Christmas Merriment

Scrapblog Tile

I love doing the scrapblogs tiles and using them as my blog topper every so often I change up the themes and therefore update the tiles and I figured rather than forget how precious each of these labors of love, I would include them with photo recap posts. So above is the Christmas 2010 scrabblog tile. Aren't they sweet?!

Photo Recap

These first few photos may look familiar, these were taken during my 'photo shoot' for our Christmas card. Since I have no shame in my game, I will tell you these pictures and videos (which probably won't be posted) were taken over the course of an hour, after the boys had been at school & were there for tired - yeah by the end of it I could have cared less if a one of the pictures had come out good, I was on the verge of scrapping the card idea & I was over joyed when I got to tuck them in for their naps! Yeah, needless to say attempting to 'capture the moment' with two wee ones is EXHAUSTING! But I have to admit they came out SO much better then anticipated!

This picture was taken just after I finished addressing the Christmas cards, which thankfully turned out adorable. The boys were playing 'pots & pans' which evolved into Pierce with a strainer on his head & a rubber spatula as his drum stick! Too Funny!

This is our 'elf on the shelf' - I think his name is Buddy, but part way through the year it was changed to tree skirt - after our favorite show Prep & Landing - but this was one of his visits, just before Christmas.

Christmas Eve - can you see the excitment!? Seriously he was wired, pumped, could NOT wait for Santa to come & getting him to sleep was more involved than we thought it would be.

Christmas Morning! HE CAME!!!

Dave reading Santa's message

Our morning started early, like 5:20! Remember I said he was excited, so when he rolled over and saw the lights from the tree, he jumped out of bed & ran to our room saying "The presents are HERE! Santa Came! It's Christmas Eve & it's snowing! (he was a little confused - of course a few hours later it did in fact start snowing, but that's another post)

Since we LOVE the Polar Express, Santa wrapped the boy's gifts in the special red & white paper with large green bows. So Kaiden immediately knew which gifts were for him & Pierce, and since it would be at least an hour before brother woke up, we let Kaiden go through his stocking & open his big Santa present.

Let'er Rip! Kaiden tore into his present - YUP you guessed it, he got his Monorail!

Kaiden had already gone through his stocking at this point!

Pierce's big Santa present was this Pooh ride on train and he was delighted! I wish I had pictures of him excitedly ripping into his wrapping paper, but the truth is, his brother was so excited to 'help' that Kaiden pretty much did ALL the unwrapping this year! But Pierce didn't seem sad about it, he was just pumped to have his train! Kaiden did give the toy immediately to Pierce once it was out of the box, so that worked out well!

A few snaps of my favorite decorations from around the house. This angel used to be my Grandma Anne's, I love 'things' with meaning!

This turned out to be my FAVORITE addition to the holiday decorations, the dining room! Who knew?! I had a few short pieces of garland left over, a few un-hung decorations, a spool of red velvet ribbon and an extra strand of lights & viola! My peaceful room!

The big picture - I found the mosaic vases at GoodWill (LOVE THAT PLACE!), I had the galvinized arrangement from years past and found the runner that tied them all together at TJ Maxx. I thought it was the the perfect addition to the room.

The second half of our Christmas Day included a trip to Mom's house to open her gifts & do a dinner. Since my brother's birthday is Christmas Eve, and Dave's is the 26th and let's not forget the reason for the season, I made this Christmas ornament cake for everyone. It was really easy & yummy!

We had to hurry our Christmas at Mom's because it was really snowing out there and even though we have an all wheel drive car, which also happens to be the heaviest car in it's class (a little joke for Dave there) we didn't want to risk driving the 2 miles on slushy snowy roads.

Last But NOT Least

So I was just about to wrap up the post when I realized that I hadn't posted a picture of the gifts Dave & I exchanged - typical of a mom to always put ourselves last! So I know that some people may have not 'loved' receiving a toaster for Christmas, but I was PUMPED!! In 11 years of being together we have never had a toaster, always/only a toaster oven - which unfortunately ours died earlier this year - but let me tell you bread + a real toaster = delicious toast! As opposed to 'broiled bread' out of the oven! And it's beautiful - kudos hubby!

Dave got a replacement tag for his honda - which has the original (used to be) blue gwinnett honda tag on it so now he has this gorgeous tag to replace it with. Although he likes this new tag so much he doesn't want to have it destroyed during his commutes - so it may be save to hang on the wall in the 'Cowboys' room - this is our fictional room in the basement, which we have yet to build out - but we've been collecting things to go in it all the same! :o)

OK, that's it! All in all it was another great holiday! And like usual, it's SO hard to believe another Christmas has come & gone and now it's time to take down decorations and find new projects to tackle! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and if by chance you didn't get everything on your list, I hear it's worth it to brave the crowds & hit up those after Christmas sales!

Happy 2011!!!

A New Decade, A New Year. . .

A Resolution For Every Life Style!

