Christmas

We had a lovely Christmas. All the normal Christmas Eve happenings. With the addition of putting up the trampoline in 40 degrees, which with a wind, no sun, and being used to 60s-70s was FREEZING. Then I got on gmail video chat with my family and sang Christmas carols and listened to my dad's new song. Which is a tradition I would love to continue. It was so fun to sing with them! But have my kids in bed. =]






Kids tracking Santa's flight...

Setting up the trampoline


With the tramp and singing we didn't get to bed until after midnight, woke up at 4:24 to a fire truck zooming by. The boys were up about 20 minutes later, so not much sleep. Everyone was up a little after 6:30. Gifts were fun this year as we had the kids go one at a time and watch each other. Then we'd build/play with/eat whatever was opened before moving on.


The boys got a movie and tramp from us. We did a treasure hunt with the first clue wrapped up. The boys loved it!



They also got some fun gifts from grandparents (furry frenzy things that scoot around and make noise, Hannah got one too that she is afraid of. and lots of Legos). Between the trampoline and the Legos I've barely seen the boys for days. Seriously, they are either shut in their room so Hannah can't break everything or outside jumping.




Hannah got a baby doll and stroller. Plus I made matching pjs for her baby...I could hardly contain my excitement. She is happy as can be pushing that baby around all day and I am probably even happier watching her.









We did everything really simple this year with only two gifts each for the kids and for us. After receiving everything from our families it ended up being a perfect Christmas. The best gift for me was the branch Taylor chopped off one of our trees for me...if you look really closely at the first picture you can see it behind the treen leaning by the piano with a red bow on it. I'm going to carve a spoon out of it. As soon as I find a sharp enough knife.

I Believe In Santa Claus

We spend a lot of time at our house thinking endlessly about home school, media, natural child birth, ideas, thoughts, traditions. Because I don't want to just do things because that's the way they've always been done or because that is how everyone else is doing them.

So we have long discussions (read as: Taylor listens to Kristi's monologue) to decide what we believe and what we will do. Not that Taylor doesn't have opinions, he just reaches conclusions with a lot less talking than I need.

Earlier this week Hannah made the "boat Santa" statement to which my SIL responded with the comment that her daughter calls Santa Noah. How did Hannah learn about Santa? We have a few Christmas books about Santa and the boys talk about him occasionally (we're not big lap people so no visits for a couple years) so Hannah has learned old guy with a white beard equals excitement. James didn't know much about Santa as an only child at age two.

I've kind of always (as a mother) had bad feelings for Santa Claus. Because naturally I want to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, Christ's birth, and think my children should have an innate desire to do the same. And Santa is the bad guy. Right?

So I started my inner debate about what my stance will be on this issue. Because I like to know what I think about life, the universe and everything.

And last night I came to the conclusions that Santa is not the enemy. He doesn't take away from our focus on Christ. We spend a good portion of our holidays singing hymns, talking about Christ's birth, playing with our toy nativity, reading scriptures, thinking of Christ.

The commercialization of Christmas can be laid at the feet of large corporations, toy companies, advertisement, the media, and our own prosperity and/or greed. Santa isn't the culprit. He's just an exploited image. Traditions surrounding Santa Claus date back hundreds of years and are rich in meaning and culture. Christmas is what we make of it. Santa is who we want him to be. We can focus on the Savior and His gifts to us. And we can still do that while we believe in Santa Claus and are grateful for his gifts to us.

At our house Santa is a kind, happy man who fills our stockings and slips on to the next house. He doesn't leave gifts under our tree. And this works for us. Most of our traditions center around Christ and family. And food. It's a happy, wonderful, glorious time and I don't mind if Santa is a part of it.

Now the pedagogical debate about lying to children is a whole other issue...

Caroling

Tonight a personal dream of mine came true. Our family went caroling.

Growing up my family went caroling (to about 543 houses) every year. It was so fun and a great memory from my childhood. I still love singing with my family whenever we can.

The boys haven't been great at learning words to songs. At least songs I try to teach them, so not a lot of group singing going on here yet. Now that they are older they're singing more though and Hannah loves anything that involves her vocal chords.

