Visiting Santa and the Real Faith of a Child

Though 3 of the boys officially "know" about Santa, I couldn't believe how persistent they were in their requests to see Santa. After a fairly unproductive school day yesterday, I decided to take today off to visit Santa and finish up some other Christmas errands. Santa was very cheerful this year and didn't smell bad - always a plus.

KiKi jumped right up on Santa's lap this year and proceeded to tell him quite confidently that he wanted Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles - all of them, and Diego things. Santa was so good natured that he even chuckled.
Hard to believe, but Neil-Te is still a bit nervous about Santa. He needed A to go up with him, but willingly sat on Santa's lap and made his request. The boys were happy with their visit and the rest of my shopping went extremely well.

At one store, I handed the sales associate my list, he filled my cart and loaded my purchases into the car. To top it all off, a different man in the store handed me a coupon to use. Sometimes it's actually an advantage to shop with the kids. I think people are more pleasant, cheerful, and patient when they see us coming. (Of course, with all the boys in tow, I need them to be!)

Oh, yeah, I finally got a chair for my living room! The boys were being so good that I made a quick run to the furniture outlet. The boys grumbled, and I assured them that it would probably be quick since I have been unsuccessfully looking for a chair since August. They knew I really wanted one, so Neil-Te and CoCo prayed that I would find one. When I walked in the door, I was accosted by a sales lady. I almost gave her the brush-off, but then decided to tell her what I was looking for. Her face lit right up, and she told me she had just what I was looking for. (Imagine me thinking, "How cliche. I'll believe it when I see it!") Well, 15 minutes later, we were driving out with our new chair and a van full of awestruck boys who believe in the power of a God who listens to a child's prayer.

Family Picture

We celebrated Christmas with my mom and dad last night, and my dad took some pictures of the family. As you can see, we didn't get a perfect one. SS made faces in nearly all of them. I decided to post this one anyway because I figure it reflects her picture personality. It is a rare occasion when I get a picture of her where she is not making a funny face. Think it makes a good Christmas card?

CoCo's Accomplishment

Some of you may remember that last time CoCo had a recital, he found that he was unable to perform. He had always practiced on a piano; and for whatever reason, the promised piano was replaced with a keyboard. CoCo had never played a keyboard and didn't want recital night to be his first time.
So... when the music studio began discussing recitals this season, I was unsure what his reaction would be. At first he was hesitant, stating his piano/keyboard concerns. Then his teacher assured him that they could practice on the keyboard every lesson to prepare, and CoCo was thrilled. He chose two pieces - a waltz and a lullaby. He practiced faithfully and was, again, fully prepared. We arrived close to starting time so that he wouldn't have time to get nervous. (Luckily, grandpa saved seats.) CoCo waited patiently for his turn, about 2/3 of the way through the program. Just as the student before him finished and CoCo was preparing to stand up, the director took the microphone and said that there was going to be a slight change in the programming. CoCo's turn was going to be moved until after the intermission. UGH! As I walked down the hallway with him, I asked him if he was alright with waiting a bit longer to play because grandma had run out to get SS from work and would be coming back to hear CoCo. I said, "Are you okay with waiting until grandma and SS get back, or will it make you nervous."
He looked at me, puzzled. "Should I be nervous?" (Guess I was the only nervous one!)
Anyway, when grandma and SS got there, CoCo played with complete confidence and pleasure. YEAH!

Sweet Inspiration

We decided that it was time for some sweet inspiration today. We headed over to a local mansion museum to look at the gingerbread houses on display. The kids played the scavenger hunt game, and Neil-Te was so interested in it and just refused to give up. His enthusiasm soon passed on to the older brothers who initially grumbled. KiKi resisted the temptation to swipe his finger through some frosting or steal a piece of candy; but of course, now we will be making a gingerbread creation of our own. I may even have to find a real recipe. We've done kits in the past; but frankly, they taste terrible. They seem to absorb the taste of the cardboard that they are packaged in. I'll post pictures of our creation when we make it!

Freezy Fun

We've gotten a bit of snow over the past couple of days, and the boys have been begging to run outside before school even starts. Yesterday was the soak-you-to-the skin kind of snow that left you wet after only 5 minutes of playing, but today we had some fluffy, dry snow to play in. The boys braved the terrible wind chill to take advantage of the one inch layer of snow for sledding. CoCo has started sledding down the front, side hill this year. Apparently, the new dirt from the driveway has improved the slope; and there are "only a few trees to hit." Ugh!
KiKi only lasted about 25 minutes before he needed some hot chocolate, but he loves sledding (on the mini hill)! It's so funny to watch him try to move with all those clothes on. Sometimes he can't even stand up.

Luckily, A didn't actually throw this threatened snow ball right at my camera!

Neil-Te stayed in. He said it was "too freezy" for him!

Christmas Preparations

I've been a bit negligent about blogging lately, not for lack of happenings. Seems that at the end of the day, I've just been out of energy. A hot bath and a cup of tea have just been higher on my priority list! The boys put up our Christmas tree and lights the day that my brother and family headed out. They certainly needed something to distract them from the loss of their playmates. We didn't get a chance to put up the ornaments until a couple of days later, and it was fun to watch the boys reminisce about ornaments they remember receiving.

KiKi was so excited that his jaw dropped open, and he would squeal in delight when he came across an ornament that he thought was especially fun.

Neil-Te was happy to be able to reach up a little higher on the tree this year.

A handled the top of the tree, and CoCo is our resident paper chain, snowflake maker. Our house is so festive, and I just love all of the enthusiasm that the kids bring to Christmas. I do cringe a little every time KiKi and Than play with my ceramic creches, but at least it helps them remember the real meaning of Christmas.

A few pictures of our Thanksgiving Guests

All dressed up for church. Zilla saw A's suit and decided he needed to go too!

Zilla and Grandpa preparing for the long-awaited work-out on the treadmill.

A typical scene with the Unc.

And another common sight!