A One Horse Open Sleigh

Trying to get our money's worth out of Reese's snow pants, we got out in the snow again. We were fortunate enough to borrow Aidan's snow pants (Thank you, Jenn R!), but still wanted to take full advantage. Aidan thought it was still Christmas because the snow was still on the ground.

Aidan attempts to throw a snowball at Daryl

just one of the kids



Aidan and Reese love the sled

dragging a heavy load of cuteness.

A White Christmas

It snowed on Christmas morning and now Aidan thinks that every time it snows it is Christmas again. I wish, buddy, I wish.

Aidan loved making snow balls!

Reese was having trouble adjusting to her new snow pants.

Our white Christmas was amazing. Natalie and her family arrived the day before Christmas Eve. Diana and I had been baking cookies and working on our menu for Xmas Eve and Christmas day in the weeks before the big day. We set out the stockings during the middle of the day on Christmas Eve and it was nearly impossible to keep the kids from opening the presents. The worst kid of all was my Father-in-Law. He always ends up giving the presents out early every year so I was very impressed that he showed some restraint this year, he did not refrain from asking every hour or so if it was time to open the presents yet.

My mother in law lost all of the stockings this year (or so she thought), so Natalie and I had to use our family's stocking and I purchase two Dollar Store stockings for my father-in-law and mother-in-law. Diana and I searched all over the house for her stockings, but they were never found, until...3 days before Christmas, Natalie found them in her Christmas decor at her house in Tennessee. Diana had also lost them the year before, so Natalie took them last year so that they would not get lost. Natalie and I did not tell Diana that the missing stocking were recovered, we just put them in a box and wrapped them up as a present. Yes, we get our kicks out of making fun of each other.

The stocking were sitting in front of the chimney with care, who could possibly hang them with all of that stuff in them?
After dinner, we opened the stockings. We tried the "everyone open one gift and we'll go around the room," but with the little ones, that just does not work. Eventually we just had paper flying everywhere. Levi almost threw away a present because we literally had tons of ripped wrapping paper to the point that you could no longer see the floor. We got lip gloss, hand sanitizer, puzzles, socks, dental floss, toys, Snuggies, and all of the older boys got a pair of racy panties. We all had a good laugh and then we had dessert.

Before bed we put out cookies for Santa and put a plate of our reindeer food on the porch. We made the reindeer food (dry oatmeal mixed with glitter) at our storytime class and it was in a ziplock. I wasn't exactly sure how to display it, but was certain that it should be placed outside, after all, the reindeer don't come in the house, right? I was raised Jewish, so I don't know these things, give me break. As for Santa's plate of cookies, I didn't take into account that "Santa" has been eating a lot of cookies for the past few days and ate a big meal and therefore probably would not eat all of the cookies we left out for him. Rookie mistake.

Santa couldn't finish all of the cookies, he (ahem, she) was too full.

Sugar overload! Everything was so delicious!

I put the kids to bed and went upstairs to get rid of the reindeer food. By the time I opened the door, the plate was gone and we had oatmeal and glitter all over the front porch. Another rookie mistake, but at least the stuff was gone and there was a little evidence to show to the kids in the morning.


Checking the front porch to see if the reindeer ate the food.

Christmas morning was amazing. The tree was busting full of presents and the kids were chomping at the bit to open them. Once again we had wrapping paper flying everywhere and we really enjoyed seeing their faces when the opened everything. Because Aidan "asked Santa" for so many things this year, I waited in pure excitement to see how he would react to receiving the requested items. He was excited for about a minute and then moved on to the next box. Oh well.

Levi, Aidan, Guy and Reese in front of the tree before the mayhem began.

Reese and all her new princess stuff.

Reese's Cinderella gown. We RSVP'd to a Princess Tea in February, so now we have our outfit!

Of all the presents, this dollar store special was Aidan's favorite, figures.

Pappy's new Snuggie. I'm convinced that he is the only person in the free world that actually wants a Snuggie, everyone else probably received them as a joke. I could have used one the other day, but I would never admit it.

Hungry for a little sushi? Aidan's gift from Natalie & Tim. They love to eat sushi and really enjoy playing with this set. Ironic that their aunt from the country bought it for him.


Reese and Aidan all smiles after tons of presents and tons of sugar cookies.

Santa brought us everything we wanted including Visa gift cards and cash to put towards our family trip to New York! We just need to save a little more money and we'll be on our way to the BIG APPLE! I can almost taste a street hot pretzel and Poland Spring Water.

Merry Christmas to all...

Happy Hanukkah

I grew up celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas. I thought everyone did this in their families until I was about 12 years old and then I learned the truth... We were very lucky. We celebrated Hanukkah in our home because my mom is Jewish and must have won that battle with my dad a long, long time ago. We celebrated Christmas with my dad's family and my Papa and Nana. I longed for a Christmas tree and for Santa to visit our house, but felt very blessed to celebrate both holidays so I kept my mouth shut (well, sort of).

