Christmas 2011

Well... it's December 26th. Does anyone else out there think that December 26th is one of the strangest days of the year? I mean, for the past month, I've barely had time to go to the bathroom! We're all running around like crazy people trying to get the shopping done, decorating the house, planning the meals, wrapping the gifts, etc. etc. etc. And now... it's done! And I'm left wondering, where did the last month go?!

Nicholas had an extremely busy but wonderful Christmas. We spent a lot of time with family, and Santa was VERY good to him. He got a very cool ride-on fire truck complete with flashing lights, siren, and working CB radio. And, of course, the one thing he asked Santa for - walkie talkies. I think this year he was a little overwhelmed by the presents, so he had some trouble focusing on what he got. You know the scene in A Christmas Story when the kids get the socks and they literally toss them over their heads and dive under the tree for the next gift? That's pretty much what it looked like - no matter what the gift was. I guess this is just another charming aspect of three-year-old behavior. Yeeesh. Tomorrow is our first day with no plans, so it will be nice for him to have some time at home to play with all of his new goodies.

As usual, the holidays for me bring extreme emotion. (Although these days, I get emotional when the wind blows just right...) Every night, after we read a story, Nicholas and I sit in his rocking chair in his room, in the dark. It only lasts a few minutes, but it's one of my favorite times of the day. We usually review all of the things we did that day, and talk about our plans for the next day. On Christmas night, I sat in the dark with this beautiful boy on my lap and I just started crying. I found myself closing my eyes, burying my face in his fuzzy little head and whispering, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He is the most wonderful gift, and I feel so lucky to have him. Sometimes I get so frazzled or frustrated or overwhelmed by life that I forget to say thank you to whoever was in charge of getting him here (and let's face it... it took a lot of people!)

I keep hearing Charlie Brown crying out, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?!" Well... I think I do. For me, it's about family. It's about believing in something bigger than myself. It's about believing in magic and miracles and all that "stuff" that seems so silly at any other time of year except Christmastime. So, here's to all of the miracles in life - the big and the small. And to all of my family - God-given or chosen. Merry Christmas, and may we all have a happy and prosperous 2012.

Oh Christmas Tree

So, we made our yearly pilgrimage to the tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree last weekend. This place is somethin' else. It is serious old school, complete with giant foam snowman circa 1952 and Christmas carols blasting from speakers mounted in the rows of trees. Todd and I were searching tirelessly for the perfect tree, but Nicholas was not interested. He was more fascinated with how his voice echoed in the field, so he spent most of the time making this ridiculous screeching noise - I'm sure the families looking for warm holiday memories found him very charming.

We did in fact find the perfect tree and Todd and Nicholas did their manly duty and cut the puppy down. Nicholas helped Todd wheel it down the hill, and played in the car while Todd tied it to the roof. My part in the day consisted of trying to get a few decent pictures. Very exciting stuff.

Nicholas is getting more excited about Santa every day. He keeps asking me, "Is it Christmastime yet?" His newest thing is, he wants to use my father-in-law's telescope to see if he can find Santa at the North Pole. And last week, he went up to the chimney at my parents' house and started yelling, "Santa! Are you in there?" I think because we don't have a fireplace, he's a little confused. We had to explain to him that Santa doesn't actually live inside the chimney. This kid just never stops making us laugh lately.

Hope all of you are enjoying the hustle and bustle of the season. I'm thinking of starting a campaign for Christmas vacation to be the week before Christmas, not after. There's just not enough hours in the day to get all the shopping done AND work full time AND take care of a 3-year-old. On that note - it's late. I'm off to bed.

Thanksgiving 2011

I know... it took me a long time to get these pictures posted, but to say the last few weeks have been chaotic is a major understatement. The Farmington Valley took a major hit during the storm and we are still dealing with the consequences at school. Everything that usually gets done before Thanksgiving... well... didn't. So, here I am sitting in front of the Christmas tree blogging about Thanksgiving. Good grief.

Thanksgiving was great -Nicholas looked adorable and we had a great day with our families. As usual, we stuffed ourselves silly, and a great day was had by all. Nicholas even made sure the donkeys got a special Thanksgiving treat! He's getting very brave about feeding them now. Gobble gobble!

Who knows - maybe I'll even get some Christmas pictures up this month. We have lots of fun activities planned to get ready for the big day! Nicholas is totally into the whole Santa scene this year. It will surely be a fun month!