Cookies for Santa

This afternoon, while I was out supposedly enjoying alone time (but really, grocery shopping at the busy, crowded grocery store), I realized that we had to make our cookies for Santa tonight.  Tomorrow night wouldn't be possible, because we were spending the day with Nana, the Aunts/Uncle and family celebrating Christmas.  I looked at my watch. It was 4:22.  I had to make dinner and make cookies.  Fa la la la laaa!

I raced home and made a quick Chinese stir-fry.  Then, I rolled the dough out, cookie-cuttered and baked cookies while Bode and Gianna ate their dinner.  After they cooled, I put them on a clean cookie sheet to contain the sprinkly sugary mess fun that was about to occur. Then I presented the cookies to Bode for icing and decorating.  I kept it really simple: frosting out of a can and two sugar sprinkles.  I'm embarrassed to admit that I used prepackaged frosting.  But, nobody is going to eat them so I really don't feel that bad. 

Bode is excited that Santa has cookies to eat tomorrow night.  He said that maybe we should ask Santa to leave 1 cookie for Bode to eat.  I told him that we would write Santa a note wishing him a Merry Christmas, thanking him, and asking him to leave 1 cookie for Bode.  

A big Christmas kiss for my boy.

Are you ready for Santa?

xo
Photos courtesy of RWF.

On the last week before Christmas, my true loves...

Whee! We are almost to Christmas! Are you ready?!?!?!

This morning Bode and I mixed up gingerbread cookie dough.  He seems to be especially interested in the gingerbread men mentioned in some Christmas stories. So I decided that we need to make some so that he knows what he's seeing in the books.  While I was measuring out the ground cinnamon, Bode had the mixer all to himself.  Can you guess what happened?   Bode shouted, "Whoah!" and I looked up to see the mixers out of the bowl and cookie dough mix flying through the air!  We laughed (even though, I wasn't really laughing at first...it took me a minute to get over the initial, "Oh, no! My kitchen! What a mess!" reaction).   My t-shirt is covered in cookie dough and I'm sure there are parts of my kitchen that I missed.  

While the cookie dough is firming in the refrigerator, here are a few things we have done this week:

- Sunday I decided that we needed a bigger tree.  So after dropping RWF off at the airport in the early morning, we went Christmas tree shopping.  I picked out a 9 ft tree.  After checking out, I realized my tree wasn't going to fit in our car! (I wasn't driving the QEII.)  So we had to leave the tree behind and go exchange cars.  We returned to pick up our tree in the QEII.  I got the 9 ft tree into the house, and built it while the babies played in the Christmas tree box.  It fit, but only in the spots where our ceiling arched high. I wanted the Christmas tree in the window. I just love seeing Christmas trees in windows, don't you?   So...I took the tree down.  I put it back in the box (after convincing the babies to leave the box).  We went back to the store after naps.  I picked up a 7 ft tree.  We took it home, built it, and it fits perfectly in our front window. Hooray!  I love having my own grown-up tree (in addition to our lovely homemade Charlie Brown tree).  The babies are enjoying both trees as well.

-Cookie making in full force. Bode understands that Santa gets cookies and milk when he leaves toys for good girls and boys. So we are busy in the cookie department. I am a sneaky mommy though. I only make half the dough.  So the cookies disappear quickly.  Bode usually eats one or two cookies.  I eat a bunch while he naps.  Don't worry, Santa, we'll have cookies for you!

-Bode and I wrapped the rest of our presents while Gianna napped yesterday.  I enjoy asking him to put his finger on the ribbon to hold it in place while I make a bow. My mom used to let me "help" her wrap presents the same way. I remember feeling Very Important holding the ribbon down while she made a bow. 

-Bode and Gianna are both wearing Christmas pajamas every night. Bode seems to feel that this is a "requirement" as he won't wear anything else.  They both look so festive and huggable.  This is another Christmas tradition that I want my children to enjoy every year. (Okay, so it's really for me to enjoy.)