One year I recall trying to plot with my dad our plan to have a Christmas tree, but decorate it all in blue with Hanukkah decorations. Dad told me that it wouldn't happen, but I thought I had the answer. Dad was right, mom did not like our idea and told me that when I lived on my own, I could have my own tree and decorate MY house however I like. When I was 16 I had a 3 ft tree hidden in the corner of my bedroom. When I was 18 and got my own apartment, I bought a 6 ft tree and my mother bought me my first ornament that said, "Shanna's First Christmas."

I still feel blessed to have grown up celebrating both holidays and I want this for Aidan and Reese. The last few years, we have been fortunate enough to be with my mom for Hanukkah, but this year we couldn't make it happen. My mother-in-law expressed an interest in learning about Hanukkah, so we decided to have a full Hanukkah celebration with my sister-in-law's family so that we could teach her kids about it too. It sounded like a great idea and my only opportunity to eat Latkes (potato pancakes) this year.

I've always been the attendee at Hanukkah parties, but never the host. For years, I've had lunch at my Aunt Grace and Uncle Howard's home to celebrate Hanukkah and we ate, played the Dreidel Game and sang songs, but I didn't exactly know enough to be the host. I search on the Internet for the story of Hanukkah but it was so overwhelming. I really needed a quick tutorial or Hanukkah for Dummies and I wasn't finding it. I purchased a menorah at Target and my friend Jenn R gave me 9 candles (Reese broke one so Jenn sent one more, so technically I owe her 10 candles). Jenn R told me to get Latkes from Trader Joes, and if you follow this blog, you know that I do not like Trader Joe's. Reluctantly, I made the pilgrimage to TJ's, as Holly (a Trader Joe's fan) calls it, I purchased 3 packages of frozen Latkes and left the store. As my Grandmother reads this she is shaking her head because she has never made frozen Latkes in her life and she is very disappointed in me. I will leave the homemade Latkes to the professionals because I would like to enjoy our holiday and not poison everyone with experimental Latkes.

I had no dreidel because I didn't know where to buy them and everything related to Hanukkah has been on clearance since December 1st. Completely by mistake I ended up sending my online photos to the wrong Walmart and when I went to pick them up, I discovered the mother load of Hanukkah paraphernalia. I purchased more candles, dreidels, and I even found the perfect book to explain the story of Hanukkah complete with a Latke recipe (for a future date), instructions on how to play the Dreidel Game, all the prayers and more! Woo Hoo! Hanukkah is saved!

We lit the candles and I did not take my eyes off of them for fear I would set the house on fire. The kids played the Dreidel Game and the Latkes were delicious! A huge success. Next year, I hope we can celebrate with my mom.

Natalie helps Reese count her money for the Dreidel Game.

Reese misunderstands "spin" your dreidel for "throw it" on the table.

The boys do a little gambling while Aidan and Levi eye the chocolate coins.

It is better to give...

Daryl and I have both always donated our time, money, and things to those in need. We do this year round and especially during the holidays. We've done Habitat for Humanity, worked at a food pantry, donated to Goodwill, just to name a few. This spirit of giving is something that we want to teach our children.

I thought it would be nice to have them purchase something that they would like to have, but then give it away to Toys For Tots or the Salvation Army Giving Tree. I explained to Aidan that some kids won't get what they want for Christmas and they need our help. His response: "Well then Santa will just go back to his workshop and get them the presents, right? Is that a big idea?" How do I respond to that?

I convinced Aidan that Santa really needed our help so we purchased our gifts and then I designated the Sunday before Christmas as our giving day. I had seen donation boxes at our local mall earlier in the month so it seemed like a perfect plan - play at the indoor play area, donate our gifts, take some photos so that I could write this blog, and then home for lunch and naptime. Great plan, but this is how it really happened:

We went to the mall, played on the playground and then walked around looking for the donation box. We did not find the donation box, EVER. I pulled out my iPhone and searched for the nearest Toys for Tots drop off. I was so excited to find out that Babies R Us (which is on the outskirts of the mall) is the closest. Yippee! I packed the kids back in the car and drove the 0.02 miles to Babies R Us. When we got to Babies R Us I saw the huge sign regarding Toys for Tots donations and I was so pleased with being able to pull this off until I read the fine print that they stopped taking donations on December 6th. DECEMBER 6th? Are you serious? This is turning into an epic fail and I am rapidly losing my "spirit of the season." It turns out that they are still accepting monetary donations so I gave Aidan & Reese a few dollars and let them make their donation. The BRU manager mentioned to me that Mobile on The Run Gas Stations were still accepting toy donations.

With our money at Babies R Us ready to donate.

Aidan gives his donation and Reese is waiting patiently to give hers.

Reese is waiting for her receipt after giving her donation.

My plan could be salvaged, so I drove to the nearest Mobile station and walked in all excited to finally be able to drop off our gifts. This gas station did not have a single Christmas light or hint of holiday anywhere. I knew it wasn't going to be successful, but I asked the clerk if they were accepting TFT donations. He looked at me like he had never heard of Christmas before so I thanked him and left the gas station defeated. When I got back into the car, Aidan asked me how we were going to give the kids that needed toys our gifts. "Not sure yet, buddy."

