We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and the most Happy New Year!

Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

"Well it's rock rock rock Mr. Santa
Jump jump jump Mr. Santa
Well the boogie woogie Santa
Will boogie all your blues away."


























The past week has been busy checking off all our holiday "musts." The boys had their Christmas program at school. Big sang 'Mele Kalikimaka' with his class on stage and Little sang 'Christmas is Coming.' Then we took the kids to see Santa with their Christmas wishes. As you can tell by the picture, Ms. Pink was not too happy with the jolly fat man.



Sunday was the Big Texas Toy Run. Since the temperature was still below 30 at 1:00, we left Ms. Pink with Grandma and took the boys to cheer on the THOUSANDS of motorcycles. We stood on the grassy shoulder bundled head-to-toe as they roared their engines and waved at us.



It was nice to see the freezing temps do not keep the riders from their holiday cheer. As they say "if Santa can stand the cold, so can we!"

Peppermint Twist

"Well they've got a new dance and it goes like this.
Yeah the name of the dance is Peppermint Twist.
Well you like it like this, the Peppermint Twist.
It goes round and round, up and down..."
- Joey Dee & The Starliters





For the past month or so I have been battling my new addiction, Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha Twist. I have been good though and only get it once a week before my 12 hour shift. The paired flavors of chocolate and candy canes on the cold Texas nights are irresistible. While shopping in Target the other day I could not pass up a tin of Peppermint Bark...on sale that is. Needless to say, this horrible craving led us to today's 'activity' after the boys got out of school.




30 candy canes, a hammer, and a shimmy dance later...VOILA! We made tons of homemade Peppermint Bark for school, neighbors, friends, and family. I love to keep the kids in the kitchen with me if possible and this is a great recipe to do so. They can open the chocolate, pour into a bowl, watch it melt in the microwave, spread it onto a cookie sheet (lined with foil), repeat with white chocolate, hammer/crunch/shake the candy canes, and pour over the final layer. And not to mention break up the final product and bag for delivery! Another lovely Christmas tradition to add to my growing list.

Jingle Bells

"Dashing through the snow.
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Through the fields we go.
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob-tail ring.
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing.
A sleighing song tonight."






Okay, it is December in Texas so maybe...
"Dashing through the sunshine.
In this 2-horse carriage ride.
Through the streets of Grapevine.
A girl friend by our side!
Kettle corn is free.
Santa sure is tall.
Is that Frosty that I see?
Merry Christmas to Y'all!"





Down on Main Street in Grapevine this time of year, the streets are lined with lights, wreaths, ribbons, and the gazebo sits next to a humongous tree. During the month of December they have free events each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Santa, jolly Christmas characters, carriage rides and decorations adorning the mile-long stretch of Grapevine's Historic Main St., visits by Santa Claus, strolling entertainers dressed in costume and complimentary horse-drawn carriage rides, Ellie the Elf, Frosty the Snowman, Santa on stilts and a talking Christmas Tree, Reindeer Games, which include amusing games like "Santa says" and "musical, colorful squares," - it provides an opportunity for youngsters to interact and play, with fun to be had by all."

GREAT photos of our Main Street fun!

One More Stop on the Train

"Whewwwwo...whewwwo...
One more stop on the train.
One more stop on the train.
One more stop on the train.
And we'll be there again."

- Laurie Berkner




Another annual event this time of year for us...The Trains at North Park is the most elaborate toy train exhibit in Texas, with vintage locomotives whizzing by on a journey across America. More than 40 Lionel-type O-Gauge and larger G-Gauge locomotives chug on 2,500 feet of winding track past miniature national landmarks including San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge, Mount Rushmore, the Southwest's Painted Desert, Dallas' Reunion Tower, the Statue of Liberty and New York City's Times Square.






North Park Mall offers other great holiday treats...the Scrooge Puppet Show (hourly on the 1/2 hour), Santa's Toy Shop Puppet Show (every hour on the top of the hour), a candy Santa led by pecan reindeer, a SPCA adoption center with cats and dogs (the boys' favorite), and not to mention Santa himself (don't bother unless you are there at 0900 when they begin passing out numbers!)

O Little Town of Bethlehem

"O little town of Bethlehem.
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep.
The silent stars go by."






Just down the street a Baptist church, Church at the Cross, shares the story of the birth of Christ as a Christmas gift to all. The Journey to Bethlehem is "an amazing 45-minute outdoor walking adventure that puts you right in the middle of the real Christmas story!" Through the forest trails, we were greeted by Roman soldiers, welcoming shepards, an angel, and the North Star.





After arriving at the city of Bethlehem, we were given the chance to barter for fish, pottery, donkeys, and other items. Once turned away by the Inn, we were led to the manger out back to witness and meet the newborn King!

The boys loved it and asked if we could go here every year...of course!

A Kid Again (I'm Five)

"Oh, I wish I were a kid again
Doing what I did again
A kid again...
I'm five, I'm five."
- Barbra Streisand









Big is now 5 years old! He had a wonderful birthday weekend, or at least his smiles said so. We celebrated his birthday evening with our 'family' birthday dinner. Then Saturday we had his party...workshop style!








9 kids filled our garage decked out in hardhats, safety goggles, apron, and a real hammer in hand. The girls built a memory box and boys a land sail with the help of their parents. After everyone filled up on popcorn and chocolate cupcakes, the fun was over.

Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart

"Put a little holiday in your heart.
It'll put a little shuffle in your step.
Give you a song that you can sing.
With a melody you can't forget.
And if you wanna join in a little harmony.
To keep the world from tearin' apart.
Well you know where to look.
Yeah -- you gotta put a little holiday in your heart."






