Seeing Santa

For the last six years, I have made a point to take the kids to see Santa at the Lansing Mall before Christmas.  It makes for a long trip over to the west side now that we live in Laingsburg, but it is worth the extra drive because it is always the same Santa ... and ... they allow you to take a couple of pictures with your OWN camera.  (I always make sure to buy a nice 5x7 from them, though).

This year, I was questioning when we were going to work this out because Samantha is in school all day and I didn't feel like fighting weekend or evening crowds at the mall.  Steve suggested going to a nearby tree farm, and after I looked into it, I decided that it would be perfect.  We made reservations for the "train" ride to the North Pole -- a log cabin out in the woods -- and bundled up for the frigid temperatures.

Biding our time in the store on some huge stuffed reindeer until it was time for our train ride:

Of course, Jack wanted a turn too:

The girls found this Santa statue and Sam was intrigued by how tall it was:

My three little animals:

Checking out the bunnies:

Sam loved seeing the llamas up close:

And then Jack discovered that the goats would come right up to the fence to see him:

Feeding one of the llamas:

Getting a closer look:

Inside the train:

Santa invited the kids to come inside his log cabin and sit on a bench, while the parents huddled around the perimeter:

Samantha was the first child to be able to sit on Santa's lap.  She told him that she wanted roller skates and an easel for Christmas. 

Sophia told Santa that she wanted an amulet for Christmas (a special necklace that Sofia the First -- a princess -- wears that makes her be able to talk to animals).

I had prepared myself for the fact that Jack might be a but resistant to sit on the jolly old man's lap, but he seemed just fine with him!

Warming their hands with the old-fashioned wood-burning stove inside the cabin:

I attempted to get a picture of the three kids together with Santa at the end, but Jack was D-O-N-E at that point.  All in all, he did really well missing his morning nap, hanging out in the cold and being confined some of the time.

Finally, we ended our visit with hot chocolate.  Santa even encouraged us to dip our candy canes in it.  Yum!  Sam drank every last drop of hers!

And then Jack insisted on checking out what Daddy was drinking ...

He even took a sip!

Jack is 19 Months Old

 

 

 

Jack is 19 months old today.  I am smiling as I type that because I remember that this time last year, the little man couldn't even sit up on his own yet.  Now, he's running around, dancing, climbing, jumping ... doing all this things that toddlers do.  And every once in a while, I manage to get him to sit still long enough to smile for a quick picture.

There is no doubt about it that Jack is the happiest when he is outside ... and when he is with his daddy.  He rarely fusses with Steve; and then when I come home, Jack seems so needy and so clingy.  It's almost become an inside joke between Steve and me -- "There is no need to hurry back home, Monique ... Jack is just fine."  (Reading between the lines: "Once you walk into the back door, Monique, Jack will turn into a completely different child!"


My boys were happy this day, as I took the girls to go see a high school play and left them home to do whatever.  Two peas in a pod.

The cold doesn't seem to phase Jack one bit.

 

 

Snow-covered with red cheeks, and not even a single whimper because he is with his most favorite person in the whole world, "da-da."

Lately, Jack seems fascinated with anything that moves and/or talks.  He giggles every single time. 

This picture was taken when Steve first brought Elmo down from Jack's room and put batteries in it.  Jack wasn't sure what to think at first, and then he realized that he loves it!  (Sam received this talking Elmo for her 2nd Christmas.  It has been up in Jack's room for a while and Jack always makes a point to 'talk' to Elmo.  He had no idea that Elmo would talk back to him once we put batteries in it!).

Ahhhh, the dancing penguin and snowman!  Jack loves this thing too.  He pushes the button over and over again every day, and I even have a video of him dancing as soon as he turns it on.  It is one of the Christmas decorations that he is 'allowed' to touch!

Jack's attention span when it comes to settling in and watching a show or a movie is still minimal.  He would rather be moving around.  Don't get me wrong, he enjoys having the show on in the background, he just doesn't usually want to sit still to watch it.


This is how he not-so-subtly hints to me that he would like to watch a show ...  He climbs up in his daddy's chair and attempts to use the remote.

Sometimes it helps to have your sister's beanbag chair to get comfortable in if you plan to actually watch the show:

And sometimes it helps to have momma's extra soft, fleecy blanket to relax with:

Jack loves to be doing whatever his sisters are doing.  He's like a little shadow.  And luckily, they don't seem to mind one bit.

"Oh, you want to play cowgirls and horses with us?  You can ride the horse, Jack ..."

"Ok, Jack.  You want to see what it is in the bowl?  Momma and I are making banana bread.  Do you want to smell?"

One of the biggest accomplishments this month is that we moved Jack out of his high chair and into a toddler seat. 

Sitting in his old high chair:

He had been complaining (motioning and grunting) that he was feeling cramped in his old seat.  So, we brought up the toddler seat (a portable high chair that attaches to a chair) out of the basement and set it up for him, declaring that it was his "big boy chair."  He is still getting used to it because we took the belt out of it and it is a little more 'firm' than his old chair, but it is less bulky and certainly easier to get him into and out of. 

{By the way, this little wooden seat was probably one (of many) great garage sale finds during the summer that I was pregnant with Samantha.  We have used it with all three of the kids once they 'graduated' from their baby high chair and it has traveled with us to restaurants and various houses over the years}.

Jack loves bath time.  The more toys, the more bubbles ... well, the more fun it is.  Jack and Sophia usually take a bath together each night and Sam takes a shower.  This cuts down on the time required for baths every night and is an overall smooth task.  I just love it when my babies are fresh out of the tub and in their pajamas!

 

The climbing.  Yes, the climbing.  Jack knows no fear when it comes to climbing on things.  I remember that Steve's mom told me the exact same thing about Steve when he was little.  This boy just simply scoots a chair/stool/plastic storage case/really just anything over and climbs up if he needs to reach something out of his grasp.

