Christmas 2013 in Review

We had a great Christmas!! The kids and I have been enjoying the break from school and activities, and it has been so peaceful-- especially since they have so many great new toys and projects to keep them busy! Plus, they have been getting along really well lately. I mean, they always get along. Better than most siblings, I'd say! But they do still disagree about things sometimes. And recently, they have both been pretty agreeable. It's been awesome! But back to our Christmas...

Our elf, Max, left the kids a letter on Christmas Eve morning. In it, he said they could each give him one big hug, since Santa would be picking him up that night. Anyone who knows about the Elf on the Shelf knows that you CANNOT touch the elf, or he loses his magic. So this was a very, very big deal. Niko was actually nervous! Still, they were happy to give him his hugs.

That evening, after dinner, we went out front to scatter the reindeer food that the kids had obtained at various holiday events. The idea, of course, is to attract the reindeer (and Santa) to our house. Of course, we knew he would come, anyway, but this was fun. It was actually snowing a little bit while we were out there!

Back inside, the kids got into their jammies and I took pics of the tree.

We also set out cookies and milk, then Niko left this note he had written (100% on his own-- I didn't even see it until he was done!)

We read "The Night Before Christmas" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" at bedtime. Both kids wanted to leave their blinds and curtains open so that they could keep an eye out for Santa's sleigh. Sadly, they never saw him-- both fell asleep before he came. Oh well-- maybe next year!

At 6:15 on Christmas morning, Niko came into our room to use the bathroom. He then came over and stood just inches from my sleeping face. When I (grudgingly, tiredly) acknowledged him, he blurted out, "I just can't help it! This night is just TOO LONG!" hahaha! I pulled him into bed with us and we chatted very quietly until just before 7, when he couldn't take it anymore. He went to get Maya while we got ready. Then we all went downstairs, I got some coffee, and it was time for presents!

They had a blast. They seriously LOVED each and every gift they received this year-- it was so nice! And it was made even better by the fact that they could both read the tags well enough to tell us who each gift was from. Gus and I just sat back and relaxed! They would go and get presents, then take turns opening them. We took a break for breakfast, and then got back to the present opening. I can't say it enough-- it was so nice. Just mellow and happy, sitting by the fire and watching these big kids go to town. We cleaned as we went, so it really wasn't too bad. They spent the afternoon trying on new clothes and playing with their goodies.

One of my gifts from my parents was this awesome portable hammock. It's really a backpacking hammock, and it holds up into this nifty carrying case, but it is sooooo nice! It is obviously too cold to put it outside this time of year, but I have BIG plans for relaxing on the deck this summer. Oh yes. It will be awesome! In the meantime, I've set it up in the front room, where it's toasty warm. And this is how I enjoy it... Yes. See how I'm not alone? Both kids love the hammock, but Maya thinks it's the greatest thing ever. She will climb on while I'm there and pretend she is the pilot of a plane or boat. So she takes me places (I think this time it was Hawaii?). Silly girl. She has also been known to climb in it all by herself and announce, "This is the life!" to an empty room. haha!! She is clearly my child (since the movement of the hammock makes Gus sick).

Since Christmas, we've just been relaxing, for the most part. We went to have lunch with Gus at work, and ran some errands. Gus brought home a new chicken, Barbie Q. (a Rhode Island Red), to add to the flock. She's a little younger than the others, and they were very mean to her on her first day. I guess that's normal when you add a new chicken... there's a pecking order, after all. But Barbie spent last night in our basement in the little travel cage that we have for Corky (the parrot), since the other girls won't let her in the coop. They just need to get used to her, and Gus has a plan for that. In the meantime, though, isn't she cute?

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours!!

Now you see it, now you don't!

The snow, that is... Between the two storms that hit us last week, we had over a foot of snow on the ground everywhere. And, from even before that, there was a sheet of ice covering half of the driveway. All the signs pointed towards this Christmas being a white one! But not anymore! We are in the middle of a freak December heatwave. And yes, 50 degrees counts as a heat wave, haha! We actually hit 60 for a bit today. Last week, we were in the single-digits! Needless to say, the snow has been melting like crazy. I kept thinking it was raining yesterday, but I was just hearing the melting snow pour off of the roof. And today, the snow is almost completely gone.

