When I think of all there is to post about, I get tired. As though I'd spent a month and a half doing nothing but celebrating. Which is kind of true...
Thanksgiving meant four solid days of pure fun, beginning with picking Aunt Nancy up from the airport Wednesday morning and heading straight to Build-A-Bear (and Chick-Fil-A, and the craft store). Uncle Tom arrived, and then Uncle David and Aunt Debbie and Grandpa, and pretty soon we were playing board games, cooking/eating, shopping, and generally having a good time.
One highlight was visiting St. Charles, a cute historic town that has been converted over into shops and restaurants. Naomi, old enough to insist on coming along at the risk of missing naptime, visited shops and sat in a restaurant like a pro. She spent her (tiny) allowance in the first store on a little pink raccoon stuffed animal, and Elise purchased one as well. Costumed actors straight out of Dickens, Mother Goose and more, plus horse-drawn carriage rides to watch and the ever-popular candy store ("Now are we going to the candy store? How about now?"), made it an excellent way to kick off the Christmas season.
Although I don't really like the idea of kids writing out huge, detailed lists of toys they've decided to demand for Christmas, I couldn't help but turn them loose with one or two high-quality toy catalogs. After all, don't we all have memories of those magical, glossy pages?
Elise kicked it up a notch, bringing colored pens and a complicated code into the mix ("The ones circled in purple are Naomi's, and the ones circled in pink are mine. If they're circled a lot, we really want them. In this other catalog we only had one pen, so I wrote our initials by each one. If it has both our initials we both want it."). She shopped for herself and helped Naomi as well, in addition to sending a suggestion or two to the neighbors for the neighbor boy she plays with. Elise was totally on it. Even if some of her own selections were for two-year-olds, and others for 12-year-olds.
As for Kalina,
Me: Kalina, would you like to take a look at these Christmas toy catalogs?
Kalina: Hmmm... maybe
And then she spent 15 minutes looking at a page of bikes, none of which she wanted. She did circle a certain set of panda bamboo building blocks that she'd seen before.
When I asked her straight out what she wanted for Christmas, her answer was a dreamy "snow." *sigh* Here's hoping....
I was amazed at how much the girls took on themselves this year. They decorated much of the tree (a little clumpy--"All my Grandma ornaments are going to hang on this branch!"--but still, decorated) and later, completed whole Christmas treat projects nearly on their own, Kalina being capable enough, Elise being highly motivated and Naomi being able to apply sprinkles without eating all of them.
They also took initiative when it came to what went under the tree. Elise and Naomi made little drawings for several family members, sealed in decorated envelopes until the big day. Naomi took this a bit further, filling a box with some toys for Biscuit, "wrapping" this box with one of her baby blankets, and shoving it under the tree. What a surprise when Biscuit finally opened it and some items that had been missing for a month reappeared!
We wrote letters to Santa, and Kalina requested mouse tubes, not being able to think of anything else. She did, however, have some good questions for him, as did Elise and Naomi ("What kind of house do you live in?" "Do you have Christmas lights?""Is Rudolph really real? Sometimes he's not in the pictures." "Do the reindeer have any pets?" Is Rudolph nice?" "What does Rudolph eat?"). Elise simply asked for a Beanie Baby puppy (and was quite confident she'd get it, having asked for a Beanie Baby kitten last year and received just the one she'd had in mind). Naomi requested a puppy (stuffed, fortunately) and a Snow White doll.
We also visited Santa this year and, everyone being big enough not to cry, got a picture. On the way over, Kalina mentioned she couldn't decide whether to ask Santa for snow or for her mouse's eye to be healed. Having planned carefully, we arrived when there was no line. Elise marched right up and plunked herself directly next to Santa, grinning from ear to ear. And Naomi surprised us all by walking confidently up with no fear. If there's a boy helping in Sunday School she's outta there, but Santa? No problem! She listed her requests just like her older sisters. Kalina opted to ask for snow, and Santa kindly and patiently explained that his elves were always very tired by Christmas, but they would get some reindeer dust if there was any left over and see what they could do.
