A look back: Christmas

Since I posted nothing about Christmas 2012, let's step back and relive some of the magic.

My kids are at the age where Christmas really is magic.  We had some friends over for drinks and appetizers on Christmas Eve, which was a fun way to capture some of that Christmas spirit and burn off some of that anticipatory energy.  The kids went to bed a little late, and Aaron took quite a while to fall asleep.  Luckily, he konked out just before Santa arrived.

Christmas morning, Hannah was first out of bed.  (It had nothing to do with Christmas - she's the first one up at our house everyday.)  She played with her gifts from Santa while we waited for Aaron to get up. (Sleeping in on Christmas morning has been a reoccurring theme for Aaron.  I'm sure someday, I'll miss it. But for the past few years, it's Paul and I waiting downstairs all antsy for him to get up and open presents.)

When Aaron came downstairs, he was awestruck - yes! - and fun was had by all.  Hannah was the most enthusiastic, ripping open everything, including some of Aaron's gifts. She got so excited that she tired herself out and was back in bed for a nap before 10 a.m.

The rest of the day was spent eating, relaxing, playing and talking to family afar - a really perfect way to spend such a special day.

Christmas wrap-up

Are you ready for a really long post about our Christmas celebration this year?  I wanted to write everything down so that A will have a record of his Christmases for years to come. 

Christmas Eve started with the traditional first present - a new outfit for A from Grandma Great.



Unfortunately, someone wasn't too happy about wearing it.



Then it was onto dinner at a new Italian restaurant in town, which was delicious! After dinner, we had a little bit of time to pass, so we came home for some cookies and milk before Christmas Eve mass and had the chance to talk to my extended family in Michigan, who were busy their traditional Christmas Eve celebration.  And some family photos.

A had been feeling a little under the weather, so we had decided to let him stay home from church with Paul. But sure enough, as my mom and I were headed out the door, he decided he wanted to join us. So we all went together. For a two-year-old, he seemed to enjoy the service, even shouting out at one (very quiet) moment, "This is fun!" Luckily, we had some good-humored people sitting around us.

After church, it was a fairly normal bedtime so that Santa would have lots of time to deliver presents.

The next morning, Paul and I were up at 7 or so, had some tea, hung out, set the breakfast table and waited for our little guy to get up.





It wasn't until almost 8 that he finally called out from his room. When went in to get him, we told him that Santa has visited. He was acting very excited - "Santa was here! Santa was here!" - but it was pretty clear he didn't quite get it.

So we headed out to the family room, where a big Thomas the Train set was waiting.

At first A just stared at it, but then he realized it was his and dove into playing with it.



After playing with Santa toys for about an hour, we stopped for a snack, and then it was onto the wrapped presents.



The present opening went on all day. Little Aaron was so excited every time he opened a gift that he had to spend a half-hour playing with it before moving onto the next one. We even saved some presents to open the next day.







We did take a break for a pretty great breakfast, which was one of the highlights of Paul's day.





Then it was back to presents.



Until the house looked like this.



Unfortunately, we don't have many photos of the evening. We made a standing rib roast (which took a long time to cook, but was very delicious.) Then A got a bad earache, which resulted in a perforated ear drum sometime that night. We made it to the doctor the next day, and he recovered quite quickly. Despite our less-than-spectacular ending to the day, it was a really wonderful Christmas.

If you're still reading (I think this is the longest post I've ever written), I hope you had a wonderful Christmas too. And Happy New Year!

Christmas wrap-up

Okay, it's time to wrap-up the Christmas stuff. See below.



Christmas was a complete joy. We had a house full of friends on Christmas Eve, much good food to share, and a band of kids running around high on holiday glee. (See Aaron in his pirate costume.) We hope to do it again next year.

Christmas morning, Hannah was up first, a good hour or so before her brother. when Aaron finally woke up, he wasn't too sure what this Santa business was all about. He came downstairs and asked for his ritual warm milk before touching a gift. But once he got into it, it was all very exciting. Hannah loved the paper and boxes (of course!) and actually got into unloading her own stocking. BTW, I think one of Aaron's favorite gifts were the M&Ms in his stocking. This guy has his father's sweet tooth, to be sure.

On December 26, my mom and I loaded the kids into the car and headed for Michigan while Paul pulled out the nail gun and got to work laying wood floors on the upper level of our house.

It was fun to see Aaron really interact with all of our relatives this year. We got to spend loads of time with Grandma Great, including racing Aaron's new remote control car all around the assisted living home where she lives. And Aaron spent lots of time playing with cousins - swimming, bowling, air hockey. You name it.

Paul (with the help of a good friend) did an amazing job on the floors and literally finished up as we pulled into the driveway at 10:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve with kids sleeping in the back of the car. We shuttled the kids up to bed and shared a glass of wine on the couch before calling it a night. I think we're both glad that stage of house renovations is over. Whew.

P.S. - The abandoned looking building above is the swim club where I was a lifeguard through high school and college. It's been vacant for a few years, and seems to be another sign of the strife that's riddled Michigan over the past several years. Sad.