-Bode doesn't want to wear anything that isn't Christmas-y.  In fact, he insists on wearing one of his Christmas pajama shirts during the day.  The other night after RWF returned home from work, I ran out to Target and bought Bode some Christmas t-shirts to wear for the next couple of days.  Problem solved. 

-Yesterday both babies got haircuts.  Gianna got her bangs whacked off and she now has a 1/4 inch fringe above her eyes.  Seriously, it looks bad.  The stylist blamed Gianna, stating that she moved her head. I blame the stylist, of course. It looks like I did the job myself.  After seeing Gianna's fringe, I was not in the Christmas spirit, as  I gave the stylist a (small) tip.  Bode has a big boy haircut again. I really enjoy his hair on the longer side but I don't think I can handle the growing out phase to get it long again.  The short cut looks nice on him, but I miss the curls and longer, shaggy 'do that my boy used to wear.

And last, I have no pictures to share.  Gianna ran off with my camera the other day, and I have no idea where she "hid" it. I have turned the house upside down looking for my camera.  We need this camera to take pictures of Christmas, so please send some good little elves over to help me find it.

Happy Wednesday. 

xo

Santa Claus is coming to town...sooner than you think

This morning I was checking out at store. We had  to stand in line for awhile. It was a small store and the sales help were all busy with customers. Gianna was squirming in my arms, trying to get out and down so that she could explore on her own. I tightened my grip on her and gave her a kiss. Bode was standing patiently beside me.  

When it was our turn to check out, the salesman apologized for the wait. Then he leaned over the counter and smiled at Bode.

The salesman asked Bode, "Is Santa coming?"

Bode looked up at him with huge solemn eyes and nodded Yes.

"When is Santa coming?" the salesman asked.

Bode replied, "Tomorrow."

"Really, tomorrow?"  The salesman looked at me and winked.  We both looked down at Bode.

Bode looked at the man and said, "Yes. Tomorrow at 4 o'clock."

Gingerbread house

Bode's Gingerbread House 2011

The artist, wearing his sister's strawberry hat, and eating a grilled cheese lunch.

Last night, when I showed RWF our latest Christmas craft, he looked into my eyes and with sincere concern in his voice, asked, "Are you okay? I mean, really...are you enjoying this, or....?" (unspoken: "or...do I need to call a doctor?")  I assured him that I am fine.  Yes, I have gone a little crazy with the crafts lately. Yes, it is completely out of my personality.  No, I am not disoriented from glue and marker fumes. 

Gingerbread House

Materials:

1 brown paper sack (lunch size is best)

stickers (glittery, Christmas stickers to adorn a gingerbread house preferred but not necessary)

markers or crayons

construction paper

paper, plastic bags, anything that you can "recycle" for filling the paper sack

stapler or glue

Instructions:

Lay the paper sack flat so that your child can draw a gingerbread house (or whatever they want) on the exterior.  Have the child color both front, back and sides (if possible).  Adorn the gingerbread house with stickers.  Open the sack and stuff it with the paper/plastic/filling so that it is "full" and stands on its own.  Fold the top of the sack over once. Take a 1/2 sheet of construction paper,  fold it over the bag to make a "roof" for the house. Staple or glue the roof onto the sack.  

This morning we went to the tire store to get snow tires.  It seems kind of crazy to me.  I mean, the weather has been so mild and it has barely snowed all December.  I asked the salesman if I was wrong to get snow tires right now. I think my actual words were, "Am I an idiot for doing this now?" (as I gestured outside at the sunshine and green grass before us). He laughed, "Ho, ho, ho." (or something like that) He said, "No. In fact, all of our customers have already gotten their snow tires.  You never know. Sometimes it's mild. Sometimes, it's crazy. One December we got 35 inches."  At this point, I stopped listening to him (figuratively putting my fingers in my ears and screaming, "La la la! Can't hear you! Can't hear you!").

No plans this weekend except to hit the post office sans the babies. I have attempted a post office run twice this week, both unsuccessful. For some reason, I can't seem to juggle my packages, pushing a baby in a stroller, and corralling a wayward toddler while trekking to the post office.  I know! Crazy, right?  I don't know what's wrong with me. 

