisical about the whole thing I checked them for signs of illness. I think they were just worn out.

Now we're starting to wind down and think about the new year. Sad that the holidays will be over but looking forward to a prosperous 2010. We wish the same for you as well.

Christmastime is here!

Sometimes I think I love getting ready for Christmas more than Christmas itself. We've been having so much fun with it this year!

Xander and Jordis are old enough that they can help decorate the tree now, so I let them put on their own ornaments. They just need a little guidance so all the ornaments don't end up on the same branch.

The kids also helped me put stamps and return address labels on the Christmas cards this year. That might explain things for a few of you. :-)

We've made cookies, had gingerbread men and enjoyed hot chocolate....

We also had an unsuccessful trip to see Santa at Fantasy of Lights.

Finally made it to the zoo to see Wildlights as well.

While Xander was at school making fun crafts and learning about Christmas, Hannukah and Kwanzaa, Jordis and I had some fun as well. We did some Christmas shopping and caught up on current events.

Currently, Jason's brother and his family are here as well. I love when they come to visit because the kids have so much fun playing with their cousins and I love hanging out with my sister-in-law. Isn't she cute?

She's really tiny, but she's been in the Army so she could definitely take you out back and beat you up. We always have so much fun together and I love having someone around in the morning to drink coffee with and the extra people around the dinner table at night. We only get to see each other 1-2 times a year, so I will be sad when she leaves.

For now, we are just enjoying the season. I didn't get all of our cookies made, probably missed sending out a few cards, and haven't visited as many people as I'd like. But we're having fun just the same.

Our Little Laureate

Back in October, Xander entered his first writing contest. Our county chapter of The Red Cross has a heroes breakfast every year where they honor local heroes in different categories (public service, education, community, etc.), along with writings by children in grades K-12.

Xander brought home an entry form from school and the category for his age group was "A Hero In My Family." I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to write about his dad since he always asks about his work and if he caught any bad guys, but he said no. He decided on a fictional story instead. I told him I didn't think it was supposed to be a made-up story, but he assured me his story was perfect. I type over 100 words per minute and he spouted off his story faster than I could keep up with him. I turned it in for him and about 4 weeks later I got the phone call that he beat out all the other kindergarteners in the county.

He couldn't wait to wear his suit to the awards breakfast.

He was also excited that there was lots of breakfast "junk" to eat, like donuts, and he picked Jason to go up with him to get his certificate and $100 savings bond.

Sitting through the rest of the banquet was a little tough, but Jason's parents were able to join us and helped try to keep the kids' attention, too. Then things got a little hairy at the end when it was picture time.

We're so proud of our little man!