I actually had the foresight to take the kids out to play in the snow yesterday, thank goodness! It was nice and warm outside (55!), but the snow was still deep enough for sledding, and it had enough water in it that it was suddenly great for making snowballs and building things. We built our very first snowman of the winter! The kids called him Frosty at first, but Niko later named him Melter (fitting!). I was pretty proud of how he turned out! I take pride in my snowmen, haha!

Anyway, as we expected, Frosty/Melter lived a very short life. He had actually toppled over in less than an hour-- it was just too warm outside! And this was what he looked like this morning. RIP, snowman friend...

In other news... we went to The Old Mill for dinner last night, and it was great (as always). We love it there, especially in the winter, because it's so warm and cozy. This dinner was paid for by Gus' company-- they give everyone money to go out to dinner with their families instead of throwing some big fancy holiday party. I think that is just awesome. We had a lovely evening, made even better by the fact that we didn't have to deal with bulky jackets, scarves, mittens, etc.

Now we have just a few days left until Christmas! The kids are beside themselves with excitement. We baked sugar cookies for Santa this morning (and taste-tested them... Santa will approve). I actually sent them out to play in the backyard by themselves this afternoon... not common in the winter, when they need more help out there (because of the snow). But there was hardly any snow, so they just went out in their rain boots to keep from getting soggy/muddy. So. Weird. It's supposed to be colder again starting on Christmas Eve, but it looks like it's going to be a brown/green Christmas this year. Sort of a bummer. But our heating bill will be a little better, at least!

Ode to Pink Bunny

I was looking through baby pictures this afternoon, and found this one of Maya with Pink Bunny. She was only a few weeks old at this point! And, upon seeing it, Maya insisted on recreating the photo in the front room (hence the 180-year-old dinged-up flooring). Oh, Pink Bunny... I remember when you were actually pink! haha!!

Anyway, we are on vacation now! School is out for the next two weeks and, after a VERY busy week, we can finally relax and just enjoy some family time. AND fifty degree temperatures (CRAZY warm after the single-digits we experienced last weekend). HOORAY!!

Winter Concert

To quote Maya, "Today was the BEST DAY EVER!" Well, Maya might be exaggerating a little bit, but it was fun. I won't talk about the part where she completely peed her pants while playing in the snow at preschool (because she didn't want to go back inside to use the bathroom). No, I won't talk about that at all. I will, however, say that I am thankful for the water-resistant qualities of snow pants and snow boots. And that they wash easily.

ANYWAY... today was Niko's winter concert at school! Just before school started, I got him changed into his button-down shirt, tie, and dress shoes. It's amazing how much he's grown-- because he didn't put up a fight at all! The old Niko would have absolutely refused to wear dressy clothing. But today? It was no big deal. In fact, he really liked his tie, and wanted to keep wearing it when we got home! Silly kid!! I snapped this quick picture of him before he got on the bus. And don't worry, he was wearing his jacket, mittens, and hat (of course!). Today was in the 20s and sunny, though, which made it feel decently warm after the past few days we've had! So they were just fine outside for a few minutes to get pictures. And, check out our snow! Yesterday's storm was short but heavy!

Speaking of last night... it took Gus nearly three hours to get home because the roads were so bad! Crazy! And our school district decided to do an early release because of the storm, which meant that afternoon kindergarten was canceled. Karate was canceled, too. We had a lovely snow day at home! Meanwhile, Gus was driving in this:

Poor Gus!!!!! It was a parking lot out there!

Anyway... back to today. Our boy had his concert in the afternoon, and it was AWESOME! He had said he was nervous, but he did great. His maturity lately is mind-boggling. My heart could burst, I am so proud of him! Here are his three songs, for your enjoyment. They should play automatically, one after the other. Seriously, so proud. And Maya loved watching her big brother perform! AND I was thoroughly impressed with the music program at our school-- they are learning so much! Really, it was a great experience. Afterward, we signed Niko out early (along with all the other parents) and headed home. SUCH a fantastic day filled with holiday happiness!

