Santa Express

On Friday, Sophia's preschool class went on a field trip to a local place called the Peacock Tree Farm.  This was a perfect opportunity for both her and Jack to see Santa this season ... and then we made plans to see the Man in the Red Suit again on the weekend because Samantha expressed some irritation that she would not be able to go on the field trip to see Santa.

The weather was as nice as it could possibly be for a day in December in Michigan.  In fact, I commented more than once that the weather was at least 20 degrees warmer than it was when we ventured to the pumpkin patch before Halloween!

Once we arrived, our first stop was inside a barn where the kids were able to make a swag of their own, complete with a bow, a few berries and a pine cone.  Such a cute idea!

Waiting in line to have her pine cone dipped into wax so that it would stay on the swag:

Then -- Jack's favorite part -- we boarded a small train that took us deep into the woods to see Santa at his log cabin.

 

 

Isabella, Anna and Sophia ... all waiting on the bench before it was their turn to visit with Santa:

 



 

Jack asked for a new hammer (and has continuously asked for that over and over again) because his old one "broke."  I'm hoping that Mr. Claus makes his one and only wish come true on Christmas morning!

Sophia asked for an American Girl doll.  (Samantha has mine from when I was a little girl and Sophia would like one of her own).  I'm pretty sure that this wish will come true for her this year too.

 

 

 

When we got ready to leave (and head outside to wait for the train to come back and pick us up), Jack turned around and told me that he needed to give Santa one more hug.  Melt my heart ...

 



Another quick picture with Santa:

Waiting for the train to circle around and pick us up:

 

Afterwards, we visited an old schoolhouse and the kids were able to decorate a chain for the Christmas tree:



Jack took his job quite seriously:

I should have known that my Sophia would choose the desk at the very front of the room:

Our little group that day, posing outside the schoolhouse:

From there, we headed to visit the farm animals.


Jack loved looking at the bunnies:

And saying "hi" to the goats:

Oh, and the pigs!  He kept telling me that they were talking to each other:

The sun was definitely bright that day ... and we loved it.

Swinging on the rubber tires that had been fashioned into a tractor and a horse:

Lastly, we went back inside to get cleaned up and have a snack.  Popcorn, juice boxes and a cookie.  My kids were so happy on the way home -- chatting all about it -- and then sharing their stores again with Steve and Samantha that night.

Trimming the Tree

This year, I did things a little differently. 

Usually, I have Steve bring up all of the Christmas totes from the basement (wow, we have quite a few of them!), and then I work feverishly to put up all of the Christmas decorations in a short amount of time so that I don't have to  -- look at/trip over/protect from little kids -- the multitude of totes filling up our living space. 

But, having just recovered from a couple of big birthday bashes and all of the Fall decorations that needed to be put away, I opted to just take my time.  Steve brought up one tote at a time, per my request, and I made several trips up and down the basement stairs to gather what I needed, when I needed it.  I decorated a couple of things each day -- no real rush -- and really relished in the beauty of watching the kids discover some new place that was decorated when they came home from school each day.

Jack really got excited about helping me this year and I included him as much as I could.  He was so proud to hand me lights and garland ... and lots of greens.  No task was too much for him.

We began setting up the "big" tree in the living room as soon as Samantha got home from school one day.  I organized the layers into piles (they are color-coded) and then I sat back and let the kids do their thing.  It's no surprise that Samantha was the ring-leader of this whole event, calling out which branches she needed and from whom.

Yes, this was the start of our Christmas decoration and I think that it is evident from this picture that the kids were just as excited about the decorating as I was ...

Sophia tried her hand at a few of the branches, but soon learned that it can be trickier than it looks.  Complete concentration is required.

Team work is better.

Steve jumped in to help with the top branches while I maintained my perch on the couch.

Later that night, while the kids watched a Christmas movie, I put the lights on the tree.  Many years of marriage have taught me that it's just better if I do this.  When you are married to an electrical engineer, the engineer can make the process a little more, well, detailed, than it needs to be. 

The next night, I gingerly unwrapped the ornaments (again, from my perch on the couch -- 8 weeks away from delivering my next little one can be a tad tiring) and let the girls place the ornaments wherever they desired. 

And I have to say that this was such a fun year for this because they really enjoyed looking at each ornament, asking where we got it, who it belonged to, etc.  Sophia kept asking where her "birthmark" ornament was, when she really meant her "birthstone" ornament.  Ha!  (Each of the kids have a special birthstone colored ornament from Bronner's with their name on it; Sam's is citrine yellow in color, Sophia's is amethyst purple and Jack's is emerald green.  Now, we are just waiting to see if our last little one will have a garnet red ornament or an amethyst purple one like Sophia).

Fresh out of the bath with the curliest hair ever ...

Even Jack hung a few of his own ornaments:

And this was Sophia's year to hang the angel on the top:

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The next afternoon, while Samantha was at a birthday party and Jack was napping, Sophia and I set to work decorating the "medium" tree in the family room. 

And there may have been some hot chocolate involved too!

 A few days later (again, we're spreading out the decorating this year), I asked Jack if he wanted to help decorate the "smallest" tree; the one that goes at the top of the stairs, just outside of the kids' rooms.  I didn't have to ask twice!

It's a small tree with very little "character," but we make it look fancy with lights and ornaments and a pretty tree skirt.  And the kids love that it is "their" tree ...

I only have a few more places to decorate and then our house will be complete.  I love this time of year -- just sitting back at night with the lights all twinkling!