It must be all of that glue.

Happy weekend.

xo

Christmas cruising

Yesterday started out good.

I took a shower  (Gianna pressing her face against the shower door, shouting "Mama! Mama!" the entire time).  I stepped out of the shower and Bode shouted from the playroom, "I want to go to Starbucks!"  I shouted back, "You read my mind! Let's go!"

The afternoon was long and dark. Gianna napped until 3:45. She would have slept longer had I let her. By the time I got her up and ready, it was dark outside. Too dark to go outside to play.  

So I packed the babies in the car with milk, and we set out to find Christmas lights.  It was a nice drive around the new neighborhood, with our radio playing Christmas tunes ("Feed the World/Do they know it's Christmas?" came on, and when Boy George crooned, "And in our world of plenty..." I was already in tears).  I'm happy to report that I didn't find any tacky decorations in our 'hood.  Bode kept saying, "Christmas lights!" (or, "Christmas rights!" as he tends to use an "r" for an "l" these days).  We both had fun checking out the light displays and listening to Christmas music.  

After we cruised around for a bit, we stopped at our new neighborhood pizza place and got yummy pizza.  Check this bad boy out:

My sisters-in-law introduced me to eggplant pizza. They had it waiting for us on our first night in our new house. It is now my new favorite. Yum!  Can you believe that I have this entire pizza to myself? It is huge. I am a lucky girl to have so many leftovers.

Earlier in the day, we made a Christmas wreath.  I don't know why I am making so many wreaths.  I am trolling the web, looking for Christmas crafts all the time.  I just seem to gravitate to the wreaths.  Again, this was beyond Bode's ability.  He was able to do part of it, and then I ended up completing the project.

Materials

paper plate (ours was waxed-covered so the paint didn't cover it that well)

acrylic paint

construction paper - red, green, etc.

glue

scissors

1 eager toddler

First, cover your table with something because you are going to paint. I didn't have newspaper so I used a paper bag. Cut a hole in the center of the plate to make a wreath. It does not have to be perfect because it won't show when you are finished.  Paint the paper plate green and let dry.  While the paint is drying,  draw and cut out holly leaves to cover the plate.  You can also cut out decorations for your wreath (ornaments, holly berries, a bow, etc.).

Bode painted the wreath form. But I really needed to do the rest.  I will admit that making the holly leaves took me a long time.  It took me so long that Bode lost interest. He started playing with my construction paper scraps while I finished the leaves.  I ended up gluing the leaves to the form, and we set it aside to dry.   

Later, I asked Bode where he would like to hang his new wreath. I suggested his bedroom. He said that he wanted it on the wall in the living room. 

Obviously I have this need to do crafty things! I can't explain it.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I don't have a crafty bone in my body.  I can picture RWF pulling into the driveway at night after a long day at work, bracing himself for the latest and greatest craft to grace our new home.  It's time to find some new friends and new outlets!

Speaking of needs, sister likes to bust a move:

She loves to dance (no music required).  She will imitate my moves, which is kind of scary (and unfortunate, if she remembers any as an adult, and tries it out in front of someone else).  Have you seen that Seinfeld episode when Elaine dances at the party ("the little kicks" watch it here)?  Yeah. That's kind of like me trying to dance, too.
Hugs to Jeanne, Greg, Mary, Keara and Maggie. You're in my thoughts.
xo

This week

We made another Christmas wreath and peanut butter cookies as part of our Christmas craft-down.  I like polka dots so I chose these polka-dotted ornaments and a glittery red bow.  It is a pretty simple thing, but it looks nice on our door.

Bode had fun making the peanut butter cookies. He had more fun eating them!  (I let him eat two!)  I also mixed up sugar cookie dough.  One day we'll pull out the cookie cutters and decorative sugars and have more fun with cookies.

Gianna is still clingy.  Sunday we went outside and when I wasn't holding her, she was crying for me to pick her up. She would lean into my legs and hug me.  Of course I picked her up.  Who could resist?  Yesterday I was swinging her around and tickling her.  When she laughed, I got a good look into her mouth.  She's got a new (top) molar!  And she has four other teeth making an appearance. No wonder she has been so clingy.  