Winter Storm Electra and Gingerbread Houses

First, the sad news. One of our chickens, the super-sweet Nugget, has gone missing. All four chickens were there yesterday afternoon when Gus went out to cover the coop in anticipation of the impending snowstorm. They don't particularly like walking on the snow, so they tend to stay close to the coop. But when it was time to lock them in for the night, just a few hours later, Nugget was nowhere to be found. It had just started snowing pretty steadily, so we couldn't even see any tracks. We had hoped that she might have hunkered down for the night somewhere, but we searched all over the place both last night and this morning, and there has been no sign of her. It was 7 degrees outside last night, and we got about 8 inches of snow. And really, she always stays with the flock. So we are thinking that some hungry fox or coyote must have nabbed her. Though I still hold onto a shred of hope that she just wandered off and might come back to us... it's a very small shred, though. :( And it is really sad, because she was the nicest of all the chickens!! She will be sorely missed. This is her, in the middle:

But, in other news... We did get that 8 inches of snow I mentioned. And we did need to comb the yard for Nugget again this morning. So we all got bundled up in our snow gear and went out back. The kids were so happy to play in the snow again-- they sledded and shoveled and made snow angels and basically had so much fun that I had to drag them back inside so we wouldn't be late for our afternoon playdate! The snow wasn't sticky enough for building anything, so that will have to wait (bummer! that's my favorite part!). But the depth was really great-- not too hard to walk in, but still enough to have fun with. And it seems like this might be the magical year where both kids are old enough to trudge through the snow on their own without needing my help. Yes!! At any rate... pictures!

After we came inside and wolfed down some lunch, we headed over to Caryn's house for our annual gingerbread-house-making gathering. If you will remember, this was our very first playdate back when we first moved here-- and that was her first year of doing it. So it's become a tradition. It is always a lot of fun, especially for the moms! I had a fabulous time!

Now we enter the last week before winter break. Niko has his holiday concert and his last swim class this Wednesday, and his karate class holiday party on Thursday. Maya will be missing her dance holiday party so she can go to Niko's concert. It is going to be a busy week for everyone! Christmas is almost here!!

SANTA!!!!!!!!!!

So, remember how excited I was when Maya sat with Santa last weekend??? Take that and multiply it times a thousand, because BOTH KIDS SAT WITH HIM TODAY. This is not a joke. A true Christmas Miracle has taken place!!! I was sort of expecting Maya to do it, but Niko? No way! Although he hasn't acted as scared this year, he still didn't have any interest whatsoever in sitting with him. I am still in shock that this actually happened!

Anyway... we went to a holiday craft workshop at the hardware store across the street. I love that place... it's a mom-and-pop business, and they are always so friendly and helpful. I saw a sign out front about this event, and went inside to ask. I'm so glad that I did! There were maybe 15 kids there, so it wasn't overly crowded. Everyone got to make a milk jug snowman light, complete with a battery-powered strand of LED lights.

There was a caricaturist there doing pics of the kids (the one of Niko and Maya is so horrible, I won't share it. But it was still fun to watch). And the kids made reindeer food to sprinkle on the front lawn on Christmas Eve. They also had pages to color, and the kids could write their letters to Santa, if they wanted. Niko did! Completely on his own-- I didn't even realize he was doing it. I love this:

And, finally, the big man arrived! And he had a sack filled with gifts for all the good little girls and boys! As he pulled gifts from his bag, he called the name on the tag and that kiddo got to visit with him. Maya went first, followed by Niko. Both kids were fine. My heart was about to burst!! (and yes, Maya sat by him, too... I just liked this photo where she was getting her gift from Santa!)

Santa brought Maya a little Barbie nail polish set, and a small Lego set for Niko (all of Santa's gifts had a limit of $5 today). They were so happy! And I think it just cemented it in Niko's mind that this was, in fact, the REAL Santa! Which is why I was able to get this picture, which very nearly made me cry. I've been dreaming of getting a picture of both kids with Santa since Maya was born!

It really, truly happened. Yup. I'm still in shock!!

Now we are hunkered down inside, with winter storm Electra in full force-- we could get up to a foot (possibly more) of snow tonight. Perfect for wrapping ourselves in blankets and watching "A Christmas Story." Goodnight! :)

Tooth #1: Gone!

Finally!!!!!!

When the kids had their dentist appointments in early October, the hygienist pointed out that Niko had a loose tooth, and that the new one was starting to come in behind it. It was very definitely loose, and I figured it would be a matter of days. But, two months later, that sucker finally decided to fall out! Niko really didn't want to wiggle it at all, which was a big part of why it took so long. And actually, we had a little issue on Sunday, when we were eating dinner in New York. He must have bitten down with that tooth, and it made a sort of sickening crunch, and he burst into tears. So we kind of figured that tooth would be coming out soon.

