Back into the grind & Christmas is gone, but not forgotten

Looking back I cannot believe how busy the holidays were. There is the rush to get everything done before the big day & the last minute things that need to be done. One of which should NOT have included going to the Liquor Store on Christmas Eve day, but unfortunately that is where I had to go. I realized that morning that we may be low on Bailey's & did not want to run out...so I went & stood in the huge line to get some (& some bottles of wine that I like). As it turns out we were fine & I did not need to go, but then I wouldn't have saved $4 on some of my favourites!

Christmas Eve we went to the Child's service at church & they did a mini-version of the pageant that we did at the beginning of December. The kids could choose whatever part they wanted. Sydney & Jason chose the sheep & Mom & I were kicking ourselves for not having our cameras. Sydney's costume was way too big for her, but Jason was snug as a bug in his costume and loved how soft it was & his bell. The other highlight was the little 18-month old who toddled up to the front & kept pointing and saying "baby, baby" then went back to get her grandmother up & show her. I think the grandmother thought that it was better to go up with her then to cause a freak out. All in all, the service started Christmas off exactly the way I wanted. Focused on family & a reminder of why we have this holiday.

So that I don't get too wordy, I will let the multitude of pictures tell the story....

Christmas eve, Mom wanted to grab a photo of us before we left for church.
Too bad she didn't put the camera in her purse...:(

Sprinkling the magic reindeer food on the lawn before bed.

Santa brought Sydney a Leapster & she was attached to it for at least the next 48 hours. Thankfully she is not as bad anymore.

Santa brought Jason a Tag Reader & some books so that he doesn't always steal his sister's. But if you ask Jason what Santa brought him, he will tell you "a dinosaur egg" (you put it in water & in 48 hours a dinosaur hatches). Nana is tucked in the side of this picture after spending the night with us.

Sydney & Jason patiently waiting for Uncle Robb, Aunt Michele, Max, Grace & Maddie to arrive so they can open the heap of presents piled behind them.

Sydney showing Grandma how to play.

Yeah, they are here...one more photo op & they can get at their presents.


Presents opened & they still choose to play with Papa's train. I was going to crop this picture, but then I realized that some of the background might give anyone who has heard me talk about my in law's clock "collection". You will note in this picture you can see 9 clocks...and this is not the primary space in their house.


Boxing Day we hosted my family for dinner.
Craig & Tammy

Kim, Pete & Regan

This is my only picture of Mom from Christmas, but I am sure I will have many pictures of her, Kim & I two weeks from now when we are in ANTIGUA!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you Mom for such a wonderful Christmas present.

One of my favourite pictures

Brad gave me a new camera for Christmas. I requested a slim, compact one that I could easily carry around & fit in a small purse...many of my Christmas pictures didn't turn out too great while I fiddled with all the settings. This picture I feel focuses more on the colourful fruit than Regan.

These three started playing right away as soon as they got to Aunt Sue's & Uncle Jack's.
It's fun to watch them together. Hayleigh spent a lot of time giving piggy back rides or carrying them (& Jason).

Did you watch the smashing of the Christmas house?
This is how much Jaxon enjoyed eating it.

Uncle Robb & Aunt Michele's gift was a big hit....

...with Brad too.
The girls watch on too waiting for their turn.

This doll house gets a lot of use when Brooke & Bailey come to stay.
We love having these two...they play so well with Sydney & Jason & are really good. Bailey & Brad had a typical standoff about eating...I told Bailey that it would be much easier on her if she just accepted now that her Uncle Brad is one stubborn man & it is next to impossible to change his mind once it is set.

One last gift from Nana. She took the kids out for dinner & to Niagara Falls to see the Christmas lights. I was exhausted by Monday, so I took this downtime to sit and watch "Funny People" and "The Hangover", both very funny.

A smashing good time...

I will post my Christmas summary tomorrow (hopefully), but for anyone who is looking- here is the video of the kids smashing the chocolate house at the Robinson Christmas. Watch out for Hayleigh & Emily when they have a hammer!

It all leads up to the big event...

This morning I work early from a dream & then could not get back to sleep because I have a mild headache (which hopefully will go away after coffee) and my mind was filled with everything I need to get done today. We don't have any shopping or wrapping left to do, it is just cooking & cleaning to get ready for our parents coming tonight after church. We go to the 4pm service which is completely geared to the kids & it is typically wild with chaos, but does give the kids a chance to again focus on why we actually have Christmas.

Again, I have been terrible at blogging. I really don't have time during the day with the kids to sit down at the computer & then at night I am either busy doing other things or don't feel like sitting at the computer. But there was a lot of activity over the last month that inevitably gets us prepared for the next few days. Here is a photo journal of our fun...

Breakfast with Santa

A new tradition started last year with the Bisbees.

Walk to get the Christmas Tree
This year the kids got an added bonus when we went to get the tree because Prancer & Dancer were at the nursery & they also had pony rides for the kids...pretty good idea!


