Christmas Eve 2010

Woohoo, Christmas is finally here! This year, as in most years, we spent Christmas Eve at Nanna's house. The dinner she prepared was very tasty indeed, and as you can see the kids had a great time opening their gifts. Mommy's brothers live in different states but they always remember to send gifts for the kids and this is when they get to open them. Mommy's brother's (and sister) are very generous with our kids.

Because we go to my folks' house on Christmas Day we couldn't sleep over at Nanna's. Instead we had to hit the road and head home. The kids were so excited about Christmas morning that they were still awake when we got home. If memory serves they didn't get to sleep until after 2:00am. Whoosh! Daddy's tired.

Macy's Smurfs

This picture was taken at Macy's shortly after the kids wrote their letters to Santa (see my other post). We were all pooped out and needed a break. We sat and watched the crowds as they hustled past us and wondered if we looked as worn out as they all did.

While we were at Macy's we bought the kids some stuffed animals as mementos of our trip. Ian got a Smurf elf and Cami got a white bear with Christmas ribbons (or bows, I can't remember). Take one guess as to who carried these critters for the rest of the day.

I'm proud of this photo because you don't see anyone in the background. I had to wait until everyone passed and then the kids had to pose (or smile, etc) and then I had to hold the camera steady because the light was dim, and it all came together. I'm a genius. :)

Letters to Santa, 2010

This year we went to Macy's in downtown Chicago for a fun day among the cheerful holiday crowds. Our real goal was to see Santa and get the appropriate pictures. However, this entry is mostly about the letters to Santa that the kids wrote. I'll post an entry with the Santa photo later.

Macy's had a table setup with paper for kids to write their letters and they had a big mail box to post the letters in. I was told by another customer that for every letter posted Macy's would donate a small amount of money to some charity.

Of course, our kids were excited to write to Santa and I was excited to get pictures of their letters. And here they are in all of their glory.

Ian was asking for an art (sketch) book and some crayons and Cami was asking about an Elf named Semore (Seymour?) that belongs to her friend Julia. She also wanted Santa to say "hi" to Rudolf for her.

These letters really warm my heart. It shows that my kids are innocent and loving and are not cynical about life, at least not yet anyway.

Winter 2010

We love Winter! Well, Daddy does anyway. Cami isn't so sure. She hates the cold but she loves the snow. Ian likes winter. He runs around outside without a coat and he doesn't seem to notice when snow gets into his shoes. He just loves to roll around in the snow and I also think he enjoys it when his Nanna is yelling at him to come in the house and get his snowpants on.

Roasting Marshmallows

The kids wanted to start a fire in our outside fire pit, but it was really cold out. Not to be diverted the kids asked if I would build a fire in our fireplace. Of course I will! Within a few moments the kids were roasting marshmallows (and maybe hotdogs, but I'm not sure of that). They had a great time and I got a few moments rest while their attention was focused on the fire.

It just goes to show what exhaustion will do to you. When the kids were younger I wouldn't have taken my eyes off of them while they were anywhere near a fire. Now, just the warning of "don't burn yourself" is sufficient. Well, they are older now and not as crazy as they used to be, and I did monitor them.

Cami's Snowman

Ah, we love that first snow. Cami was determined this year to make a great snowman. Actually, now that I think about it Ian helped her, so they should both get credit. She couldn't find coal for the eyes and a carrot for the nose, so instead she used cheese. Chunks from a slice of American cheese to be accurate.