Winter Concert!

The kiddos had their winter concerts at school today, and they did fantastic! And they looked good doing it, too!

I recorded all their songs and have uploaded them into one convenient playlist, for anyone who feels like watching. It's important to note, though, that Niko had a speaking role in the Kwanzaa song (#6 on the list). He just found out on Monday that he'd been selected to speak, and he seemed fine with it until this morning... and then he was very, very nervous! You'll notice that Maya is happy as can be to be up on stage, but Niko looks Very Serious in his songs. Well, he was super nervous. He can be so shy, and he just doesn't like the limelight at ALL (unlike his sister, haha). But... HE DID IT! He was so massively relieved tonight, now that it's over and done. And Gus and I were relieved, too, since we feared he might flat out refuse to do it once he saw the hundreds of people in the audience. We will all sleep well tonight, haha!

A Weekend of Holiday Fun!

Brace yourself-- picture time!

We had a jam-packed weekend. TOO jam-packed... I will fully admit that I am tired and cranky! Everything was back-to-back-to-back. And I'm more of an introvert to begin with, so I just feel really drained. Is it weird that I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning for just a little bit of alone time??

Anyway... We kicked off our weekend with a Bingo Night and Holiday Shop event at the kids' school. That's always fun... NOT! Niko never wins, and he gets very bitter (and vocal) about it. It didn't help that Maya actually won once this time and got to choose a prize. She selected a Webkinz frog that she promptly named Hermit. Yes, Hermit the Frog. NOT Kermit. Hermit. haha! Niko was really upset, but Maya quickly pointed out that he was Hermit's uncle. She even let Niko sleep with Hermit in his bed last night. So he's gotten over it alright, it seems. The kids also shopped for me and Gus, and we actually opened our gifts this morning-- a "#1 Dad" back scratcher for Gus ("He's gonna think it's a little rake! But it's a BACK SCRATCHER!" -Maya) and a lovely bracelet Niko picked out for me.

So Friday was a later-than-usual night for the kids, and then Niko had basketball at 9am on Saturday. We made it. He did great, although he DID call a drinking fountain a "bubbler," causing me to crack up. He's becoming a Massachusetts kid!

Practice ended at 10am, which was also the time that the Christmas event at our local hardware store began. So we zipped home, changed, and drove over. Our neighbors (Gus' coworker and his family) were there, so we sat with them. The kids all made these sock snowmen that were really cute. And then SANTA CAME! Niko is convinced that THIS Santa is the real deal. He brought them presents, of course, and they got lots of opportunities to sit with and talk to him. :)

After that, it was time for lunch, and a long-overdue shower for me (sorry, world!). And then back out to the Cub Scout holiday pack meeting. They handed our awards, then we all sang Christmas carols together:

Then all the scouts got to decorate (and eat) cookies. Many, many cookies!

And then Santa came!! He delivered their Pinewood Derby kits!

When the meeting was over, most people chose to go Christmas caroling in a neighborhood nearby. There is a family there who used to be very involved in the pack, but the dad has cancer and is very, very sick. His wife, actually, is Maya's Daisy troop leader. But the plan was to carol at his house specifically, which we did. And the family seemed to like it, though it was heartbreaking to see someone so sick, and know that his youngest is the same age as Maya. :(

Anyway, after that, we went home and had dinner... then I left again! I went out with my friend Caryn and a few of her other close friends to celebrate her college graduation! She didn't make it through the first time, so she started taking classes again two years ago. With kids and everything. And she DID it! I am so proud of her (and me, too, for helping to edit all her papers, hehe!).

Fast forward to this morning... We were up and out of the house before lunchtime to make gingerbread houses at Caryn's house. When we first moved here, this was our very first playdate-- less than a week after we arrived! It's become an annual tradition. (Check out 2011, 2012, and 2013) The kids did awesome, though. They are all getting so big that very little direction is needed. So us moms mostly sat around talking and drinking mimosas. It wasn't bad!

At around 2, though, I had to gather the kids up and head home. Because I had a cookie swap at Miranda's house at 3, which ended up being a lot of fun (with some really great cookies!)! I got home just before dinner and was ready to collapse. Thank goodness Gus cooked dinner tonight, because I was just wiped out. And really cranky. I think I'm just partied out. And I am stressed, thinking about all the packing I need to do over the next week. Because California will be here before we know it, and we already have so many obligations when we are there--and so many things we need to remember to pack! But it will be done. I just need a good night's sleep first. :)

Introducing Cooper!!

Our family gained another member today! Grant and Melissa welcomed their third baby, little Cooper Kristophen, early this morning. His middle name is a combination of my mom's (Kristen) and Melissa's dad's (Stephen). Anyway, I am very excited to meet my newest nephew in just two weeks, and the kids are beside themselves to meet their new cousin (and play with the bigger ones, too). I have hardly any pictures, since I had to coerce my brother into sending me them, but I imagine that will change over the next few days.

