Christmas Activities

Christmas!  It can be such a crazy time of year.  I'm determined to celebrate the birth of Christ.  I don't want to get caught up in the traditions but rather use them to celebrate and rejoice that a sweet young woman, Mary, "brought forth her first born son" who would be the Savior of the world.   

The Monday (Nov. 30) after Thanksgiving Matt and I set out to try and get some Christmas shopping done.  That's a bit of a trick because nap time cuts the day in half.  We got out the door as soon as we could, with the expected crash of the Littles after we'd been gone for a while.  We came prepared when we had to do some tag-team shopping...

One of my most favorite traditions is going to "A Christmas Carol" at Hale Center Theater in Orem (Dec. 10). This is the third or forth time we've gone.  The Littles are not big enough to go (I think you have to be 8), so it's a fun evening with Amy, Tyler, and Emily.  It seemed especially fun this year since Emily has been at BYU.  We still see her some, but there was still this sense of her "coming home."  

There is such a great message in the play/book (I've almost finished reading it for the first time - it's about time!) the power of remembering, being able to change, and kindness.  The music is wonderful.  And to sit holding hands with Matt and listening to the Bigs chatting and laughing in the row behind us, while they all munch on their sour watermelons, is so wonderful.  What a fun night!

Matt and I with one of the chorus members.  They were so good.

Meanwhile, the Littles were home with Grandma and Grandpa.  We came home to this Little Guy enjoying himself some Grandpa time.   I just love that this is a happy place for the Littles to be. 

On Friday (December 11) we were invited to go with some friends (Clara, from Kate's preschool) to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point.  It was lots of fun to get out and be able to run around.  When we were leaving we saw that some reindeer from the north pole were visiting.  Kate was especially excited and wanted to text a picture of her with the reindeer to here Daddy.  She's saying, "Hi, Daddy!" in this picture. 

December 16 ended up been a rather crazy day, especially the morning.  I sent the following text to Matt as I sat on the couch for a few minutes after putting Kate and Daniel down for their naps...

"The morning in a minute:
-Feed Oliver, 
-Oliver falls back asleep, 
-Go get Kate and Daniel,
-Daniel walking funny=diarrhea,
-Kate throws up while changing Daniel, 
-Run downstairs to ask for backup but mom & Dad still in bed feeling sick
-Both kids in bath, 
-Both kids crying when they have to get out, 
-Chase naked kids  (I win, sick kids don't run fast)
-Oliver wakes up
-Breakfast of rice cereal, hot chocolate and toast
-Read Christmas book while Daniel drags over nativity blocks
-Kate makes xylophone out of blocks
- Daniel teases Kate by stealing her xylophone one block at a time, 
-More of the same continues off and on for the next 30 minutes
- Time to go outside
-Spend 20 minutes bundling up to go outside and play for 5
-Fill the bird feeder and take a picture while we're outside
-Decide to walk to the mailbox while we're all bundled up
-Oliver falls asleep in the carrier before we get out the door
-Sing Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer over and over as Kate and Daniel eat snow while we walk
-Warm up some old mac and cheese for lunch while Kate's in time out and Daniel plays with dishes in the sink
-Read a book while feeding Oliver and put Kate and Daniel in bed."

Last year at Christmas time we had a Secret Santa leave parts of the nativity on our porch every evening for two weeks.  It was our darling neighbors, the Gilmores.  I should have known :)  It was a a set made specifically for Kate and Daniel to play with - the pictures were modge podged  onto wooden blocks. 

 

We went over the nativity story multiple times, hoping to help Kate and Daniel remember what we were celebrating.  The story telling always began with them taking turns picking blocks (Kate always wanted the "faries"  - aka the angels, and Daniel always ended up with one, much to the irritation of Kate).  I also thought it was fun to watch Daniel, age 2, "organize" his blocks versus Kate, age 3, and her blocks all lined up (see pictures below).  The telling often ended up with one or the other in tears because the blocks weren't put in the right place or had been knocked down.  But hey, we don't need to get distracted by that.  In reality I love hearing their voices shout out the answers to "And then what happened?"  

 

 

And so goes the Christmas season in the Cornish home.  It's been a blustery, snowy winter so far.  Quite different than last year's winter.  I remember when Matt and I were very first married, Matt said he was actually looking forward to winter (he's a warm-blooded boy) - drinking hot chocolate next to the fire on cold nights.  The first winter was wonderful, but so are evenings singing Christmas Carols, reading Christmas books, and enjoying time with our children.