This morning, he came into our room at 6:30. Not unusual, since he tends to wake up then and use our bathroom. But this time, he said,"Mom, you need to come into the bathroom and turn on the light!" Being the good mommy that I am, who had been sound asleep moments prior, I said, "No. I'm sleeping." He tried again-- "Mom, you've gotta see this!" Fine. I told him to come show me. I grabbed my cell phone off my nightstand to generate a little light. And there he was, holding up his tooth! "It was just rolling around in my mouth, poking me! I didn't know what it was until I got it out!" Happy Day!!!!! (we're very happy that he didn't swallow it)

Anyway, our big boy had a great day from start to finish. Here he is a few hours later (once we were awake and had eaten breakfast), showing off his missing tooth. Though the new tooth is about halfway in already! haha! The dentist said it should move forward into the proper place, now that the baby tooth is gone. Hooray!!!! The Tooth Fairy comes tonight!

In other news... Maya had another play date with some other girls from town today. These four little ladies will all be in kindergarten together next year, and they will be in school together all the way through high school! So crazy! They were all in the same dance class together last year, and three of us are still in the same class this year. They are such a sweet little group! They made sugar cookies today. :)

Surprise!

We took the kids to New York City yesterday! None of us had ever been, unless you count layovers at JFK (which I sort of did... until yesterday! haha!). We skirted around Manhattan this summer when we drove down to Washington, D.C., and that was when we realized that it really wasn't that far! I have always wanted to see the city at Christmas time, and yesterday was the only weekend day this month where we could possibly do it. We held off on making a final decision until the last minute (Saturday night), wanting to make sure the forecast would be okay. Once we knew we'd be fine, we were all over it!

After we got the kids fed and dressed, we hopped in the car and headed to destinations unknown (to them!). Really, we were headed to the train station in Stamford, Connecticut, just 33 miles from Grand Central Station. As luck would have it, we purchased our train tickets just in time to hear the final announcement for an express train, leaving in just a minute. Perfect! We ran down the stairs, hopped on board, and were on our way! The kids still had no real idea where we were going. Niko had suggested New York City, but he figured that would be "too far." hehe!!

Arriving in Grand Central Station was, well, grand! Such a huge, beautiful station! We walked out onto 42nd Street (which instantly got the song stuck in my head), and headed over towards 5th Avenue. It was lunchtime, and the kids were "starving," so we stopped at a McDonald's along the way. And then, it was time to walk up 5th Avenue and see the decorations! We admired the sights and sounds of the city, and even walked around inside St. Patrick's Cathedral. Oh, and we found the Statue of Liberty at a gift shop! (we'll have to go see the real one some time, haha!)

We soon found ourselves outside of FAO Schwarz. Now, I remember going into the one in San Francisco when I was a kid, and just how awesome it was! It has since closed down, but this one (the flagship store) is still open! It didn't feel as big as the one in San Francisco did, but I am also a lot taller now! Anyway, we walked right on in! Which was sort of a miracle, since everyone told me I could expect to wait in line for at least half an hour to get in. But nope! No line! The kids walked right up to the "guards" and posed!

And then we went inside, where it was blissfully warm (outside was hovering just below freezing all day). Gus thought it was too hot, but I enjoyed feeling my legs again! We walked around and let the kids look at whatever they wanted. Maya looked at all the Barbies, and Niko was especially interested in the Legos. As we walked toward the Lego section, I saw the sign for "The Big Piano." Curiosity piqued, I walked over. It was FREE, and there was NO LINE!!!!

I just showed the kids this video from the movie "Big", and they couldn't believe it was the same piano. Crazy!

Once we finally left the store, we walked across the street to check out Central Park. I would LOVE to see it in the summertime-- I enjoyed it in the dreary, freezing cold, and can only imagine how pretty it would be with everything lush and green! We walked by the zoo and watched a keeper doing an animal enrichment activity with the California sea lions. Just then, the Delacorte Clock struck the half hour, and the thing came to life! The kids loved watching the animals spin around as it played Christmas carols. An unexpected treat!