Nothing like a nice Texas evening (windchill below freezing) to watch a Christmas light parade! After fighting the traffic, we arrived on Main Street just in time to score a street side place to set up the lawn chairs. With a bag of popcorn in hand and some water, we all were anxious for the parade to start. Every boyscout, church, elementary, middle, and high school, booster club and women's group rode a Christmas lit float. Rumor has it Santa was the grand finale...unfortunately, we called it a night before the parade ended. Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Gingerbread Man

"Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can't catch me!
I'm the Gingerbread Man!"









It is that time of year to begin our Christmas traditions. And of course after the house is decorated we ALWAYS start with our favorite...the gingerbread house! Not only are the boys getting better at decorating, I finally have the "house building" down too. It is all in the consistency of the icing :)




A few things we did different this year...throw in all that left over Halloween candy we still have. Skittles, Dots, and Tootsie Rolls look great on the house. And to think that next year we get to decorate 3, as Ms. Pink will be of age to finally join in on this great tradition.

I'm Gonna Eat

"I'm gonna eat on Thanksgiving Day.
I'm gonna eat on Thanksgiving Day.
Turkey with stuffing and cranberry.
I'm gonna eat on Thanksgiving Day.

Sweet potatoes and corn and peas.
I'm gonna eat on Thanksgiving Day."
- Laurie Berkner









We just finished the 8 mile Turkey Trot of Dallas. The boys in the double with Daddy and Ms. Pink with me in BJ. The kids did great staying strollered up for nearly 90 minutes. It is glad to be home, back in the swing of things on my favorite day of the year. To think last year I was 72 hours away from having a baby and 2 years ago I was crying at the dinner table in Finland (so far from home).










From our table to yours...Happy Thanksgiving! And may this be only the beginning of a happy holiday season. God bless you all!

Trot photos!

Chocolate On My Tongue

"Sittin' on the front porch
Ice cream in my hand
Meltin' in the sun
All that chocolate on my tongue

And that's good enough reason to live
Good enough reason to live"
- The Wood Brothers







Ms. Pink is officially 1 year old! Today we celebrated by heading to the pedi for our well check and 4 shots...measuring in at a whopping 26 1/2 lbs and 31 inches. Yes, we love food. As her doc said "perfect size, for an 18 month-old." Then she received her first hair cut. Not much but enough to give her the pixie bob look. Something to grow into and to rid of the baby wispies.







Ms. Pink's party was Sunday as we celebrated with 30 of our close family and friends during brunch. This evening she indulged in chocolate for the first time and even shared a bit with her brothers' faces! (Must look at the photos for the full effect.)

Happy First Year Ms. Pink!


More birthday photos!

Winter Wonderland

"Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland."
- Macy Gray





Today we visited ICE at the Gaylord Texan Resort. After bundling 16 kids up for 9 degree weather, we bravely entered the exhibit to witness 2 million pounds of ice carved into a winter wonderland. From the candy land to the life size nativity scene we were all breathless...not to mention the chill. The kids most favorite part was the ice slide they cruised down over, and over, and over.




Not only was the ICE exhibit amazing, the entire property decked to the Fa la la...Miniature trains roaring, elves dancing, trees turning, a life size gingerbread house glowing, and music playing can get anyone ready for this Christmas season!

Photos from today!

The Backyardigans

"Your backyard friends, the Backyardigans!
Together in the backyard again,
In the place where we belong,
Where we'll prob'ly sing a song,
And we'll maybe dance along."





Another score on tickets for a live performance...this time we saw The Backyardigans: Tale of the Mighty Knights. With a theater full of kids holding their battery powered magic wands, cardboard shields, and eating cotton candy for a full 90 minutes...it was basically a long show with dancing adults looking for the lost egg. (Honestly, I did not even know it was a real episode until I googled it just now to link it to this entry.) Maybe if we have seen the episode prior to the performance, the show would have been more entertaining.








The boys did enjoy seeing the characters live from a distance and were quite amazed with the props and background changes. I think we enjoyed Laurie Berkner so much, this was a small disappointment. As I have described to others...would you rather go to a not so famous Broadway show or a Jimmy Buffet concert where you know all the songs? Sign me up as a Parrothead any day!

It's My Turn

"It's my turn.
To see what I can see.
I hope you'll understand.
This time's just for me."
- Diana Ross











After a 3 month neglect from the Dallas Science Museum, we finally returned. Today's hand-in-hand theme was "Plenty of Pumpkins." After a story and anatomy lesson of a pumpkin, we shuffled to the arts and crafts room to paint, glue, color, and plant...a pumpkin seed in a take home pot.

It was Ms. Pink's first time to truly participate at the museum. Other than rolling and crawling around the 'backyard patio' with the foam toys, she really has not enjoyed the museum. Today was something new...finger painting, splashing in the water room, playing on the fire truck, her choices were endless.

More photos from today!

Rocketship Run

"5-4-3-2-1 Blast off ! Another rocketship run.
5-4-3-2-1 Blast off ! Another rocketship run.

Take me to the sun.
Take me to the sun
When I get there I'll go spinning through the air.
Spinning round the sun."
- Laurie Berkner







If you are not a Laurie Berkner fan...become one. And if you are one...you MUST see her perform live! I danced more in that 90 minutes than I did at the last concert I attended. The kids (and us) danced along, sang at the top of their lungs, and pretended we were the only ones in the room. Our suite mates gave us the eye from time to time, but when "BOOTS" or "The Goldfish" is being played LIVE...get up and boogie people!









After an overdose of popcorn, a few waters, and one encore the show was over. We have been jamming to the CD's and proudly wearing our Laurie tees ever since.