A new year a new you! A fresh slate! A blank canvas! Limitless possibilities! There is SO much enthusiasm for a new year that even if you're a hardened pessimist you can't help but get a little swept up in the hype! I find that I lie somewhere between here & there - I'm kind of in neutral territory when it comes to the new year's resolutions - I feel like those are pretty much destined to fail, I think statistically by the 14th of January, (two weeks in) 95% of people have given up or broken their resolution! Those things are just setting your fresh clean canvas up to being tarnished before you've even begun this year's masterpiece! So this year, instead of jumping on the 'lose weight' 'get in shape' or the 'be better than I was last year' bandwagon I think I am going to focus on one mantra that can be applied to all aspects of my life. I haven't quite nailed down exactly what that mantra is yet, but I think it's going to be along the lines of "if you do your best there is nothing to regret" - don't let it's simplicity fool you - that is a powerful statement! I know that with all the demands on a mom, wife, and woman sometimes I find myself compromising on the quality of my actions so I can keep up with the demand for them. And that is upsetting. But rather than dwell on it I figure I'll address it & keep it at the front of my mind as I go through each day, cause really that's all we've got! So as you face your 'New Year' I wish nothing less than the best for you and your family. I hope this year is filled with wonderful experiences and new beginnings! Happy 2011 to you!

** P.S. **

So as I was reading over this again I realized that I have a second New Years Resolution. So in addition to the above I am going to focus on finishing what I start!! I can NOT even start to count how many 'open' projects I have around the house right now! So rather than continuously starting new projects before old ones are finished and therefore adding to the feeling of inadequacy for having nothing to show for my day's efforts I have decided IF I start it, then I must finish it! PERIOD! No more gung-ho starts that fizzle into oblivion! ADD be damned, I can & will make this resolution work! Now, I have to finish putting away the Christmas decorations!

Christmas Jubilee

What A Fun Time!!

Really, it was a BLAST!!!  When we were getting back in the car after our fun filled evening I felt like we could have been starring in a 'Made for TV Christmas Special' airing on the Hallmark Channel - No really, get this: after the parade which consisted of no less than 5 boyscout troops, hair salons, other local businesses including but not limited to day care and senior living buses all decked out in lights, high school bands, local homecoming kings & queens and Santa & his elves on the shiniest red fire engine you could imagine, signaling the end of the parade!  Then everyone clears the parade route and heads to the town square/park area where there are 4th graders belting out Christmas Carols, and the mayor gives away a key to the city to the citizen of the year, and once Santa arrives he has the distinguished honor of 'flipping the switch' to turn on the Christmas tree & all the lights in the park - I'm telling ya it was SO much fun, maybe a little on the corny side, but we will definitely be doing it again next year!!

Earlier That Day

So in an effort to tire the boys out so they could take late naps to make it through the whole night, we decided a good thing to do (ha ha ha) would be to take the boys up to Target & let them make their "Santa Wish Lists".  BOY, where do I even start with that one?!  

1. Kids have NO concept of a price range when it comes to their 'Christmas wants'
2. People Christmas shopping are not usually in that great of a mood 
3. When all else fails, just add it to the list, push the blame/responsibility to Santa, & as a last resort let      them pose for a picture with said beloved toy so they can look at your phone and be distracted long      enough to usher them back out to the car~!
4. Oh yeah, one last thing, (see #2 above) now those grumpy shoppers have vehicles!!  So under NO    CIRCUMSTANCES, while in the parking lot, should you operate under   the assumption that   pedestrians have the "Right of Way"!!  

After making our lists and talking about how it's a good idea to have a few options on their 'wish list' but just because they had all those choices does not mean Santa will bring them everything on their list. . . yeah thats a fun conversation to have. . . We decided to grab some lunch and let the boys burn up any remaining energy at the Chik-Fil-A playground.  Thank GOD for CFA's & their indoor playgrounds!  Dave and I were lucky enough to snag a seat right in front of the play area & for a few brief moments, we got to eat a few bites in peace ~ I'd like to say quiet, but (obviously) there were other kids in the restaurant, which to all you non-parents, might still find it annoying, but once you have kids this crazy trance falls over you and it becomes "As long as it's not MY kid, I DON'T CARE!"  But after the big kids left the play area Kaiden & Pierce decided that it would be fun for Daddy to come in and play with them ~ sometimes it makes me sad when Daddy is chosen to do the fun stuff over me, but since eating in peace is something I've rarely experienced in the last 3 years, I chuckled & waved bye to Dave while I finished my salad in complete, obliviousness!!  It's funny how different food tastes, when you are actually paying attention to what is going in your mouth, as opposed to shoveling in a bite to each boy's mouth & one in yours. . . . you know you're wishing you lived such a lavish life too!!

Parade & SANTA!!

The boy's took decent naps, Dave and I got to rest up a little too, and before we knew it, it was time to go & we were throwing one of everything we could find in the back of the car, just in case!  It was still misting a little, but it was in the 50s so it wasn't really cold, but there was just enough of everything going on to require a lot of gear: fleece jackets, rain jackets, boggins, mittens, umbrellas, strollers, blankets & a camera!  But in the end (as usual) it was SO worth it!!!  