Christmas Pageant at Church

Sydney keeps asking me why Jason did not get to pick what he wanted to be in the pageant. I was not so sure that Jason would "do" anything when put in front of the congregation, so I thought it best to put him in a role that kept him with his sister. Also, since his speech is still a little difficult for some to understand- best to keep his lines with a group. However he did do a great job with his "Fear Not!", so next year we will let him pick. Sydney says next year she wants to be a dove.

Our "angel" was not willing to wear his halo.
Hmm...not very angel-like.

Parades

This year we went to a plethora of parades. We went to the Hamilton one since Brad's work was putting in a float, but I don't think we will repeat that adventure next year. The Waterdown parade is a must because it is so pretty at night & the Burlington parade (below) is a must because I love to see the Teen Tour Band. I am good with seeing 2 parades, but three is just too much.

Decorating the Tree

Although we got the tree on the Saturday, we had so much going on that weekend that we did not have a chance to decorate it until the Monday. I am the tree light stringer & that is not a task that I choose to do with children. So I managed to get it done on Sunday night which left Monday for us to decorate. Jason didn't think he should go to school so that we could decorate. I told him that both him & Sydney would be going to school, the tree would wait.

Goodies, Goodies, Goodies

This year we made gingerbread men, sugar cookies (thanks Nana), gumdrop cookies, & turtles. It is amazing to me how little of it we have left, but by the time I send some with Sydney to Sparks, Jason to school, & give some as gifts- I guess it is not so surprising. This year Nana continued her house & train tradition with Sydney & Jason. However she made it extra special for Sydney by molding the house out of chocolate. She was thinking that we would use it for decoration, but I told her there is no way Sydney is going to make a house out of chocolate & candy & not want to eat it.

Mmm, mmm, gingerbread

The creators with their creations

Tearing down the house.
Sydney & Max were right into, Jason was not too sure
that this was the right thing to do.

Skating Christmas Party

For the last day of lessons they had a family skate, face painting, colouring, and Santa & Mrs. Clause. Sydney loved the skate, but Jason had enough after 20 minutes & chose to spend the rest of the time colouring. Sydney's lessons continue in the new year, but Jason is done. We will wait until next year to put him in again. I think we will just be spending time at the rink with him to work towards an improvement.

Christmas Concerts

At Sydney's school only the kindergarten classes do a "concert" at Christmas & it was only 2 classes and lasted 15 minutes with 4 songs. Jason's on the other hand combined 2 classes of 3 year olds & 1 JK class. This concert consisted of about 17 songs & was an hour long. Jason's part consisted of singing 3 group songs & putting garland on a "tree". He seemed to enjoy it, but I am sure his favourite part was Santa arriving at the end with presents.

Yes their concert was in French & I did not understand each word,
but I do know that Sydney was singing about Santa's black belt.

A couple of Sydney's giggly girlfriends

Jason does more actions than singing at school, but it is the complete opposite at home.

Sydney & Jason have been "playing" Santa all week.
I think they are very excited about his arrival tonight.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Friendly Beasts

This morning was our Christmas pageant "The Friendly Beasts" & this year I participated in the role of Director. It was chaotic, but fun and was the best way for me to get to know more of the kids in the church. Brad was my c0-director, but he doesn't think his part should have had mention in the bulletin. However, Lisa (the experienced coordinator of the event) said that without his help I would not have been as accessible to her. Check the pictures below to see if you can figure out who Brad was directing...

Yes, Brad was in the back with the angels to provide direction & hold the mike for them. So, he is crawling along inbetween the pews...well done!

Jason's line: Fear not!

Sydney: For behold I bring you good tidings of great joy; which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

So cute....

Senior Kindergarten

An early glimpse of Santa

Today we went to the Hamilton Santa Claus parade. I've never gone to it before, but the company Brad works for (I originally wrote "we", I guess TU is isn't quite out of my blood yet) was entering a float for the first time. I was skeptical since I remember being told one year that the local Waste Management company put in their truck & did not clean it first. There was a garbage truck in again this year, but it was painted pink & had support breast cancer fund raising information posted on it & it was also sparkling clean & smelling fresh. All in all, it was a pretty good parade.

It moved fast & had quite a few bands (which are my favourite part). The fact that it was over 13 degrees today didn't hurt either. Kim & Pete are visiting mom this weekend to get some Christmas shopping done, so Mom & Regan came along for the fun too. It sure beat the cold that Mom & I stood in last year during the Burlington parade.

My winner for best float

"City of Waterfalls", not typically one's first thought about Hamilton

The "Save the Greyhound" participants came up close for a personal touch.

Super Stinger Award

At Sydney's school they have a monthly citizenship award called the "Super Stinger" & each month a different attribute is recognized. The first one was for caring & Sydney & a little boy in her class were selected by the teacher.