Of course, plenty of other festivities filled our days--we spent the month doing crafts, making salt dough ornaments, Christmas caroling at a nursing home, seeing the Nutcracker, looking at Christmas lights, making Christmas cookies, hoping for snow and much more. It's a big month.
Soon, it was time for Uncle Tom to arrive, with his pack full of games. This year, Kalina and Elise were old enough to go rock climbing with Daddy and Uncle Tom, and had a fabulous time (Naomi and I also spent an equally fabulous morning making delicious cranberry bread, doing circle time with her animals and reading stories).
We also took a Christmas Eve trip to the zoo, where we saw penguins nesting (one penguin was sitting on a chick right there!!!), cool bugs, a polar bear trying to get out and other fun animals. Then there was Christmas Eve service, a gingerbread house, sprinkling reindeer dust (which they had sneakily delivered to some neighbors as well), leaving cookies for Santa, a final recitation of The Night Before Christmas, checking stockings and finally, trying to get to sleep so Santa would come!!! Really, it's amazing they got to sleep at all.
And then Christmas came!!! It really came!!! And so did Santa. Everyone got at least one of the things they'd asked Santa for. And although Kalina didn't get snow for Christmas, she did get a little before Christmas, which contented her entirely.
We opened presents, many consisting of Lego/Duplo products, and another of the one panda set Kalina had circled and several princess items, and watched as dreams came true. Okay, maybe not--but as Kalina had her giant Lego set assembled by mid-afternoon, Elise spent the day in euphoria after receiving her much-coveted Lego Ariel castle, and Naomi unwrapped a beautiful Snow White doll as well as a Sofia Duplo castle, spirits were high. Less so for Naomi who hadn't napped in days, and was feeling it.
Everyone but Naomi enjoyed a turkey dinner (I broke down and gave her tortilla with cheese--after all, it's Christmas), and we spent the afternoon with games, toys and these funny electronic birds that repeat everything you say in a hilarious birdy voice. What a magical day!
The next day we kicked it into high gear and, after saying goodbye to Uncle Tom, got ready for our trek to Minnesota! Fortunately the girls know by now that the drive is long, boring and worth it and settled in pretty well. Audio books helped, and I actually got to knit for much of the way. Not bad!
Even better, we crossed the snow line and were greeted with a white Christmas after all! We enjoyed four days of seeing Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle Brian, Aunt Laura, Uncle Chris and cousin Dean. Last year, Dean was a baby--certainly lots of fun. But this year, Dean could walk, talk up a storm and interact even more. Kalina sweetly helped and played with him and Elise giggled at his toddlerness, but it was Naomi's reaction I was really waiting to see. Would she see him as a rival for attention and toys? A nuisance? Invisible?
I never expected what really happened: while at first she tended to baby Dean (because last time she saw him he was one), by the last day, they were buddies! Similarly aged enough that they could do the same activities, but Naomi clearly enjoyed being the older, capable one. She considerately and proactively shared toys, took turns and didn't even freak out when I held or played with Dean. She's getting so big in so many ways (just not much in size).
While seeing Dean was a huge highlight, we had fun plenty of other ways, too. A trip to the aquarium at Mall of America was a memorable experience, especially for Naomi who worried in the tunnel that "the fish are flying!" Her anxiety about the fish (hmmm...who can relate?) combined with her compounded lack of sleep + too much activity meant we had to rush through the last part lest she begin to hyperventilate, but she held up so well in general no one held it against her. Kalina and Elise enjoyed touching starfish and anemones (not Naomi--again, can anyone relate?) and Naomi at least enjoyed watching rays, seahorses and jellyfish. Fun!
After stuffing ourselves with one of Grandpa Les's famous breakfasts (Elise: "Mommy, can you ask Grandpa Les for his French toast recipe?"), we climbed around in an indoor playground (Elise made a friend and tried to set up a playdate) and the older girls spent hours sledding and building a fort with Matt and Uncle Brian while Naomi tended to stuffed animals and princesses inside. We also got to see some of Matt's aunts, uncles and cousins, right down to a 5-week-old new arrival! And there were lovely Christmas cookies after every meal! What could be better?