P.P.S. - Notice in the Christmas photos that Aaron left Santa cookies, a beer and carrot for the reindeer.

Ho Ho Ho

First, check out what we were doing last night. The last of preparations!

Ry, we missed you!


We're extending the Christmas celebration this year, which began on Sunday with some present-opening. We'll be on the road for Christmas, and we just couldn't fit all of the presents into the car (or bear to lug them 800 miles across the country and back.) Check it out:




http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulandsheri/4202658979/in/photostream/



I wasn't sure how I would feel about opening presents before Christmas, especially for A. I have this tremendous, maybe slightly irrational, urge to provide a very magical Christmas morning for him. But it was actually quite a success. After all of the paper was recycled (and some boxes reused for other presents!), Paul and I stayed up late baking cookies. Paul said, "You know, I really like spreading Christmas out. It means we get to enjoy it all a little a more."

Here, here! Let the celebrations begin!

Christmas, Act One

For starters, Happy New Year to all of our readers. For seconds, apologies for the lack of posts. The festivities of the season and gaggles of relatives have overcome us, and we're only now surfacing - and in the UK at that. As Maria from The Sound of Music sang, 'Let's start at the very beginning. It's a very good place to start.' Hence, Christmas Eve and Day.

Santa was very good to the whole fam bringing for A, a bouncey seat that must seem psydellic to a baby of his size; for Paul, a new tent and some clothes; and for me, the Nike Ipod running gizmo (yipee!).

Better yet was the quality time we've got to spend with our family and friends. Cheers to that! And the massive quantities of food we've eaten. MASSIVE.

Janet and Bob

Our Christmas elf

Oooo, bouncy!

Yum!

Yum, yum!

The story of our Christmas tree, 2014

I don't write often any more, but this is a story that bears telling and remembering.  A few days into December, our family received an invitation from some friends to cut down a Christmas tree from their property. The previous owners had planted dozens of evergreens to sell to nurseries one day, and then never harvested them. Twenty years later, their land is full of some very tall Christmas trees.

On a cold and sunny afternoon, we packed up Aaron, Hannah, a load of winter gear and 12 candy canes, and headed to our friend's house. Everyone climbed into a trailer attached to

The postman came knockin' at our door

...and delivered a belated Christmas present from our buds in New Hampshire that rocked Aaron's world today. It included:

Little Aria's Bumbo chair


Wrist rattles


New books


A Taggie blanket, for eating of course!


Hooray for belated Christmas presents. Hip, hip hooray for rockin' friends in NH who know just what 4-month-olds love!

***

PS - Okay, all of my East Coast friends, why have you never told me about this place?


For all of you non-East Coasters, it's not just for Christmas. And it has stellar deals on nearly everything. Curtains, dried apricots, batteries, birthday candles.

Christmas...tomorrow?

Oh my gosh. We got one of A's Christmas presents in the mail today, and I seriously don't know if I'm going to be able to wait until Christmas to give it to him. (I mean, I will, but mainly because Paul will not have it any other way.) Can I just show you how cute this thing is?




I wasn't sure this was a good purchase until it arrived today. It's going to be perfect! The three pieces come apart, and they're the perfect size for him to pick up and move around. And they're soooo soft. Like his favorite giraffe! It's going to be a fun year!

Want to see what else is on his list? (I LOVE playing santa.)

- Stacking disks
- Block crayons. (Oh, if you could have seen him coloring today - so proud of himself for making marks on paper. He's going to love these!)
- A drum, of course.
- A little dude to hang with.

I feel like a kid again myself!

We're still here

Apologies that the holiday buzz has kept both Paul and I far, far from any computers. We've had a great Christmas - holiday spirits, family fun and Uncle Randy's cheesecake to boot - and have retired to spend the New Year holiday in jolly ol' England, where is it 35 degrees and raining. (Yes, I ordered a meal from a fish and chips shop today and "Mushy Peas" were on the menu for £1.90. That's like $4 U.S.!)

Tomorrow, stay tuned for a photo collage of our trip to date. Until then, we'll leave you with some Christmas cheer. Hope yours was happy and healthy.

Happy Christmas from the Freemantles!

Check out the difference a year makes. Same Santa, a more timid little boy, and Mom not in the photo. :)

Wishing you and yours a magical Christmas!

Christmas, Act Two

After our lovely Christmas Day (and a whirlwind afternoon of packing), we were off for A's biggest adventure yet! We made one very quick stop to visit the Michigan relatives (with very few photos to show for it, sadly), and then it was onto the plane to visit Nanny and Grampy in England. The excitement was palpable! There, we accomplished everything we should on a visit to England - plenty of Cadbury's and Stella, my mother-in-law's delicious roast dinner, a wonderful visit with Auntie Ivy and cuddles galore for little A - whew-we!

It turns out that A is quite the expert traveler. I wouldn't say the same about his parents though. Traveling with a little munchkin is an entirely different ballgame. For starters, I need none of the normal amusements I typically bring along (books, knitting, playing cards). An infant is enough to keep you occupied - go figure!


