Well the holidays came and went and it's all a bit of a blur. I hope your Christmas was a good one filled with lots of joy and baked goodies. The boys had a very busy holiday season filled with visits with family and friends, several late nights viewing Christmas lights, and a few trips through the McDonald's drive-through (a new Christmas tradition if Kevin has his way).We decorated on the weekend after Thanksgiving by putting up a small tabletop tree that the boys then decorated with teddy bear ornaments and other crocheted ornaments (safe for boys of all ages). We decorated the rest of the house and then the 24x7 Christmas music channel was placed on a permanent cycle and all the Christmas books were brought out. The boys already knew Frosty and Jingle Bells so we really just needed to explain Santa. We kept it light avoiding any details about a complete stranger coming into your house while you sleep.
We visited the mall and watched Santa in action. Joe and I agreed that the Natick Collection Santa was excellent...just like the real guy. The boys "big mall holiday adventure" included watching the Brookstone remote control mini-helicopter fly around the mall, lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, playing at the kids playland, walking around the glow-in-the-dark mini golf place, etc. etc. Much toddler fun.
Viewing Christmas lights at night became a popular holiday activity. At first we viewed neighborhood lights and came home to hot cocoa with mini-marshmallows. During our vacation, the post-lights treat escalated to ice cream sundaes from McDonalds. Both boys call McDonalds "the Big M" or "the yellow M". Whatever you call it, Kevin now keeps an eye out for yellow M's and counts them as we drive around. He counted several on the way to my brothers. He kept reminding us that they had ice cream and that he wanted to stop.
Back to the Christmas decorations....snowglobes were very popular, as was Santa on a motorcycle, and the numero uno favorite was a palm tree and a pig with wings. Jason laughed heartily and requested repeat visits. We even added that address to our GPS.
We had a lovely Christmas eve with family friends and Christmas day was much fun. It took the entire day to open just half of the presents. At this age, the boys want to play with each item they open. So it was touching to see them rip the paper and be so excited and then enjoy playing with the gift. Trucks and trains continue to be favorites.
Both boys liked their digital cameras and I've included their photos that capture our day so well.