After that, we just explored the southeast portion of the park to our hearts' content. It was amazing to be in this big, beautiful park while surrounded by massive skyscrapers. So, so cool!

After getting the kids a pretzel to share, we headed out of the park and back into the canyons of buildings. This time, we walked over to Bloomingdales, where the window displays weren't that great. Such a wasted effort! But good exercise. After that, we headed back over to 5th Avenue, and had planned to walk down the other side. And we did, for a bit! We admired the decorations, and even got to watch a fur protest (joy...).

Then we went into Rockefeller Center and got ourselves good and lost!

It was warm, though. And we found the skating rink! And we eventually found our way out the other side, winding up on Avenue of the Americas. From there, we decided to head over to Times Square. It had been snowing lightly off and on for an hour or so at this point, and we wanted to see it before it got too heavy. And both kids wanted to check out Toys R Us! Really, though, it was my favorite part of the visit. I loved the bright lights of Times Square at dusk, and it started snowing much more heavily when we got there. The kids loved the toy store, and seeing all the costumed characters outside (even Niko liked them, which is a first!).

After that, it was dinner time! We went to a pizza/Italian place inside an old church in the theater district. Despite having to wait for a while to get a table, the kids did great! Service was fast and the pizza was good. Everyone was happy to just sit and warm up for a bit. And then it was time to head back to the train station. The snow was really coming down at this point, turning the roads into wet, slushy messes.

It was hard to see, since it was flying right into our faces! But we made our way back to Grand Central, and I suddenly looked up to see this:

That's the Chrysler Building (and the front of Grand Central Station). We had totally missed it earlier in the day-- but there it was! Our last view of Manhattan before ducking back into the warm, dry train station! Pretty cool! And, once again, we showed up just in time to catch an express train back to Connecticut. And from there, it was an uneventful drive back home, with both kids sound asleep in their seats. All in all, a perfect day!

Santa!!!

Such a great day!!! Gus' cousin, Alex, has been in Boston for the past few days, visiting a friend. She wanted to come out and see us while she was here, so she did! I have actually never met her in all these years, though I felt like I had. I mean, I met her dad and her brother... She was the missing piece! Anyway, we had a great time with her, and dragged her along with us to the town's Festival of Trees. Where (brace yourself!!!!!) MAYA ACTUALLY SAT WITH SANTA!!! SEE???????

I was shocked! Niko still wasn't interested, but he also didn't run screaming from the the room. Miracles do happen!

We went home for a quick dinner, then rushed back out to see the lighting of the town's Christmas tree. It was a good thing it was quick, because it was cold and we were standing in the snow! But it is now officially lit. Hooray!

Then we went back home, hung out, ate gingerbread cake and said our goodbyes. It was a good night!

Thanksgiving (and Our 2nd Massiversary)

So... we had a lovely Thanksgiving! It was our first one ever where I actually got to cook, and I admit-- I was excited. Plus, my cousin Emma joined us. She started college here a few months ago, but didn't go home to California for the weekend (since she'll be going home in just a few weeks and staying for over a month!). So us Californians-living-in-Massachusetts made the best of it, and had a great time! The kiddos, especially, loved hanging out with Emma, and were sad when we drove her back to her dorm.

I had to take a picture for posterity, of course! It's a little blurry, but you get the general idea!

In other news... Today marks our second Massiversary! Two years ago, on the night of November 30th, we flew from San Diego to Boston and drove to our new (old) house. The kids, who were SO anxious to see their daddy again, fell asleep in the car shortly after they were reunited, and didn't really see the house at all until they woke up the next morning, December 1st. So December 1st is the day they really laid eyes on the house for the same time, and we began a new chapter. It is absolutely crazy to think about-- in some ways, it feels like we just left California yesterday. In other ways, it feels like that was a whole lifetime ago. I will say, though, that the move here was an overwhelmingly positive one for our family. The one regret that we have is that our families and old friends aren't closer. But we love our house, our town, and New England in general. It's a good fit for us. And it's a true example of how you never know where you will end up in life!

Anyway, life is good. Our halls are appropriately decked for Christmas, now that Thanksgiving is over. This is my favorite time of year, and the kids are SO excited! I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning! In the meantime, I took this picture last night. Love my little Christmas babies!