Little Things

The other morning I was talking to my mom and she mentioned something about Christmas next week.  Did you know that Christmas was next week?  Last time I looked at the calender, we still had two weeks until Christmas.  Guess that was the last time I looked at the calender...
So I hopped into high gear, which meant homemade gift supplies were bought, last minute Christmas gifts were bought, cookies were baked...yet there are so many left to bake... And tonight, we had our annual Gingerbread House making party.  I'd like to say that we've done this every year since the first child of the family (Isabella) was born. But no, it goes back way before that. I am ashamed happy to say, we have been doing this since high school. I mean, isn't that what everyone did on a Friday night when they were 15? 16? 22 and married without any children yet?  Yeah, I thought so.

This crazy week there were lots of little things that made me laugh. Like stop, lean forward, and just laugh.

This, for instance.

Ryan can attest to the fact that I laugh sometimes at inappropriate times, in random places.  Exhibit A: The Martin's parking lot. Declan really, really wanted to bring his shopping cart. At the last minute, he ran back into the house to grab a baby to sit in the front--a naked one, at that.  Then we got all buckled in and Isabella asked if I got her a cart too. So cart #2, it was. It's okay though. I figured I could just carry Quinn in the ergo and the kids could fill their carts. Yeah, those carts can fit a bag of grapes. That's about it. So through the parking lot come Declan, his cart, and naked baby. Isabella, her cart, and properly clothed baby, me and my cart and real, live, unhappy to be strapped in, baby.  I was seriously laughing out loud as we crossed the parking lot. Mainly because if I did not laugh at myself, I would have turned around and started that whole shopping trip over.

We took the kids to the park to look at the light displays. Aunt Cathy had the grand idea for us all to meet there but then ride around the park in her truck so that all of the kids could be together.  That was way more exciting than any Christmas light display. 

Going to preschool at home means that somedays you don't even have to get out of your pajamas. That is so not Isabella's style, but Declan is all about it.  Going to preschool at home also means that you can make gingerbread ornaments just because it feels like a gingerbread kind of day.  We had all sorts of motor skill practice, spacing discussion, measuring, and senses exploration.  And a one of a kind air freshener for the rest of the day....

Our advent card from the other night read,  "make snowman soup." This was in fact way more exciting than actually calling it "hot chocolate."  Declan is honestly convinced that it is in fact the type of soup that snowmen eat and Isabella repeatedly tells him that in fact, this type of soup would cause the snowman to melt. True story.

And to end the week, Isabella and Declan planned our gingerbread party.  The menu was carefully selected by Declan.  Homemade chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and french fries.  We threw in some peas for good measure and Cathy and mom contributed some more 'adult' fare.  And I'm not sayin' the grown ups didn't eat the 'kid's food.'  Who doesn't like a good chicken nugget?
One night last week, the kids made glitter snowflakes because that's what their advent tag told them to make and what the tag says, the kids do.  We hung them in the dining room along with some white paper chains and we hid some lights behind the curtains to add some ambiance.  I have to say, it was a well thought out party by a little four and three year old.  I had nothing to do with the planning...nothing at all...

"Please dress me," said the naked gingerbread men.

Can I just say: "ADULTS, PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE GINGERBREAD HOUSES. I REPEAT. STEP. AWAY.  And Kate, you were totally in there too.  Putting rudolph on the roofs and getting all fancy with your landscaping.  You just escaped the camera...

I love this kid. And I've said it before, but every day I feel like I get a little glimpse into 'Ryan as a child.'  He's hilarious, and Ryan's pretty hilarious.  The two of them combined=lots of hilariousness.

Quinn was lovin' on her Aunt Kate tonight. Every time I turned around she was squeezing her neck and just smiling.  Of course, not when I took the camera out, but that's status quo.  And my kids love their Aunt Kate even more when she brings them gifts. Such as, Justin Beiber's Christmas album for the newest Beiber fan club member, Miss Isabella (and don't worry, she just saw him singing at the Rockefellar Tree Lighting program and the name-and song-stuck.  she kinda ranks him up there with Santa, as in the other day she said "mom, can I write a note to Justin Beiber? Do you think he'll come bring me presents too?")  And for the D-man, Michael Buble's Christmas album because he said "I like that man mommy likes."  I will convince him to appreciate my music style for as long as I can thankyouverymuch.

I love little kids caught red handed, under the table, stuffing handfuls of candy in their mouths.  How did they get so coniving-er-smart?

Quinn was pretty chill tonight. I'm not gonna lie, I pretty much thought we'd have to baricade her once she caught sight of a table covered in frosting, cookies, and candy.  But she was diverted by lots of loving arms and I think she only snuck away with a handful of nerds.  And then I'm pretty sure she was unsure of what to do with hard pebbles in her mouth because she came back to me and spit them all out into my hand. And I'm not sure how that frosting got all over her shirt but she did go missing for awhile after we finished and Ryan may have found her in the dining room, sitting in a chair, piping bag directly angled towards her mouth....

And on that note (and because my back is absolutely killing me and I need to be horizontal for at least 8 more hours, my body begs me)...Merry almost Christmas!