Christmas Catherine is Back!

Christmas Catherine (our Elf on the Shelf) made her annual debut this week.  Shortly after her birthday, Samantha had started asking about her ... when she was coming back ... and had even made a picture for her of and the igloo from two years ago that I Christmas Catherine had so meticulously put together with marshmallows and a lot of hot glue.  Samantha's memory is something else.

So, on Wednesday morning, I made sure to wake the kids up a little earlier than normal, knowing that they would want to savor their breakfast that CC had prepared for them.  They had no idea at all that she was in the dining room and proceeded with their morning activities until Sam just happened to wander into the elaborate set-up.

Oh, the squeals that ensued.  It is that that makes all of the late nights worth it.  After all, I know that I only have a few years to relish in the magic of childhood fantasies. 

Christmas Catherine made place settings for each of us, and was even in the process of making one for herself (with her initials since her full name wouldn't fit on the glittery ornament).  She also brought back the annual Christmas Countdown board that we keep on our refrigerator so that the kids could begin putting a magnet on it each night.

Jack's place setting, but it should be noted that his chair should have been placed along the side of the table, where the tablecloth wasn't quite as long and would not get caught in among his legs every time he shifted in his seat.

Yes, they were so happy to see their elf!

The menu consisted of orange juice, fruit, donuts and muffins.  Oh, and a candy cane for later!

Carefully arranging her plate:

Jack loved using the straw; it may have been the highlight for him.

Since then, CC has been found in various locations. 

She filled up the candy bowl and spelled out a little reminder that she was back for a while:

And the neighbors were over last night to play cards and we let them decide what antic she would be up to ... swinging from the ceiling fan!  We even had it going for a while for the thrill of it.  Jack loved this one!

More to come ...

Samantha's Birthday Parties

 

We celebrated Samantha's 7th birthday with friends at our house two days after her actual birthday.  Experience has taught me that it is easiest to celebrate with friends on Saturday and then have a family party on Sunday.  Most everything is all set-up and I typically spend the afternoon following the friend party prepping for the next day.  The kids take nice naps and I have some quiet time to do what I love doing ... reorganizing, decorating and baking.

 

It snowed on the day of the party (it seems to do this every year!), so I put a simple sign on the front door to greet our guests among the blustery winds and snowflakes.

 



I also strategically placed the Wicked Witch tights that Sophia had stuffed under the house to look like it had landed on the witch.  The ruby red shoes were left over from my Dorothy costume two Halloweens ago.

I carried through with the green Oz and rainbow theme in the decorating, keeping a lot of it simple knowing that we would have a lot of little guests in our house -- there were 16 girls that came, in addition to my two girls.  And Jack.

 

 

The favor bags were purchased (cheaply) and filled with some rainbow tissue paper to give them a little boost.  The guests were then able to choose whichever color bag they wanted and we wrote their names on them.  They continued to add to the bags with their game prizes throughout the party.

 

I set up the dining room table as our craft supply area.  As the guests arrived, they were able to make a bookmark using the background of their choice, a movie quote of their choosing and a pair of witch legs (that I made over the course of two evenings).

The idea was that the witch legs would then stick out of the book and hold their page.  They loved this! 

They also loved the second craft, which was stringing together beads to make their own personal Emerald City bracelets.

We had just enough time to clean up from the crafts and wash their hands before the pizza arrived.  Yes, I made this easy on myself by ordering pizza and breadsticks.  The kids all loved this (pepperoni and cheese) and then I filled in with some veggies, rainbow fruit skewers (of course, Sophia helped with these) and pink lemonade.

Chowing down on their food before the games began:

 

I had two games planned for after lunch -- Wizard of Oz Bingo and Pin the Heart on the Tin Man.  The kids played Bingo first, and had a blast as I called out various details of the movie.  Each time, I made sure to ask the girls questions so that they understood the plot completely.  We played until everyone got a bingo and was able to choose a package of candy (Skittles or Starburst) to put in their favor bags.

 

 

Pin the Heart on the Tin Man was a huge success.  The girls took turns tying to pin their heart on the huge printout (thanks to Steve for taking care of that for me) and cheered everyone on.  

Then, everyone was able to come and choose a prize for their hard work -- Rainbow pens and light-up rings.

The girls, minus one who wasn't really in the mood for pictures ...

Soon, it was time for cupcakes and ice cream.  Rainbow cupcakes!  (I like to make cupcakes for "friend" parties and cake for the "family" party).

They looked incredible inside.

Singing happy birthday to myirthday Girl:

Opening presents:

And last on the agenda?  A piñata.  Yes, Samantha specifically requested this for her birthday and I am not one to disappoint.  So, Steve cleared an area in the basement then we watched as everyone had a chance to hit the piñata, beginning with Jack.

And then the Guest of Honor, followed by everyone that was interested in having a turn.

Everyone ended up with some candy to take home with them in their favor bags and chatted excitedly about the party as the parents began to arrive.  So much fun!

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For the family party, Samantha requested a rainbow cake.  I set to work baking the night before and frosting on the big day.  I added in a few other decorations and we celebrated with burgers (Sam's choice), chips, pasta salad, beans, fruit ... Lots of it.

After our meal, Samantha opened her presents and kindly let her sister be a part of the action.

Making a wish:

The rainbow cake:

 

And now ... more celebrating with family this week as we welcome the Thanksgiving Holiday ...