It has been super cold here.  The babies have had to wear mittens to protect their little hands.  Gianna doesn't like them.  We've tried every pair imaginable on her: big ones, little ones, knit ones, fleece ones, etc. Of course, she doesn't want anything on her hands. Too bad because she has no choice!  Saturday we put Bode's red fleece mittens on her.  She walked around with her arms out in front of her, like she had suddenly grown lobster claws.

Bode is still enjoying all of our Christmas stories.  And, we sing "Frosty the Snowman" about 500 times a day, too.  We listen to Christmas music on the radio while driving in the car.  He doesn't understand why the radio doesn't play "Frosty the Snowman" all the time, and will cry if we get to our destination and they haven't played "Frosty."  I have tried to explain to him that radio stations don't play "Frosty" all the time.  We have a Christmas cd with "Frosty" but he always requests that I play the radio when we are in the car. He just doesn't understand and gets very upset (tearful).  On the other hand, he's learning more Christmas carols.  He knows some of "Jingle Bells" and "Here Comes Santa Claus" and of course, "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer."

I get so emotional listening to Christmas music.  "The Little Drummer Boy" "Noel" and "Do You Hear What I Hear" as well as several others bring tears.  "Do You Hear What I Hear" is not a very popular Christmas song. But for me, it has a strong emotional connection to my Grandma.  When I was little, I used to go to Christmas (midnight) Mass with her.  I have a very vivid memory of standing beside her in the pew and singing this carol (and hearing her voice over all of the other people singing).

Gianna has no idea what Christmas is but she does enjoy pulling the candy canes off our Christmas tree.  Every night, I usually find her with a fistful.

This week, I am: wrapping presents, making cookies, enjoying any quiet moment spent with RWF (not happening since there is so much to do), and enjoying the babies' delight over all things Christmas (especially Christmas lights and store window displays).  

And when I feel overwhelmed by another to-do, or another emotional wave surges because of things that happen to loved ones (i.e., life), I repeat this line from another Christmas song: All is calm, all is bright.  

Happy Wednesday.

xo

Let it snow, let it snow

We woke up to snow today.  Just a little bit on the ground. Enough to make a snowman and sled around our yard.  Bode loves the snow!  He wanted to go out in the snow, first thing (breakfast waffle in hand).

This one, not so much:

She stood in the garage forever, crying pitifully.  I put her on the sled and she quieted down.  But she wore a frown on her face the entire time we were outside!

Bode is really into snowmen.  He loves "Frosty the Snowman" and sings the song all the time. We also have an inflatable "Frosty the Snowman" that we have to inflate, and visit, every afternoon and evening. Right now, he enjoys the Christmas books we have involving snowmen.  So of course, we had to build our own snowman today.

And this one? --she LOVES the snow!  She is having so much fun in her new backyard. I love seeing Priscilla so happy.  She does this funny, floppy-legged run through the snow and rears up on her hind legs like she is a horse (I really think that she thinks she's part-horse).  I love her so much, and am so glad that she is adjusting well.

She looks yellow because she has special medicine on her coat.

We were outside forever. The sun was shining, the snowflakes were big and fluffy, and the trees with their dusting of snow looked so magical. I wanted to snap pictures of everything. I keep reminding myself that there is so much more to come!

Have a happy, warm day.
xo

Santa Claus

Today we visited Santa Claus.  Bode was so excited. Gianna had no desire to be anywhere near Santa Claus.  She clamped her little legs even harder around my waist whenever I tried to put her near Santa.  Who can blame her, right?  And, I am not one of those who enjoys putting a screaming, crying child on Santa's lap just for a "funny" picture.  

Bode enjoyed the alone time with Santa. I did catch this snippet of conversation:

Santa: What would you like for Christmas?

Bode: A book.

Santa: And what else?

Bode:  Umm. A car.

Santa: A car!  I bet you like Lightening McQueen, don't you?

