I love Christmas. It is truly my most favorite time of year. The carols, the decorations, the presents, the cookies, the, well, magic of it all is just compounded when you have children. But this year, kicked my behind a little bit. I think the holidays always can be a bit overwhelming, but this year overwhelming turned into nervous breakdown territory.
It was all a bit much for me. I still loved it, but I also hated it for a few minutes here and there. And I hate that I hated it, because more than anything, I want to soak it up, reveling in it. Looking back through this season, I realize much of what caused me to feel like it was too much was simply out of my control. I had a friend's wedding and friends visiting from out of town, friends' birthdays to celebrate, mandatory holiday events that just couldn't be missed. It was all good stuff, all things that were wonderfully fun, but sometimes even a whole lot of good can be too much good. And all that good pushed me to little sleep, resulting in my getting sick and hacking up a lung for a good two weeks.
But the aftermath of Christmas has been perfection. It is all I need right now. We have had endless days of pajamas, reading books and watching movies. There has been no pressure to go anywhere or be anywhere but here. Simple.
This Christmas, my favorite part of the holidays may not have been the holidays, but the end of the holidays, the days of laziness greeting us after all the hustle and bustle.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Christmas: In Words
As is the tradition in our family, Christmas is not just a day, but a string of days full of family and presents. We started our celebration the Saturday before Christmas with an opening of an abundance of presents at my mom's house.
With the number of presents and strewn wrapping paper on the floor, it could have (should have) counted as Christmas. But instead, it is merely a prelude. Above the multitude of presents they opened, the boys loved the lap desks my mom found and personalized for them, fluffy lap desks with secret compartments. I had already swooned over my brand spankin' new dishwasher my mom treated us to and had installed for us earlier that week, but then she went and surprised me with my new Ninja cooking system.
I was so excited I may have yelped. My brothers mocked my joy, but nothing says happy like a mom with a new crockpot. A crockpot that can roast a turkey! Yippee! I am a simple person. Truly.
After the presents were opened and much wine had been drank, we feasted on pizza, wings and subs before indulging in a chocolate fountain. The boys truly enjoyed the fountain. Brennan left a stream of chocolate here, there and everywhere: on his face, his hands, his shirt, his pants. I think he liked it.
The next day, Sunday, we celebrated Christmas with Chris's parents. More presents, more pizza and subs, and a whole lot of lego building while we took in the football game.
Christmas celebration, day three brought us Christmas Eve, my most favorite time of the year. We enjoyed an evening at my Nana and Grandpa's with our entire family. Every time I walk into a celebration like this surrounded by my family, I feel so blessed, because above all, we like each other. We enjoy each other. And boy, do we have much fun together. One of my favorite moments came when I hugged my uncle Tim hello. He grinned and said to me, "I love my family." I have to agree. Our family is full of good people.
We feasted on Nana's homemade sauce and meatballs. Chris soaked up some veal, with some good natured bickering by the men over who was hogging the veal supply. And we all enjoyed telling stories and giggling over many a good bottle of wine.
Uncle Seth and Aunt Tennille's presents to the boys were a highlight for all the "boys" on Christmas Eve. Seth had ordered the boys three remote control helicopters that shoot each other with lasers in the air. By mistake, he had placed the order twice, which gave us six helicopters for play on Christmas Eve. Travis, my cousins Patrick and Liam were quick to jump in with offers to give the helicopters a good home. The rest of us spent the night dodging helicopters engaged in mid-air laser combat.
The next day, Christmas came bright and early, the boys begging for us to get out of bed at 6:45. Griffin confessed that he had wanted to sleep more, but Brennan kept shaking him asking "Are you awake? Are you awake? Are you awake?" Until finally, Griffin said, "I just got up. I guess I was awake!"
We opened presents for what seemed like hours. Aidan loved his new set of Lord of the Rings books. We are planning on reading the Hobbit together, like our own little book club. Brennan was beyond excited over his new kindle, already loaded up with books for him to read. And Griffin, well he was thrilled to finally have his own iPod touch with all his own music for singing and dancing.
My favorite moment of Christmas morning was when Griffin closed the door to the playroom for some alone time. From behind the closed doors, we could hear his music playing from his iPod touch and then, he started singing loudly along with the music, jumping and dancing around the room. After twenty minutes or so, he opened the door, sweaty and grinning from ear to ear.
My little singer and dancer.
We spent the day in our pajamas, building legos, listening to music, watching movies and reading books. It was a family day, relaxing at home. There were more presents to be had though! Uncle Travis and Aunt Lynda stopped over with laser tag for the boys. It was a huge hit as the boys loaded it up to battle each other (and Uncle Travis.)
That night, we enjoyed Christmas dinner at my Aunt Nancy's and Uncle David's home. Christmas 2012 - four days of celebration.
It is no wonder we did not get out of our pajamas at all the day after Christmas. Poor Chris had to work, but the boys and I enjoyed a a true pajama day. There is something really nice about roasting a turkey in flannel pj pants.
