We Love Aglets

My little fashoinista with pink cowboy boots, borrowed sunglasses and a pink slinky as an accessory flashing her Perry the platypus invitation on the way to the party. I have amazing friends who hand make felt Perry face invitations and scour the interenet looking for the coolest theme related decor and favors.

Jack's mommy did a beautiful job start to finish. Phineus and Ferb would have been proud. The kids had an inflatable bouncy thing and lots of space to run. There was lots of pizza and amazing platypus cupcakes too! It was a fun day. I think every birthday should be special and it's nice to know I'm not alone in going out of my way to see to it.

As it started to get dark the Christmas lights came on in the park it was a magical way to end the day. Well, that and bouncer deflation duty.

New Years Eve?

Who? Me? Well, I'm going to Jack Jack's Phineous and Ferb 2nd birthday party in the afternoon. Yay!! After that I plan to hit the grocery store and come home. I don't want to go anywhere. I want to watch movies and put Miss Roo to bed at a reasonable hour. Maybe something fun for dinner and then left over Christmas goodies?

I remember the first New Years Mike and I were together. I told him for over a month to get a sitter and in the end I was willing to take Isaac somewhere family friendly just to get out. It was a strange night. Last year my Dad and his wife volunteered to babysit. Mike and I dropped the kids off in their PJs around 8pm. We went out to dinner and picked up the kids before 10:30pm. Party animals, I know. I feel asleep before midnight and Mike woke me up at midnight for a kiss. It was a good night.

We'll ring in 2012 quietly, I think.

Stage 5 Clinger!!

My kids have been sooooo needy over the last two weeks. I thought incorrectly that all the holiday goings on and then new toys would keep them busy. I also thought, as they had in the past whenever Isaac was off from school, they would play together. Things have been very different this time. School and dance classes ended and Riley became my shadow. Meanwhile, Isaac became a disembodied voice from another room.

Nothing I did or said made Riley want to leave my side. I even got dragged out of the bathroom once or twice. Isaac on the other hand, must have gone into his room that first night to discover his legs had fallen off. Between his computer, 3DS and all those new books he had little use for us girls. It was really maddening at times. The age difference strikes again. I think they played together less than 15min in the last week and a half. Bah.

I am partially to blame, I wasn't physically up for the backyard or driving so that seriously limited the activities this go round. It was also hard because the friends they normally play with on weekends were otherwise engaged or out of town so there wasn't a lot of the normal social time to break things up for us either. I can't wait for Riley to start spending time with her friends and going to dance class again! As for Isaac he needs his routine. He is super grouchy without his schedule. His regular homework was done the first week of break because I made him do a page a day during his lunch time computer hiatus. There was a "forgotten" gifted project has had me kicking his butt for a few days. I'm tired, I can't wait for school to start.

I know it sounds funny, but I miss the predictability of our day to day schedules. I love my kids and quality time has been great, but I still don't feel recovered from the weekend yet. I need a break.

Holiday (Mis)Managaement

There are generally two kinds of holiday stress I experience yearly. The stress from my expectations of myself and the stress from other people's expectations of me. The first is by far the most hazardous. I'm a bit of Chevy Chase's character from National Lampoons Christmas Vacation as it is, but throw being a month post op in there and I really don't cut myself any slack.

Mike grew up with one set of traditions, I grew up with another and now we have a family of our own. For the past several years we've failed to mesh everything very well. I started formulating an idea over the spring to give my parents a chance to join Mike's extended family goings on separately. That way it'd be less segmented and fewer stops for the kids. In the end the schedule worked out that we'd see my Dad and his wife the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Mike's Dad's side for dinner that night and I'd forgo my midnight mass in favor of rest. My mom joined us Christmas morning for Mike's Mom's side's brunch and for dinner with just our family.

I always got up in my PJs and opened presents and had breakfast with my family before I went anywhere on Christmas. Mike always got up took a look in his stocking and rushed out. We've been doing it his way, because he has more extended family here. It was really tough this year, I don't know if it was the toddler or my post op status or all of the DIY projects leading up to it, but I was really worn out by it all!

I busted my butt shopping early to make sure the kids had a good Christmas and got lukewarm reactions from Isaac which hurt. I had my DIY gifts done 2wks early and Mike waited until the last minute to finish up which was stressful. I took the time to put rollers in my hair, but it wasn't all the way dry and my curls fell out before dinner. We had to run back to the house between the restaurant and the family gathering to grab a missed gift and Riley announced as we were pulling out the driveway she had to potty and then didn't make it to the toilet in time. We didn't get home until 11pm on Christmas Eve. So, logistically I feel I missed some things.

My kids who never sleep past 7am, ever, woke up at 8am Christmas morning (brunch started at 8am). All that being said, while it took me years to get melding the families down I do feel we were successful this year. Now if I can only work out the logistics of getting us where we need to be on time, looking pretty and feeling less exhausted by next year we'll be golden.