Monday evening we drove out see the Winter Wonderland lights at Tillies Park and after the 20 minute car ride to the park and waiting in line for 45 minutes to get in and then 20 minutes into the 30 minutes of driving SLOWLY through the light display, Aidan spoke those fateful words, "Mommy, I have to go the bathroom!" Ummm? Hold it just a little longer, or perhaps we can pull over and do it next to the gingerbread house? Nope? Okay, hold it just a little longer. I quietly prayed that he could hold it.

When we finally exited the park, my father-in-law drove around looking for the nearest bathroom. We ended up at a Mobile on the Run. Mobile on the Run?? Oh YES, Toys For Tots drop off location! I ran into the station with Aidan and was so delighted to see a big box by the register with the words, "TOYS FOR TOTS" written on it. I planned to go there tomorrow with our presents!

The next day, I packed the kids in car and was sure to bring our presents. After our story time, we met Evie and Noah at McAlister's Deli for lunch. As soon as I walked into McAlister's I saw a big cardboard box full of presents a "TOYS FOR TOTS" poster on it. Woo Hoo! Now I don't have to back to Mobile and I went back out to my car to grab the presents.

After our meal, I asked the kids to donate their gifts and I grabbed my camera to document the event. Aidan thought it was an exchange program and wanted one of the items in the box. Reese did not really want to give up her present. I took three days and a lot of coaxing, but we selflessly gave and then enjoyed a well deserved cookie.


Making Christmas Light necklaces at Story Time.

Reese prepares her reindeer food at Story Time.

Reese is not ready to let her gift go.

Reese is almost ready to give up her present.

Aidan and Reese check out the other toys in the box.

A Day At The Movies

We saw our first movie at the movie theater. My father-in-law and I took Aidan and Reese to see The Princess and The Frog.

I have been waiting for this movie to come to theaters since I first heard about it. I was surprised and excited when Nat told me he wanted to go see it too. I was a little nervous about how the kids would behave at a theater and was glad to have the additional chaperon.

The movie was amazing! I can't wait for it to come out on DVD and I know we will see it about 100 more times when it does. The kids were so well behaved. Thankfully we saw an early show and there were not a lot of people there because Aidan was really interacting with the movie. Aidan does not have another volume level other than LOUD and did not really understand that we were not supposed to talk during the film. The funniest thing he said was at the opening credits they showed the Disney logo and the castle, he shouted out, "Oh, man, Enchanted?!?, I thought we were watching the Princess and the Frog?!?" He really thought he was getting gypped! Yeah, we watch Enchanted, A LOT!

They loved the whole experience of eating popcorn in a dark theater and I loved seeing their faces when the movie came on. My first theater memory that I have is when my dad took me to see Snow White, I hope my kids remember this moment too.

Pappy, Aidan and Reese with our movie tickets.


Mmmm candy.

Waiting for the movie to start.

Aidan really enjoyed the previews.

Reese loves the movies too. I love the red booster seat. Love this feature at the theater. It made it so much easier to bring the kids to the theater.

More Bacon, Santa?

We had breakfast with Santa at Macy*s in Downtown St. Louis. This was one of the most well organized events I have ever been to and we will definitely make this a yearly tradition. I highly recommend this event and I'm pretty sure they have these in Macy*s all over the country.

I was a little nervous about how our entire group (14 people-9 kids, 5 adults) would find seats together, but no need to worry, they had a table reserved for our group. As soon as we sat down our hostess offered us beverages (chocolate milk & Coca-Cola) and brought breakfast plates for the kids. Now that's service!

They had tons of live entertainment - two musicians playing guitar and singing Christmas songs, clowns making balloon animals, people dressed as Rudolph and the man with the bag made his way around the room for pictures with each kid.

It was a perfect Christmas memory.

Writing our letter to Santa.

Our table of 14 - that's a lot of pancakes!

Aidan has tickets to the "gun show." Check out those muscles.

Evie and Noah.

Lisa and Finni

Reese explains to her new friend the source of her mother's power - Coca-Cola.

Section 8 Gingerbread Housing

A free holiday activity to do with the kids, I'm there.

What: Make a Gingerbread House
Location: St. Louis Mills Mall
Provided: Graham Crackers & Frosting
Bring: Candy to decorate with

I met my friends Erin and Jenn there with their kids. We each brought a smorgasbord of candies to decorate with and attempted to build gingerbread houses. I'm glad our expectations were pretty low because this was an EPIC FAIL. All of our homes should be condemned and we (the mommies) were covered in frosting.

Aidan at work. He put a lot of coconut (I mean snow) on his house.

Aidan's final product.

Reese likes the frosting.

I gave Abe a full jar of dinosaur sprinkles and told him that I really wanted to get rid of them. I said don't be shy, use them up, and he did. That boy can follow directions.

Reese's house is on the left, Aidan's on the right.
Daryl's response: "Oh, they fell down. That stinks." My reply - "that would imply that they were standing at some point."