A Very Merry Christmas

This Christmas seasons has been the most hectic and jam-packed Christmas that I can remember. I barely finished my shopping in time. Barely. Bryan and I actually had to go out shopping on Christmas Eve so that he would have something to open the next morning.

In the last two weeks I wasn't even home for a full day once. This month was filled with shopping and planning for a ward Christmas party, completing that party, Christmas shopping, spending time with Rissa and her kids while they were in town, several trips to the doctor, 300 cupcakes to decorate, a wedding, family parties, sick kids, sick husband, sick me, being snowed in, gingerbread houses, making stockings, birthday parties, and much more.

As busy as it was, it ended up being fantastic. The boys had an awesome morning. Santa returned to being the genius that he is. Jace reminds me everyday how much he loves his power tool workshop, and Cole can't get enough of his choo-choo.

We got spoiled by both families. We got some awesome gifts - thank you everyone!!!

Christmas was lovely except for the one present it left behind to the 12 of the 15 members in my family and several more on Bryan's side......THE FLU!! It was a nasty bug that left most of my family members in great pain and stomach turmoil. My poor mother actually caught it early Christmas morning, and Jace caught it later that night. He ended his night lying on the couch being miserable with a bowl close by.

Luckily that's not what he remembers most about our very merry day.

The Stockings Were Hung...

by the chimney with GREAT care. 10:29 PM Christmas Eve, our stockings finally made it on the mantel.

Back in September, I bought the pattern for these babies, determined that I was going to make new stockings for our family. They were adorable and it was time for new ones and so I just couldn't pass them up. I bought the fabric in October or November, deciding that I would get a good head start on them. That didn't happen.

Other priorities came and the stockings went. I would work on them here and there, but it was getting down to the wire and these puppies were a little more detail oriented than I expected. I toted them around with me to a few family parties and worked on the embroidery in order to get them done.

Bryan kept telling me that I wasn't going to finish them, but I vowed that they would be finished in time for Christmas. Alas, on Christmas Eve at our family gathering, the final stocking was completed. Cheers were heard from the crowd. They knew the importance of this accomplishment.

We got home that evening, and I with anticipation hung my beautiful, small (but beautiful) stockings by the chimney with care.

Amateur

Even though I have had four years of experience with children at Christmas time, I am apparently still an amateur. Today I have failed at hiding Christmas presents and keeping them a surprise. In the rush of putting on a ward Christmas party and all of the hullaballoo of what it demands, I quickly stashed a couple of the presents under my bed hoping they wouldn't be discovered by my eldest until I could move them. I should have known.

What was Santa going to bring the boys this year? We had decided he would deliver Jace a new, bright green Hot Wheels bicycle and Cole was going to be the lucky recipient of a Black and Decker Junior Tool Set. After struggling to decide what in the world Santa was even going to get Cole, we were so excited that he had this genius idea. We just knew Cole was going to love it. We bought some accessories to accompany Santa's tool set to give to Cole. I quickly stashed the them along with some other meaningless presents under my bed.

This morning, Jace picked up an ad and pointed to the very present that Santa was going to give to Cole and declares that that is exactly what he wants for Christmas. I have never heard this request before, the only things on Jace's wish list have been a bigger Megatron and a horn. Where was this dire need for a tool set suddenly coming from? Later he was talking to Bryan and I and said, "I want the Black junior tool set." I gave Bryan a puzzled looked and asked him if he told Jace what the name of the tool set was. Jace chimed in and told me that no, he learned it from the man on TV.

Then revelation hit. Oh no, he was going to steal Cole's present on Christmas morning and not even give a Santa's ho,ho,ho about his ultra cool, revving, bright green Hot Wheels bike.

While I was out fulfilling some church duties this afternoon, Jace was the official spoiler of Christmas surprise. I came home to Jace's discovery of my well stashed presents and his excitement that HE was getting tools for Christmas - just what he always wanted. We have convinced Jace that Cole is getting tools for Christmas. But don't worry, he's okay with this because he's still going to get his bigger Megatron and he'll just share with Cole. Which means he's going to completely take it over.

Now Santa's going to have to rethink what he delivers to the boys Christmas morning. Maybe he'll be kind enough to allow Bryan and I to save Jace's bike for his birthday and he can give Jace the tool set. And just maybe, maybe Cole will miraculously start speaking in sentences and declare his absolute need to receive a certain toy from Santa on Christmas morning. And we'll just have to pray that it's not a Black and Decker Junior Tool Set.

41 Cents and Hours of Fun

41 Cents. Why have I ever spent more than this miniscule amount on a toy? Today on our shopping adventures we went to a great party store, and Jace discovered a "Mr. Incredible" mask. It was 19 cents, and of course we had to get Cole one too, thus totaling 41 cents. The boys think they are absolutely awesome, Jace wanted to nap in his. Cole laughs hysterically when they put them on. So now I have Mr. Incredible and Dash running through my house chasing and fighting Syndrome. Aaaaah, I love cheap entertainment.