The day after Thanksgiving was over, we put up the Christmas decorations. I'm pretty crazy about this. I always put the tree up on the day after Thanksgiving and take it down on New Years Day. This year was a little more challenging though because we weren't sure where to put things in the new house. I did buy a beautiful prelit garland to go on our mantel and it is wonderful! The kids helped me get the tree setup while Dave was at work that day, so he could just walk in and enjoy the work done. He did still get to put up the outside lights though the next day.
All of the boys were fighting over who got which light up Christmas tree for their room. Grandma Pat made some adorable ceramic Christmas trees that light up and play music when wound up. Finally, they all got divided up between the various locations and all were happy.
It has been wonderful to sit in the living room, in the peace and quiet (after the kids have gone to bed), with complete darkness other than our Christmas tree and garland. I actually get a chance to enjoy the simplicity of the time and the true meaning behind the holiday. May you all get the same opportunity at some time this season! Merry Christmas everyone!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thanksgiving
We had a great time celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with our loved ones. This was our first Thanksgiving in the new house and so it was fun trying to figure out how to fit 20 people into it! The kitchen is wonderful for a buffet style setup of eating. The kids got to eat at "the kids' table" in the kitchen. It was the first time we separated them from the adults and I think they actually liked it! The rest of us ate at two tables setup in the living room. It was a great time and the turkeys Dave fried up were fabulous! Everyone seemed to be in good spirits until about 4PM when the little ones decided it was past naptime and started crying more.
We then celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family at my parents' house in Omaha. It was so much quieter compared to the 20 people before! Since there was only the 8 of us, the choas was more controlled. I love having holidays at that house and savoring all the memories of holidays and loved ones passed. It always puts a smile on my face to remember how my great grandma Edna used to sit in that chair over there. And how freaked out my grandmother used to get at me even touching her glass table and leaving fingerprints on it. :) She would have had a stroke if she saw all the fingerprints left on there after my four kids were there for 24 hours! Heh...
But we did something special this Thanksgiving. For the first time ever, we celebrated Sean's birthday as well. His birthday being on December 9th has always been so inconvenient for our families. First we all gather for Thanksgiving. Then 2 weeks later for Sean's birthday party. Then 2 weeks later, Christmas. And lastly, 2 weeks later for Bree's birthday. So we thought we would give this a try this year and see if the kids liked it. If at any time, the kids decide they want their birthdays NOT combined with a holiday, we will change it back, but for now, it works best!
Sean will be turning 5 and is very excited about it. He knows that once he is 5, he will get to go to school in the fall. That boy is so jazzed about heading off to kindergarten that he asks me for homework here at home so he can get ready! It is really cute though to see him working on writing his letters.
We then celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family at my parents' house in Omaha. It was so much quieter compared to the 20 people before! Since there was only the 8 of us, the choas was more controlled. I love having holidays at that house and savoring all the memories of holidays and loved ones passed. It always puts a smile on my face to remember how my great grandma Edna used to sit in that chair over there. And how freaked out my grandmother used to get at me even touching her glass table and leaving fingerprints on it. :) She would have had a stroke if she saw all the fingerprints left on there after my four kids were there for 24 hours! Heh...
But we did something special this Thanksgiving. For the first time ever, we celebrated Sean's birthday as well. His birthday being on December 9th has always been so inconvenient for our families. First we all gather for Thanksgiving. Then 2 weeks later for Sean's birthday party. Then 2 weeks later, Christmas. And lastly, 2 weeks later for Bree's birthday. So we thought we would give this a try this year and see if the kids liked it. If at any time, the kids decide they want their birthdays NOT combined with a holiday, we will change it back, but for now, it works best!
Sean will be turning 5 and is very excited about it. He knows that once he is 5, he will get to go to school in the fall. That boy is so jazzed about heading off to kindergarten that he asks me for homework here at home so he can get ready! It is really cute though to see him working on writing his letters.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Christmas Shopping
Yep... I got a little crazy this year. I decided to complete my Christmas shopping early this year. I wanted to enjoy the holiday season without thinking (every two seconds), "What do I need to get done?!?" So I collected my list, planned out my choices for gifts, hijacked my mom for a Saturday while Dave watched the kids at home for me, and got it done. I was gone until 9:30 PM that night, but it all got done! I'm so excited and realized a few benefits to shopping earlier rather than later. First off: I get my choice of picks off the Christmas lists because I am the first one shopping! Secondly, it was much nicer that day (70 degrees) than it will be in December with snow/sleet/rain/cold temps. Thirdly, I will not have to worry about when is the last possible minute I can buy this item and still get it shipped to {insert city name here}. Fourth, there are not so many people out shopping at this time. Fifth, there are all sorts of awesome sales going on right now because of the bad economy! And lastly, the feeling of satisfaction I get when I can say to myself "I am done with my Christmas shopping" is amazing! Of course, I can't say it out loud or I get many hateful stares from everyone around me at the thought of their Christmas shopping yet to be done.
I even got Bree's Halloween outfit for next year on clearance and bought a lighted garland I wanted for our new house's mantle during the Christmas season on sale! It was a great day overall and was fabulous because I also got to spend time with my mom and eat out without having to cut up someone else's food for them.
I highly recommend this way of shopping for everyone who celebrates Christmas, or even Hanukkah. So... get out there and spend money to help our economy bounce back. And then you get to enjoy the real reason behind the holiday more with less running around.
And yes... the wishlists here are now up to date with all things that have not been bought. If you get something from the list, let me know so I can remove it! Happy Holidays everyone!
I even got Bree's Halloween outfit for next year on clearance and bought a lighted garland I wanted for our new house's mantle during the Christmas season on sale! It was a great day overall and was fabulous because I also got to spend time with my mom and eat out without having to cut up someone else's food for them.
I highly recommend this way of shopping for everyone who celebrates Christmas, or even Hanukkah. So... get out there and spend money to help our economy bounce back. And then you get to enjoy the real reason behind the holiday more with less running around.
And yes... the wishlists here are now up to date with all things that have not been bought. If you get something from the list, let me know so I can remove it! Happy Holidays everyone!
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