Nov. 25, 2007
Bring On Christmas!
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Hi There, For those who are reading this, I hope that your Thanksgiving weekend went very well. Our "holiday weekend" actually lasted for the whole week as Kevin took a week's vacation from work. He was able to sleep in this week and since the kids are old enough to fix their own breakfast, I thought I'd see if I could try sleeping in as well. It was rather nice not to be startled awake by an alarm. Thanksgiving day started with warm Cinnabon cinnamon rolls (ok, they were Pillsbury's version of them), and hot latte's & steamers. The kids were anxious to watch the Macy's parade on tv. There were a few comments from them such as "those girls look cold in those costumes". Yes, I'm sure that the Rockettes and the various cheerleaders were a bit chilly. The kids are more excited about the balloons, wondering if their favorite characters will be made into one. For our Thanksgiving meal, we went to my dad's house. He's been hosting for nearly 10 years now, and when we think of family dinners, we think of his house. The kids were looking forward to seeing his new kitty, Tonto. However, when we arrived, we got a glimpse of Tonto and it was obvious that he was not looking forward to meeting us. He hid in a back bedroom and never came back out. However, there was other entertainment. My sister, brother-in-law, and 4 month old nephew were there. We haven't seen the baby since August and he had changed alot. A bit rounder, and more smiles. He seemed to be more entertained by the kids than the adults. When we came home in the evening, Kevin surprised the kids with their own copy of "Ratatouille" on DVD. They were thrilled, and for two hours, quiet on the couch watching the movie (giving us a chance to relax as well). On Friday, we steered clear of those holiday sales. There were several stores open at 4AM and folks who had camped outside all night in 24 degree weather to take advantage of those sales. I'm sorry, but there is just not one thing or no sale worth risking hypothermia for. We slept in (of course) and then prepared to decorate for Christmas. Kevin went outside and cleared out the yard, preparing to put up Christmas lights, which took up most of the day. While he was doing that, I put away the fall decorations and pulled out the Christmas ones. I still don't have everything set up yet. Heather has been helping Kevin with his lights. She's been a pretty good "apprentice". One day, she'll be lighting her house with her kids and keep the tradition going. Kylin was completely overwhelmed with joy about those decorations. Kevin hung the lighted snowflake outside of his window and Kylin was so happy and excited, that he literally had tears in his eyes. Then later, I pulled out his stuffed snowman, that plays music when you squeeze the hand, (and that we usually don't replace the batteries in right away), and Kylin was giddy and happy and dancing around the house. Fortunately, the toy doesn't play as loudly this year. On Saturday, I had to venture out to run some errands. Traffic wasn't too bad, and the crowds at the store weren't too bad either (I realized later that there was a football game going on, so that would explain where most folks were. And our team lost too (no Rose Bowl for us I guess), so maybe no one felt like shopping after that. I've done most of the Christmas shopping for my own kids, so I was in search of something for my nephew. I had asked my sister if she cared if the toys made noise. She said that it didn't matter, so I bought one small noisy toy. It's hard to find a toy that doesn't make noise, and I don't want to totally alienate my sister, so I may just stick with the one. I don't want her to ever feel the need to retaliate and give our kids something that is noisier (as I've seen this happen in other families). So, now it's Sunday, Kevin has to back to work tomorrow. The kids have school again, and life goes back to normal (about as normal as it can be during a holiday season). Feeling pretty well prepared as I have most of my shopping done (and wrapped so no one can peek). I have a bit of a cold, and it sounds like perhaps others in the house have it too. It sounds like Kevin will be out in the cold again today, putting up lights. Once it's finished, I'll try to get some pictures to post. He always does a fantastic job. I'm glad that I married a guy who likes to do that sort of thing. Lisa |
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