12 Days of Christmas - Parent Style

I'm sure this has been done many times over, but it was too fun to think up, so I'm continuing the trend...  And hereeeeee weeeee gooooooo!  Sing along!

On the first day of Christmas, my children gave to me...  a lego embedded in my knee...

On the second day of Christmas, my children gave to me...  2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the third day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the fourth day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the fifth day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the sixth day of Christmas, my children gave to me...  6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the seventh day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 7 brand new wall marks, 6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the eighth day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 8 scorned veggies, 7 brand new wall marks, 6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the ninth day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 9 calls for "DORA!" 8 scorned veggies, 7 brand new wall marks, 6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the tenth day of Christmas, my children gave to me... 10 snow day layers, 9 calls for "DORA!" 8 scorned veggies, 7 brand new wall marks, 6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the 11th day of Christmas, my children gave to me...  11 rolling giggles, 10 snow day layers, 9 calls for "DORA!" 8 scorned veggies, 7 brand new wall marks, 6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a lego embedded in my knee...

On the 12th day of Christmas, my children gave to me...  12 funny stories, 11 rolling giggles, 10 snow day layers, 9 calls for "DORA!" 8 scorned veggies, 7 brand new wall marks, 6 temper tantrums, 5! Mismatched Socks! (Ba Dum Dum Dum)  4 missing cookies, 3 slobbery kisses, 2 naked kidlets and a... lego embedded in my kneeeeeeee...

Merry, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

(This year's money shot.  Way worth it :)

Christmas Card Outtakes - Episode 2

What do you get if you take three kids to the mall to possibly hope for a few good shots against the Christmas decorated backdrop?

Chaos. 

I think we were a trifle optimistic to think that these highly distractable kids were going to sit pretty and smile at the same time when LOOK!  There's something SHINY!

Combine that with crap lighting and bad camera settings and hey, at least you get some outtakes!

(I will send out a Christmas card if it kills me.  I will). 

Hey C!  Put your head on Sissy's shoulder and then smile!  Hey um, Lex?  You LIKE your sister.  I promise.  You might want to pretend at least.  Or not. 

Smile with your WHOLE face!  Not just your lips!  Those, yes THOSE, they're cheeks!

Smile Caly! Or um, do that. Right. OK, nevermind. 

Round 3 to resume post nap.  Send flurries and hot chocolate. 

Christmas Card Rejects - Episode 1

Ah, tis the season, yet again.  And of course, we have our Christmas card rejects piling up like unwanted but hilarious mountains of snow. 

Last year's struggle was so bad that I actually didn't send cards at all.  The year before, I had adorable cards ordered and purchased but never got my act together to get them out to everyone.  This year?  This year I'll send a card, come hell, high water, or a booger hanging out a kid's nose.  Yes.  It will happen. 

Here's some samplings of the Christmas cards that weren't meant to be...

 Caly looks bored... Sayer's alright... Lex looks completely disgruntled.  I'm almost tempted to send this to give a taste of what these kids can be like.  But Caly's not smacking anyone, so it's not quite true enough.

Sayer's the only one who looks normal in this picture.  Aside from the fact that he's holding a tiny, naked baby doll with an obscenely large head.  Oh, and then there's Shaun's reflection in the doorway... maybe's that's the way we'll make it into this year's shot?

And there it is... the money shot.  That is, if I were 9 feet tall and shooting from above. 

Alas, we'll attempt again tomorrow. If these kids don't cooperate, I'm sending out the one where they all look goofy.  Hey, it's payback!

A Very, Merry, Quirky Christmas

I love Christmas.  I make no secret of it.  I love Christmas and Christmas trees and presents and candles and evergreen wreaths, cookies and cakes, parties and play, families and food.  Christmas is awesome. 

But GAH, the commercialism.  It's bad.  Worse yet is that it starts BEFORE HALLOWEEN! 

Buy!  Buy!  Buy!  Spend!  Spend!  Spend!

I like buying a good gift as much as the rest of them.  I love the look on someone's face when I can give them something that they really love.

I married a bit of a Scrooge.  He likes Christmas alright.  (He really is one of the best present givers I've ever met. 

 He's been harassing me for years about my love for cutting down Christmas trees.  "Are you SURE you don't want a fake tree this year?"

"Do you KNOW, $40 will feed a kid in Africa for a MONTH!"

Every time, I glare at him and say, "NO."  No, no, NO.  NO.  That's my favorite tradition.  The tramping through the field in the cold.  The fighting over who picked the prettiest tree.  The pine needles all over the--

Wait a sec.

I caved.  I told him that we didn't have to do a real Christmas tree this year. 

I had been reading through blogs and came across this entry in Vitafamilae.  I was struck by how lovely their tree turned out.  Then I read their reasoning and was sold. 

So that's what I suggested.  A bare tree. 

He heard "free" and he was sold. 

So that's what we did.

And in my opinion?  It couldn't be lovelier. 

May you challenge yourself this holiday season to find ways to change, to serve, and to love.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Isn't it pretty?

Christmas Morning Spontaneity

Christmas was so much FUN this year!  Bean glowed all throughout the weeks going up to Christmas day.  "Mommy, is today Christmas time?"  was pretty much a daily question.  Christmas is never really one day in our family with all of the branches that we have, so Bean got a ton of different days of fun.

But for Christmas morning, we decided to do something unusual to mark the day.

Shaun picked up a pack of pink balloons at Target a week or two before and on Christmas Eve, we blew them up, (ok, Shaun and his parents did... I was too busy playing DDR... hehe).  And then we took all 20 of them and piled them into her room on the floor.

The next morning, over the monitor, I heard Bean exclaim, "Mom!  Mom?  MOMMY!  What ARE these things?"

The two of us walked in there and she said "HEY!  How...  how... how did these GET here?!"

Shaun asked her how she thought they got there and she said,

"I went to sleep... and... and then?  Then morning came and my eyes woke up and the balloons were EVERYWHERE!" 

We spent the next 40 minutes bouncing balloons in and out of her bed, off each other's head's, onto the floor, up in the air.  We had a total blast.  It was actually hard to convince her to leave the room for the presents in the living room.

I have to say, I married the most awesome guy in the world.  He often goes out of his way to make every day special for the girls in some small way.  It totally makes me smile.  He's great :)