Radio City Christmas Spectacular

It's Christmas time y'all!  We might not make it to the Macy's Parade to see Santa arrive in NYC but we certainly find him at Radio City Music Hall.

This is the third year of our tradition of seeing the Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular.

It's a nice start to the Christmas season and a peek at the city all decked for the holiday.  Seeing the lights gets the boys excited to see the rest of the city dressed up for Christmas.

Checking out the men's restroom!

This year we went on Thanksgiving so Gammie and Pudge could join in the fun.  Everyone needs to see the inside of Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes.

Most of the dance routines were the same this year with a few shifts in the "story."  The boys were enthralled.  Freddie's favorite part is still the toy soldier routine, and he was sure to tell Gammie as it started.

And Hans, well sat on my lap the entire time and didn't say a peep, except to tell me he was saving his popcorn and refusing to open it to have even one bite.

I want to remember Hans clutching onto that popcorn bucket, and Freddie next to him shoving the popcorn into his mouth as fast as he could.

Let the holiday fun begin!

Growing

As our family grows I am trying to find *simple* ways to make events special.  Marking the boys' height is our newest birthday tradition.  The other is brownies for breakfast.  I try for a special dinner, but Freddie really doesn't appreciate food enough yet for that to be very special to him, but maybe one day we'll have a favorite resturaunt to visit.  This year we spent some time looking at pictures from his first few weeks and I think we'll have to call that a birthday tradition as well. 

Advent calenders

So, I know the season of "Advent" is the beginning of the church year and the Advent calender is symbolic of the anticipation and hope Christians have for the new year. I've had many years of religious education and colored my fair share of advent calenders and wreaths in elementary school. But hey, who's to say I can't reinvent a new use for the trusty Advent calender?

It appear as though the toothbrush is replacing the spoon as his favorite toy.

We've been trying out an Advent calender filled with little treats as we search for some traditions for our family. It was tough to find small treasures to fill each of the 24 hats/mittens. Those are pretty small little spaces. Maybe when Freddie gets a little older it will be easier to fill with magic. After all, what a young child finds to be interesting and magical is rather abundant, and more often than not, teeny tiny. Think shiny pebbles, sparkly rings, interesting string....things that would certainly make him happy now but would make Mama fear he'd choke. Thie year it was mostly finger puppets and tiny trucks.


Note to self: each child will need his/her own calendar. Nope, maybe the kids can share but Charlie will definitely need his own calendar.

Our second calender has really tiny pockets. They looked just right for notes so I filled it with just that. I think it's more like a gratitude calender, naming something I love about my life with Charlie each day. I suppose maybe this would be more appropriate in November as we approach Turkey Day, but I didn't get down the boxes with the calender until too late in the month. Maybe I'll make a Turkey themed pocket calender and we'll start another tradition. Anyone up for a craft project?


So as to not forget, this year's notes (Charlie, DO NOT READ THESE. You'll read them soon enough:

• Charlie’s big hair in the morning makes Erin smile. Even if she’s not smiling on the outside, she’s smiling on the inside for sure.
• Thank you for loving Bug so much. I so love sharing parenting with you.
• Thank you for understanding what makes me crazy and doing everything humanly possible to keep that side of me under wraps, but still being loving and caring when my crazy patch is showing.
• I know that Bug and I are your #1 priority. I can feel it and can see it in your actions and your choices. Thank you.
• Thank you for letting me sneak in an extra hour of sleep in the morning. It helps me feel better and I love hearing you and the Bug downstairs together while I lie in bed.
• Thank you for decorating our house and making our home cozy during the holidays. It feels special.
• Thanks for making us smile every single day.
• Thank you for doing the gross stuff…taking out the trash, scooping poop, bathing the dogs.
• I love your blue eyes.
• Thank you for agreeing to all of our self-portraits. I love looking back at all of them.
• You always tell me how beautiful I am just at the right moment. Thank you.
• Thanks for telling me all about your research. I love how excited you get, so it doesn’t matter if I understand what in the world you are talking about.
• You make the best pancakes, bacon, and bloody mary dinners!
• I like when you tell me I am a SUPERSTAR and that you are proud of me!
• Thanks for always asking how our day was and wanting to know all of the *details*.
• Thank you for asking about my seminar and how all of my planned activities went over. You’re a good listener.
• You make me feel appreciated when you tell me what a good mommy and wife I am.
• I like getting surprise text messages from you during the day. It’s nice to know you think about me.
• I love all of the jewelry you’ve picked for me, especially my wedding ring. (not a hint, really!)
• Thanks for turning on the heater in the bathroom before I get there.
• I like when we hold hands in the car. I even like your squeeze and release maneuver. It makes me smile.
• Thanks for insisting that I buy cute clothes and shoes for myself. I will be following those orders soon.
• I like when we play games. Of course I like to win, but it also makes me feel good to see you win every once in a while too. Love the competition!
• You give the best hugs. Thanks for making me slow down to enjoy a hug or two each day.

A PreCamping Converstion

E: Ok, so what other food do we need to get before we go? (Strolling the aisles of Walmart.)

C: Trail mix.

E: Great. We'll pick that up at Whole Foods in Missoula.

C: No, we need to get it here.

E: (With a deep sigh) Alrighty, we'll grab some here.

C: Well, not exactly. We need to make it.

E: Make it? Fine. We can go to Whole Foods and get a scoop of this and a scoop of that and be done with it.

C: Ah, well, not quite. You see, it was a tradition to make trail mix with my mamma before I went to camp every year, and I want to continue that tradition.

Not the most convenient method, but how can you argue with tradition?

So we've got everything to make this granola. We'll have a big sack full with what we've got: peanut M&Ms, granola, blond raisins (I prefer the blond), little Snickers (somehow I doubt JD went for Snickers in the trail mix), pistachios, almonds, and cashews.