Santa's Visit

Creativity

 

I read an article the other day about technology ruining our children.  The research has shown that technology shouldn't be introduced to children before the age of two.  In this article a mother made an argument that the only way she was able to get a shower, or get some dishes done was to had her toddler an Ipad or some type of electronic device for 10 minutes peace.  The researcher sited that 5 years ago, none of these electronic devices existed, and creativity flourished a lot more.   The researcher suggested handing your child measuring cups or pots and pans instead while doing the dishes to spark creativity.  I guess technology numbs the brain, and doesn't allow children to make connections.  I couldn't agree more.  I have totally been guilty and planting my children in front of the tv as a babysitter of sorts for some peace so that I could get some things done.

Sometimes I have appreciated that I do hair at home, and my children have been left to self entertain.  I like that they have been left to their own devices to come up with ideas, lots of times it has led to utter destruction, but hey at least its creative destruction.  Since we have moved into a larger house, surprisingly the tv hasn't been the center of attention.  There is more room to move about and explore.  We don't watch tv on the top floor of our house, so it leads to craft time.  The kids decided to get creative with some markers and Styrofoam with their craft time.  They were so proud of their marker table.

Sometimes these two kiddos come up with the silliest ideas together.  They giggle and pretend play in a world I just can't understand.  I love their care free attitude.  It's a happy attitude, and I love it!

Happy Thanksgiving

We traveled to Idaho for Thanksgiving this year, and the kids enjoyed the trip.

Really Thanksgiving is just the holiday they go through to get to Christmas.

Luke and Clara enjoyed playing with all their extended family.

We LOVE to go shopping for Black Friday, 

but this year all the stores opened up on Thursday evening.

It was a rush!

We hit lots of stores, and scored lots of deals!

We didn't stay out too late, but the stores were open all night long!

 

We took the kids to see Santa.

Luke went right up to Santa, and was super excited to tell Santa EXACTLY what was on hit list.

His list definitely includes hot wheels.

Clara was hesitant, she lingered a few steps away.  

She wasn't about to go sit on his lap.

Afterwards, Luke thought of all the other things he forgot to tell Santa about.

He wanted to go back and add things to his list of items he would like to ask Santa for.

Then we spent some time watching football.

A traditional Thanksgiving weekend thing to do.

Happiness

The kids have been creative and mostly happy as of lately.  I am surprised at how good of friends they have become.  Don't get me wrong, they still fight.  They have their moments, but sometimes they just get a long.  Those moments come more and more frequent, and need to be celebrated!  The kids are really into play doh.  They could play for hours.  It's something they can play together and they don't fight over.  It always makes a huge mess, but its totally worth it.  They enjoy making all kinds of things, and I think its funny the creativity that comes out.
This holiday season is going to be exciting.  Halloween was a blast, and I'm not sure what the kids think about Thanksgiving, but they are already looking forward to Christmas.  The excitement is building.  This is such a magical age for them, where there can be so much anticipation.  Their imagination is growing.   It's fun to watch Luke and Clara play so care free.  It's easy to forget how fun it really is to be a kid. 

I have beautiful kids!

Happy Halloween

Halloween could not have been a happier day.  It was simply magical.  We started out the day sending Luke off to his preschool Halloween party, all dressed up in his costume.  Clara was feeling a little left out so I filled her pumpkin with some chocolates while Luke was off having fun at his own party, Clara had her own personal chocolate party.  So Clara happily watched cartoons, having free reign over the amount of chocolate she ate, with no older brother to pester her.  She repeatedly exclaimed to me, with chocolate drool running down her face "mommy, I so happy!"  I enjoyed watching her enjoying herself so much.  I told myself since it was a holiday, it was ok to let herself completely engorge on chocolate!  After we picked Luke up from his preschool party, Luke was so excited and came home with plenty of candy from the party.  The kids couldn't wait for trick-or-treating that night.  They were asking every 5 minutes if it was time yet.  I told them they had to wait until it was dark outside to go trick-or-treating.  Without any prompting from me, they decided to take matters into their own hands.  I guess their creativity sparked, and they decided to get a jump start, or practice their trick-or-treating skills.  They took their pumpkins to their bedrooms, and with the candy Luke got from his preschool party, they took turns knocking on each others' bedroom door.  The ran back and forth trick-or-treating to each other, essentially giving each other the same candy back and forth.  It was literally the cutest thing EVER!  They did this back and forth giggling.  After a while they Luke decided Clara needed to be in her costume too.  Clara knocked on Luke's door, and after she said "trick-or-treat" to her surprise, she was refused candy.  She wasn't refused all the times before, but Luke's reply was "sorry sweetie, you need to have a costume on to get some candy."  Talk about hilarious!  We couldn't get Clara to put on her costume prior, because that would involve Clara wearing a dress.  Getting Clara to put on a dress is like pulling teeth, but apparently if it means going trick-or-treating, wearing a costume dress is something she was willing to do.