Bode: Umm. Yes.

Santa: And the tow truck, too.

Bode: Umm. Yes.

Santa: What else?

Bode:  Diapers for Gianna. And me, too.

My heart melted when I heard him ask for something for Gianna. But then I laughed: diapers!  And even more funny was that Bode made sure that he got some diapers, too.  You know that Santa probably hears some pretty funny stuff!  Have you visited Santa yet?

xo

Oh Christmas tree

My little Christmas elf is almost as big as this tree!

After a lot (and I mean, a lot) of thought, I decided to just put up our Charlie Brown tree in the play room. This way (I reason), the babies can destroy enjoy it.  Last year, I bought a bunch of fabric ornaments for this very purpose. 

My favorite part is on top, Bode's and Gianna's first ornaments

The Santa hat was in our Christmas box. He put it on immediately and has not taken it off.

This year, I bought Bode two special ornaments that are not fabric.  I warned him that they will break if he plays with them.  I am OK if that happens, believe me. I wouldn't have given them to him if I had my heart set on keeping a red fire truck and a red truck with a Christmas tree in its pickup.  It was enough for me to see him smile when he unwrapped them.  Maybe we'll be able to keep these ornaments forever, or maybe just a few years.  Whatever happens, it will be alright, because we'll just keep buying more.

I am craving a beautiful Christmas tree and a beautiful home.  I wanted everything a-sparkle, everything glowing in warm candle light.  But the reality is, I have two babies right now.  There will be time for the more sophisticated looking Christmas later (or not, depending on how we feel).

And that sparkle? I already know that it doesn't come from twinkling Christmas lights and jingling bells. It comes from the smiling faces of my little ones admiring a homemade looking tree. The joy that radiates from Bode's face when he finds old Christmas friends to play with, and the magic in turning on the Christmas lights.

A beautiful Christmas tree, personalized with our names. One of my favorite Christmas gifts!

Right now, the focus is on family, making our memories and enjoying the holidays together.  What are your favorite holiday memories?  Do you have special holiday rituals and objects?  I hope that you are already having a happy holiday! 

Enjoy.

xo

Gum drop tree

Yesterday afternoon, we were running out to the grocery store to pick up some much-needed gum drops for a craft project.  Our car battery died.  We were stranded in our car (thank goodness) in 34 degree weather for 48 minutes.  We were not in a grocery store parking lot, because I had (stupidly) made a side trip to another remote area first.  I called AAA, and was told it would be 35 minutes before a repair truck could get to us. I  usually put Bode and Gianna in their car seats without their coats on.  So I took everyone out of their car seats and put coats on.  We sang "Frosty the Snowman" several times, and played a car-naming game (or, a CARS naming game).  I took one of Gianna's shoes off to make sure that her footsies were warm.  They were toasty, thank goodness.   The tow truck arrived 48 minutes later.  In 10 seconds, the man had charged my battery up and sent us on our way.  I don't want that to happen again!  The children were so good while we waited.

We went straight home, and I left my car running for 30 minutes to charge up the battery.  I put Bode and Gianna down for naps.  I took Priscilla outside and my hands were freezing!  I need to find my gloves, or buy new ones.  I was so thankful again that we were stuck inside our car, and not outside.

After naps, we went to the store for gum drops.  And this afternoon, I introduced Bode to the fun activity of making a gum drop tree.  

Have you ever made gum drop trees?  My mom used to do this activity with me every Christmas. I used to love it.  I have wanted to do this with Bode since he was a baby. I think he is now at the right age.  

Materials:
one styrofoam tree form
a bag of gum drops (red and green for Christmas, but multi-colored would be festive, too!)
toothpicks

Add one excited child:

Stick the gum drops on the toothpicks for the excited child so that he doesn't poke his fingers (I cut the toothpicks in half) Then the excited child can push the toothpick into the styrofoam form.  Fill the form up with gum drops.  If you're a perfectionist like I am, then you'll want to redo all the gum drops that your child did. You'll want to make nice even rows to form a nice, smooth Christmas tree shape. I resisted the temptation. This time.