Really, though, it was a perfect day for the exciting news. I woke up just before 7, as usual, and got an email on my phone saying that the schools were on a two hour delay because of treacherous road conditions. Just then, my mom called to say that Melissa had gone to the hospital late last night and that the baby was on his way. And it had already been a while, so I knew he'd arrive soon. And since Maya officially had NO school and Niko didn't have to get on the bus until almost 11, we were able to wait around together. It was such a nice morning, too! No rushing around like we usually do. Of course, the roads and driveways were covered in ice, and it continued to be gross all day, but we got to hear the news that little Cooper had arrived (and learn his name, which came later). Niko was so excited to go to school and tell his friends all about his new boy cousin! And later in the day, Maya made the mistake of referring to him as "New Baby" (which is what we'd been calling him). Niko was adamant about it-- "No, Maya, his name is COOPER. You need to use his name now!" haha!

Anyway, everyone is well and we are very excited to meet our new little nephew/cousin in just a few weeks. Hooray!!!

And, because I think it's fun to compare... here are the posts from when his siblings Riley and Colton were born!

Santa!

So, in an effort to not get as behind on my blogging, I am going to try and summarize the past week. December gets really crazy busy around here, and it's already flying by. Ack!

So, let's see... December 1st marked the three-year anniversary of the kids and I waking up in our new house for the first time! Really, we landed in Boston on November 30th, but it was very late and the kids were sound asleep when we got to the house. I remember that first morning-- we all (me, Gus, and my parents) woke up before the kids did, and I was so worried that they would flip out when they woke up in a completely new place. Or that they wouldn't be able to find us (remembering that this house is huge and they were only 4 and 2.5 at the time). Plus, this house has stairs, which they were not used to at ALL at the time. Now, of course, we don't even have any gates up and they fly up and down the stairs without a second thought! But back then, they were babies. It's amazing to think of how much of their lives they have now lived in Massachusetts. Maya has spent more than half of her life here! And Niko will be able to say the same shortly after he turns 8. So weird!

Anyway, that was December 1st. Two nights prior to that, on November 29th, Maya lost her second tooth! The Tooth Fairy has been busy around here! Unfortunately, it was hard to get a decent picture, especially since her adult tooth was almost completely grown in behind it already. I should say, though, that she was very brave and asked me to help her get it out. It was so loose that it was annoying her when she was eating. So I pulled it without issue. Both kids seem to prefer this method now, which is sort of funny to me. I hated having my teeth pulled when I was a kid!

In other news... our chickens starting laying eggs this week! Up until now, only Mary was laying. But then she started molting, which meant no eggs for a while. So I was actually having to buy them from the store (oh, the shame!). But suddenly, a brown egg appeared! Then a white one! And then Mary's blue-green eggs appeared again! So we went from zero to sixty! They are so pretty in the egg basket, too!

Also in there, somewhere, I took family photos for a friend of mine. We did the pictures in our yard, and I brought Maya out with me before they arrived to do a few test shots. This kid! Even in a test shot, she is so ridiculously beautiful. Inside and out! Love my baby girl!!

This Saturday (as in, yesterday) was a busy day for us. Niko had his first-ever day of basketball as part of the town rec program. It went great! He's never played before, but he had fun. And it's indoors, so it's perfect for our New England winters! I will try to take better pictures next week. I only had my small camera with me, and all the movement plus the poor gym lighting meant that 95% of the pictures were blurry. Which drove me crazy, of course!

After basketball, we spent much of the afternoon cleaning and preparing for a girls' night in I was hosting that evening. Then we had an early dinner and headed over to our town's annual Festival of Trees. We always enjoy seeing the different decorated trees and gingerbread houses, and the whole town comes out for the event. And Santa is there, too! Now, last year, Maya decided she wanted to sit with him-- the first time EITHER kid had sat with Santa since they were old enough to voice an opinion. A week or so later, Niko decided that he wanted to sit with the Santa who came to the special event at our local hardware store. And, ever since, he has maintained that the hardware store Santa is the One Real Santa, while the others are all just men in costumes. So of course, we are signed up to go to the hardware store next weekend. :) But Maya wanted to see this other Santa last night, and Niko had said he wasn't interested. BUT... he changed his mind at the last minute, and actually sat with him! I was shocked! But both kids got little gifts afterward, so I wouldn't be surprised if he does it again in the future.

Anyway... It was fun! Then we stood outside in the rain and waited for the town Christmas tree to be lit. It was very anticlimactic this year. No singing or anything... just a quick countdown and it was on! I didn't get any decent pictures because of the rain, but I did drive back over there tonight to snap a quick shot. It's only about two minutes down the road! We don't have the biggest tree, but I think it's just the cutest thing ever!

Anyway, we came home after the Festival of Trees, dried off, and then my friends started to arrive. One is a single mom, and she had nobody to watch her son, so he came and had a sleepover with Niko-- they've known each other since they were on the same t-ball team when we first moved here! So the kids had a great time with their friend, while I had fun with mine. Gus probably didn't have as much fun, but he did get to go out with friends the night before, so I think we're even. :) But really, the kids all played so nicely together, especially this morning. Here they were, making rubber band bracelets in their jammies. Because... why not? :)

After my friend came to pick him up, I helped Gus move the rest of our FOUR TONS of wood pellets into the garage. Hopefully, this will be enough to last us through the winter! But the bags are heavy (40 pounds each) and there were a lot of them. But now they are safe from the elements, so that is a good thing!

This week promises to be busy with playdates, scouts, and various holiday-related events and activities. It's the most wonderful time of the year! I am just glad to be done with my Christmas shopping. Now I just need to prepare for that big trip we have coming up... ack!