Christmas 2012 Part 2

Christmas Day...

ROAAAR!!

watching "A Christmas Story"...making her daddy proud

Christmas 2012 Part 1

Yes, I know it is almost Valentine's Day.  Yes I know it is sad that I just now posting about Christmas.  Sigh.  Christmas was busy this year.  Busy. Busy. Busy.  And I wish I could say that when it was over I wasn't exhausted.  But I was.  I wish I could say that I wasn't thinking we have to simplify Christmas.  But I was.  I wish I wasn't saying things have to change.  But I was.  So we have 10 months left for me to figure out just how to simplify Christmas so that when I wake up on December 26 I feel less overwhelmed and less exhausted. 
Anywho, I did enjoy Christmas.  I enjoyed seeing my kids get so excited.  I enjoyed the time that I got to spend with our family.  I enjoyed celebrating the birth of our Savior.  But that is what I want for next year...More time with what matters most- focusing on why we celebrate and enjoying time.  Time with my husband.  Time with my children.  Time with my family.  Not rushed from one event to the next.  Ok, I am off track again.  Here is what our Christmas looked like.  Unedited.

Brad's grandmother and her husband came to visit the week before Christmas

We made homemade cinnamon ornaments for our tree

 

We wrote letters to Santa

We danced wearing Santa hats

Cookies with Grandma

Put out our Nativity scene

Our tiny elf!

we made fuit loop garland



Our three trees

 

Brad got Parker a spiderman sweat shirt.  Can you tell he is happy?

B got Angry Birds

It is Bumblebee!

Parker loves Spiderman!

Emersyn seems pretty interested too!

My sweet mama

Braden is ready to hunt with Palpaw and Daddy!

My parents had a set of my grandmother's pearls restrung for me for Christmas.

Brad got a Keurig!  He was super surprised!

My sweet dad!

Parents' Night In

The weekend before Christmas we got together with a few of our very favorite people...without any kids... and we pulled out the fine china... and we dressed up... and we ate fancy food... and we took silly pictures... and we had deep, adult conversations... and lots of laughter... and made great memories with people that we love and friendships we cherish.

 

 

The guys wanted to wear ugly sweaters!

 

 

 

 

Roasted asparagus and shrimp and grits on our china that has only been used one other time in eleven years!

 

Chocolate caramel trifle

Christmas ParTAY

The Tuesday before Christmas was the boys' last day of school and both Christmas parties.  Emersyn and I got to attend both and the day was quite exciting.
Our first stop was was Parker's party and it was kicking....not really there was lots of no Christmas music, lots of no laughing, lots of no celebrating.  The entire party consisted of 10 two and three year olds sitting in their seat at the table decorating a sugar cookie.  I'm sure that alone was a Christmas miracle, but I was hoping for a bit more excitement for the sake of the children.  It felt like that party alone stole my Christmas joy! 

That is how I felt too buddy.

Our final stop was Braden's school and it was the  COMPLETE opposite of Parker's party.  Music was blaring, the kids were dancing and there were 22 kids and at least that many parents if not more crammed into a classroom that was at least 118degrees with ZERO airflow.  I wheeled my gigantic limo stroller into the classroom and was finally able to navigate through the masses of excited and sugared up kindergartners to what I hoped would be a quiet corner of the classroom.  Parker was super excited to see his best bud Jack at Braden's party since his brother Ty is in Braden's class.  I guess Jack and Parker needed to get rid of all of the excess energy that they built up at their exciting boring party so they decided it would be a good time to challenge each other to see who could jump the farthest off the classroom chairs.

 

The Reindeer Dance

This is when the fun really started....  All of the kids made a plate filled with tons of Christmas goodies and proceeded to sit on the floor with their plate.  Parker and Jack, oblivious to the fact that people are eating on the floor are making their way back and forth between my corner of the room and Jack's parents.  All the while there is an old grandma and every time the boys' get close to a plate she sucks her breath in really sharp and makes an exagerated sigh.  I am fighting the intense urge to punch her in the gut and knock the breath out of her when Parker steps on some kids' cupcake and tracks green icing across the floor.  Awesome.  At this point old granny is close to having a heart attack, several parents are chuckling and Emersyn is getting antsy to exit the the limo stroller.  I am getting antsy to exit the party.  I abandon E to get a wet paper towel to clean up the carpet and the bottom of Parker's shoe.  When I finally get the mess cleaned and Emersyn out of the stroller, Parker looks at me and says, "I gotta poop mom".  Which actually meant I am pooping mom.  The stench was already permeating the 118dgree classroom with zero airflow.  At this point I put Emersyn back in the stroller.  Screaming.  I ask Braden if he wants to leave the party early or ride the bus home.  He opted for the bus ride since he hadn't gotten his class present yet.  I got my little stinker gathered up and buckled into the limo stroller and explained to Braden's teacher that we were leaving early.  She tried to convince us to stay and I tried very politely to tell her that the faster we exited this classroom the better it would be for all involved.  She finally caught on and I had to weave the limo stroller between a gazillion dancing, eating, screaming children and gazillion plates filled with cupcakes with green icing scattered all over the floor.  By the time I left the classroom I was sweating bullets and so ready to get home. 

Parker and his buddy, Jack.

All in all it was a good day, since my boys had fun.  And I learned a couple of things to help me prepare better before the EOY party.  1.  Take Parker to playground to get out the pent up energy from his boring party before we make our way to Braden's party.  2.  Leave the limo stroller at home and instead go with an umbrella stroller.  3.  Don't sit by the old granny that makes me think evil thoughts about the elderly.  4.  Make sure Parker has a  BM before going to a party.