Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Christmas Happenings 2013

So hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone. Thankfully we can hold on to the spirit of Christmas a little longer since we have my family Christmas yet this weekend. Here is a little look into our Christmas fun we’ve had so far.

We continued the tradition of spending Christmas eve and Christmas day around home. Sevea was the only kid who understood what was going on. Even still we heard more times than we cared for, “Is it time to open presents yet?” Troy was nice enough and let us all open our yearly ornament gift a little early.

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Troy did really good at picking out memorable ornaments this year. Sevea with her Doc McStuffins since she wanted to be Doc McStuffins when she started preschool. Cohen and his Lightning McQueen because he LOVES all things McQueen. Brynna’s was a cube with her birth stats on it. Mine was three frogs stacked on top of each other representing my three little froggies that I am blessed to call mine.

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Later that evening we dined on Troy’s prime rib along with twice baked potatoes, popovers with honey butter, and seven layer salad. Although this meal was delicious we’ve decided to switch up the tradition and make this meal on Christmas Day. Just too much going on Christmas eve since the kids (Sevea) couldn’t wait to open their presents.

Brynna had no clue what was going on and even though it was past her bedtime she was a trooper and opened up her gifts (with Sevea’s help) before crashing for the night.

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I was excited to see how much Cohen would get into opening the gifts since last year he wasn’t real interested (at 1 year and 4 months). Both kids opened camping chairs first which provided a very convenient spot to sit to open the rest.

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After opening the next gift which was a guitar Cohen had only interest in playing with it. Finally he got what was going on and decided to continue opening the rest. I guess I can’t hate that he wasn’t being greedy.

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Sevea loved everything she got and in true Sevea fashion was thankful for even the clothes. So nice to hear “I wanted this, I really wanted this” even though you didn’t know that until then. She’s always good about being thankful for anything she receives.

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Even though it was past their bedtime we made time to play a little with the stuff they got. It was fun watching Sevea practice cheerleading (which she is starting a class at the end of January). Cohen made the cutest not-scary monster ever.

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Before they were tucked in for the night, we had a very important task to complete first.

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We left out some cookies for Santa, a glass of water, a picture Sevea colored, and his wrapping paper that he forgot at our house from last year. Sevea was very concerned that he wouldn’t remember his wrapping paper again. Mom and Dad made sure he took it!

Santa didn’t forget to stop at the Appeldorn house.

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Santa stuffed as much as he could into their stockings and made sure to get them (Sevea) what they asked for.

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After opening presents it was time for Christmas breakfast. We headed on over to the Zimmer’s house to feast on homemade donuts, tator rounds, and omelets. Sevea did a great job helping with the donuts. It is so nice to include the kids in helping when we can. And a new tradition this year: mimosas. Carissa and I were totally on board for this tradition. After all shouldn’t all new moms be treated to something as delicious as champagne and orange juice…in moderation of course!

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After naps the kids opened a couple more gifts and we ended the night with last minute guests, the Rotell’s. One more reason we felt extra blessed this holiday season. We feel pretty lucky to have friends who we care for just like family.

What a blessed and fun holiday we had. We hope yours was just as great!

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sooooo tired!

Christmas really takes it out of a kid.

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This boy had a long weekend filled full of Christmas adventures that definitely caught up to him. After falling asleep in the vehicle on the way home, we made a pit stop for a potty break and food for his sisters. He woke up but decided he really wasn’t ready to get up and eat. By the time we got home, a nap was the last thing on his mind. 3:30pm rolls around and Cohen is trying to climb in his crib. Needless to say he was not happy about us waking him up around 4:30. Let’s hope our normal routines will continue tomorrow.

Monday, December 23, 2013

Getting ready for Christmas continued

One Christmas tradition I am not always the best at doing is getting the kids pictures with Santa. We’ve actually only ever done it once before. There is just something not appealing to me about standing and waiting in a mall Santa line forever and then being rushed through the motions. Not to mention having to pay an arm and a leg for the picture. With Sevea getting older and more and more into all things Christmas I figured it was something I would just have to do…until we got a flyer for Emma Krumbee’s in Belle Plaine. The restaurant was having a Breakfast with Santa event. This sounded way more appealing to me. The setup was really nice. It was a really casual event where at any point during the hour and a half you could walk up to Santa and get your picture taken. There was a small breakfast served as well. The environment was so nice. I think it helped some kids feel more comfortable with seeing Santa. Cohen still wasn’t the biggest fan, but not so much because he was scary just because he was a stranger. Santa didn’t seem to care.

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Sevea loved getting to tell Santa what she wanted. Her list included a La La Loopsy Doll and a princess cup. We’ll have to see if Santa grants her wish. Sevea also told me this was not real Santa. This was fake Santa just helping the real Santa since he’s busy getting all the presents ready. (I have no clue where she got this from…makes me sad since she’ll soon enough know the truth)

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Brynna could have cared less about telling Santa her Christmas list. She isn’t to the stranger phase yet and absolutely loves when anyone holds her so she had no problem with Santa.

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One tradition I do seem to remember is the gingerbread house. This year however Sevea decided we should decorate a tree. The box looked cute but I wasn’t quite sure it would be as good for young kids. I was right. The kids had fun but it wasn’t as easy to decorate and the candy was limited to one kind. Good thing I have sprinkles that we could use as well. Next year we’ll go back to the regular house style. In the end we still ended up with a cute not-so-straight tree.

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All the stuff leading up to Christmas definitely adds to why this season is so much fun. All we have left to do now is wait!