Merry Christmas...

From our motley crew...

To Yours...

Snow Happy...

Little weekend happies in the snow look like this....

I love that Kael works on shoveling the driveway as if his very life depends upon it being all clear.  He is tenacious and meticulous about it and I have never seen a more resilient little snow man.  He can do it for HOURS and he recruits assistance from neighbor kids like Tom Sawyer then rewards them with juice boxes and treats accordingly.

I love that Dax's lashes get weighed down with snowflakes.  They are of epic lengths and he looks like a little baby deer with lashes that brush the tops of his cheeks.  It must be exhausting... holding up those lashes heavy with snow, but he fights through it... or asks for another ride in a sled or a wagon.

I love that Acey lays down to make a "snow man" a.k.a. snow angel and says, "WHOA look up at da sky!"  As if it is the most rad thing in the world and he's stuck in a magical little snow globe like a cute little porcelain figurine.  And the way he eats snow?  Balls to the wall... a handful shoved into his face with ferocity and repeat times fifty-three.

P.S. We clearly have the coolest snow toys... excavators, dump trucks, lawn mowers and bikes.  We're trend setters like that.  But what we lack in actual snow toys we make up for in snow style.  

  

Snow babies make me Snow happy.  For obvious reasons...

Reindeer Games...

We're officially done with school this year.  Oh come on, you KNOW you used to think that was cool... when you'd be leaving for Christmas break and you'd yell out to a friend,

"Hey!  See you next year!"  Fine, I'll admit, I still think it's kinda cool.

Regardless, 2013 is baked.  Done.  Finito -- As far as the tutelage goes.  But it's not even close to being a wrap because these next eleven days?  This is when the magic REALLY happens.

In the spirit of filling our Christmas bucket list, we hit up the old Reindeer this past week.  The boys are always intrigued and fearless (which causes me a little stress around slightly domesticated but still wild animals) but I'm not gonna lie; I think they're cool too.

This year we caught the ice sculptures on our way in.  No really, that ribbon that is supposed to act as a gate to keep little people out was located a tad too high for their squatty fields of vision and they ran in to really appreciate these pieces (is what I tell myself) and I then ran to catch this precious snowflake as it wobbled in its perch... Holy Moly.

Moving on.

The reindeer, of the none-ice variety...

And when I wouldn't let them feed their furry friends a pack of Smarties (meanest Mom of all time) --

they found a new form of entertainment... Hide & Seek amongst the Christmas trees.

It was a little endearing.

Especially this part... Do see those little faces?  That is their typical MO when I speak to all three little rascals at once.  This particular speech was about the "rules" of our little game.  No going out on the road, stay in the trees or come stand by Mommy, Blah Blah Bliggety Blah... No one is listening, let them run free already.  So logically...

And what is the thanks I get for this night of wonder which I braved all on my own as the Mister was out of town?  Snowballs thrown rapid fire style at yours truly.

 I'll take it, man.  Christmas with kids.... Magical.

If you haven't gathered... I like what's happening here.

:)

Gettin' After It...

Sometimes little man gets a beater all to himself.

It doesn't happen often, so I understand why he gets after it as if someone might come bounding through the door at any moment to steal his coveted prize.

Alas, he got 'er done solo.

And with finesse, if I do say so myself.

He's a keeper.

A sticky, doughy, sweet little keeper.
'Atta Boy, Ace Man.

The Miscellaneous Christmas File...

Do note that I realize how nostalgic I get this time of year.  I am nothing if not predictable.  But I can't control it.  I'm doing the whole, "playing the movie of our life from this year and then pressing repeat on Christmas highlights from years past".  It's December.  And It's got to be totally annoying after a while, for which I apologize; but how cool is Christmas time?

The other day Kael came home from preschool with this head piece of the elf variety.  Side note: Kael HATES superfluous head gear.  So I got these awesome shots and while I try to not duplicate things I post on Instagram on the blog, these were too great not to share.

"Ohh he's an ANGRY elf!"

Quick, name that Christmas movie... 

And he's back... my right jolly old ELF.

On the flip side, little man is a huge fan of things on his head.  I don't even have to ask him... he just digs them out and poses like he's in GQ.  I kind of love that about him.

Feliz Navidad El Hombre!

We had to pry the sombrero from his death grip.  It was touch & go for a minute.

Dax Man has been searching the storage room for his "reindeer costume" ever since we pulled out the first Rubbermaid bin full of decorations.  I could NOT find the little antlers for him for the life of me... And then I did.

And it was a little bit awesome.

 

And it spurned a week-long rekindling of his love for Bambi.  Sometimes you need a little reminder about a once dearly loved toy and these reindeer horns (who are "NOT Rudolph's -- just Dax's!") were such a reminder.

And that is a little bit of Christmas cheer in the form of all things la cabeza... 

For who knows why... except there seems to be a recurring theme around these parts lately.

And side note number three hundred and five... Kaelster came running into my room this morning and said, "Is it Christmas this morning?"  I said, Nope, not yet... eight days left, Buddy.  To which he replied, "It's taking TWO-EVER to get here!"

Man do I remember that feeling!

:)

Welcome to Bethlehem...

Today we did Christmas the way it should be done.

We made our own little nativity scenes that I ordered on a whim from Oriental Trading for a whopping three bucks way back pre-Thanksgiving.  I'm not gonna lie... it might rank up there with swaddling blankets as one of the greatest purchases this mama ever made.

Their little fingers pointed and asked what each "character" was as they stuck it to their little scene (or themselves in Ace's case); and we talked.  We talked about how Christmas is Jesus' birthday and how the wise men knew to follow the star to find him in the stable lying in a manger.  We talked about the shepherds that wanted to come get a peek at their new King.  And who Jesus' Mommy was, and the white blankies he was wrapped in.  And by golly, I think they kinda got it.

Of course, our own Nativity set from Jerusalem has been "gently loved" these past few years as bits and pieces of the story of Christ's birth have been absorbed.  We are missing a sheep and Dax took one of the wise men on a recent trip to Target "so he could pick a new gift for baby Jesus".  But that's kind of it, isn't it?  I want them to know the story of Jesus' birth and it's beautiful history and the meaning it brings to the holidays as they celebrate.  And I want them to feel close to Him, even if that means swiping a donkey and clutching it tightly in their tiny hand.  I also want them to enjoy the imaginative story about Santa and elves and Rudolph.  And feel the magic with presents under the tree and sweet treats and game nights with those they love.  I want this holiday to mean both things to my children as we create traditions and celebrate love and family and giving.  

I feel good knowing we've balanced the scales a wee bit here.  I feel like a Mom.  You know how some things just hit you... preschool drop off, field trips, applying Band-aids... whatever it is, and you mentally note that you just earned a Mama Merit Badge and you feel so fulfilled in doing what you're doing as a parent?  

Yes, that.  With sweet baby Jesus and my three wise little men.