Christmas

This year was a bit different than other years.  Because last year was so hectic traveling to both grandparents in 3 days, we decided to split up the holidays.  We spent 4 days over Christmas with Derek's family and we will spend 4 days over New Year's with my family. 

We woke up on Friday morning and had our own little family Christmas celebration.  We made cinnamon rolls and bacon (Derek and I have named 2011 "the year of bacon" because we discovered our love of the yummy breakfast meat).  We opened presents from each other and Santa.  Derek surprised me with a new DSLR camera that I've been wanting!  Now I need to figure out how to work the thing, but I am so excited to start a new hobby.  We didn't overdo it with presents for the kids this year.  Both kids got a book, pajamas, one toy, and one thing they needed.  I am glad we did this, and I hope we can continue this tradition as they get older. 

That afternoon, we headed to Derek's parent's house.  We spent Christmas Eve at Derek's grandparent's house.  Punky, Buddy and I sat in the kitchen and no one noticed that we didn't eat any lutefisk.  It was a late night, but both kids did a good job staying up way passed their bedtimes.  Buddy was a whirlwind during the gift opening.  Once he figured out how to open presents, he didn't want to stop tearing the wrapping paper.

 

Reading a story with Great-Great Grandma Irene

Sitting on Great Uncle Randy's lap.  We usually draw names for the gift opening, but Punky INSISTED on getting "Rrraaandy"a Christmas present while out shopping with Derek.  She was so excited to give it to him!

On Christmas Day, the kids actually slept in (Buddy and I woke up at 9:15).  So late, in fact, that we missed church.  We ate our traditional breakfast (turnovers) and opened presents again.  Punky and Buddy were spoiled very well.  We spent the rest of the day in our pjs. 

It was a great weekend and a fun time spent at Grandma and Grandpa's.  We are now trying to unpack, organize the house and recuperate all while preparing for another fun Christmas celebration this weekend! 

Sunday School Christmas Concert- Update

Punky's BFFs' mama was able to get a little video of the girls singing at their Christmas program.  Head on over to their blog to check it out!   

New Christmas Traditions

Years ago before we were even married, I remember going to the Holidazzle Parade and dreaming about how we would some day take our own kids downtown to visit the Macy's 8th floor display, go to the parade and have supper at Brit's.  This weekend I got to fulfill part of that dream, and it didn't disappoint.  We bundled up, headed downtown, and got to the parade route about 5 minutes before the start.

 
 Punky had so much fun and was SO EXCITED!  She would grab my cheeks, turn my head towards the next float, and squeal with delight.  She showered me with kisses in between floats, she was so excited to be there!  It didn't take too long for the people in the crowd to tell us to sneak in front of them.  Buddy was very antsy and probably a little too young to be out in the cold, so he and Daddy stayed in the back row.  Maybe in a few years when both kids are older, we'll be able to make a whole day of it and do the Macy's Christmas display and dinner.

On Sunday, Punky (and forty-some other preschoolers) sang Christmas songs during church.  We didn't get to church early enough to sit up front (what's new?), but I did sneak up front while they were singing to get a few photos (yes, I was THAT mom).  I honestly don't even remember what songs they sang (it wasn't jingle bells, or any of the traditional songs).  And we couldn't see too well, so I don't know how much Punky actually sang.  She was still cute though!

Punky and her BFFs, S & E. 

 

Cookies for Santa

Last weekend we had our first Christmas celebration.  Buddy was the first to open his present, and since it is the first time he's done this, he was pretty confused at first.  It didn't take long for him to figure out what was going on though. 

Not quite sure what to do...

Playing Candy Land with her 2nd cousins

A few years ago, we started a new tradition with Auntie Amber and made tons of Christmas cookies.  We switched it up this year and made them at Grandma and Grandpa's house so everyone could participate.  I think we made three batches of spritz, two batches of peanut blossoms, and one batch of ginger ball cookies, coconut almond cookies, rolo pretzel treats, and almond bark pretzels.  I love family traditions like this!

 

Don't Want to Forget This...

A few days ago, I bought Punky and Buddy some little wind-up toys that do back flips.  Punky picked out a pink bunny and then she chose a brown kangaroo for Buddy.

This morning, I walked downstairs and heard Punky say, "Where is my flippin' bunny?"  I couldn't stop laughing!  

