Christmas Eve Festivities

I hosted Cole's friends today and it all went over really well. I was prepared and had all of the activities lined up and we quickly transitioned between them so the kids were always doing something new and kept the waiting to a minimum. It was really good and I was glad to have them. Here is a picture of the crafts all lined up. We made clove studded oranges, Christmas Morning Pancake Mix, Candy Cane Syrup, two different bath salt scents, and melted used crayons in Christmas Tree molds. I hope they all enjoy a magical day tomorrow.

Christmas on purpose

As I mentioned before, I am making an effort to do something Christmassy every day. Today, we did some light baking. I say that because both boys were coughing far too much for food handling so Cole held a sanitizing wipe and wiped his hands constantly as he placed Hershey's Kisses on top of pretzels. They are troopers, bless them. Cole has RSV again with a touch of pneumonia and Rhys has another virus and we are hoping it too doesn't turn into RSV.

To add to the list of fun Christmas activities, we are on the 10th day of Christmas stickers that I made, we made cards for Chris, our Elf on the Shelf is as mobile at night as ever, and the gifts are all wrapped. Tomorrow we will bake a cake and decorate it for Jesus' birthday party, and we will host Cole's friends (minus one, who can't make it...we will miss you D) to make gifts for their families in the morning. It will be a bit hectic since Chris will come home to get the boys at 11 for follow-up doctor appointments and the remaining kiddos will play and hang out for lunch. I am REALLY looking forward to spending the time with Cole's best friends. They are a great group of kids and I feel so blessed for both of us that we have them and their moms in our lives.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve.

Record Snowfall

We have had SNOW and A LOT of it! Nearly 2 feet of the white powdery stuff. We are up to our windowsill in our bedroom and the kids have to wade through. At least to Dog is loving it.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!

This is Cole's very favorite Christmas song and he wants it to be on repeat on the cd player in the car all of the time. He sings along and knows almost all of the words. He loves everything, absolutely everything, about this season of holiday festivities! I love that he is so into it all. It makes the spirit soar within me too.

Rhys gasps says, "Mama" and points following his excitement with the token "un-gah!". This is his go-to sound when he doesn't have a word for what he is pointing at...this happens a lot. He points at inflated lit snowmen in a yard, at a decorated tree in a window, and sometimes at traffic reflectors. He is noticing every light imaginable now and thinks they are all special.

Cole gasped and said, in whispered tones "wow" when I placed the baby Jesus figurine in the nativity scene. He also is regularly saying, "this is the best Christmas ever". I agree. It has been pretty wonderful.

I have eaten enough cookies and chocolate and I am a bit tired of hearing Elvis crooning about his blue Christmas but I can't get enough of Burl Ives telling me to have a Holly Jolly Christmas. I dig that tune too. Cole has good taste.

Things we have done:

Decorate Gingerbread house

Neighborhood light tour

The spirit of the season

This year, I am determined to make Christmas a marathon, not a sprint. Maybe a relay race or a triathlon is a better analogy. We are doing something almost every day as a deliberate celebration of Christmas. All of our activities are pretty traditional. We have advent calendars for both boys, we sing and listen to Christmas music, we have built and decorated a gingerbread house, we have made one batch of cookies with more planned, and we have done our shopping. Cole is working through a seemingly endless list of craft projects and learning opportunities in preschool and Rhys is going with the flow. I feel like I am living Christmas in every moment of every day and am striking a balance of doing and buying and giving. I am loving it. I love my family, both near and far. I love my friends and am looking forward to giving them gifts through their children on Christmas Eve. Happy Holidays. 'Tis the season. Merry Christmas. For this holiday season, I hope it is merry and bright for all.

