Christmas with Nana

This year we went to Nana's house the day after Christmas instead of Christmas night.  I really liked it this way because Nana and Papa Fred came to our house Christmas Eve to spend the night.  We went to the traditional Christmas Eve service at Triangle Presbyterian in Durham which was excellent.  Then came home to a fabulous meal cooked by myself with huge help from  my husband Andy and my mom.  I honestly couldn't have done it without them.

Christmas day we enjoyed opening gifts and then had a nice big breakfast.  Before Papa and Nana left we all went outside on to watch Reagan ride her new bicycle.  She was so proud of herself pushing the pedals and doing so well.

Then we had the rest of the day to enjoy together cleaning up and packing to head to Nana's.  The next morning we headed to Salisbury.  Salisbury is where I grew up spending my Christmas Eve's and mornings.  It has taken awhile to settle in to my new traditions with my own family, but this year I really felt like I had found them.  It was nice to spend time with my mom and enjoy her traditional meals that I don't get to eat that often.  Plus the four grandchildren love spending time with their Nana.  Reagan loves  following Nana around and just "helping" her with whatever she is doing.

After lunch, we opened gifts.  Nana had given Reagan a Barbie and Savannah a Tinkerbell doll.  Reagan had said that she wanted a Barbie after watching the endless TV commericals over the holidays. However, when she saw Savannah's Tinkerbell it was a huge disappointment to her that she didn't get one.  So next year we all know to get them the same thing!  My mom gave me a quilt made up of all my old high school and college t-shirts.  I love it as it is something that reminds me of so many great things in my past but also functional.  If you know me you know I like things to have a purpose.  The quilt is beautiful and was made exceptionally well.  I will cherish it for many years to come!

Around 4:00pm my mom's brother and sister came with their families.   I don't see my cousins too often nor their children so this is very special to see everyone all at the same time.  It's so much harder that both grandparents are gone to get everyone together.  I have three cousins from my mom's brother.  They have five children between them.  So we ended up with nine by the end of the night which made it feel even more like Christmas to me.  I love that my mom finds that it is important to have our family get together and that she really cherishes our time together.  She puts so much effort into the house, decorations, food, and making sure everyone is invited and welcomed.  If it wasn't for her I know that we would not see everyone and keep our grandparents family together.  Thanks to my mom for being so great and really working hard to give us great family time.

Car Ride Chatter

Last Wednesday, I picked up the girls from school and we headed to our bible study.  On the way, Reagan talking as usual while Madison is silent says,

R: "Mommy I can't wait for my brother." 
Mom: "What?"
R:  The one in your belly.
M:  No honey, I don't have a baby in my stomach.  I am not pregnant.
R:  Yes you are mom.  He's in your stomach.
M: Well, in that case, what is his name going to be.
R:  Karen
M: No, that's a girl's name.  What about Joseph, Michael, or Alex?
R:  I don't like those names.  I like Karen.
M: What about a different name like Jack?
R:  uhhhh, okay, Jack. 
M:  chuckling
R: Mom, look at those lights....(her concentration on the subject has now left and has not been repeated since, :)

Santa Train

Last year, I vaguely remember people talking about the Santa Train event at NC Muesem of Life and Science.  Madison was a newborn so I didn't put so much thought into it.  However, this year Reagan understands and has started to believe in Santa.  She comes home daily from school with her new knowledge of Santa. 

 "Mommy, Santa leaves presents under the tree for Madison and me."  

"I have to be nice not naughty so that Santa will leave me presents." 

"Do the elves make all the toys?"

This is our first Christmas that we get to play out the magic of Santa.   Christmas has been so fun already and we have truly enjoyed this season much more than the past.  No wonder our parents were always in such great spirits during the holiday season.  When you are young it seems to take forever for the 25th to arrive, but as parents we get to enjoy each day.  

Our first family event this year fell on the first day of December.  I really liked that we did this on December 1st for it started the month off with a kick.  We bundled up in our warmest layers and headed out to see Santa.  We arrived early to make sure one that we didn't miss the train and second to give Reagan a chance to participate in the other craft activities.  They had face painting, making reindeer food, many coloring activities, an ornament station, and of course the hot chocolate station with fun toppings.  

Reagan was so excited that she didn't even mention the cold.  However, poor Madison was pretty upset being stuck in the stroller while watching her sister run around.  So I decided to buy her some chips to smooth her over.