Later that evening, when it actually came time for real trick-or-treating, the kids were off.  At each house they were so excited over each individual piece of candy.  After each piece of candy, instead of immediately throwing it in their buckets, they had to come and show it to us yelling "mommy, daddy, look what I got!!!!"  They were on sugar over load!  Each house was a new adventure.  Clara was happy to walk right on in to many houses.  She thought she was there to party.  She didn't understand that you just knock at the door and wait.  I guess she was going to go on in and find the candy if she had to.  After every house they asked if they can go to the next one.  They were little energizer bunnies!  Again, their excitement was magical.  They even got cotton candy and toys like bouncy balls.  After we got back to the house, they dumped out their buckets and looked over their stash.  They immediately started eating whatever their hearts desired.  I hope we don't endure extra cavities soon, but it was just too fun to watch their eyes open wide at all the goodies.  Luke said Halloween was the best day ever, but he says that about a lot of days.  They had just as much fun passing out candy when we got back to the house to all the other trick-or-treaters who came to the door.  Clara was trying to pass out her own candy from her stash.  They were simply excited about everything.  This stage of their lives makes holidays simply the best!

Pumpkins

 Holidays are so much more fun when you have kids.  

Especially when your kids are my kids' ages.

My kids have been so excited about pumpkins and Halloween this year.

The little green pumpkins the kids are holding in their laps,

Gilbert grew in his garden just for the kids.

I guess they didn't orange up in time for Halloween.

 Picking out the pumpkins was something the kids have been looking forward to.

Every time we pass the pumpkins at the store,

the kids wanted to take one home.

Once we actually cut into the pumpkins,

the kids weren't so keen on touching the slime!

 So Gilbert let the kids draw the faces they desired,

and Gilbert did the actual digging and cutting out.

The kids just watched and made funny commentary.

So now the kids are excited for the actual trick-or-treating event.

I am sure they will be on sugar over load for weeks!

A Cowboy Birthday Party

 Luke has been so excited to have a birthday party, we have been planning this party for months.  Luke decided he wanted a cowboy birthday party.  I'm not sure why, but that's what he wanted.  Luke's list of people he wanted to invite was lengthy.  Luke has always thought everyone was his friend.  We knew we wanted to make it a big event, so here's how it turned out.

 We couldn't have asked for better weather on a Saturday afternoon for October.  We planned the party for an outside event.  We started looking up pictures online and I let Luke pick out the things he liked best.  That's how we determined the events we would do for his party.

 We started by having the kids pan for gold, in true cowboy fashion.  I think the kids enjoyed this station the most.  We simply spray painted tiny rocks with metallic gold paint.  I sewed little bags for each kid to keep all their gold in.

 After the kids found their gold, they were able to come to the trading post and buy their cowboy attire.  Which included their cowboy hats, bandana, and sheriff badge.  I think the kids really liked to get all dressed up too. 

 We played pin the badge on the sheriff.

 Here's our shootin' gallery with mini marshmallow guns.  The kids lacked the lung power to really shoot the marshmallows far.  I hope they enjoyed trying.

 Next we lassoed our bulls with hulla hoops.

After a while we had to take a break for snacks and sarsaparilla. 

 

 Then came time to open presents.  Which ended up being total chaos.  Luke was ripping into presents and the kids were so excited to hand Luke the gifts they brought.  I don't know who was more excited.  The kids were excited to give the gifts, and Luke was excited to open them.  It was just a circle of excitement. 

 Then we made one last trip to the trading post to buy our horses.  We went out to the park to have a horse race.  I think the kids really had fun running around on their horses. 

 It was a wild 2 hours for a party, but to hear Luke keep saying "this is the best birthday party ever" makes it totally worth it!

Some Thoughts...

The other morning I woke up with a very heavy feeling.  It was a two fold heavy feeling.  First it was heavy out of sheer exhaustion.  I had spent the previous night up with Clara.  She decided to spend the wee morning hours awake and wanting things like a juice box and cheese.  She was confused thinking it was play time and not sleep time.  Her new found independence with her toddler bed has allowed her new found freedom in the middle of the night.  So by the time 6am rolled around, my heavy eyelids were still very tired.  The other heavy feeling I was "feeling" was the feeling of two heavy legs on my back.  Luke has still mastered the art of sneaking into our bed in the middle of the night.  He cannot sleep parallel.  He has to sleep perpendicular.  Therefor, I had two heavy legs literally on me.  I must have been too tired before to notice.  At first I was a little annoyed with my kids.  I laid there for a split second wishing I could have a full nights rest with peace. 

The next night, I was laying down with Luke to put him to bed.  I have never had it in me just to shut the door and tell my kids to go to bed.  I lay by them while they fall asleep.  I guess one could argue its a bait and switch to just leave once they fall asleep, but I like to think I'm helping them feel better.  Luke has two pillows on his bed.  I had us all situated, Luke on his pillow, and I was laying on the pillow next to him.  Luke slowly and slyly crept over to the pillow I was laying on.  Then he cuddled right up next to me.  He sleeps on a queen bed, so there is plenty of room for him to stretch out, but he chose to cuddle up next to me.  In that moment I was no longer annoyed with the heavy legs I woke up with on me.  Then the cherry on top moment came.  Luke quietly kissed me on the cheek and said "I love you mommy, good night."  Talk about melt a mommy's heart.  Then I started to think about all the nights I have forgone watching tv, or reading a book and spent the time reading to my kids and laid next to them as they drifted off to sleep.  It's added up to a lot of time spent.  Every second has been worth it.  They say that your entire personality depends on how your parents treat you in your first five years of life.  I've only got one more year to make it right with Luke!  The day will come when Luke no longer wants me to lay by him, or doesn't want me around.  I am sure I will miss the moment when he decided to cuddle next to me.  I am sure  I will be mad at myself that I was sad I didn't have time for myself.  One day I will have time for myself again, and I will miss the craziness of little kids.