Holiday Dump 2013

Here we are already almost two months into the New Year and we're still trying to catch up on things!  Looking back at this time last year I guess it was similar - so without further adieu a holiday dump of sorts for 2013!

With Christmas less than a month from Thanksgiving this year we once again were determined to get our tree up right after turkey day in order to enjoy it as much as possible.  We set it up the Friday after Thanksgiving and let it thaw out prior to decorating with the boys on Saturday.  James was a great help this year and was very interested in putting items on the tree.  He tried to help Henry as well - who perhaps was more interested in taking ornaments off the tree than leaving them there, but alas there were no broken ornaments this year so I guess we managed to place most of the breakable ones out of Henry's reach!

 

 

Ralph the Elf made a return appearance to our house again this year and even after just a few days Henry was really into it asking each morning, "Where's Ralph?"  He managed to keep the boys on a pretty good behavior track record leading up to the holidays and both were sad to see him go.  A few of the boys' favorites from Ralph's visit follow below:

 

 

 

Cookie making always is a hit with both boys and James is now keenly aware of his role in the kitchen as assistant.  He managed to help measure ingredients and decorate cookies like a pro this year and tried to get Henry to do the same without much success :)  But messes are always part of the fun ... and I suppose taste testing the results too!  When the cookies were finally gone for the season there was some disappointment from both boys but then I just had to remind James that we could always make cookies again some other time and that seemed to suffice for an answer.  Along with cookies of course comes egg nog and Henry getting the chance to try it this year seems to love it just as much as James and Papa!

 

We managed to squeeze in a visit to the Canadian Pacific rail yard to see the holiday train again this year.  We got there just as the train was pulling into the rail yard and James and Henry we're so excited.  Santa made an appearance and Henry seemed to be mesmerized by him but when he came closer to actually say hello he freaked out ... and let's just say that trend continued for the rest of the holiday season.  Guess it's to be expected from an almost 2 year-old.  Regardless, they had a great time seeing the train and visiting with Grandma and Grandpa that night.

Holidazzle was a must this year since they claim is won't be around next year.  We managed to snag some great seats and tried to stay warm!  The boys got quite a kick out of it and we were happy they were able to see it curbside versus having to sit on our shoulders as they have in years past.

 

We made our annual trek to downtown Minneapolis to visit the Macy's display and visit Santa.  Grandma and Grandpa met us down there as they were off for the day and the boys enjoyed walking through the display with little to no crowds.  Having now seen this display for multiple years it's getting a bit old - but the boys don't seem to mind and always find new things to point out.  After the display we got in line to see Santa.  James told Henry, "not to be scared."  Which is probably all it took for him to actually think he should be scared.  The picture tells the story - the Santa visit wasn't much of a success for Henry, but there's always next year.  James got a chance to tell Santa what he wanted, "lots of trains!"  From Macy's we ventured over to IDS Center to check out the big decorated tree and enjoy a cookie.  Boys enjoyed running off some energy and checking out the fountain too!

 

 

 

Two days before Christmas we got a message that Santa (aka Mr. Foster) was available to visit our house to see the boys.  When he knocked on our door and James opened it up he was shocked!  James was chitty chatty as usual and Henry shyed away.  But it was a great last minute visit from Santa to set the spirit for the celebrations to come.

Family celebrations included time with new cousin Baby Reid and the Kamrath family, a Christmas Eve celebration with the Bragg family and a Christmas Day celebration with the Clark family.  The boys were definitely into Christmas this year and James was pretty excited about it!  We had a wonderful time celebrating with all of our families!

 

Christmas Eve church service was followed by a snow storm.  Not entirely ideal to drive home in with two small children in the car, but slow and steady Papa got us home safely and we all cozied up on the couch after the boys got into their jammies and read Twas' the Night Before Christmas.

Christmas morning is "our time" at home with the boys.  James and Matt slept in the living room and James was so excited when he opened his eyes in the morning and saw the presents under the tree.  I wish I would have been able to capture it on camera as it was truly priceless.

Henry decided he was going to sleep in on Christmas morning so it took him some prodding to get going and wake up. We opened presents and then ate a yummy breakfast of egg nog baked french toast - which James continues to request ... sorry buddy 'gotta wait until next year! James was so excited about his Lego train set that Santa got him and Papa and him finally got around to putting it together in early January

 

We always reflect on the previous year during the holiday season and we are so grateful for all that God has provided for us as a family.  Truly a reflection of the "reason for the season."  We hope to continue many traditions with the boys so they have fun filled memories when they are adults to hopefully someday share with their families. 

Happy New Year and welcome to 2014 ... I promise we'll work to catch up here in this little space soon!