12/25 a.m.

 

3 happy kids

& one very happy Drew.  

Drew was happy eating the traditional sugar cereal that Santa brings to everyone.  He pretty much didn't care about anything else. 

There were games,

art supplies,

new clothes,

and one very MERRY Christmas MESS!

tradition

Our traditional "Smashing of the Gingerbread Houses" took on a new twist this year.  They were tossed over the balcony instead.

The landing spot:

 

The tossers:

 

The toss:

 

The results:

  

To honor them, a look back at their creation:

11.30.13

Christmyths

1) Emmy: "Hey!  Where'd we get the Jesus pen?"

Drew agreed and when he saw it said, "Jesus."

It is actually a Star Wars pen from a cereal box.  

2)  Jake didn't just earn all of these merit badges.

I just recently got my act together and put them on his sash (only took me 13 months)

3)  Emmy wasted a whole bunch of kleenex the other night.

 Emmy's nose was bothering her.  But only half of it. That must be why only half of every kleenex got used.

4) Ali: "We need to get serious about Christmas!  We need more decorations!"

This is serious.  There's lights and a wreath!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

For reals.

places i sit

by Drew

 I sit in the car.

 I sit in the castle.

 I sit on the stairs eating snacks with friends.

 I sit in my high chair and eat.  I like to line up my grapes and I love my yellow tower bock.

 And I sit on laundry baskets. 

snow day

No School!!!

There was 2 inches of snow so everything was canceled.

Max somehow knew.  This is how we found him this morning:

Vacation starts early!

unplugged

You never know how things will go with a Christmas tree and a toddler.  We put ornaments everywhere on the tree and decided to wait and see what Drew would do.  He actually doesn't take ornaments off the tree. 

He just unplugs the lights every time he walks by.

And sometimes, he adds his own touch.

surprises

Max has been surprising us this year.  I guess he has felt the elf pressure to not only remember to hide somewhere different every day, but to hide somewhere creative--even funny--with props much of the time.  Wow.  What an over-achieving elf!  I kinda miss when Max just hid on shelves and in stockings and that was good enough.  Max has obviously spent some time on Pinterest to see the outstanding things his elf friends are doing.   And he's apparently been talking to his elf friends, who stay with our friends, and do super awesome and amazing things every day.  So as not to let the girls down, Max has been really going above and beyond last year's "norm."

What's even more surprising than that, however, is how much Drew is into Max this year.  Every morning he comes down and points to where Max was the day before.  Then he shrugs up his little shoulder and says, "ahh-ahh?" which means, "Where's Max?"  When we find him, he runs to him, laughs, and points his finger.  Then we like to ask Drew all day where Max is just so we can see him run, laugh, and point.

It's almost as much fun as seeing what new things Max will do.

advanced

2012

Apparently Emmy is no longer interested in the Fisher Price Nativity set.   She's playing in the big leagues now.

2013