Oh Christmas Tree

We decorated our Christmas tree this afternoon after Punky woke up from her "nap".  Luckily, Buddy took an extra long nap today, I don't know how we would've been able to do it with him in the mix.  We only used non-breakable ornaments and didn't hang them on the bottom half of the tree.  Punky was pretty upset that we had to leave all the beautiful ornaments and balls in the boxes.  I am half expecting the tree to get pulled over, so we'll see how that goes. 

We started the Elf on the Shelf tradition today too.  Punky could not think of a name for the elf, so Daddy named him Gimli (after a character in the Lord of Rings).  After nap, Gimli was perched on the dining room chandelier.  Punky had fun trying to find him and asked how he got up there.  Later, we heard her say, "Sorry, I broke the mirror Gimli."  (A total accident today).

Daddy has been having lots of fun with the kids on Saturday mornings while I'm working at the library.  He took them to Cabela's a few weeks ago to look at the animals and today they went to the Maple Maze.  I think this working thing is good for all of us!

Just to keep things fair, here's a picture of Buddy during supper tonight!

Thanksgiving in Iowa

We headed to Auntie's house in Iowa for Thanksgiving.  We left bright and early on Thursday so we could get there before noon.  I think I got up at 5:30.  We had to wake Punky and Buddy up at 6:30 to get them dressed, fed and out the door by 7:15.  I got a little taste of what a working mom goes through every morning! 

We were a little hesitant about going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, but we went along with the plan.  We met everyone at the restaurant at about 11:30.  The weather was nice, so everyone stayed outside and stretched after sitting in the car for 4 hours.  The wait wasn't too bad at all, just under an hour.  The food was good and we had plenty to eat.  All in all, it was a success!

 
At midnight, the girls decided to hit up some stores to find some Black Friday deals.  Grandma, Auntie, Abby and I went to Target, Walmart and Kohls.  It was insane!  And because we didn't really want/need anything in particular, it was a big waste of time!  But we had fun laughing about all the crazy people out there!  I thought about buying a set of storage containers and a new memory card for our camera, but we decided that waiting in the checkout lines for over an hour was not worth saving $10.  It was a great "bonding" experience!

On Friday, Auntie surprised Punky with tickets to Disney on Ice.  Leah got cheap tickets through her Girl Scout troop, so Auntie, Leah, Punky and I all got to go.  Auntie spoiled Punky so much!  She got a stuffed Flounder (who is now a new buddy on her bed) and a light-up cup.  Her favorite by far though was the "ticket" which was really an extra Girl Scout Badge.  Punky held on to her "ticket" the whole show and would point at each character as they were ice skating.  It was so cute!  She was so excited and had so much fun!  Thanks, Auntie!

Holding on to their "tickets"

On Saturday, we went to Bass Pro Shops to see Santa Claus.  Punky was a sweetie and answered all of Santa's questions.  She told Santa she wants a doll house and Buddy wants a ball.  Buddy was not so sure when I put him in Santa's lap.  There weren't too many tears, but he definitely wasn't happy. 

We had a good weekend in Iowa with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie, Uncle Nate, Leah and Abby.  On the way home, Punky noticed lots of Christmas decorations.  It is going to be a fun year celebrating Christmas through the eyes of our two little kids.

Snow Day

It was the first snowfall of the season.  Daddy took Punky and Buddy outside to play in the snow on Saturday.  On Sunday, Punky asked if she could go "snowing" outside again.  It gave me some time to sweep, empty the dishwasher and accomplish other things that are impossible to do with a 14 month old boy running around the house.  I peaked outside a few times and saw Daddy pulling the kids in the sled, Punky eating snow, and Buddy shoveling.  I think they had a great time!  We'll see if they are still as excited come April!

Aren't kids in snowsuits the funniest thing ever?!?

  

Big Changes

This week has been full of big changes for all of us.  I started a part-time job unpaid internship at the local public library.  I am now working two nights a week and Saturday mornings.  In addition, I also started tutoring Spanish to my old boss's high school son one night a week.  So, I am gone for three bedtimes a week! 

It was actually a great week, but I was a little hesitant at first.  One minute, I think I am ready to start working again.  And the next minute, I am so sad to miss out on time spent with my family.  It has been a hard adjustment for me!  The kids, on the other hand, have hardly noticed.  They are perfectly happy with Daddy home a little early.  I don't think Daddy minds leaving work a little early twice a week either.  The most difficult for him is probably answering all of my questions (How was bedtime?, What did they eat?, What book did you read for bedtime?).  I can't miss out on anything! 