We are currently working on getting Jack his big boy bed.  Sam climbed out of the crib at 19 months and we immediately put her in her big girl bed (we already had the twin bed set up in her room from when we moved).  Jack hasn't attempted to climb out yet (that totally surprises me!), but I want to be ready when he does ...

Just a few short months and my growing little boy with be two years old.  Two!

The Christmas Trees

Every year, we set up three Christmas trees.  To some, it may seem like we're overdoing it a bit ... but I love it! 

One of the trees is left-over from my apartment (over 11 years ago) and it has moved with me about four times now.  It's a nice size for our family room, so I continue to set it up every year.  I decorate it with mostly red and gold ornaments to coordinate with my kitchen that is nearby.

We also have a big, full-size tree in the living room that we set up in front of the window for everyone to see as they drive by.  We bought that the first year that we moved into this house because we decided that we needed something a little more substantial for the bigger house.  This year, while Steve was traveling, the kids helped me set it up.

Attempting to organize some of the branches:

And finally, the kids have their "own" tree at the top of the stairs near their bedrooms.  This was a tree that Steve's parents were planning to throw away because it was old and falling apart.  Steve, never one to pass up something for free, brought it home one night -- three years ago -- and used some "liquid nails" to revamp it.  For two years, it stood, full and proud with lots of lights and ornaments on it. 

This year, as I was pulling it out of the garbage bag that I had stored it in for the last year, I had my doubts about whether it would survive this holiday season. 

Helping to hang the ornaments:

Admiring their handiwork:

Just a few more ornaments:

The plastic stand was broken and, despite my quick thinking and engineering, it fell over by the end of the first night.  Ornaments went tumbling down the stairs and Sam got choked up over the thought of not having a Christmas tree at the top of the stairs this year.

That night, I ran into the Family Dollar store in town while Samantha was at dance class, and purchased a tree to surprise the kids.  While it is about the same height as the previous one, it is not nearly as full.  But the kids love it and it is perfect in that space.

Over the next couple of days, we got all of the trees decorated with lights, ornaments and garland.  In fact, the whole house was almost completely decorated (and that is no small feat!) by the time Steve made it back into the state.  The second that he set foot into the house, Samantha was ready for him -- asking if he could help her with her "special job" ... putting the tree topper in place.

This will probably be Sam's last year putting the angel in place, as she is getting to heavy to lift up there.  Sophia will take over that job next year ... and then eventually Jack.  Sophia wanted to know what her special task would be and I told her that she could help hook up all of the "clickers" on the trees so that we don't have to continuously plug/unplug them in.  She was pleased with that role.

As for that tree that didn't survive the holiday season, well, we still have it ... in pieces.  I chose to use my wire cutters to cut up all of the branches so that I could use them to decorate my shelves/mantle/tops of cabinets, etc.  It worked out perfectly.

Christmas Catherine is Back!

Our elf, Christmas Catherine, came back to our house on the night of December 1st.  The girls had no idea when she would make her debut, but they hoped (out loud) that she would bring them breakfast like she did last year.  And, of course, she did not disappoint. 

Christmas Catherine just adds to the magic in our house this time of year.  With the lights twinkling all around us -- I decorated with quite a few lights and our usual three Christmas trees -- I can't help but smile as I watch the girls scramble in the morning to find her.  They squeal with amazement every single time and talk to each other about what she is doing, often begging to call Steve at work to tell him right away.

Christmas Catherine has managed to stay "mostly" out of the reach of Jack this year.  After all, it is understood that if someone touches the elf, the magic will be gone.  It limits some of her antics (she isn't able to hang out on the coffee table or under the Christmas tree), but an elf has to do what an elf has to do. 

{Side note: Jack grabbed Christmas Catherine off the keyboard at the desk one day and threw her on the kitchen floor ... right at Sophia's feet.  Sophia gasped so loudly and burst into tears, struggling to get the words out -- "Mom!!!!  ... It's going ... to be ... gone ... the magic ... Jack touched ... her!"  I quickly informed her that it only happened when someone who knew better touched the elf.  Jack doesn't know any better; and perhaps during naptime (15 minutes later), Christmas Catherine would go back to her daily location.  Whew!  She did.}

Breakfast for the kids on her debut morning:

 

 ********************

 

Snacking on gingersnap cookies from the cookie jar:



********************

Typing a letter to Santa about how good those Lapinski kids have been this year ... The best part about this one was that Christmas Catherine would periodically "type" a little bit more on her letter throughout the day!

********************

Hanging from the a stocking holder; Sam was SO worried about her falling!

********************

One morning, the girls found Christmas Catherine opening an early present to herself from Santa -- a new skirt and boots!

********************

Playing a rousing game of Go Fish with some random friends:

********************

Christmas Catherine was trying to set a good example about brushing your teeth, but she managed to make a big mess by squeezing some toothpaste out onto the counter.  It was fun to listen to the girls speculate just how she could have squeezed that out all by herself.  The final consensus: she must have sat on the tube to push out that big dollop of stickiness.

********************

A snowball fight with one of the potato heads ...  This one was almost a crisis.  Jack managed to climb up ONTO the table (yeah, we just entered that stage) and snag the potato head!  I caught him before he actually got his little claws on the elf.  Disaster averted.

********************


Perched up high (read: out of Jack's grasp) getting the most perfect view of everything that was done and said over the course of the day.  {She reports all of her observations to Santa each night!}

********************

I have a few more ideas up my sleeve before our elf leaves us for the season on Christmas Eve.  The girls enjoy her so much and I know that Jack will understand a little better next year ... carrying on this fun tradition as long as we can.