Dear Santa ...

As we rolled into the holiday season, I was heartbroken one day when Mason came home from school and said, "Mom, someone in my class said there is no Santa Claus." As a mom, I felt horrible that he heard such a vicious rumor in his first grade classroom ... yet, as a mom, I felt horrible when I lied to him to keep on with the story of Santa Claus. 

Now why would he say such a thing? Doesn't Santa leave gifts for him on Christmas morning?

Mason told me his friend said it's really your parents that leave gifts, not Santa. And, the clever kid that Mason is, he told his friend that he gets presents from his parents and Santa! That's my boy.



Now that Mason can write on his own, a new meaning in writing to Santa has landed upon our home. I'm pretty sure he has sent Santa 1,374 letters so far this year, each time listing out what he would like for Christmas. Most days, I find sealed envelopes from Mason in the mailbox, waiting for the mailman to take them to Santa.

Little things like that just make me smile.



Imagine Mason's surprise when I told him I received an email from Santa just for him. The grin on his face as he watched Santa speak was unforgettable. And shame on me for talking as Santa spoke ... Mason shushed me about 37 times.



One of the things I have always loved most about this season is sitting around with nothing but the Christmas tree lighting the room. The twinkle, the warmness ... I'm not sure I can really put into words how it warms my soul.



We received a box packed with gifts in the mail the other day from my dad and step-mom ... or Mickey Mouse Grandma and Grandpa, as the kids call them. The distinction being that they live near Disney World. Anyway, the kids have been drooling over these gifts since the second we opened the box ... but they have been told repeatedly that they are for Christmas and that they cannot open them until Christmas morning.



The girls ... um, clearly they don't so much understand. After getting in trouble once already for opening two of the smaller gifts a few days ago, I found yesterday that they opened all of them ---> time out chicks.



The holiday season is upon us ... enjoy it while you can! Time outs and all.

Merry Christmas -- 4 more days!

Snotty noses. Toys. And the potty.

I have given it several days, however the snot is overwhelming our house. The girls' noses are running like faucets ... no fever, just snot. I took them to the pediatrician this morning, since their schools seem to think they should not be in school, even with just a runny nose.

Umm ... I'm pretty sure it is going to be a long winter if a runny nose keeps kids from school.

Final diagnosis ... Nika - ear infection and sinus infection, Payton - a cold.

A cold? While that may very well be, I got a script for an antibiotic anyway. Payton's teeny tiny nasal passages make it hard for her to kick a cold like the average kid, thus eventually causing infection.

So antibiotics it is. Thank the Lord. Come to us clear noses ... come to us.

Please.

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While I was waiting for the girls' prescriptions to be filled at Target, we walked through the toy aisles to see what is out there this year. I'm so flustered at what to get the kids for Christmas.

Will there ever be a toy that they love so much that is doesn't end up separated into 14 different pieces and spread throughout all three levels of our house?

I know I'm getting Mason this and I really want to get the girls a doll house ... but which one? I like the wooden ones, but I'm not sure what to get. Something without tons of little pieces would be fantastic. Ha.

Mason has circled every toy in the Toys R Us book, that I can't even use it as a guide. Any suggestions? What are your kids getting for Christmas this year ... or what are they asking for? Help!

*************

Potty training Payton has been one really, long drawn out process. She has stayed dry in her pull up during the day for a really long time ... I just have been nervous to take the plunge.

I did it.

I have had her in undies all week, during the day. She has done great, with me pulling her to the bathroom to make sure she goes. We can't wait for the day that she tells us every time she has to go ... that day might not come soon.

So it is on us.

She has had less than one accident per day ... and the one accident was totally my fault. I knew she probably needed to go, but we got to dancing in the basement and well, you know what comes next.

The true test will be seeing how she does at school. They are now taking her twice during the time she is at school, and this has worked for her. I haven't sent her to school at all this week ... ya know, because of her runny nose. So we will see.

Fingers crossed!