My first day was a lot of training.  I left the headlights on while I was working and came out at 9pm to a dead battery... but that is a whole other story.  Then on my second day, I shadowed the reference librarian.  There were a lot of hard questions that I had no clue how to find.  (Can you help me find a current map of Jerusalem with borderlines, etc.?  Where can I purchase desicant packages at a brick-and-morter store not online?)  And today, I was on my own!  And I will say, it was SO. MUCH. FUN!  I sat at the reference desk for the first hour and the rest of the time I was "roving".  I helped kids find books on horses, Disney princesses and adults find articles from Consumer Reports.

Hopefully this internship will pay off and help me get some sort of library job somewhere sometime in the near future.  Although it has been difficult to leave Punky and Buddy, I know most moms do it every single day.  I know I would love working in a library and hopefully I'll be able to find something this winter!       

Girl's Weekend

On Thursday, we headed to South Dakota as we do every year at this time.  On our way to Grandma and Grandpa's house, we stopped and had supper with Uncle Sean and Hilary.  The timing worked out perfectly because Punky and Buddy were getting antsy after being in the car for 4 hours.  They were not very well behaved at the restaurant but it was a noisy place anyway.  Punky ate about 4 bowls of popcorn and none of her supper.  Next time we'll be sure to not sit right next to the popcorn machine.

An hour later, we got to Grandpa and Grandma's house.  It was already past their regular bedtime, but Punky and Buddy were so happy to see Grandpa and Grandma.  We spent some quality time together before heading to bed two hours late. 

The next morning, Derek and Grandpa Max planned to head to the Black Hills around noon.  So we all spent the morning enjoying the farm.  I didn't grow up on a farm.  In fact, I would consider myself a city girl.  I honestly don't know if I'd be able to survive without a Target Chipotle within a 10 mile radius.  But, I love spending time on the farm.  It is peaceful and nothing beats spending time outdoors in the fresh air.

We took a walk down the dirt road.  We visited the cows in the pasture.  I am sure Buddy would've jumped the fence if we wouldn't have been holding him down.  We walked through the woods, looked at the old buildings on Grandpa and Grandma's property, and played in the leaves.  The farmer that works on Grandpa's land was out in the tractor.  He stopped to say Hello and offered to give Punky a ride.

After Daddy and Grandpa left, we headed to town.  We visited Great-Grandma Raynie, did some shopping and went out to dinner.  The next day we had big plans to head to my hometown to visit the new Children's Museum. 

There were so many fun things to remember about the Children's Museum.  Grandma and I stayed busy chasing after Punky and Buddy.  They had so much fun at each exhibit.  Punky said her favorite part was "fixing the car" but I think it was the grocery store.  Buddy's favorite part was probably the water room.

Changing a tire

Grocery Shopping

Future Stock Boy?

Paying

Milking a wooden cow

Taking a break to read his favorite book. 
We seriously read this book multiple times EVERY day. 

Playing in the water

Creating a marble painting

Today Punky was feeling under the weather.  She didn't eat anything all day, asked for a nap at 11, and threw up a few times.  She asked to go to sleep at 6.  Of course, she will NOT take any meds, so the poor little girl is still feeling yucky.  Buddy has been himself today (a.k.a. getting into everything!).  We were able to spend a little time outside today, but generally it has been pretty low key. 

Tomorrow Derek and Grandpa are due back in the afternoon and we will leave around supper time.

Years ago, our girl's weekends were spent shopping, shopping and shopping.  Eventhough our activities are more kid-centered now, I had a lot of fun this year.  The kids were fairly well behaved and enjoyed spending time at Grandma's house.  Our schedules weren't thrown way off, and both kids slept well, so that meant that I got a little break and some time to relax myself.  I couldn't ask for more!

Trick-or-Treat

It was another fun night spent creating memories with friends.  Like last year, we went over to the MG Twins house for pizza and trick-or-treating.  This year, our friend Miss E joined in on the fun too! 

It was so much fun to see the kids having fun!  Punky did well saying "Trick-or-Treat" and "Thank You".  After every house, she would say, "Let's go trick-or-treating AGAIN!"  Buddy did well too.  We carried him most of the way, but by the end he was wanting to walk and hold out the bucket on his own. 



2011

 

 Comparison from 2010