The End of the Magic?

2008, Our first Christms together

Isaac was just turning 5 when I came into his life. He was just leaving toddlerhood and full of enthusiasm for everything. While enthusiasm is just a part of his personality what elicits it has changed over the years. We used to load the DVR with Christmas movies all December long and watch them together. We used to decorate Santa's cookies together every year. He used to start his Christmas list before his birthday in November.

I really enjoyed my first Christmas as a mother. I really loved having an appreciative recipient for all my Christmas spirit (as a former elf it is considerable). I did find it a little sad that he was all by himself Christmas morning opening gifts. It just didn't seem like Christmas without a sibling. I guess Santa heard me because by the next Christmas Isaac had a sister.

Christmas 2009, Ta-da our tree

It was different the next year, but Riley was only three months so we still did the movie marathon, cookie decorating, tree decorating, Santa visits and all that fun stuff. It was a good year. It very much the Isaac show despite it being baby's first Christmas. I was glad to have a "big kid" to do crafts and cookies with.

Christmas 2010 decorating the tree with gusto

Last year Riley was 15mo old and much more aware. It was my first Christmas with two kids to do Christmasy stuff with. It was a really fun year, but I had no idea it was the last year Isaac would fully engage. He participated in everything with an ear to ear grin and a heart full of faith in all the magic of Christmas. Meanwhile Riley was vaugely aware.

This year's sour reaction to a Santa gift.

I know what they say about how fast children grow up and where expectations get you, but my fond hope was that Riley and Isaac would have one or two Christmas where they experienced the magic together. Their 7yr age difference means they'll never go to the same school or experience certain things for the first time together I understand that. I just didn't know this was the year it would start for Riley and end for Isaac.

This year Isaac had to be dragged from his room for the two or three Christmas movies I got him to watch. Even though they were picked for him (Unaccompanied Minors, Home Alone, Home Alone 2). He was rushing through tree decorating to get back to his computer or DS or whatever. He just isn't this little boy marvelling at the tree any more.

I already told you how he rushed through cookie decorating even with 3 other kids still hard at work. He visited Santa and was very worried about the naughty list situation. This year I talked to him about choosing to always hear the bell ring (Polar Express) and how I've visited Santa every year for 29yrs (even when I was single) even if it was just to say hello and thank you. I never let go of the magic of the whole experience but it's clear he has.

He was out for number one all weekend. He opened the Santa gift he suspected was his main request and turned his nose up at everything else. He opened that awesome ball blaster weapon and said "I didn't ask for this." When his turn came around again he opened a light up glow in the dark Slinkey and tossed it aside with a frown. I was heartbroken. I busted my butt making this Christmas special despite budget constraints with the wedding approaching and my limitations from surgery in November and now he was completely ungrateful. He'd turned his nose up at all the pre-Christmas activities and now he was acting like a brat. I was over forcing either of the kids (Riley was happily playing and didn't need any more toys at the moment) to open gifts.

It was the last piece of evidence I needed Christmas was forever changed for Isaac. There would be no bright eyed wonder next year, just greedy scanning of the packages under the tree. After a break we reconvened to finish opening gifts. Largely, due the fact that we didn't have batteries for Isaac's robot dog he engaged and was smiley and polite for the rest of the gifts.

It goes by so fast, especially because I missed his early Christmases. He'll be ten next year and in the fourth grade (woah!!) and honestly that's when I expected the shift. It was just hard timing, but it makes me appreciate how little Riley is. Riley has lots of magical Christmases left and lots of wonderful friends her own age to appreciate my baking and crafts for the next few years.

We Came, We Saw, We Christmas-ed

In no particular order...Christmas 2011

I have more to say then will fit neatly into one recap post. So, I'm letting my exhausted self stew a bit more. I'll carve out time over the next few days to find words for it all, but in meantime enjoy these pictures.

Christmas Eve Cuteness

Enchanted Forest Photography

This morning Riley woke up crying which was very unusual for her and even odder given that it's Christmas Eve. After she'd been awake a little while she seemed in high spirits. I asked her if she dreamed about Santa.
She said "Yeah, dreamed about Santa!" With a huge grin.
So I asked, "Did he come and leave you presents?
Jumping up and down, "yeah, left me pressssssents!!
"What else?"
"And I played in the cold cold cold snow!" Hugs herself like she's cold
"You did?"
"Yeah and I made a tiny (s)nowman and a biiiiig (s)nowman! Ever. in. my. life."
What a funny girl!

A few hours later I was trying to explain how our day would go today.
"Today's Christmas Eve, Riley. We're going to visit Grandpa and Grandma and open presents and eat cookies. Then we'll go to dinner with your other Grandpa and Grandma and Aunts and Uncles. Then we come home and go night night. When you go night night Santa will come leave presents under the tree."
"Yeah! At the doctor's office"
Laughing "No, sweetie Santa's going to leave presents under the Christmas tree at our house."