Christmas Day 2008

On Christmas morning, I awoke to find Mason sleeping in our bed ... clearly he had come in some time during the night. He sat up in bed and said, "Wake up! Santa was here!" I asked him how he knew that Santa had come and he said, "Because it is Christmas!" I thought maybe he had snuck downstairs earlier without me knowing it, but I don't think he had. He proceeded to wake up his sisters and I made the kids wait upstairs until I could get the video camera ready ... mean Mom, I know. I finally let the kids come downstairs and they went crazy. Every other word out of Mason's mouth was "awesome" ... "awesome" ... "awesome". LOL ... it cracks me up because I'm not sure when he got so old. {Note to self: next time you want to video tape a moment like the kids coming down the stairs on Christmas morning, make sure you know how to operate your camera so you can make sure you are actually taping. Grr.}

The kids opened their stockings first and played a little bit with their toys that Santa left out. Mason was going crazy and wanted to open all the gifts immediately ... in fact if every gift could have been opened within 2.2 seconds, he would have been a happy camper. Nika was a little confused by the excitement and just kind of crawled around looking at all the loot and playing with the wrapping paper. This year was especially fun with Payton, now that she is old enough to be really interested in her toys ... she was so cute.

Payton opening her stocking ...

Nika and her stocking ... LOL ... "What in the heck is that?!"

"Oooh look, I get a toy!""This is fun ... and I'm stinkin cute!"Mason and his stocking ...

Chicky opening her Snugglekins Nursery from Auntie Shawn, Uncle Brian and Cousin Ethan ... you think she likes it?More of Chicky opening the nursery ... this pic cracks me up ... she was so excited! LOL

The kids opening Disney ornaments from Grandpa and Grandma B ... or Mickey Mouse Grandpa and Grandma, as Mason refers to them {they live by Mickey Mouse} ...Nika opening her KidiJamz Studio ...

Nika loved this thing ... she eventually just laid on top of it. She has to hide it from her siblings, ya know! LOL

"Awesome! Just what I wanted!"

Payton ... I just love her reactions!

"Awesome!"

The girls Payton opening the karaoke/CD player ...

Just another cute face ... I'm not bias, am I?

Nika loving on her wrapping paper ... ;)"Awesome! Star Wars!"

Payton's new truck. LOL. Story behind it is that the kids constantly fight over the big trucks. They love to zoom them around the house, so Payton finally got one of her own and her brother got one to match. Where can I buy a pink one? Haha. Nika will get one too as soon as she realizes how fun it apparently is to play cars.

While we were opening our gifts, Auntie Shay, Uncle Jeremy and Cousin Jaxson came over. Jaxson looked so cute in his little Christmas jammies ...

Jaxson opening gifts from us ... happy boy!

Sing it, buddy!

I guess opening all those presents got Payton tuckered out. Here she is resting on some of the Melissa and Doug stuff that the kids got from the other Grandpa and Grandma B ...After awhile, Auntie Kristie, Uncle Casey and Grandma B {a whole other Grandma B ... LOL} joined us ... we had lots of toys to open and play with. Later on we cooked up a good dinner {ham, scalloped potatoes, 7-layer salad and rolls} ...

Merry Christmas

Christmas Parade

Yesterday morning, we went to our local Christmas parade. It was SO cold out, like 30 degrees ... but with the wind it was much colder. Mason was a total crank puss and we later learned it was because he was had a temperature and would be throwing up a couple hours later. Sigh.

Anyway, there were like 120 units in the parade and we stayed through like 47 of them before Mason just wanted to go home. So we did ... we were freezing!

Christmas Cookies in October

One of my favorite things about Christmas is baking cookies throughout December. Every year, the girls in my immediate and extended family get together for an entire day of baking cookies. Things have become pretty competitive {my sister tries to show us up with her expert decorating ability of cut outs}, but we have so much fun and we laugh a lot.

One of my favorite cookies are spritz. I love them and I could eat them all day long. I've been craving them two months early this year, so the kids and I made a batch of them today. Instead of making Christmas shapes, we made cars and boats ... and we used red and pink sprinkles {which are each of the kids' favorite colors}. They are all gone now. In fact, I think they were all gone within 24 hours. Oops.

Mason and Payton dousing the cookies with sprinkles decorating the cookies ...