Starving and unable to participate in the crafts, Madison finds satisfaction in chips.

Coloring Station

The Elves hard at work.

 Of course, Reagan had to have a bag of chips too!

Waiting for the Train Ride

A great family picture for us!

SANTA

Reagan was so scared of Santa when he approached our car of the train.  She jumped to Daddy's right leg and leaned in as close as she could to me as possible.  When Santa came she kept saying, "No, Santa! No, Santa!"  Then as he was saying goodbye he asked, "Is there anything special you would like for Christmas?"  Reagan leaps and almost jumps out of the train towards Santa as she yells, "A dollhouse and a pig."  I was laughing as I was taking the photo so it was of the floor, but it was truly hysterical that she definitely wasn't going to let Santa pass without knowing what she wanted.  Hmmm, reminds me of a certain famous Christmas movie except with a slide and a gun request.

Afraid of Santa

Hot Chocolate

At last some Hot Chocolate!  A much needed treat after a cold train ride.  This was Reagan's first and she kept saying, "Mommy its hot!"  I guess 3 year old's don't think to much about the name. :)

Thanksgiving 2010

This year my sister-in-law decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at her house.  My brother bought a infrared turkey fryer through Amazon.  My brother is all about gadgets and so this fit him perfectly.  I happened to be over at his house a couple of weeks before to celebrate my Dad's birthday by going to the car show in Charlotte.  He was so proud of his new purchase and eager to try it out.  Admittedly, this was the best Thanksgiving Turkey I have ever had!  The leftovers were even still delicious.  I didn't even need gravy because it was so flavorable and juicy.  I'm so sad that I didn't get a picture of the whole Turkey.  I just wasn't fast enough to grab the camera while watching two children.

                                                  

Christian and Andy cutting the Turkey

Preparation

Shannon and Marie warming up everyone's dishes.

The Hors d'oeuvres

The Food

Family Time Before Dinner

Getting everyone ready to say the Blessing

Family Dinner

                                                             Family Time After Dinner

Parkwood Thanksgiving

The daycare center that Reagan and Madison go to invited us to celebrate a Thanksgiving dinner with her on the 23rd.  I was excited to go see her during the day to have lunch with her.  We went in a little late due to Madison eating in the dining room still so we missed their parade.  They all had Pilgrim or Indian hats.  It would have been cute to see Reagan in an Indian hat due to the fact that she is of Native American descent, but she doesn't understand that nor her teachers know.  Nonetheless, she wore a Pilgrim hat.  


The only thing that I didn't like was that Reagan was at the same table with her classmates.  The parents were asked to get their food first.  After that they sang, "Johnny Appleseed" for the blessing.  Cute.  Then the parents went through and sat at the larger tables.  I wanted to sit with her for the whole meal, but she came over and sat on my lap and shared a dessert.  It was just nice to be invited to lunch with her.

Her classmates at school.

The Blessing

A great shot of her friend Ben.  Reagan tells me that her and Ben often play make-believe and he is a monster and she is the fairy princess.

Revealing the Christmas Tree

Luckily, Andy and I had one more day off than Reagan and Madison.  We were able to put up all the decorations after Thanksgiving.  I saved a few ornaments for Reagan to hang up when she got home from school.  I knew that this year she would want to help put them on the tree.  There faces when they saw the tree were priceless.  Reagan said, "Ohhhh, Mom it is so pretty!"  This is a very common phrase for her right now.  Madison just kept yelling and after telling her no touch many times she eventually kept saying, "No, no, no, no, no."

Reagan's First Haircut

 AGAIN, I wasn't expecting to have my firstborn's first salon haircut today.  Andy and I had taken the kids to lunch and he decided that since we were right at the Peek-a-Do it was of course convenient.  The only problem I didn't have a camera, except for my phone.  ARGHHHH.  


So this is what I got.  Reagan is 3 but since her hair has been so curly there really hasn't been reason to get it cut.  She was basically bald until 18 months when her hair started to grow.  It seems like it never gets longer because it would get curlier.  However, just in the past few months the weight of her hair has started to pull down the curls.  If you get her hair wet in the bathtub it goes down to mid back area mullet style, :).  The cut even things up and we had a lot of fun at Peak-a-Do.  Expensive hair-cuts for kids, ~$20 plus tip, but once in three years not bad.

Reagan sat still watching Dora on the television in front of her.

There goes the mullet!

How pretty!

Now for the finishing touches.  SPARKLES!