Jet Lag and Christmas Decorations

I cannot believe that it has been 4 days since we got home and I am still getting up at 4am and the boys are right behind me with Cole rising at 5:30 and Rhys at 6:30. We are all hoping to get everyone on a regular schedule soon.
This hasn't stopped us from moving on with life. We got to our house at 7pm on Wednesday night, the boys were up at 4am. I got up with them, started unpacking and doing laundry, took Cole with me to the grocery store and to pick Sasha up from the kennel at 7am and then took Cole to school at 9. I was exhausted and still am 4 days later.
We watched my friend's boys (3 and 8 months) yesterday and pulled out the Christmas decorations. We put up the tree, nativity scene, and other inside decor. It snowed and was really nice to put the tree up with the snow swirling around outside.
Today, we went and got a new tree topper for our tree and some outside decorations. I am happy with the little set of reindeer and sleigh, penguins with lights, and tiny trees. The house is aglow with soft light while white snow is littering the ground outside. It is Christmas Time! Good thing, too...I think I would be hibernating otherwise.

God willing, the boys will sleep all night tonight and we won't see each other until daylight.

England

I am quite determined to avoid a lengthy post about our trip to England. While I know people are interested and I want to create an entry about it, I just don't think there is too much to say, at the end of the day. It was wonderful and relaxing - very low-key. I will give highlights and let pictures speak for the trip.

• We left on Wednesday and the preparations and planning on how we would negotiate 5 bags, 4 carry-ons, 2 car seats, and 2 children was about to play out. We ended up parking in short-term parking, getting everyone checked in for the flight along with the checked luggage and Chris took the car to long-term parking while I camped out with the boys and our carry-on luggage. Cole was a gem on the flight but Rhys refused to sit in the baby seat and insisted on sitting on me for the entire flight. He was burning with fever and I was miserable.
• We landed in London, went through immigration, collected our luggage, went through customs and found a place for me to park with the kids while Chris went to get the rental car. An hour later, my lovely and talented husband had found a parking garage close to where we were hanging out. I was amazed since he hadn't driven in the UK for 8 years and the airport is the size of a small city - I also don't know how he managed to find just the right parking garage - but he did.
• We drove for 4 hours to Middlesbrough (Cole slept for most the entire time. Rhys slept for 15 minutes at a time crying for me between his naps) and fell into the welcoming arms of Nanna and Grandad and proceeded to be taken care of for 2 glorious weeks.
• It rained. It poured, and it was cold. We, thankfully, took advantage of a sunny day and drove to Whitby - a seaside town that is a favorite of mine and Chirs'
• Chris and I left the boys with Nanna and Grandad for 2 nights while we went the the Lake District about 2 hours north west from Middlesbrough. It was beautiful and I found a new appreciation for the force of nature. It rained buckets, almost constantly. People lost lives and homes in a flood that was said to be the worst in 1000 years.
• Chris' Dad ordered a turkey for Thanksgiving from a butcher and when Chris and I got back to Middlesbrough, I made the sides and we had a US Thanksgiving in the UK. I love my in-laws for understanding how important my own traditions are.
• We celebrated Christmas with the Hardings on Sunday. The boys were so excited to unwrap all of their gifts. It is hard to keep it all in perspective when children are so young and truly see gifts as a pirate sees booty. We shall do our best to instill the qualities that will make our children generous and thankful. I am not sure I will see those qualities so much this year, though.
• We drove to Slough on Tuesday to spend the night before our Wednesday morning flight home. We checked into our hotel and as luck would have it, the train station was in the adjacent parking lot. We freshened up and got the boys on the train to Windsor for dinner at an Italian restaurant in the shadow of the Castle. What a great way to end the trip!
• Wednesday was a 29 hour day for us with the time difference and Chris and I packed, lugged, queued, and entertained children for every single minute of it. He took Rhys on this leg of the trip and suffered under his hand similarly as I had on the trip going. I drove us home after Chris retrieved the car and that drive in - yes, rain - and rush hour from DC took 2 hours.

We had a lovely time and now are glad to be home to decorate and get ready for Christmas! Bring it!

Feeding the ducks at Stewart Park - near Chris' parent's house

Highland Cow
Chris with the boys and his Mam

Whitby

Statue in his Christmas Finest - Whitby

Lake District

Travellers Rest Inn - where we stayed in Grasmere

Another shot of the Inn

Thanksgiving in the UK

Eggs for Sale - see them as Deviled above

Flooding in the Lakes

more Lakes

Sheep below our window at the Travellers Rest Inn

Christmas in the UK

Rhys in his Christmas Hat

Snuggling with the boys

Rhys holding his train ticket on the train to Windsor

Cole on the train to Windsor