Yeah Christmas is officially around the corner...Boo, I still have to much to do! Right around the 20th of each December, every year, I get into this sort of, I have a million things to get done loony kind of state. Each year, I say, next year will be different, through the year, when I see something that would be great for someone for a Christmas gift, I am just going to get it then and there, so that I can enjoy the season, make spectacular cut out Christmas cookies, and not go out in the madness that is the Christmas Rush, and every December 20th, for the last 10 years or so, it is the same. So next year will be different, there it is out for everyone to see.

One of the fun things we have gotten ourselves into this holiday season has been seeing Santa arrive into town on the train. I have pictures of the pre-train festivities, it was bitter cold, it was so cold that my camera refused to work when pointed in the direction of Santa, which was also the direction the wind was coming. I couldn't blame it, I was so cold, Kendall was so cold, so cold in fact, she did not want to wait in line which was partially outside to sit on Santa's lap. Of course E was ecstatic at the sight of the train coming down the track, once he got a clearer view of who was on the train, the portarideluomophobia set in, (I have self-diagnosed him with this phobia, which is fear of people in costumes, which he will grow out of so help me...). He did not look up from my shoulder once, until I assured him that Santa was in the building, nowhere in sight.

Doing whatever it takes to see Santa come to town!

We also went to Bob White's Christmas Tree Farm to cut down a Christmas Tree. This is the place I wanted to go and get pumpkins, but we weren't for certain where it was, and so we settled for another farm. This place was very efficient, and very festive. Types of trees were clearly mapped out, the saw worked great, well so Andy says, they had Christmas music blaring over some speakers, and there was ample choices of trees. The kids loved it. They weaved in and out of the trees playing some sort of tag, you can't find me, nanny nanny boo boo game, which had them giggling and preoccupied so Andy and I could decide on a suitable tree. Andy wanted a smaller tree this time, but somehow, it needed to be shortened on its arrival home. Kendall named the tree Frosty, and by the time the kids and I got back up to the van, it was nicely wrapped and waiting for us to take it home.

Kendall assisting Daddy towards the perfect tree!

Andy's Pick

Watching our strong and determined Daddy bravely cut down our tree!

It took 2 nights to decorate. Kendall waited for me to arrive home from work last weekend to assist me in the decorating of the tree, and since I am an anal Christmas decorator, I moved everything around once it was done. Terrible, I know, it gets worse. The kids even have a small fake tree downstairs in their play area that is decorated with ornaments from when I was little and the ornaments they get each Christmas, which I let them decorate and then once they went down for their naps redecorated and pretended that that was how it was when they went down, 2 hour earlier. Yeah, I am like that. I don't care. I LOVE holiday decorating, and I love my decorations, many of them are hand me downs, or bazaar collected but fit into my criteria of vintage looking, I have actually passed on offered decorations bc they weren't my style, who has a Christmas decorating style? Me, that's who. And it costs me nothing more than a new string of lights every couple of years, a fresh tree each year, and a few bargain finds, awesome. Here is what I am looking for though, a good set of lights with the large colored bulbs, circa 60-70's. I had them in my room at WWC, they were found in this cubby/attic off of my room, and I loved them, and I still do, I am looking for a good set, with no frayed wires, yes I have to include that, with a large percentage of the bulbs working, bc I refuse to pay top dollar for a replacement. I have no idea where I would put them, but just the same, they would be fabulous.

So Santa sighting? Check. Decorating done? Check.

This past week we were able to spend time with Molly & Brynn. I went to watch them and spend the day with them while my aunt went to New York City with my other aunts, yeah, who got the bad end of that deal? No, but really, I have been to NYC way too many times at Christmas, and Kendall & Ethan LOVE playing with Molly & Brynn, so someone else can have a turn.

You would think 4 kids, all day long, raining a majority of the day, not being able to work a DVD player might send me over the edge. But actually it was pretty smooth. There were melt downs, and I won't mention any names, just my favorite melt down. (insert blubbery sob sounds) "When Kendall and Molly dance with me, and we hold hands, I do not get to hold Kendall's hand that has the pretty ring on it, and that is just not the fairest of them all." Just another convincing example that little girls interested in Disney Princesses cannot just stop at one or two things, it becomes a lifestyle.

We played princesses of course, because every girl has a tub of princess dress ups, did you not know? Kendall asked within the first half hour, "Brynnie, where is your box of Princess dresses." And like she was asking something as normal as where the bathroom was, Brynnie replied, "Oh in my room, let's go." So as I cleaned up behind them, because order is a must when 4 kids are involved, they went to become princesses. When I arrived upstairs, they were attempting to put Ethan in a Cinderella dress, which he wore dutifully, until they lost interest. and he then came running up to me, pulling and tugging, telling me, "Off, Off."

We had 2 different baking expeditions that day. One involved reindeer cookies, and the other sugar, in requested shapes. I forgot my cookie cutters, so half way there, I am like, 'oh man, but Amy will have some.' Who doesn't have cookie cutters? Well if she has them, they are hidden quite well, because all I found were 2. A crooked snowman and a clover. Not very festive. So I decided to cut shapes upon request, and the girls decorated while Ethan fascinated over Sammy the dog licking up the dropped sprinkles, there was that many. This intense sugar high induced another non-sensical melt down, again, no name mentioning... "But I want my name to begin with K, not B, can't it just be a K?' (blubbering sob sounds again) We were cutting out the letters our names start with and singing the alphabet. But she did have no problem scarfing that B down when it was all said and done.

We also did reindeer cookies. I showed the 4 of them how to do it, Molly was excited because it was. 'just like a show', and then let them have at it, with them each having their own pile of ingredients and bag of icing. Kendall, Brynn, & Ethan required assistance. But Molly, what a pastry chef, too bad her Mom only has 2 well actually 1 1/2 cookie cutters. She asked for no help and decorated a slew of beautiful reindeer.



Later in the day we went to get Aidan at the bus stop, it had stopped raining, Sammy needed to get out, and so did they. So we walked, and sang Jingle Bells, and tattle taled.


Kendall and Ethan had so much fun with their cousins, as usual, and they cannot wait to see them again.

Today we went to visit Grammie Fink for Christmas and her birthday, something we do each year. The kids were much more behaved then I thought they would. And later when we got home, I got them into bed and ran out to conquer some of Santa's list since where I needed to shop was open until midnight, I know, I know, a machine I tell you.