The Booby Trap

When my husband and his siblings were growing up in this very house, their parents planned elaborate booby traps every Christmas Eve that prevented them from getting to their presents. The tradition lives on in our family. This year we put saran wrap between the banisters and wrapped string down all the stairs. Finally we put all of air mattresses on the lower stairs. And by "we," I mean Dan, of course. We were surprised at the ease with which they overcame this booby trap the next morning, however. Clearly, their skills are improving with age. It was the first year in our parenthood that we didn't have to wake our kids up Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve II

When we got home from Christmas Eve Dinner at my parents' house, Wayne and Jody invited us in to open our presents from them. First, Grandpa sang the kids a cute little Christmas song on the guitar.

Quincy got this wonderful tiara, boa, and tutu set truly fit for the princess she is. They also all got pillow pets and Taylor got some true blue Cougar attire.

Here they are all excitedly opening the first presents of the season!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve this year, we were lucky enough to combine our parents for a wonderful dinner at my parents' house. We had the traditional ham and potatoes. It was the first year we didn't have my Papa Ace with us in as long as I can remember, so it was a little sad. But, it was fun to have a nice meal with my kids and all four of their grandparents.

Following dinner, the girls each played a couple Christmas songs on the piano and then we all sang Christmas carols (we're not big singers, but it's a tradition that Jeffrey insists upon!) Finally, we concluded with a very humble attempt at re-enacting the Nativity. A very simple and perfect evening.

Adieu

It is now 12:45 am. I am officially at my wit's end with my impossibly slow computer, that has succumbed to snail-pace status thanks to a wonderfully protective filter I installed to protect my children from the wicked wiles of the media. But, I can no longer bear it. So, until I receive another spark of energy to continue on my journey to update this blog, I bid you farewell. It may be days, or months, or years. But I will return.

Sleep Under the Tree

As soon as the kids got out for school for Christmas Break, we planned a family sleepover by the Christmas tree. We lined every inch of our family room with air mattresses and sleeping bags and cozied in for the night. The kids thought it was fabulous.

Almost every activity in our house inevitably ends in wrestling.

First Snow!

There is something magical and invigorating about the first snow of the season. I kept telling myself this on an early Saturday morning as I hunted down winter clothing items from the four corners of the house that we moved into. I believe the necessary clothing was scattered and packed hither and yon throughout the house, only to conclude that much of it no longer fit! But, in the end, there was a celebratory jaunt in the snow.

Cornucopias

Some ideas are just better on paper, aren't they? My sister-in-law and I, in an effort to be cute and crafty moms, attempted ice cream cone cornucopias with the kids in preparation for Thanksgiving. They didn't turn out as well as we envisioned, but the kids had fun trying. So, we gave ourselves an "A" for effort and were reminded that we are not the crafty type. (P.S. Do you like my mini remodel of the kitchen? I removed the cabinets that hung over the island, painted an accent wall robin egg blue, and hung curtains. Cute, huh?)