Kind & Cool

It would appear that the kindness of St. Nicholas was extended to our house last night. The kids were thrilled as they found that there were treats left in their shoes and I found that there was no more oil left in the tank and the heat is out. You win some, you lose some! Haha! This morning the boys spent a lot of time playing while I worked on some Christmas stuff.

Lincoln was once again enthralled by the "Snoopy Christmas Story" and between each listen there was a "Mama, Mama, can I do it again Mama?" When he wasn't hanging out in his room listening to the story he was whining at me over one thing or another. Otto was a little clingy today too but he's always more demanding when he doesn't have my undivided attention! After school Nora was thrilled to find that our new copy of Muppet Family Christmas had arrived and that they were allowed to watch it. It is after all her favorite!

49˚

It's pretty cozy in our family room tonight! Just after the kids were all asleep (and Kyle was pretty close behind them) the temperature hit 49˚. I already had the fire cued up I was just waiting to light it. Before bed Nora made sure to put everyone's shoes out for St. Nicholas. She's really into all the Christmas characters this year, which is making things a bit more complex in terms of explaining everything and deciding on an approach to the holidays. Nora came to me earlier in the afternoon so excited because she decided she was going to leave some coins out for St. Nicholas so that he could take them and give them to someone else, that way she could give the same way he does. So, after reading tonight's story about the Berenstain Bears and giving and emphasizing that the reason we celebrate St. Nicholas day is so that we remember that he was devoted to helping others and giving selflessly to those who needed it, the kids settled into their beds wondering when he'd arrive and what might be waiting for them in the morning. Now, Lincoln has zero recollection of this tradition and has no idea what to expect, nor did he understand why in the world he was carefully placing his Crocs in a line on the fireplace but if Nora was excited and going on and on about "Kate's Necklace" then he was all in! Otto was just mad I wouldn't put the work boots on his feet and frustrated that Nora kept taking them away and putting them back on the hearth. So, here I sit, hanging out by the fire, caught up on my blog with a just a few more things to do before channeling my inner St. Nicholas and then heading to bed myself. After a week of feeling lousy and having an awful sore throat it feels good to relax and recoup a little! I hope you all had a little time to unwind tonight!

Science Center Stop

We dropped Nora off this morning and came home so I could take a quick shower and start some laundry but then we headed out to run some quick errands. The boys were about as cooperative as I could ask while we picked up what we needed to, so on the way home I decided to make a VERY impromtu stop at the Science Center. We got Lincoln a pass for his birthday but haven't used it yet thanks to a bunch of lame reasons, some travel and primarily they've been sick...colds, little stomach bugs, nasty coughs. I didn't want to be the mom of the gross kids touching all the things! So, we're finally on the mend - mostly, and we had just enough of a window before we needed to pick Nora up, they were both in pretty good moods and I figured why not let them run off some steam in a place just for them. It was perfect! Once we finally got across the bridge from the parking garage (Otto was completely entranced by being up high and watching the cars go under) They had so much fun playing and running around and it was just enough time for them to have fun and be ok with leaving but Lincoln is still chattering about what he'll do next time. Of course when we picked Nora up she was less than thrilled that we'd had our little adventure but she had plenty of solo Science Center time before her brothers showed up! This evening we made a rocky trip to the grocery store where we got what we needed but it wasn't pretty. We made it home in one piece and I was able to get everyone fed which settled things down a bit. Otto went down early since he didn't get much of a nap due to all of our running around and the other two were pretty quick to follow. Now it's just me and my lists!

Books and Books!

I introduced Lincoln to a book that I thought he'd appreciate today, and well, I wasn't wrong! Last year for Christmas my parents gave each of the grandkid groups (so all 3 families got one) a recordable book of Charlie Brown's Christmas. If you haven't seen one, the person narrating records themselves reading the book page by page and when the reader/listener turns each page the recording plays and they're read to by the person who did the recording. I was trying to get some things accomplished around the house this morning and Lincoln is LOVING books right now! He would have me read to him ALL DAY if I would...which I'm happy to do for chunks of time here and there but reading the same book over and over can get a little old. So, best of both worlds, I pulled out the special book and sat down and showed it to him. He was immediately hooked. He listened to Lady and Grumps read him "The Snoopy Christmas Story" over and over and over and over. He talked about his favorite parts and did ask once how Lady & Grumps got in his book. It was really cute! Even after we picked Nora up from school he came back to it. I think he has a new favorite holiday book for now. We've also officially started our annual book countdown to Christmas this week...we're still working out the bugs of who gets to find the right number book and who gets to open it, but we'll get there! Also, if you're interested in the recordable books, Hallmark has/makes them and they're AWESOME!

Ladder Lover!

Happy Birthday Tim!! Aside from my baby brother turning 30 today, it was the continuation of Christmas light day! Kyle was at it again outside putting lights all around the roofline. He started the process yesterday and it looked very similar to this...yep, Otto up the ladder, Otto crying being taken off the ladder, Otto climbing back up the ladder...ladder, rinse, repeat...HAHAHAHA get it!! Oh, and Lincoln partially or barely clothed...status quo! Anyway, Otto wanted up on the roof so badly, I'm beginning to think he may actually be part elf. Short stature, enthusiasm towards Christmas decor, quick movements, well honed climbing skills and a smile that can break any stern warning. That or he's just trouble...which is probably the case. Anyway, we managed to get the lights mostly finished, with the exception of a few more bushes that need to be done. I went to Target tonight to pick up those packs of lights so we should be able to check outdoor decor off the list sometime this week. No Christmas balls this year due to the tree work we had done and us pretty much just being over them if I'm being honest!

Southern Sledding

In case you've ever wondered what sledding looks like in Florida, this is it! It's real snow - although pretty icy thanks to warm temps and lots of runs, but the metal saucer sleds and the smiles were legit. The kids and adults dutifully waited in line to grab a sled and head up to the top of the hill and got to choose a larger run or a smaller one. Nora and her friends went over and over. After a day spent with Kyle working and working and working out in the yard and me finishing up some stuff in the house we cut short light hanging for tonight's annual tree lighting at Lake Lily Park complete with dancers in fancy costumes on a stage with lights AND fireworks! Otto was not so much into the fireworks (we forgot his headphones) but everyone else was all about it. I always like this little community festival (and the kettle corn that comes with it) as a kick off to the season. This year while we were waiting for the fireworks and Nora was sledding Kyle ran up to a nearby restaurant and ordered takeout so we had dinner to take home with us. It worked out really well! Now we're tired! Here's hoping we can accomplish some more tomorrow.

Disntinctly Decorated

I could barely hold the kids at bay today but we managed to make it until this evening to start putting ornaments on the tree. Nora refused to let us watch Elf as we usually have in the past (some traditions just have to go I guess!) but she knew exactly which ornament she wanted to hang first on the tree. She described it in great detail of course and was thrilled when I pulled it from the box. Nora got to put on the first ornament but Lincoln was close behind and Otto did his best and very carefully and strategically placed his as well.

This year went a lot more smoothly than last year since they were more patient and let me unbox ornaments and then they got to have the fun of hearing about each one and putting them on the tree. I also got a big kick out of their finished product!

They're kind of bunched together and a lot are laying rather than hanging but they worked hard and were really proud of how it all came together...how can I not be too!