The Ultimate Christmas Magic

I can remember the year when I was a little girl that we got to take care of a tiny puppy for a few days before Christmas, until it got delivered to it's new family.  From then on, I've always been convinced that your best ticket to a magical Christmas is the arrival of a pet!  

 This year Santa brought us a hamster...in a space-age looking cage!  Unveiling "Kipper" (named by Nathan) was a Christmas moment I will always remember!  Our boys couldn't be more perfect ages for the magic of Christmas to arrive in full force.  (And, interestingly in the days since that magical moment it's been Elizabeth who is aware of "Dipper"'s every move and really loves him most!)

Christmas Morning

Two excited boys on Christmas Morning!

As soon as Elizabeth saw this next to the tree...she knew it was her's!  She just kept on saying, "I-chair" over and over.  (And then was determined to sit in it herself!)

To Santa

Nathan and Greg carefully prepared a plate for Santa and his reindeer, with one big apple for Rudolf and an apple slice for each reindeer.  =)

 Here's the note that Santa wrote back.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve morning we went out to eat at one of our family's favorite spots -- Big Boy.

Early evening we all went over to the church to burn some energy (in hopes of tired kids when it really counts.)  We had fun playing in the gyms with balls and dolls.  And then finished off with a game of Sardines.  (A signature game of my families...like hide-and-seek, but one person hides and the rest have to find them and hide with them when they do.)

We had a nice Christmas Eve dinner of ham, potatoes, pumpkin roll, etc.  And then sang Christmas songs, watched "Joy to the World", and opened Christmas flashlights and jammies!

Our Christmas Train

Visit from Jon and Chelsea and Gingerbread Houses

 We were lucky enough to have Greg's sister Chelsea and her husband Jon here for an evening during the holidays.  (From Utah)  We thought it would be fun to make gingerbread houses together.  I was gathering all the supplies at Wal-Mart and stumbled upon their new thing...a gingerbread village.  ($9 for everything!)  We had a great time assembling houses, having dinner (Greg grilled), acting out the Nativity, and playing games.  (Our new favorite:  PANDEMIC)

Men at Work

Two men and two boys worked very hard in the days before Christmas.  Nathan was determined to make "love gift" creations for everyone.  (And, he had a great dad who helped make it happen.)  He used the kind of beads that can be designed with and then melted with an iron to make a "self-portrait of Grandpa", etc.  And, made necklaces and bracelets for the rest of us with pony beads and elastic.

Grandpa and Joshua loved working together on puzzles.

Scare Hair

Grandpa helped the kids figure out a great trick.  After many takes with the camera we finally captured Elizabeth's "scare hair" created by much rubbing with a fleece blanket and then a great reveal.

Dollar Store Adventure

Going Christmas shopping at the Dollar Store is one of our traditions.  After drawing names and handing out $1.06 to each family member, we headed off on our adventure.

 The best part is sneaking through the store with the kids, hoping not to get caught by the person whose gift you're holding.  It's always fun to see what thoughtful things Nathan and Joshua dream up with their totally "unrestricted" $1.

Greg...who had my mom and debated a long time between fake eyelashes, a set of dream catchers, and a large back rest to use while sitting in any chair...opted for the back rest and totally scored!  (We assumed we'd take it to Goodwill after Christmas, but it the mammoth thing was put in precious luggage space to take home.)  I should let him pick out Christmas gifts more often.  I gave Greg a CD with Spanish guitar music in hopes of inspiring his "Spanish Mode".  (See Toy Story 3)  =)

Moments to Remember

People ask me what we did when my parents were here.  As I look back on all the pictures I realize we did "do" a lot!  But, for me it's more about just the time we got to share...doing life together.  Here are a few of the miscellaneous moments I'll treasure most.

Nathan got a thermometer from Grandpa for Christmas (mutual weather lovers) that we mounted outside the window so he can check the temperature in the mornings and know how warmly to dress for school.  This is Nathan and Grandma checking the temperature.

6 hands playing the piano.

 Dipping pretzels...something I loved doing with my mom growing up.

Grandma taught us how to play "Don't Eat Pete!"  A simple game that was an immediate hit!

Bedtime with Grandma.