We took a trip into Houston today to check out all the Christmas decorations at the Galleria. The children really enjoyed seeing the ice skaters, the enormous Christmas tree and ornaments.

This afternoon, it was nice to see a cold front blow through. The temperature dropped 20 degrees in a matter of minutes. We got the kids outside to play in the cooler weather. Again, they had a great time with the huge ornaments in the trees.

Lupe Tortilla's!

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. Oma and I hung out with kids, while Opa and Daddy played golf. It was pretty warm, so the kids played outside for a while. Payton and Ian really like Opa and Oma's big yard. There are lots of rocks, trees, and balls to play with. You see, Opa and Oma have golf balls littering the yard for Opa's short game practice. For the holidays Oma and Opa also have decorated the trees in the front yard with very large ornaments. The effect is actually pretty cool and the kids think it's great. The adults are quite entertained with them as well, especially those that play golf because now there are targets to hit for their short game.

In the evening we met our friends, the Mabie family for supper at one of our favorite Mexican food places, Lupe Tortilla's. They have the best beef fajitas I've ever had. We met them at the Lupe Tortilla's in the Woodlands which is about an hour and a half drive from Scott's parents' house. So the kids were ready to run around when we got there. Lupe's has a huge sand box for the kids to play with which was perfect for our wound up kids. Unfortunately, by the time we left our children were covered in sand. But it was great to catch up with John and Gwynne. They are expecting child #3 (much braver couple than Scott and I) and we wish them all the luck :) Payton and Jake (who is 4 years old) even had lots to talk about. It was so cute when Payton asked Jake, 'Do you go play outside at your school too?'

Merry Christmas!

What's Christmas without family and/or friends? It just wouldn't be the same. We are very blessed to be able to be with our family this Christmas. Scott, the kids and I flew out of Charlotte yesterday morning and arrived in Houston at 10:30 am. We hung out with Oma and Opa and Kennedy (Scott's niece) for the afternoon. Then we went over to Kevin and Dawna's home in Cat Spring for my family's traditional Christmas Eve supper before church. My parents were there along with (of course) Kiera, Kaylee and Kevin, Jr. The cousins started playing like they saw each other yesterday. Everyone was so excited to be together. All the kids looked so adorable in their Christmas outfits.

Today, we had Christmas with Scott's family. It's been a balmy 70-something degrees, so the kids have been outside playing quite a bit today. It's nice to have a little break from the 30-50 degree weather in North Carolina.

Santa came early to our house (on the 23rd) because of our trip to Texas. We told Payton that since we would be in Texas on Christmas day, Santa was coming early to our house. 'Why?' she asked. I tried to explain that maybe there would be presents that we wouldn't be able to take on the plane, so he needed to come to our house early. She seemed to accept it. I think she's trying to make sense of it all - like why does she get presents from Santa and Grandpa and Grandma? She hasn't quite computed this in her head yet. She's a smart cookie, so I don't know how long we'll be able to keep up the Santa charade. Payton is in to the Littlest Pet Shop Pets, so she got a Pet Shop for all her pets to play in. Ian loves 'choo choos' (trains), so we got him a mountain train set with an airport, so we can change up our current tracks. Then the kids also got a parking garage complete with an elevator, car wash, and gas pump. I was so excited for Payton and Ian to open their presents, so I could play with them.

Payton's School Program and Christmas Party

Payton had her school Christmas program on Thursday night. The preschool and Pre-K classes combined to perform their program. The preschool were the cutest little angel band (of course, I'm not partial or anything). Payton wore a little angel dress and cut-out wings. She didn't do anything too embarrassing. The worst she did was play with her tongue and open and close her mouth like a fish. She did seem a little distracted sometimes. She kept looking behind her at the star, the bell and the other angels. They sang about 10 songs and the pre-K had some speaking parts. It was all very darling, and Scott and I were very proud.

On Friday, Payton had her Christmas (pajama) party at school. I was in charge of organizing the parent's role in it which was pretty simple - cupcakes, fruit, paper goods and a game. But, I felt I had to hang around all morning. Ian seemed to have a great time. The game we planned was Christmas picture bingo, where the kids place an M&M on the picture when it was called. Some of the kids actually played while others just ate the M&Ms. My two children fell in the latter category. And once Payton's M&Ms were gone she complained that she didn't have enough for the game. When Ian finished his, he just went off to play.

Getting ready for Christmas

We have the tree up and our decorations out. But, of course, Payton wanted to put lights out in front of the house. And actually, Daddy was happy to oblige his little daughter. Saturday, they spent several hours together putting lights on our front porch and back deck. Ian tried to stay outside with his sister and Daddy, but he needed to come in more often to warm up. The weather was actually not too bad. It was in the 50s, but sunny. The lights are modestly done, but Payton's already asking for a manger scene for next year.