And of course, there was Christmas #2, where Kalina opened up the puzzle that kept Matt, Chris and Brian all occupied for hours on end. We never figured out what was more amazing: that Chris solved the puzzle, or that he didn't shout it from the rooftops when it happened. At any rate, Kalina put in a good showing as well!
Elise enjoyed a couple craft kits and a magnetic marble run ("How did you know I was hoping for this?!?"), and Naomi eagerly adopted various new animals into her ever-growing, carefully tended family. While Kalina and Elise opened new sleepers (they adore sleepers), Naomi also opened new two-piece fleece pajamas that she at first took to be a sleeper (which she firmly does not adore) based on their fabric. Her mommy and Grandma, both of whom agonized over whether she'd rather match her sisters in a sleeper or stick with a two-piece, will never forget her reaction:
Me: Do you like your new pajamas?
Naomi, wide-eyed and distraught, but quietly and sadly honest: No.
It took a bit of convincing, but once she saw they had pants and a shirt as all pajamas, apparently, should, she was smiling again! Grandma clearly wrapped up the right PJs!
We had a wonderful Christmas! Let's do it again next year!
One highlight was visiting St. Charles, a cute historic town that has been converted over into shops and restaurants. Naomi, old enough to insist on coming along at the risk of missing naptime, visited shops and sat in a restaurant like a pro. She spent her (tiny) allowance in the first store on a little pink raccoon stuffed animal, and Elise purchased one as well. Costumed actors straight out of Dickens, Mother Goose and more, plus horse-drawn carriage rides to watch and the ever-popular candy store ("Now are we going to the candy store? How about now?"), made it an excellent way to kick off the Christmas season.Although I don't really like the idea of kids writing out huge, detailed lists of toys they've decided to demand for Christmas, I couldn't help but turn them loose with one or two high-quality toy catalogs. After all, don't we all have memories of those magical, glossy pages?
Elise kicked it up a notch, bringing colored pens and a complicated code into the mix ("The ones circled in purple are Naomi's, and the ones circled in pink are mine. If they're circled a lot, we really want them. In this other catalog we only had one pen, so I wrote our initials by each one. If it has both our initials we both want it."). She shopped for herself and helped Naomi as well, in addition to sending a suggestion or two to the neighbors for the neighbor boy she plays with. Elise was totally on it. Even if some of her own selections were for two-year-olds, and others for 12-year-olds.
As for Kalina,Me: Kalina, would you like to take a look at these Christmas toy catalogs?
Kalina: Hmmm... maybe
And then she spent 15 minutes looking at a page of bikes, none of which she wanted. She did circle a certain set of panda bamboo building blocks that she'd seen before.
When I asked her straight out what she wanted for Christmas, her answer was a dreamy "snow." *sigh* Here's hoping....
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| Their great-grandma's peanut-butter logs, all by themselves! Yes, that's a puppy apron/chef's hat I found for Naomi for $3 so she can have a Christmas apron, too. |
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| Waiting for Christmas. Any minute now... |
We wrote letters to Santa, and Kalina requested mouse tubes, not being able to think of anything else. She did, however, have some good questions for him, as did Elise and Naomi ("What kind of house do you live in?" "Do you have Christmas lights?""Is Rudolph really real? Sometimes he's not in the pictures." "Do the reindeer have any pets?" Is Rudolph nice?" "What does Rudolph eat?"). Elise simply asked for a Beanie Baby puppy (and was quite confident she'd get it, having asked for a Beanie Baby kitten last year and received just the one she'd had in mind). Naomi requested a puppy (stuffed, fortunately) and a Snow White doll.