With the number of presents and strewn wrapping paper on the floor, it could have (should have) counted as Christmas. But instead, it is merely a prelude. Above the multitude of presents they opened, the boys loved the lap desks my mom found and personalized for them, fluffy lap desks with secret compartments. I had already swooned over my brand spankin' new dishwasher my mom treated us to and had installed for us earlier that week, but then she went and surprised me with my new Ninja cooking system.
I was so excited I may have yelped. My brothers mocked my joy, but nothing says happy like a mom with a new crockpot. A crockpot that can roast a turkey! Yippee! I am a simple person. Truly.
After the presents were opened and much wine had been drank, we feasted on pizza, wings and subs before indulging in a chocolate fountain. The boys truly enjoyed the fountain. Brennan left a stream of chocolate here, there and everywhere: on his face, his hands, his shirt, his pants. I think he liked it.
The next day, Sunday, we celebrated Christmas with Chris's parents. More presents, more pizza and subs, and a whole lot of lego building while we took in the football game.
Christmas celebration, day three brought us Christmas Eve, my most favorite time of the year. We enjoyed an evening at my Nana and Grandpa's with our entire family. Every time I walk into a celebration like this surrounded by my family, I feel so blessed, because above all, we like each other. We enjoy each other. And boy, do we have much fun together. One of my favorite moments came when I hugged my uncle Tim hello. He grinned and said to me, "I love my family." I have to agree. Our family is full of good people.
We feasted on Nana's homemade sauce and meatballs. Chris soaked up some veal, with some good natured bickering by the men over who was hogging the veal supply. And we all enjoyed telling stories and giggling over many a good bottle of wine.
Uncle Seth and Aunt Tennille's presents to the boys were a highlight for all the "boys" on Christmas Eve. Seth had ordered the boys three remote control helicopters that shoot each other with lasers in the air. By mistake, he had placed the order twice, which gave us six helicopters for play on Christmas Eve. Travis, my cousins Patrick and Liam were quick to jump in with offers to give the helicopters a good home. The rest of us spent the night dodging helicopters engaged in mid-air laser combat.
The next day, Christmas came bright and early, the boys begging for us to get out of bed at 6:45. Griffin confessed that he had wanted to sleep more, but Brennan kept shaking him asking "Are you awake? Are you awake? Are you awake?" Until finally, Griffin said, "I just got up. I guess I was awake!"
We opened presents for what seemed like hours. Aidan loved his new set of Lord of the Rings books. We are planning on reading the Hobbit together, like our own little book club. Brennan was beyond excited over his new kindle, already loaded up with books for him to read. And Griffin, well he was thrilled to finally have his own iPod touch with all his own music for singing and dancing.
My favorite moment of Christmas morning was when Griffin closed the door to the playroom for some alone time. From behind the closed doors, we could hear his music playing from his iPod touch and then, he started singing loudly along with the music, jumping and dancing around the room. After twenty minutes or so, he opened the door, sweaty and grinning from ear to ear.
My little singer and dancer.
We spent the day in our pajamas, building legos, listening to music, watching movies and reading books. It was a family day, relaxing at home. There were more presents to be had though! Uncle Travis and Aunt Lynda stopped over with laser tag for the boys. It was a huge hit as the boys loaded it up to battle each other (and Uncle Travis.)
That night, we enjoyed Christmas dinner at my Aunt Nancy's and Uncle David's home. Christmas 2012 - four days of celebration.
It is no wonder we did not get out of our pajamas at all the day after Christmas. Poor Chris had to work, but the boys and I enjoyed a a true pajama day. There is something really nice about roasting a turkey in flannel pj pants.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
First Snow
We live in Buffalo so we expect a winter full of snow, but our weather has been a whole lot of mild lately. The boys were convinced it would NEVER snow and winter would NEVER be here and they would NEVER get to sled or snowboard or build giant snow forts again.
Ask and you shall receive. The snow has come.
Ask and you shall receive. The snow has come.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Christmas Show
The boys' school has a Christmas pageant every year. Traditionally, the show features the children in every other grade, thus giving each family a year off in between attending the festivities. Unfortunately for our family, the every other grade thing didn't really work out and the boys were staggered in years that would require our attendance and participation every year.
I was not thrilled. Chris was not thrilled. Yes, I realize this makes us sound a bit like a Grinch. I know. But for as much as we adore the boys' school, we accept it has come with a trade off. And that trade off is a lack of a true music program. They have a music teacher, but well, he doesn't do all that much. He is fairly awful. The Christmas pageant for us has become a symbol of all that awful-ness, a thrown together, dismal failure of a program that I have found, frankly embarrassing. So much so, that I had stopped inviting family members to attend.
It is that bad.
I am on the school board for the boys' school and I have spent much time bemoaning the music program. It is my mantra, but while we are making some progress, we aren't quite there yet.
But this year, things changed a bit for the annual Christmas show. Another teacher at the school decided to actually work on the pageant. She created skits. She added narrators. She gave us music that was actually our children singing instead of them mouthing along to a pre-recorded cd featuring other children's voices.
It was like a real live school Christmas pageant. Really!
She also eliminated the every other grade tradition and put all grades in the show. We had hope and even invited family members to come watch.