Sooo, we took a plate of goodies to one of Taylor's HT families and Taylor asked if we wanted to sing! The boys were actually really excited because they both have been learning the words to Away In A Manger. So we practiced in the car with the kids singing random lines all the way over.

Then the moment arrived. The Horns answered their door and we sang. James and Matthias knew all the words and Hannah knows most of them, but instead she stood inside the doorway and watched us sing. It was lovely. I almost cried. Seriously.

This is the beginning of something great.

Hannah Babble

"Don't get in my own strower (stroller). I want tell Joseph dat."

**Joseph is the 6 month old baby of one of our good friends here. Hannah is completely obsessed with him and talks about him nearly every day even if we haven't seen them all week. I had to work hard to convince her that the baby in the manger is actually baby Jesus and not baby Joseph.

Lately Hannah has been yelling Santa at anything with a white beard. Tonight she picked a picture book story of Noah for bed time: "Want Santa. Boat Santa."

When we're driving in the car she shouts "Thias, thias!!" over and over until Matthias asks "What?". Then she'll say something like, "I see tree." "See car." "Da road." It's pretty hilarious because now Matthias just tries to ignore her so she shouts louder and more insistently while he studiously stares out his window.

Jeans.

So I realized looking at the Light Parade post that me and both the boys have holes in our jeans. I knew about mine obviously, but maybe we all need a trip to Ross. Could have been why we were all freezing...

Christmas Light Parade

Yesterday we went to a Christmas Light Parade put on by our lovely town of Pflugerville. Seriously one of the coolest events I've been to. It was a little cold out, probably about 45 degrees (with no sun obviously because it was night time).

The kids and I walked to the carnival and then walked back to a park to sit and watch the parade. Taylor came through the parade with his scouts, then stopped with us. The parade was so cool, the marching band was playing Christmas music, everyone had lights all over the horses, floats, etc.



Everyone kept waving and saying Merry Christmas, which Hannah thought was great, so she kept saying Merry Christmas back. And the boys loved all the candy or course...mostly peppermints, but other stuff too. It was so fun!

Matthias Turns 4!

"I'm four, but I used to be 3. Then I turned 4." Matthias response when asked how old he is this past week...which happens surprisingly frequently.

He had a great birthday. All our kids are scheduled such that their birthdays are always on the same day of the week each birthday season. Because I'm cool like that. So everyone has birthday on Sunday this time around. (I'm currently on schedule with them as well, but will get off once leap year comes around again.) Anyway...so his birthday was Sunday and he kept asking what Sunday it was going to be. Today we had this conversation:

Matthias: Is tomorrow Sunday?
Me: Yes.
Matthias: So I'll be five?!

Haha, not every Sunday Matt.




So we celebrated with Grandma and Grandpa Harvey this year who were out helping with the house. He got a camping set that he and James have used to camp in their room lots of times this week. We had cake and Matthias requested crepes for dinner. It was a great celebration!

Matthias started up tumbling again this past week at a new gym. He is doing his co-op preschool still and enjoys going and learning. He loves Joshua in his class. He is finishing up Sunbeams and has had a great year. He is still my little milk guzzler and he loves his ice cream. He can be so sweet to Hannah and very submissive to James' play directing...but only when he chooses to. He is still so full of energy and sometimes has a hard time controlling his spontaneous nature. We love this little guy and the fun/excitement he brings to our family!

I Crying!

Hannah has become quite attached to her binkie lately. Worse than the boys were. She only gets it in bed. I have been leaving it home so I won't even be tempted to give in to her fits. On the way home from Sam's Club the other day she started in crying/begging for her binkie. Matthias tried to console her and cheer her up.

Hannah: Don't bug me. I crying!


She is Drama.



She can also count to 13 or so. She is a little mimic parrot to everything!

Kristi: I feel like I'm holding onto my sanity with a little string. And the later in the day it gets the tighter I have to hold. Then I go to bed.

Long pause....

Kristi: I'm not kidding.

Taylor: I know you're not.