Wrapping up 2013

I think I'll package up the rest of the month/year in one post. If it's anything like my gift-wrapping skills it won't be anything extraordinary, but at least it will get done.

December treated us to a couple weeks of really cold temps, but for the most part it was a bearable month all things considered. We had some decent snow storms, and I will say this...regardless of not being a fan of winter, I do think a blanket of snow helps to boost the seasonal spirits. I grew up with mostly white Christmases, and I love a reminder of those memories. Having a backyard now is great for the boys, and I'm enjoying the freedom of not having to accompany them on every trip outside. :)

I guess in some ways I consider ourselves to be a young family, so I'm still working on what our traditions will be around the holidays. I think we nailed down a couple we want to stick with, but I guess we'll wait until next year to see what others will be a good fit for us.

Christmas Eve we finished up delivering the last bit of our Christmas baked goods, and we had planned on a trip to see Santa afterwards, but after pulling up to the Sugar Shack, we found that we missed him by a day. We ended up heading home with what will continue to be our Christmas Eve dinner tradition of Chinese takeout. We stole that tradition from the Bacon Family! :)

Once bedtime rolled around for the boys, we went to lay down and all of us ended up falling asleep before 9:00! It was a good thing D woke up halfway through the night, or the boys may have been overlooked by Santa. Even on his days off D can rarely sleep in, so he was up early watching a movie when Zach woke up to use the bathroom. Hearing the TV on he went to investigate and saw his stocking and got the rest of us up in a hurry. Starting our morning off at 6:30 AM was definitely not my idea of fun, but the boys' enthusiasm and a cup of coffee were all I needed to get going. They had a great Christmas, and we're very fortunate that we could do for them what we wanted to.

We made pizza last year on Christmas and we decided to do it again. I think that will be our Christmas dinner tradition moving forward. Leave it to us to have the holiday food traditions nailed down before anything else. :) Anytime we make pizza we need help to eat it, so joining us for dinner was Mom, Dad, Joy, and JT. Their company was a lovely way to finish up the day!

The rest of 2013 was mostly uneventful. The boys and I all came down with a nasty case of the flu, and sick is how we spent the rest of the year.

We didn't have the best start to 2013, but D and I both agree that once things turned around, the year ended on a really good note for us, and we're hoping the trend continues throughout 2014.

Cheers to all our family and friends for great things in 2014!

Vist with St. Nick

Bouncing up and down and exclaiming, "I'm so excited!" That's what Ben and Zach were doing while waiting in line to visit Santa. Their excitement was palpable.

We made a stop to see the man in red while making treat deliveries a couple of days ago, and it was by far a much better visit than last year's. We had an inside tip that there was a very good Santa at the Sugar Shack in Sugarhouse. We weren't disappointed, and Ben was brave enough this year to sit on his lap. Zach did all the talking of course, and they were thrilled to get candy canes.

We will definitely be returning to the Sugar Shack next year!

"Jolly" Old Elf

I think it's great that Ben and Zach's first encounter with Santa was actually with my dad dressed up as the man in red, and he was by far a much better Santa than the one we visited a couple of days ago with the boys. This Santa very much looked the part but that was about it....zero personality. It was a good thing that we didn't wait more than a few minutes to see him, or I would have been very disappointed. The boys probably didn't notice, but I think Zach was a little confused when he came away from Santa without him asking Zach what he wanted for Christmas, which Zach definitely had a specific answer.

 

Ben wasn't worried about any kind of interaction with Santa and wouldn't go anywhere near him without Darius accompanying him. The sunglasses were not our idea for a cute picture....totally Ben's doing. He had been wearing them in the car and still had them with him when it was his turn to visit Santa. I guess he figured if his eyes were hidden then Santa couldn't see him and it would be safe to approach.

Tonight we got together with the Bacon's at their home for a little Christmas Eve dinner with them and the Tomer's. We had a great meal and enjoyed great company. Clay helped Darius put together our big gifts for the boys, and he and his wife Tammey were so sweet to give the boys robots. They are such kind people, and we have really enjoyed getting to know them better over the last few months.

 

It's great to have the opportunity to spend the holidays with awesome people. That alone is the best part of being back in Florida. We're so grateful to have the friends we do, and for how generous they are with us and our boys.

Santa Abuse

Over the weekend, Darius and I attended his work holiday party. There was a gift exchange and we wound up with a Ben & Zach-sized-Santa. Zach thought Santa was funny and had a lot to say to him at their first meeting. Ben kept his distance and if anyone would nudge Santa closer to him, he'd back up several feet.

It only took a couple of days before they were dragging Santa around and roughing him up. I was in the kitchen doing dishes when I heard loud thuds coming from the living room. The boys had pulled the cushions off the couch and Zach was throwing Santa over the side...repeatedly! He must of tossed him over a dozen or more times.

The high-pitch screeching is not a bird...it's just Ben.

Jolly Old Saint Nick

Last night while Joy, Mom, Dad and I were playing a game, Dad got a phone call from someone looking for a Santa Claus. Dad was in the process of saying no to the gig, but then the rest of us got the gist of what he was turning down and we talked him into doing it. Within the hour he had a full Santa suit. We dressed him up and he fit the part so well!

We thought since Grandpa was playing the part of Santa, Ben and Zach would be down to sit on his lap for a photo. We even broke out early gifts and candy canes to sweeten the deal. They weren't having it, but we managed to get one decent photo.