The jubilee (seriously is there a more fun word out there?!  I don't think so!) was in downtown Woodstock, which is adorable, and amoung other reasons to love it, there are train tracks running all over down there, which to adults, admittedly is not such a wonderful thing, especially when you have to wait for those trains & you really need to be elsewhere, but to a 3 year old little boy!  Fughetaboutit! He was in heaven! After some wandering we met up with The Robinsons, waved at all the floats & once we obnoxiously yelled 'SANTA' in our best Buddy The Elf impression voices, we turned and high tailed it to the gazebo so we could go meet the Big Man himself!

I wasn't sure how that was going to go down, in years past while trying to get both Kaiden & Ashlyn to sit with Santa we have ended in tears & terror.  And more specifically last year Pierce grabbed a fistfull of Santa's beard and yanked until the poor man had tears in his eyes. . .  But my fears were all proved to be a waste of time, because Kaiden couldn't wait to sit with Santa, and Pierce was, well let's say he was civil.  He wasn't screaming for dear life, and I even caught him smile a time or two, so that is a HUGE success at this age!

SEE, I told you, not so bad!  Kaiden was going into detail about the 'Monorail' he wants, I'm sure Santa had no idea, but he was listening hard, and Piercey, was still checking him out to make sure he was legit, but either way it made for an adorable picture!

Oh So Yummy!

Once our visits were over, which we were SO lucky to be standing at what we thought was the back of the line, only to find out we were 3 people back from the start of the line, WOO HOO!!  We decided to forgo the festival food offerings, although if I'd had some cash with me, I SO would have bought that bag of fresh cooked kettle corn - it was divine!  Anyway back to it, we decided to round up some grub, and the best part is right where we were there are several food options which are ALL so good ~ one of our favorites is Right Wing Tavern - American Food Politically Incorrect, yeah that's right, you've GOT to go there!) but tonight we had burgers on the brain, so we took the tracks to Canyon Burger.  I say 'took the tracks' because Kaiden convinced us it would be more fun to walk on the train tracks and to his credit it was pretty hysterical to see us trotting down the tracks with Pierce in his jog stroller, Aunt Mel in her walking boot (she caught a case of Disney Foot aka fractured bones) and Todd & Dave chugging along behind Kaiden and Ash!  The guys on the porch at the tavern cheered for us. . .

We made it to Canyon Burger it's like Fudruckers, but better because they still care about the quality of their food.  The food was GREAT!!  And to top it off, we got a chocolate milkshake, which was also delightful, and once we were all done eating & entertaining the people near us - our boys, especially Pierce, really like to perform for people - we packed back up and took the tracks back to the town square to head home.

It really was the perfect way to spend a otherwise icky Saturday night!

**(In My Best Dory Voice, from Nemo)**

We Did It, We Did IT! Oh Yea, Yea YEA!!!

Our Disney Trip Was AWESOME!!

Wow, what an adventure! Our weekend leading up to the trip was also a bit of a roller coaster, Dave & I both had semi-finals for our tennis, Dave's was on Saturday and mine was on Sunday. So even though it would delay our departure, Dave agreed to let me stay and play, what a GREAT GUY - and we WON! What a great feeling, my partner Sarah and I stomped our opponents, we won in straight sets in just under an hour! Not to mention we were down 1-4 in the tie break and came back to win it! What a high! So I ran right off the courts to the house, changed and we hit the road for Florida!

The excitement of winning and going on to the City Finals the next week wore off once we hit bumper to bumper traffic on 75, just south of the city! We made pretty good time, and were pulling in just after 11:00 on Sunday night. At the time it seemed like a good thing that the boys had fallen asleep (no more whining & crying, yay!) just outside of Orlando, but once we got to the hotel and the 2 of them were WIDE AWAKE, it seemed like a curse! We finally got everyone settled in for the night and just after 1:00AM (yup as in after midnight) everyone fell asleep. Oh I should add that this particular Sunday was also the first day of this years 'daylight savings time' so it was more like 2 in the morning. . . .

As is custom, Kaiden was up & at'em just after 6:00AM - for those of you doing the math, that was 5 hours of sleep. . . . . in an attempt to let Pierce and I sleep a bit longer, Dave & Kaiden headed out to Wal-Mart to get groceries and kill time - but within 15-20 minutes of them leaving Pierce was bright eyed & raring to go! SO - since we were sharing the condo with our friends, The Robinsons, who have to set an alarm to wake up before 9:00 (must be nice), we tip-toed out to the balcony with a blanket and some cheerios to pass the time. Once Dave & Kaiden were back, we began packing bags, checking schedules and then we were off to the Magic Kingdom! Todd had to do some work that day so Mel & Ash hung out at the hotel and the pool, but since we had to leave on Saturday to get me home for my City Finals Tennis, we didn't get a day off. . . . well I guess Friday was 'somewhat' a day off, from the parks at least. . .

Monday - Magic Kingdom

Tuesday - Epcot

Wednesday - Visit my Gram Judy & Magic Kingdom

Thursday - Hollywood Studios

Friday - Animal Kingdom & Vomit~land!

Here's The Quick Photo Update (more to come later)

There are more pictures and stories and even some video to come but for now, well it's a start.

Photo Friday

We've Got Ears. . . . .

Say CHEERS!!!!