We also visited Santa this year and, everyone being big enough not to cry, got a picture. On the way over, Kalina mentioned she couldn't decide whether to ask Santa for snow or for her mouse's eye to be healed. Having planned carefully, we arrived when there was no line. Elise marched right up and plunked herself directly next to Santa, grinning from ear to ear. And Naomi surprised us all by walking confidently up with no fear. If there's a boy helping in Sunday School she's outta there, but Santa? No problem! She listed her requests just like her older sisters. Kalina opted to ask for snow, and Santa kindly and patiently explained that his elves were always very tired by Christmas, but they would get some reindeer dust if there was any left over and see what they could do.Of course, plenty of other festivities filled our days--we spent the month doing crafts, making salt dough ornaments, Christmas caroling at a nursing home, seeing the Nutcracker, looking at Christmas lights, making Christmas cookies, hoping for snow and much more. It's a big month.
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| Too pretty to eat. Right? Right??? |
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| Christmas morning wouldn't be the same without new and old stuffy friends! |
And then Christmas came!!! It really came!!! And so did Santa. Everyone got at least one of the things they'd asked Santa for. And although Kalina didn't get snow for Christmas, she did get a little before Christmas, which contented her entirely.
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| Playing boat with Uncle Tom. Watch out for sharks! |
Everyone but Naomi enjoyed a turkey dinner (I broke down and gave her tortilla with cheese--after all, it's Christmas), and we spent the afternoon with games, toys and these funny electronic birds that repeat everything you say in a hilarious birdy voice. What a magical day!
The next day we kicked it into high gear and, after saying goodbye to Uncle Tom, got ready for our trek to Minnesota! Fortunately the girls know by now that the drive is long, boring and worth it and settled in pretty well. Audio books helped, and I actually got to knit for much of the way. Not bad!
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| Naomi and Dean spent some sweet moments reviewing a photo from last year, hearing stories and playing with homemade playdough together! |
I never expected what really happened: while at first she tended to baby Dean (because last time she saw him he was one), by the last day, they were buddies! Similarly aged enough that they could do the same activities, but Naomi clearly enjoyed being the older, capable one. She considerately and proactively shared toys, took turns and didn't even freak out when I held or played with Dean. She's getting so big in so many ways (just not much in size).
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| Sea animals + bear outfit make for a happy Elise! |
After stuffing ourselves with one of Grandpa Les's famous breakfasts (Elise: "Mommy, can you ask Grandpa Les for his French toast recipe?"), we climbed around in an indoor playground (Elise made a friend and tried to set up a playdate) and the older girls spent hours sledding and building a fort with Matt and Uncle Brian while Naomi tended to stuffed animals and princesses inside. We also got to see some of Matt's aunts, uncles and cousins, right down to a 5-week-old new arrival! And there were lovely Christmas cookies after every meal! What could be better?
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| Perplexed by Perplexus! |
Elise enjoyed a couple craft kits and a magnetic marble run ("How did you know I was hoping for this?!?"), and Naomi eagerly adopted various new animals into her ever-growing, carefully tended family. While Kalina and Elise opened new sleepers (they adore sleepers), Naomi also opened new two-piece fleece pajamas that she at first took to be a sleeper (which she firmly does not adore) based on their fabric. Her mommy and Grandma, both of whom agonized over whether she'd rather match her sisters in a sleeper or stick with a two-piece, will never forget her reaction:
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| Uncle Matt made Dean this cool truck! |
Naomi, wide-eyed and distraught, but quietly and sadly honest: No.
It took a bit of convincing, but once she saw they had pants and a shirt as all pajamas, apparently, should, she was smiling again! Grandma clearly wrapped up the right PJs!
We had a wonderful Christmas! Let's do it again next year!
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| Fancy cookies are far jollier when the little elves do most of the work! |
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| Santa knew we'd want hot chocolate with our breakfast and brought these special mugs! |
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| Dean has arrived!!! His cousins can't get enough of him! |
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| Dean loves his breakfast almost as much as Kalina loved feeding it to him. |
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| Cousins and grandparents! |
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| The snow fort, complete with tunnel! |
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| The kids' toys are more fun every year! |
