Christmas 2016

Christmas - all in one post :)

Public education.  Jack had a "winter party" at school - no mention of Christmas whatsoever.  But for one week in December he brought home all these lessons and projects about Hanukkah... It was cute to hear him explain about the menorah and the 8 days of presents.  Frankly I think Jack is jealous of Hanukkah and one of his classmates is even Jewish so he talked about Julia and what she celebrates.  I just love the juxtaposition here of cultural studies and political correctness. :)

Other little things he brought home - how to make a snowman

His pet reindeer Mike :)

what brings Jack joy?  All of us watching the Grinch together :)

At one point, I told Lucy and Jack that we would decorate cookies for Santa.  Clearly we need Teddy Roosevelt's Pure Food and Drug Act here because I'm pretty sure the amount of saliva that ended up on these cookies violates any and all health code violations.  But they did enjoy the sugar rush :)

Obligatory family picture at Christmas Mass!  The kids did so well at church (Charlie only had to leave the sanctuary once because he was getting squirmy) but they were fantastic.  We got a picture where everyone was looking at the camera so I count that as a Christmas miracle.

Andy and I decided to test out a new tradition this year.  Normally we make something kid friendly and fast when we get back so the kids can eat and get to bed at a normal hour.  Then Andy makes a fancy dinner for the two of us and we both sit down to watch It's a Wonderful Life.  This year we decided to make a yummy, kid and adult friendly dinner that we could eat after Mass together.  That way we could start the movie earlier and get to bed without falling asleep on the couch.  And we could have a family Christmas eve dinner!

The kids were pretty pumped about this arrangement.  Plus it's only the second time in the year they get to eat at the fancy table as Lucy calls it.

Charlie was stoked.  For the kids I made fruit, corn cake, and some fried chicken tenders from Kroger.  Andy and I had steak with mushroom wine sauce, corn cake, and a salad.  Everyone wins!

Obligatory family pic with crowns on :)

After Charlie went to bed we all watched The Grinch for the 15th time this season.

We filled Santa's plate with cookies and milk and I was more than happy to accommodate on the milk part to sell the idea.

After the wonderful life affirmation that is George Bailey, we made sure that Santa had visited.  For the second year in a row, Andy and I are doing the whole 3 Santa gifts limit.  It makes for a very sparse tree but I think it's necessary to our sanity.  There are so many toys flooding in from all directions that we need this to control the crowding.  Plus I think it's helpful for the kids to realize that Christmas is not a quantity thing.  For now :)

The next morning the kids woke us up at 5:30 to see everything Santa had left them.  They were pumped :)  Jack asked for a drone, a radio controlled snake, and a game called Chrono Bomb.

Lucy asked for a princess playdough set, some crafting stuff, and an Princess Poppy doll.

Their excitement, as always, lived up to our expectations :)

I must admit, I do like these Trolls a lot better than the 1980s version.  Much cuter and also better singers.

Charlie spent most of his time chilling on the floor, drinking his milk, and watching the carnage.

Jack got to go shopping for the family at school and picked out gifts for all of us.  Lucy was so touched at the strawberry plush toy he got her.

She kept hugging him and thanking him throughout the day.

Andy got a coffee mug that said, "The Greatest Dad in the Galaxy" & I got an ornament for the tree that said, "Best Mom."  This was my favorite part of opening gifts by far.

Mimi and Grandaddy stopped by during the day to say hi and bring over their presents for the kiddos.  They were showered with tons of clothes and fun toys and we are beyond lucky that we got to see them on Christmas - if only for a short time.

The next morning we were over the river and through the woods to BabaGaga's house!  Pretzel stayed in the kennel in Knoxville this time so Jack and I missed our furry backseat companion.  But since we didn't have Pretzel to worry about, we decided to break up the trip with a little stop over in Nashville to see Rebecca, Steven, and Brooks!  It was a nice albeit short visit but we got to see the little man and their new house they are renovating!

Look how big he's gotten!  He so darn cute.  and the kids loved running around in their awesome backyard together.  It was a welcome way to stretch the legs and check in with old friends.  I still cannot believe they are renovating their second house in 6 years.  I'm pretty sure I would have lost my damn mind by now but Rebecca continues to impress me.

Then it was on to Baba and Gaga's!  These pictures are slightly out of order but here is Jack putting Baba hard to work on building one of his many toys.  I think this was a wind up zombie set.

Charlie checked in frequently to oversee the progress.

Lucy was loving all the Gaga attention.

More present carnage.  Once again, my kids are beyond lucky that they have such awesome grandparents and aunts and uncles.  They were showered with so many fun toys and gifts.  One of which was a radio controlled helium filled shark.  That one was a huge hit!

Christmas dinner with roast beast and crowns!

Lizzi and Rachel!  First Christmas as a married couple!

Andy is patient when I make him smile mid cut for a picture :)

Baba and Gaga :)  How cute are my parents?

Jack hamming it up.

And then dabbing it up.  He's very proud of his new move he learned.

One gift I got Dad for Christmas was a set of those reindeer glasses from Christmas Vacation.  He said they made the egg nog taste even better :)

Godmomma and Godson

One day while we were there I took Charlie and Lucy down to see Jenny and Thom's new house and meet little baby Oliver!  Also, my old high school friend Katie was there too!  It was such a fun visit and made me realize we all still look pretty damn good 20 years after high school.

Charlie spent most of his visit at BabaGaga's chasing McGee around.  Poor thing even got bitten at one point (McGee, not Charlie.)

Can't even beg for scraps in peace.

Lucy fell into her role as Mom's sous chef that week.  She insisted on helping cook with everything and did a pretty fantastic job - that is, when she listens to instructions.  Which isn't always a guarantee but oh well.

Preciousness in overalls.

More cooking.  This time she's helping Rachel in the kitchen.

Behold the Most Beautiful Fork.  This is something that my family has fought over for years.  I don't know why.  It's just a plain silver fork. But for some reason, dinner just tastes better off this fork.  At one point Mom bought a gold fork so we'd have a second option.  But alas, that one just became known as the Second Most Beautiful Fork and still gets passed up for the Most Beautiful Fork.  I realize after typing this out that my family is a little strange...

As per tradition, Mom got us all pajama pants for Christmas!  This year the theme was llamas - what we need to Cristin photoshopped in here with her pants too!

Remember that inflatable shark I mentioned.  Here it is.

Fun with stocking stuffers :)

Our somewhat failed attempt at a Christmas picture in front of the tree.  #wetried

The day after we got back we headed up to Morristown to see the Brimer bunch!  Can you believe how big Florence has gotten?  It's crazy!  Still a very happy baby.

Charlie kept trying to attack her as if to say, "wait they make babies this small?  I only thought they come in XL size like me??"

This is probably my favorite picture of the entire dinner.  Charlie came up to give Ben a big hug and it was the cutest thing ever.  Big Brimer and Little Brimer. :)

The whole Brimer bunch!  I hate I didn't take more pictures while we were up there.  Mimi made a super delicious meal once again and we enjoyed just spending time together.  It was sadly a very, very short visit but we hope we get to see everyone more this year.  Especially over the summer.  Can't believe each year it seems there are more Brimers in this picture :)