Paul's new addiction

Napping en route

Family dinner

Dig in!

Three generations

Cuddles!

Christmas, Act Three

With A's first international trip under our belts, we headed back to Michigan for a whirlwind 24 hours of visiting family and friends. We hung out with Grandpa. We ate tacos in Detroit. Paul and Jack beat Rock Band (but only on the easy level). And then we packed back into Jimmy (the Highlander - thank God for Jimmy!), and drove all the way back to Ithaca. And took the Christmas tree down. And did MOUNTAINS of laundry. And now (hopefully, finally) we will be tiling our kitchen backsplash. Joy.

A and Grandpa H

The real deal


Chattin' with Dave:
"Peter, Paul and Mary are garbage, stinky GARBAGE."

In the spirit

Sunday was blustery in Central New York, but that didn't stop the Freemantle-Hall clan from venturing out to the village of Skaneateles (pronounced skinny-atlas) for a bit of Christmas cheer. This tiny, idyllic town at throws a Dickensian bash complete with roasted chestnuts and free costumes for parading around town. (Unfortunately, I couldn't convicne Paul to put one on!) This may be a new Christmas tradition.

Jacob Marley and Scrooge - I mean, Paul.

Chilly lake

Ready to brave the elements!

***
And there's more photos up here.

5 on Friday: Random Facts from a Sleepy Mom

Does anyone else feel like a zombie on Fridays? Man, I am dying for a cup of coffee, but I don't dare run the coffee grinder while the little guy is sleeping. So forgive me if these don't make sense.

1. I put slices of ginger in broth I made this week, and it was surprisingly yummy.

2. Yesterday was the last day of our CSA box, and I forgot to pick it up. Whoops. I love fresh veggies, but I am kinda done preparing so many of them. Next week, it's frozen peas and carrots for the whole fam.

3. Have you ever put Emergen-C in hot water? It's good. Ask Paul.

4. I am EXCITED for Thanksgiving. Did you know it's my favorite holiday? Hands down.

5. Paul has put a ban on Christmas music in our house until the day after Thanksgiving. I think that's a good idea. One holiday at a time, folks.

Happy weekend.

He's Comin' Home!

'Twas the night after Christmas and travel we will,
Thru wintery weather, up and down hill.

The Toyota will take us to Michigan State,
The plane will be waiting - lets hope it's not late!

Three people will board the Airbus at night,
And travel to England - a long haul flight!

They will be picked up by Grampy and Nanny,
Who'll be excited to see the new family!

Three people you say, are they the wise men?
They're certainly not wise - why not guess again.

Two of them have been to England before,
And one has never set foot on this shore.

Who is this one person who never has flown?
Look down below - I bet you had known!!!

Coffee for lunch?

When I was little, I can very clearly remember my grandma microwaving coffee leftover from the morning to have with her lunch. She would put it in a cup - most likely one adorned with flowers that I had given her the Christmas before - and heat it until it was steaming hot. (It always smelled slightly burnt.) And then she would sit at the kitchen table, with her index finger through the cup's handle, sipping away. It was her break between the chores of the morning and the activity of the afternoon. I thought it was so...grandma-like. And icky.

Guess what I just did? Yes, it makes me laugh. And it's a bit scary, too.

Nearly ready and a little tour

Paul and I have spent a lot of time over the past few months getting the house ready for our new little person (who is due in just five weeks!)

Since we decided to stay in our little three-bedroom ranch, there were more projects than just setting up a nursery.  We had to move my office out of the third bedroom, sell and donate a bunch of items we didn't use much, and find a lot of new storage.  I'm happy to say we're almost there!  Just one more weekend, and the nursery should be complete.  (Cue sigh of relief from nesting mother.)  So I thought it'd be fun to take the next few weeks and share some of the projects we've done, and show you what our living space looks like these days.

One of my top priorities was to create spaces where A could be more independent and find interesting things to do while I'm busy with the new little one.  One place is his new craft corner.  I'm a huge fan some of the Montessori philosphies of creating independence, even in toddlers.  I notice A is so much happier if he can decide what he wants to do, then execute (mostly) by himself. 



The table we've had for at least a year.  I got it on craigslist and Paul cut the legs to kid-height.  It's a little shorter than most kid tables, but I love the fact that younger kids can use it too.  The chair is Ikea (again with the legs cut).  And the cabinet is the Ikea Helmer cabinet.  I did a bunch of research, and this was the most affordable, small-space, kid-friendly solution I could find. 

Right now, the craft corner is in the corner of our dining room, but it may slide down closer to my desk by the time we finish furniture-arranging.  (Please ignore the one leftover Christmas decoration!  I'm still trying to find something new for that space.  :)




So far, it's been a huge hit.  A has access to crayons and washable markers, paper and coloring books, some stickers and stamps and play-doh.  Our watercolor paints are also in his craft cabinet, but since he can't get the water yet, I don't worry about those.  The other paints are stored on top of my armoire, and he has to ask to use them.

Here are a few shots of the artist at work: