Maura and I set up a tea party for she and Max. He was still at school so there was some waiting time. While we waited for him to get home there was lots of time to talk about what cookie she'd eat first and how many sugar cubes would go in her tea.
Max is my tea lover so he was all about the tea party. He is a good big brother who is happy to play tea party at least until his brother gets home :)
We went over to Angel's house on the last snow day to sled. Maura and Jenna love playing together I think mostly because they both have two brothers and enjoy the "sister-like" time together.
I wish this picture didn't turn out fuzzy. It is hard to get Max to smile for real for a picture. This captures Max with a true smile- I love it!
We learned that Max's skin has an allergic reaction to handwarmers. The boys had them in their coat pockets for sledding. We came inside for hot chocolate and Max's cheeks were really rosy. At first I thought they were just rosy from the cold but to the touch they were warm. He then said he put the warmers from his pockets on his cheeks. Then last week he came home from school with a rash all over his hands that was itchy and red. I did not make the connection. I told Charlie about it and thankfully he makes these sorts of connections and said it was probably the residue from handwarmers being in his coat pocket. We washed the coat and yep, no more rash.
Our New Year's Eve tradition starts with everyone picking their top two favorite foods. We bring the coffee table into the sunporch and sit on cushions for dinner. This year Ben chose rolls and chicken, Max chose fruit kabobs and jello, Maura chose brocolli cheddar soup and black olives. I made an artichoke for myself and Charlie ate some of everything. We also had pink lemonade.
After dinner we bring the mattresses into the living room for a movie and slumber party.
After dinner we skyped with MaeMae and Uncle James to toast in the New Year (at 10pm). Maura had already put herself to sleep.
We could not have hand picked a more perfect dog. Molly/Monty is completely tolerant of the chaos that ensues around her. She never wants to go out to the bathroom until after 8am. She doesn't beg unless one of the Grandmas is over and then she knows it is time for treats! She is calm and sweet and perfect. Winter is her favorite time of year because she loves snow and the cold is good on her joints. We need to remember to spoil her in her golden years. We love you Monty girl!
The boys got Nanos from MaeMae and PaePae for Christmas. It was definitely a highlight. We had them loaded with their music and a couple of audiobooks. They spent much of their break listening to their music with their heads resting on their pillow pets (another favorite gift from MaMa).
First loaf of bread using the Master recipe from Artisian Bread in Five Minutes a Day~ love this book! Three people told me about this book- Amy L, Jenny M., and one of my PAT moms. All three told me how fabulous the bread tastes and how easy it is! I was so excited to make my first batch an it really is super easy and delicious. The kids love it and the house smells great when I bake it.
For Christmas my dad bought me the Canon Rebel. I was hoping for money to put towards a new camera that I might buy sometime in the next year. Instead on Christmas I opened a box with a Canon Rebel! I was probably more in shock than anything and maybe didn't act as excited as I should. I knew it was expensive so I felt sort of guilty. I let go of the guilt and decided to enjoy and it has been wonderful. I'm still learning all I can do with the camera but can already tell the quality definitely surpasses a regular point and shoot camera. Maybe I'll save money each year by taking the kid's pictures on my own instead of hiring a photographer. Regardless, I will enjoy having a camera that can take fabulous pictures!
I love that the camera takes pictures so quickly that you can capture moments like this~ nothing like catching MaeMae with the giggles!
MaMa's Christmas tree
A couple of weeks before Christmas we met at MaMas to trim the tree. The kids did the decorating which they love doing.
It started snowing on Christmas Eve and we weren't sure how much snow to expect. So we decided to switch things up and meet at Kates for lunch instead of 4pm mass and then dinner. It ended up working out beautifully. The kids had tons of time to play, open gifts, and play with gifts. We had plenty of time to talk and relax while the kids entertained one another. We went to 6pm mass which was considerably less crowded. And we were home by 7:30! Now that naptimes are pretty much a thing of the past we will probably move to this earlier/less stressful Christmas Eve schedule.
Found this easy ornament idea on this blog:
Maura and Santa discussing what she wanted for Christmas. For Santa her list included a new dolly and a jump rope both of which she had neglected to put on the mom and dad list. We called Mae Mae after our Santa visit and Maura told MaeMae that she and Santa held hands.
After visiting with Santa we did a little last minute Christmas shopping and rode the train at the Mills shopping mall. We got a snack of chocolate milk and chips for the ride. She loved that there was a little spot for her to put her feet.