When describing why Sydney was chosen, Sydney's teacher stated that she:

• always take care of her work area
• always volunteer to help Mme. Locke
• regularly shows care for her stuff and the classroom
• never speaks when someone else is speaking

Although each month a different child is selected & by the end of the year each child will have an award...and although I think the main reason Sydney was selected was because I was there the day before & the teacher could tell me to come the next day to see her get her award- I still have pride about seeing her get her bee pin. Because at the end of the day, the way Mme. Locke described Sydney was true.

Halloween, all day

Since Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we thought that we would have a brunch in the morning so that the kids could enjoy their costumes...all day. This way too, playing in the morning should wear them out good so that they nap well & can stay up later in the evening. So, last Saturday we welcomed 16 kids into our home with their parents to celebrate Halloween. We had the tables set up so that we could eat in 2 shifts. Kids first, then parents. I wish I had gotten a picture of all 18 kids sitting & eating because it was really neat, but I was too busy flipping pancakes. I made WAY TOO MUCH FOOD! We had leftovers for supper that night (even invited my Mom to help us), breakfast & lunch the next day & even some left over for Monday. In addition, I have a complete 9x13 pan of baked apple french toast in the freezer because clearly one was more than enough. Guess what we are having on Xmas morning?

I am missing 3 kids, not sure where they went.

We have wonderful neighbours & some of them agreed to receive trick or treaters early. I learned that night that one of my neighbours was hoping we would come down there. I didn't think it was right for us to just go out & start knocking on neighbours doors at noon, but I will remember her next time! It was crazy madness for a couple of hours, but it was a lot of fun for the kids & I think the adults enjoyed themselves too. I would definitely do it again, but by the time Halloween falls on a Saturday again, the kids will be into completely different things. I guess next time it might need to be a supper party rather than a breakfast party.


Our evening of trick or treating was much calmer. After doing our street, Jason was ready to go home. Sydney & her dad finished the block, but as expected our neighbourhood was pretty quiet. We had a total of 11 kids.


In the summer Sydney told me that she wanted to be a butterfly & we bought her wings pretty early. The week before Halloween she switched to wanting to be a fairy because she wanted to use the wand that came with her costume. Thank goodness that she at least stayed within the theme of her existing costumer & didn't change to want to be something completely different. Of course when it came time to actually use the wand that came with her costume, it was nowhere to be found & is still missing- sure to arrive some day. Sydney says that it really was a magic wand & disappeared on its own. Thank goodness we had a backup.


Brad is appalled by Jason's costume. He thinks it is the most ridiculous costume. Jason told us he wanted to be a dinosaur & when I found a dinosaur that was his favourite colour I bought it immediately. I told Brad that he needed to be quiet, this was probably the last year that I would be able to dress him up in something cute & suitable for a little boy because next year he would be in school & likely wanting to dress up as some superhero.

Sydney, Max, Maddie, Gracie, & Jason

Max Invasion

I have been terrible at posting lately for a couple of reasons. I don't seem to spend too much time on the computer & it has been really busy. The last couple of weeks were even busier than normal for 2 reasons. (1) we had Max with us for 8 days while Robb & Michele went to Cuba to celebrate their 10th anniversary & (2) I was preparing for a Halloween party- more on that later.

Having Max was a blast for the kids & pretty fun for us too. However, the following lessons were learned during the Max Invasion:

• getting anywhere with 3 kids takes longer than getting there with 2
• even one more child changes the volume level a great deal (& that volume level seems to stay even though the 3rd child has gone home again)
• since Sydney & Jason love to play "baby", Max taught them wonderful ways to make a crib (i.e. taking the cushions off the couch & placing them as walls, so now our cushions are forever lying around the basement)

Aside from moments involved in those lessons, it was pretty fun to have him here. I wonder what he truly thought of it. First, Brad & I are very different than Robb & Michele, so the experience definitely could not have been much like home. Second, Max is VERY attached to his mom & I was worried about how homesick he would be for her, but aside from the first night he did really well. Poor Robb, Max kept counting down the days until his mom came home & occasionally included his dad in the countdown. I know Max was happy to see his dad on their return, but it was his mom that he was itching to see.


The sleeping arrangements involved him sharing a room with Sydney. We knew better than to put them both to bed together, especially when Max needed to get to school every morning so the giggling before bed needed to be kept to a minimum. Sydney claimed that Max did not understand how you sleep with another person because she claimed that she laid straight & he took up more room by curling in a ball. But the photo below shows that Sydney got in Max's personal space too. Sydney claims that her dad put her arm around Max, but that is not true. The last night that Max was here I went to check on them & Max had an arm on Sydney's shoulder & the other on top of her head. By the time I got back with the camera, Sydney had moved so I missed the photo- but it was pretty cute.


Oh & the other lesson I learned is that you can never assume that all kids like to shower. I think I scarred Max for life by having him take a shower one morning. I felt like I was exposing him to a torture chamber. He did tell his mom about it, so I was right in my interpretation that he definitely did not like it.

Family game night involved playing "Life" because Brad thought that the kids would like spinning the wheel. Although that was true, it was a bit of a painful experience even though we played a VERY simplified version of the game. Note that this game if from our childhood & does not accurately represent a salary of today.