Eventually your child will start goofing off with the gum drops.  If he loves hats, like my child loves hats, he will decide that a red gum drop will make a nice Christmas hat.

And then, your child may wonder, "Hmm. Well what exactly is a gum drop?  Animal, vegetable or mineral? Is this sugar?" and decide that he must taste the gum drop. Actually, most children would probably just pop one in their mouths immediately. I know Gianna will, if given the chance.  It literally took this long for Bode to decide that he would try a gum drop.  He is so cautious and just not aware of candy right now.  (Note: when I talked about the project with him, I never stated, "We're going to cover this styrofoam with candy!" I talked about gum drops and never mentioned that gum drops are edible.)

He eventually snuck a taste:

We didn't finish the tree but it will be something that we'll work on over the next couple of days.   Afterwards, I put the babies in the bath.  And Gianna finally gave me a smile.  Please feel free to cut this photo out and paste it onto our Christmas card for your enjoyment. Fa la la la laaaaa!

Happy weekend, everyone.
xo

I am done

Gianna sez: No Christmas card for you!

It's all her fault. She refuses to smile. I give up.

Happy weekend.

xo

Bode: 38 months

Dear Bode,

Yesterday, you were my little Christmas elf and we wrapped some Christmas presents together.  You taped the paper and picked out the ribbon color for the packages.  This is just another example of  how your growth is blowing my mind, every day.   Each month, I think that I'll stop reporting on your growth/milestones because you're 3 now.  But then, every day, you say or do something interesting, funny or spectacular.  And I think, "Oh, I want to remember that!"

You are very active.  You love playing chase when we are outside ("Chase me, Mommy!").  You also like playing "airplanes,"  where we spread our arms out like airplane wings and run around the yard, making airplane noises.  This past weekend, you climbed a tree with minimal assistance from your daddy.  You are climbing on everything you can these days: cabinets, sofas, tables, and trees. 

You still don't have an appetite for much food.  We usually end up negotiating with you for bites of food. You love eating black olives, Goldfish,  pears, and cheese. Every night, you usually request a snack, which is a snack cup filled with Goldfish, raisins or Craisins, peanuts, and Cheerios.

You love going out, and always request to go "bye bye" at least twice a day.  You help me to remember my grocery list when we are shopping. I love asking you, "What else do we need? What am I forgetting?" and you usually remember 2-3 things that I have on my list.

You love puzzles, Legos, and reading.  You also still love cars.  You're more into running and playing with someone else (me) than solo play these days. I love playing with you, but I'm also anxious for the time that you and Gianna can run together, too. You two already enjoy each other so much!

This past month, you had your first nightmare. It was very scary for you.  I hated seeing you so upset about going to sleep that night, and for 3 nights after.  I fear that all the changes and the move have caught up with you.  I worry that all the activity of the movers and the cable guy fed bad things into your otherwise simple, loving conscious. But I guess these nightmares are a normal part of growing up.  And hopefully, you'll recover from them quickly as you did this first time.

When I need to correct something you have said or done (like, pull something out of Gianna's hands), or when I tell you it's bedtime and I'm turning out the lights, you'll start saying, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute..." and try to stall me.   You love saying, "You're in a heap of trouble!" (a line borrowed from Sheriff, from the CARS movie).  When we are walking downstairs, I always repeat, "Plant your feet, plant your feet" after each step, to hopefully remind you to take it slow and make sure your feet are firmly on the step.  The other day, we were walking downstairs and you said, "Mommy, you forgot to say, Plant your feet." and I said, "Oh, you're right! Plant your feet, plant your feet..." and you said, "No, you don't say that!"   You love contradicting me, in a funny way. 

Right now, you are up in your room, making a racket.  It is time for you to get up and start your day. I hope it's a happy one.  I'm sure that you'll do at least one thing to surprise/delight/amaze me, like you always do.

Happy 38 months, Bode. 

love,

Mommy

xo

PS Sorry this is a day late.  Yesterday we were busy being Christmas elves, and I was too tired to write during your nap time!