Bring on the organizational ninjas

I'm kinda over the whole Christmas decoration thing. I still like the outside ones but the inside ones are getting old. I wish that I could blink my eyes and have all of it put away. I wish all the new toys had a spot to go. I wish that my floors were dust mopped and needle free. I wish that someone would come to my house and eat all of the Christmas candy and cookies I still have left so I wouldn't have to eat them myself.

A girl can dream I guess.

Christmas Food

This is the first year ever that we have done our own Christmas. We've been married 8 years, together for 13. Every single year we've gone home to WI and spent the holiday at my parents house. We always have fun at home but when the girls were born I started wanting to have Christmas at our own home. Last year we weren't going to come home, but then we ended up with a crazy move to OH over the holidays and stayed with my parents yet again.

This is our year to stay home and I am loving every minute of it. My parents won't be coming, which is weird and kind of sad, but my in laws will be here and the girls are excited. I am busily trying to recreate all of the traditions I grew up with for the girls, and add new ones of our own. I am realizing that a lot of our traditions are food based. There are foods that we NEED to have or it just wouldn't be Christmas. Most of those I won't even eat but I still need to have at the table.

Snacks

-raw beef with onions, pepper, and rye bread

-herring and crackers

-summer sausage, assorted sliced cheeses, spreadable cheese, and crackers

-tiny pickles (sweet and dill)

-olives (green and black)

Cookies/Candy

-peanut butter bon bons

-cut outs

-coconut balls

Breakfast

-spinach casserole

-caramel sticky buns

What's on your table every year? And what is with the herring, anybody else have that?

Happy (Belated) St Nick

Almost a week late, oh well...

The girls were very excited about St Nick this year. This is the first year that they "got it." Lily thought it was crazy that he comes to put presents in your shoes at night. They asked me which shoes to leave out, of course I replied "the biggest ones you have." That silly Daddy of ours put his flip flops out, the girls set him straight real quick.

Christmas fun

A million years ago I babysat for a family who did things differently than mine. They didn't own a TV and they made popcorn on the stove top, at the time I thought they were weird. One night the mom left me instructions to have the kids make some wrapping paper. She left a bunch of paint and a roll of brown shipping paper. The kids and I had a blast and I stored that project deep in my memory.

This year I thought the girls were ready to give it a try. I bought stencils and sponge brushes to help out. We all had a great time and I think that painting our own wrapping paper will be a tradition in our house from now on.

There may or may not be some very odd things painted on Grandma and Grandpa's gifts this year. But hey, that's part of the fun.

Even more catch up

We went home for Thanksgiving to celebrate Grandma Hilda's 90- something birthday. They just we found out she has breast cancer, so the family got together for a big to-do.

Leaves! This is the first year my kids have jumped in a leaf pile. Trees don't exist where we lived in CO.

We were home in October for my cousins wedding in Door County but we squeezed in a visit with my Grandma. She thought Ava's baby doll was real and she held her and played with her and talked to her the whole visit. My kids were completely weirded out.

Catch Up

I am so far behind that I need a catch up post (or twelve). The ladies turned 4 on October 4th, G&G were in attendance as well as the Packard clan. The big gifts were baby dolls (Baby Do and Lily Q) and bassinets.

I loved this beard, it's gone now. What does my opinion matter anyway? Please vote the beard back.

G&G with a cooperative child.

Then we have Halloween which was almost a complete loss this year due to the piggy flu.

excused absence

Alright so I've been gone for awhile, but wait, I can explain. I have a doctor's note and one from my parents.

The week before the week of Thanksgiving I was sick as a dog. So sick in fact that I went to the doctor, that's saying something. I got my z-pack and went home to recover and try to get ready to leave for WI. I completely missed Adam's birth. Total suckage. We had a great time in WI and saw lots of friends and family.

The weekend after Thanksgiving we came home with my parents in tow. Lily colored with G&G continuously. The ladies also learned just how fun it is to have an audience for their shows. Dad and I put up the outside decorations and we have most of the inside done. We're making up for being between houses last year. Pics to follow. G&G went home Thursday morning, there were lots of sad faces and some tears.

Today we're off to "the woods" aka Fulton Farms to cut down our tree. Tonight we're going to take a hike to see a lighted waterfall. Bring it, I'm ready!