We've also been making Christmas cookies and candies. The kids love helping with cookies, each for their own reasons. Payton likes using the rolling pin, cutting out cookies, and putting sprinkles on them. Ian just likes to eat the dough and the sprinkles :) It's fun to pass on this tradition to my kids like my mom did to me.

Payton's Christmas Program

Payton participated in her first Christmas program at church on Sunday. She attends the 2 and 3 year old Sunday school class. The 2 and 3 year olds were cast in the role of sheep and were to sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star'. Some of the 2 year olds weren't all there, but Payton was in front of the microphone, so we could hear her pretty well. Overall, the program was short and sweet. Payton did very well even though she had a hard time with her sheep ears.

Maybe when I'm four....

The Resident's Spouse Association held it's annual Christmas party. It was a potluck in the penthouse of one of the towers at the hospital and the Evite promised a visit from Santa. I figured it might be a good opportunity to see if the kids would want to actually sit on Santa's lap this year without the hassle of the mall. The kids were a little antsy because we didn't eat until 6 pm and then afterwards they were a little bored because there was no room to run around. We were about to give up on Santa; then he arrived. Immediately the kids wanted to be held. We got in line to see Santa and both Ian and Payton balked at the idea of talking to Santa, much less sitting on his lap. So we left.


Later that night, I'm tucking Payton in bed and she decides she needs to have a conversation with me about Santa. This is how it went:

'Mom, Santa wasn't fat. Why wasn't Santa fat?'

'I don't know, Payton. He's lost some weight, but I bet he'll be fat for Christmas.'

'Some people are fat, but I'm not fat.'

'That's true, Payton. You are not fat. You won't have to worry about it as long as you eat your meat, vegetables, and fruit. And exercise.'

'I eat meat!'

'Yes, you do. Do you eat fruit?'

'Yes, I eat fruit.'

'Do you eat vegetables?'

'No..(pause)....but maybe when I'm four.'

'OK!'

I'm hoping to hold her to her promise of eating vegetables when she's four. She's already repeated her promise on two other occasions. We'll see, but I'm not holding my breath.

SciWorks

Yesterday, SciWorks had and open house (for free), so we went and met our friends Samuel, Sarah, and Jill there. SciWorks is a science museum that has a dinosaur traveling exhibit right now. At first I was a little worried the kids might be scared of the dinosaurs, but I was wrong. Ian kept saying, 'Dinosaur, ROAR!' Payton was excited to see a Myasaurus (I know I spelled it wrong, but that's the way it sounds.) because Go, Diego, Go! had an episode with one in it. It was a nice museum that entertained the kids for about an hour and a half. It was a little too cold for us to go to the outside exhibits (39 degrees), so we'll probably go back when it's warmer.

Payton's First Field Trip

Today Payton had her first field trip. As such, I didn't feel comfortable putting my little 3 year old in a school van, so I volunteered to go along. The preschool and the Pre-K classes went to a retirement community to sing for residents, make crafts and then have a snack with the residents. Each child also brought a plant to give to one of the residents. We had a total of about 30 children! Ian thought he should be doing everything Payton was doing and sometimes did. It was a little chaotic at times, and we all got a little wet (there was a nice steady rain all morning), but the little old ladies that turned out to see the children really enjoyed it.

The crying you hear in the background of the video is Ian. He decided that he didn't want me to have the camera, and threw a little fit until I gave it to him.

Christmas Tree Forest

Benita was such a sport while she was here. The kids loved her. They played chase, trains, and made arts and crafts. Of course, Payton got on a Christmas decorating kick and now she has a Christmas tree forest in her room. I asked her what the forest was for and she said that it would home for her turkeys :) (I don't make this stuff up, really!)

Benita's Visit

My cousin Benita arrived on Thursday. She arrived and Scott left about 2 hours later to go to Phoenix for the weekend. Benita and I haven't seen each other for several years. We've been keeping in touch through our parents and Christmas letters. When we were younger, we would see each other at family gatherings and some of our most memorable times were out at a our ranch near Freer, TX. But she and I clicked right in and have been having a great time.

On Thursday night, we went to Tanglewood park where they have their annual Festival of Lights. A 4 mile trek takes you through a park full of holiday light displays. The displays were very nice. I don't know how much the kids could and could not see, but they enjoyed what they could see.

Anyway, the kids have kept cousin Benita busy. They love playing with her and Benita is a really good sport. Yesterday we went to the gym, so Benita and I could get a walk in. Then we went to Pilot Mountain. It was 32 degrees up there and pretty chilly. Ian didn't care. He was all over the rocks climbing up like a pro. Payton, on the other hand, didn't want to do anything but be carried. (I think she was tired.) So she and I hung out while Benita and Ian climbed to see the summit.