We watched our boys perform with pride. Brennan was a narrator for his skit and a horse. Griffin was Joseph. And Aidan had quite a part as Mr. Willoughby in the skit entitled Mr. Willoughby's Christmas.
It was beyond adorable. Just so cute. The boys and their schoolmates did a fantastic job.
But my favorite part of the whole show, by far, was the last song song by the entire school. The kids were seated in the first four or five rows of the audience. As the show came to a close, they turned around and sang, with great gusto, "Go in Peace."
It was a moment of sweetness and reflection for me, hearing all the childlike voices rising together to sing something so simple, but profound. It was a reminder of how blessed we all are, to be there in that gym at that moment, to listen to our children sing.
I was not thrilled. Chris was not thrilled. Yes, I realize this makes us sound a bit like a Grinch. I know. But for as much as we adore the boys' school, we accept it has come with a trade off. And that trade off is a lack of a true music program. They have a music teacher, but well, he doesn't do all that much. He is fairly awful. The Christmas pageant for us has become a symbol of all that awful-ness, a thrown together, dismal failure of a program that I have found, frankly embarrassing. So much so, that I had stopped inviting family members to attend.
It is that bad.
I am on the school board for the boys' school and I have spent much time bemoaning the music program. It is my mantra, but while we are making some progress, we aren't quite there yet.
But this year, things changed a bit for the annual Christmas show. Another teacher at the school decided to actually work on the pageant. She created skits. She added narrators. She gave us music that was actually our children singing instead of them mouthing along to a pre-recorded cd featuring other children's voices.
It was like a real live school Christmas pageant. Really!
She also eliminated the every other grade tradition and put all grades in the show. We had hope and even invited family members to come watch.
We watched our boys perform with pride. Brennan was a narrator for his skit and a horse. Griffin was Joseph. And Aidan had quite a part as Mr. Willoughby in the skit entitled Mr. Willoughby's Christmas.
It was beyond adorable. Just so cute. The boys and their schoolmates did a fantastic job.
But my favorite part of the whole show, by far, was the last song song by the entire school. The kids were seated in the first four or five rows of the audience. As the show came to a close, they turned around and sang, with great gusto, "Go in Peace."
It was a moment of sweetness and reflection for me, hearing all the childlike voices rising together to sing something so simple, but profound. It was a reminder of how blessed we all are, to be there in that gym at that moment, to listen to our children sing.
Monday, December 17, 2012
Brennan's Lego Extravaganza
To usher in his eighth year, Brennan asked for a lego themed party at our house. I agreed quickly, set the date, got the invites out and then a few days before the party had a panic attack when I realized I had nothing planned for the actual party.
A brainstorm session with pinterest and google gave me some great ideas and a lego party (with a concocted lego cake!) was born.
A brainstorm session with pinterest and google gave me some great ideas and a lego party (with a concocted lego cake!) was born.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Our B is 8!
Brennan, today you are 8 years old. My head knows you are growing up, so fast. I watch you grow, taller and taller each day. You have shot up like a weed this year and are tallest second grader at your school. But my heart has a harder time accepting that my sweet snuggler of a middle child is a whole 8 years old. It just doesn't seem possible.
At 8, you are still our laid back, easy going boy with a smile on your face. The little things just don't seem to bother you. You love to joke around, make people laugh, and simply enjoy the ride. You love to build legos, play with your guys (making all the necessary sound effects) and snuggle with your stuffed animals. (You have so many stuffed animals making a home with you in your bed that I often wonder how you get any sleep at all.)
You love animals, especially dogs. You love to watch movies and will sit entranced, kneeling on the floor in front of the tv to make sure you do not miss a single moment on the screen. You love riding your bike around the neighborhood and could play outside in the snow for hours after any other child would admit to being a frozen popsicle. I love watching you play outside in the snow. Every five minutes or so, you stop whatever you are doing and just fall back into a drift of snow. You lay there, in the snow, for a while, content to just watch the snow fall all around you. I love that about you, your ability to simply be in a moment, to appreciate it and soak it up.
You enjoyed swim team this summer and swam on the silver medal boys' relay for your age group. You played on tennis team and are on a basketball team. I love watching you play sports because you do it with such abandon. You love to snowboard and can't wait to get back to the slopes with Aidan and your Daddy.
Your favorite foods are chicken wings, ice cream and popcorn. Hot sauce is a food group in your world. There is nothing you would not dip in hot sauce. (I even watched you dip your turkey in it on Thanksgiving.) Your favorite tv shows are Ninjago and Endurance. You love movies, any movies, but have truly loved the superhero movies we have started letting you watch, like Ironman and the Amazing Spiderman.
You are a love, our snuggler and cuddler. You are the first to jump into my lap for hugs and sometimes, hog your momma's cuddle time over your brothers. You love to lay with me, snuggled under a blanket, rubbing each other's backs or heads. This is time I treasure with you. You do the same to your Daddy and your dog Chewy, always eager to love those around you.
Happy 8 to our Brennan, our B. You have brought so much love and joy to our family. Thank you for being you, our own special boy, wrapped up our Brennan.
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