My Mangled Meanderings: December 2008

Our First Christmas at Home

It meant so much for us to be able to have this Christmas morning in our own home. Lorne and I have been married 9 1/2 years, and we've never woken up in our own bed on Christmas morning. We've been together for sixteen years and we've always said that once our kids could understand Santa we'd stay home for Christmas. It was so great to walk downstairs with the kids (at 8:00, I might add), and have them see Santa in their own living room. I'd been awake since 5:30 myself, tossing and turning. The whole time felt pretty surreal because it was so different from all of our other Christmases.

I had to get a shot of the stockings. Santa had to put them on the floor because they were so heavy.

Even Rosie got something from Santa.

I think Santa left enough for a few extra kids!

On the way downstairs Sawyer said, "I've got to go see the bulldozer Santa brought." Once he got downstairs he said, "My fire truck. It came already!"

Sawyer told us (and everyone else) over and over that he wanted a bulldozer, but the crane was definitely his favorite gift.

Chloe ignored all the girl gifts when she came downstairs and said, "My truck!" and ran to the recycling truck. It was so funny!

Chloe got all kinds of girl toys, including a dollhouse.

Chloe brought one of her new dollies along for a ride on the bulldozer.

Chloe got an Elmo DVD so she was super excited.

Chloe serenaded us with her new guitar.

Chloe kept ripping off tiny pieces of paper like this one and saying, "Here, Momma."

More paper for Momma.

Fireman Sawyer.

Chloe had to try on the outfit, too.

I think that the kids were getting tired of unwrapping and wanted to spend more time playing.

Christmas Eve

We were busy, busy, busy on Christmas Eve. I keep trying lots of things, hoping that some of them will stick and become traditions. As far as baking, I made chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies. I also baked the "Happy Birthday to Jesus" cake and the kids decorated with the sprinkles. I made snowman sugar cookies which the kids decorated. The kids also decorated Rice Krispies wreaths. I helped Velma make her Grandma Bert's orange slice cake. We also made pigs-in-a-blanket for Christmas morning.

We lit the Advent Wreath one last time and the kids opened their one Christmas Eve present. They got matching jammies to wear on Christmas morning. Those can be seen on the "Chloe is Twenty-one Months Old" post.

The kids set out their cookies for Santa on their new plate before they went to bed. I documented that on the "Cookies for Santa" post.

Daddy jumped in and fashioned the snowmen's hats out of orange slices.

Chloe decorated the two cookies on the left, Sawyer the ones in the middle, and I did the one on the right. Chloe kept yanking the arms off hers, and Sawyer made one of his female with a little help from Daddy.

We never ate the Rice Krispies wreaths, but the kids sure had fun making them.

The wreaths turned out really well.

As if the day weren't crazy enough, Lorne was playing bowling on Wii when Chloe walked in front of him. He was trying to keep from hitting her and he threw the remote into the screen of his television and shattered the screen. I told Lorne that I had to tell people because he does stupid things so rarely that I had to share when he does.

He went to Best Buy and grabbed a new television that same day. I was hoping that he'd find a better sale, but I think that he got it for the same price as the first one.

Lorne got a new television for Christmas.

Chloe dumped all of her sprinkles in one spot on the cake.

The kids are becoming old pros at singing Happy Birthday.

Sawyer wanted to serve the cake with salad tongs.

Sawyer blew out the candles on the Advent Wreath one last time.

Cookies for Santa Plate

I'm so excited about the Cookies for Santa plate that I wanted it to have its own post. I wanted to let the kids create a plate to commemorate our first Christmas at home. We went to a shop called Art & Soul in Plano on December 9th. The kids put their handprints on the plate and the shop owner painted Santas around the handprints. I am so in love with how this plate turned out. I really will cherish it forever!

The look on Sawyer's face is priceless! He HATED his hands being dirty...he's my typical firstborn child.

Sawyer was very still and took the task very seriously.

Chloe could have cared less that her hands were dirty.

Chloe wasn't wanting to lay her hand flat.

I can't remember what they were looking at in this photo, but it was more interesting than the Santa plate. They were probably just tired of taking pictures.

I found this poem online and tweaked it for our family. The picture didn't turn out very well, so here's the text:

When you set out this plate
From year to year,
I hope it brings a smile
From ear to ear.
These handprint Santas will
Help you to remember
How small you were in 2008-
In the month of December.

Sawyer and Chloe thought Santa had a huge appetite, no doubt! They even left a carrot for the reindeer!

Chloe is Twenty-one Months Old!

Chloe turned twenty-one months old amid all the Christmas craziness. Sawyer was 21 1/2 months old when she was born. How did it go by so fast?

I thought it would be cute to photograph the kids in front of the Christmas tree in their jammies. I buy them matching jammies and that's the one present that they open on Christmas Eve.

She is saying more words than I can remember. She's calling Sawyer, "Soger," which is really funny. She can also name and mimic the sounds for cow, horse, monkey, chicken, duck, snake, sheep, bird, dog, and cat. She can also say giraffe and apple juice. She's speaking sentences like, "Rosie got mine." She says, "saucy" for Frosty, which is every snowman she sees. She also says, "C. Claus" for Santa Claus, and "C. Brown" for Charlie Brown. I think her favorite Christmas song is "Jingle Bells." She sings, "G, la, la, la, HEY!" She is too cute! I really wish that I could have gotten that on video.

Chloe's still "looking with her eyes."

This is the result of Sawyer helping Chloe look at the camera.

A Visit to Nanny's

Mom, Chloe, and I went to Nanny and Poppo's house on Monday morning. Sawyer stayed at Larry and Velma's house with Lorne because he woke up with a horrible cough Sunday morning. It turned out to be RSV so it's a good thing that I kept him away.

We went for a visit and for me to bring Nanny the candy I made. I brought her Martha Washington balls, white chocolate candy, peanut butter balls, peppermint bark, nut creme drops, and millionaires. She has gotten to where she isn't able to make her candy like she used to, so I volunteered to make them for her.

I went and got Diamond S for lunch. Dad came by with the dogs and he and Mom left to return to Mark's house. I think that it was a really nice visit.

Chloe didn't want to leave Nanny's tree alone. I think that all the grandchildren and now great-grandchildren have played with those figurines.

I wish I'd had a way to get Dad in the picture, too.

I wanted to get another four-generation picture while we were all together.

Early Chritstmas, Take Two

We went to Matthew and Jackie's house on Saturday evening. Matthew and Lorne went to Ty and Jamie's house that night to watch the Cowboy's game since it was on NFL Network. Jackie and I went to Katy Mills Sunday morning to pick up some cycle shoes for my Christmas gift from Matthew and Jackie. I was so happy! Mom and Dad were at Matthew and Jackie's house by the time we got back from the mall. Matthew barbequed a great brisket and we ate all day long. It was awesome!

I wish that baby Austin could have been in the picture, too.

Kayla's kitchen gadgets were a big hit with the kids. Sawyer was obviously not wanting to share the mixer!

I got Mimi some Longincrapper, as Lorne calls it.

The ViewMasters went over really well:

Kayla and Chloe each received Cabbage Patch dolls from Mimi and GrandDad:

Early Christmas, Take One

We opened presents with Lorne's side of the family at his parent's house on Saturday. We had another Mexican food feast like last year. We made homemade tamales during Thanksgiving. We had those with Mexican Casserole, chili, beans, salsa, queso, and chips. It was delicious!