Today we went to a transportation museum in Spencer which is about 30 minutes from our house. They were having a Santa Train. We rode a passenger train and Santa stopped by for a visit and to hand out candy canes. I don't think Ian knew what to think about Santa, but he loved the train. He was starry-eyed the whole time. Payton was just beaming the whole time, too. She was extremely excited to see Santa. Then we walked around some of the exhibits. They have a huge roundhouse with retired engines and cabooses. We made some Christmas ornaments and then toured the Wheels, Wagons, and Wings exhibit. I really think the kids (and Benita and I) enjoyed the exhibits. The only drawback to the day was that we all got a little cold. It was in the 30s while we were walking around to get to the exhibits and the roundhouse. A quarter of a mile is a long way for two little ones to walk around in the cold.

We stopped for lunch at a diner in Spencer. There were lots of cars in the parking lot, so Benita and I had high expectations. It was OK for North Carolina BBQ (which is basically pulled pork with a vinegary sauce). The kids fell asleep on the way home :)

Payton, in trouble

When I picked Payton up from school yesterday, the teacher pulled me aside. She has never pulled me aside before, so I knew something was up. Payton's teacher said that Payton is not cleaning up when she is asked to. They have cleanup time at the end of the day and Payton, evidently, is ignoring the teacher and not helping. Payton's not talking back; she's just being unresponsive, not looking the teacher in the eye, and giving the teacher the silent treatment. I know it's a little silly, but I felt a little like I was in trouble, too. So, Daddy and I each talked to Payton about it. Payton doesn't deny it. She knows she's doing something wrong, but she doesn't care. I threatened to take away moon-time if she doesn't clean up with the rest of her class. (Moon-time: She has a moon light in her room that we keep on for about 10 minutes after we tell her good-night. She loves moon-time.) We'll see how she does today.

Decorating Our Christmas Tree

We went to the local farmer's market yesterday to get a Christmas tree. It's amazing how fresh the trees are here. Of course, the one we bought only had to travel 2 hours south from where it grew up. Scott and I were looking at all the trees in amazement because all of them looked better than the best trees we saw in Phoenix and Texas. It was a blustery afternoon when we arrived at the market. Snow clouds were looming in the distance. I actually haven't seen enough 'snow clouds' to determine what they look like, but that's what the man who sold us our tree said they were. Ether way, it was COLD! Even though we were all freezing, it still took us awhile to select a tree. We finally chose one. Scott thinks it's a little skinny and I think it leans a little to the right, but it's still a beautiful tree.

We have always had white or blue and white lights on our Christmas tree because Scott didn't want colored lights. He has led me to believe that that is what he's always grown up with. I, on the other hand, grew up with multi-colored lights. Somehow, I always let Scott win this battle, until this year. We asked Payton what she wanted, and she chose multi-colored lights :) The only problem with this choice was that we didn't have enough multi-colored lights to cover the tree, so Scott went to Wal Mart after supper to get some. I gave the kids a bath, and we all waited in anticipation for Scott to get back. Of course, when you are the ones waiting it always seems longer than it actually is. While we were waiting, Payton sounded like a broken record, 'Can we hang the ornaments now? I want to put the ornaments on the tree!' I tried to stall the children by taking out some of our Christmas decorations, which helped a little. But then all they wanted to do was play with the decorations like toys. I was saying 'No!' right and left trying to control an out of control situation and antsy children. Unfortunately, we had one ornamental casualty :( and one frazzled Mom.

Finally, Daddy gets back from Wal Mart with the lights. We only had one strand of 100-count lights and he bought two more strands of....50-count lights. He said, 'They cover 12 feet! That should be enough, right?' I didn't say anything. He started to wrap the first strand of 50-count lights around the tree and it went once around. Scott looked dumbfounded. I told him it's OK. It's been a long time since we've used the formula for perimeter. He just shook his head. Mind you, by this time it was the kids' bedtime, and they were yelling and crawling the walls. We gave up on decorating the tree and put the kids to bed.

Now when I went into decorating the tree this year, I had envisioned a fun, sentimental night like the one my brother described in his blog. He and his family decorated their Christmas tree a couple of nights ago and Kevin paints a Normal Rockwell picture of the night. Somehow ours was quite the opposite.

We decorated the tree tonight, and it still wasn't picture perfect. There are too many ornaments on the bottom and particularly the bottom right of the tree (that's where Payton put all of her ornaments). And Ian didn't hang half the ornaments we gave him. I think most of them ended up on the floor. But, as with life, nothing is perfect. And honestly, things that are perfect are not always the most interesting, fun, or rewarding.