Christmas Tree

So, I'm a little behind... This has been a very busy Christmas. We decided to get our tree locally this year. We didn't trek up north and cut our own. So, we got to the lot and let the kids out so they could help us scope out a tree. Cecilia of course went to the largest tree, which was really quite full and beautiful. So, we brought that one home only to find that it is quite a bit taller than our ceilings... Matthew ran next door to the neighbors to borrow a saw and we cut 15 inches off. It then fit, but with no room for a star. We just have a nice bow this year :) Here are the kids poking around the tree lot.

I Love Christmas

Cecilia and Thomas are standing in front of the tree swaying/dancing, listening to "Welcome Christmas" from the Grinch :)

Thomas, Young Jedi

Matthew came home early today because he had surgery on his gums... no fun. So, he was watching Empire Strikes Back with the kids. When they got to the light saber battle between Luke and Darth Vader, Thomas turned to me:

Thomas: "Mom, here's the deal," said emphatically. "If Darth Vader comes out of the tv, you need to get my light saber real quick--my green one... so there will still be a Luke here!"

Me: "Good idea... it's good that you have a plan."

He then insisted that I get the light saber out so he could join in. He was battling Darth Vader from our living room. :)

Plante Christmas Party

Here are some pictures from the Plante Christmas party on Sunday. The kids had a blast. Cecilia decided she loved Alisha (Matthew's cousin) and pretty much stayed by her side... she always seems to like the pretty young women. The first picture is Eliana at the end of the night... looking a bit tired with Gramma, but I still thought it was a cute picture.

Moving Up in the World

I put Eliana down for a nap yesterday afternoon, but she didn't really want to sleep yet. I soon heard her talking and then yelling over the monitor. So, when I went upstairs, this is how I found her! She pulled herself up to standing in the crib. I've only seen her do this once before (and not in the crib) and she really didn't pull herself up all the way. She was so very proud of herself :)

I've Been Tagged

I thought I had been tagged by Eileen to give some info about my hubby and me... She actually meant her other friend, Jessica, but she encouraged me to go along anyway. It's kind of fun, so enjoy!

Husband's Name: Matthew

How Long Married: 9.5 years

Dated How Long: 6 years

Taller: Matthew (5' 9"), Me (5' 6")

Who Can Sing the Best: Hmmm... Well, I'd say he's a better musician. We both love to sing, though.

Smarter: Well, he's working on his PhD... I only have half a Master's... I'm way better at directions and common sense, though :)

Laundry: Me. He used to do the laundry back in the day when I was working and he was a student, but that was a while ago now...

Paying Bills: Me

Who Sleeps on the Right side of the Bed: Stage right or house right? I'm house right, but stage left.

Mows the Lawn: The condo association where we dutifully pay our $205 a month... (Can't wait to buy a house some day.)

Cooks Dinner: That would be me. Unless it's meatloaf, then Matthew usually makes it.

First to Admit They're Wrong: TBD :)

Who Kissed First: Matthew kissed me. It was Alien Night (funny story) 1993 and he walked me back to my car (since I was his ride home and he didn't have his license yet...). He gave me a smooch before we got in the car. Then I got another that night when he asked me out. I said yes, of course. I was excited to be his girlfriend :)

Who Wears the Pants: Well, I guess he wears pants every day. Although, I'm not really a huge fan of skirts, so I really do prefer pants too. I like to be comfortable, you know?

Cecilia Sets Her Mama Straight

Cecilia: "How do reindeer fly?"
Me: "Hmmm... I'm not really sure. They must be magic because reindeer don't really fly."
Cecilia: "Oh."
Me: "Oh, I know, maybe Tinkebell helps them... you know, she sprinkles her pixie dust on them!"
Cecilia: "Tinkerbell's not real mom."
Me: "Ah, good point."

A Morning of Play

After breakfast, the kids usually head to the living room to play. Cecilia and Thomas play extremely well together (not all the time, of course... but most of the time and especially lately). They generally like figures and imaginative play. Cecilia loves Disney princess and has most of the little figurines. Thomas loves Star Wars and has a bunch of the Galactic Heroes. Recently, they discovered some of my old dolls and have been loving them. Here are some pictures of them with my sad looking old dolls... :)

Eliana, in the mean time, just loves to be near the kids or me. She's able to crawl all around and so she can make sure she's in the middle of the action. The smiling shot is of her crawling towards me. One of her other favorite activities is crawling under our table (which is glass, so she can look up at us) and pulling herself up at the foot of Thomas' high chair. She looks so proud.

We Three Kings

We took out our book of Christmas Carols, and the kids like to look through and request songs. Thomas asked for "We Three Kings" and has not stopped requesting it since... Matthew found the Claymation Christmas version on youtube. That's now their favorite thing to watch (even more than Star Wars legos videos, which is saying a lot). Enjoy!

First Snow & Christmas

We had some real snow for the first time on Sunday afternoon. It didn't accumulate too much, but enough for the kids to admire. Thomas was very excited that now it must be Christmas. We explained to him that those two things were not synonymous. We thought he understood...

Now, the next day... Thomas didn't get enough sleep and woke up at 5:30am (about an hour earlier than normal). He came into our room and was kind of grouchy. He eventually headed downstairs, at which point he burst into tears. He came back to our room crying, "There are no presents. Santa forgot to bring presents."

Sometimes it's hard not to smile... It was really quite devastating to our little guy, though.

My Kiddos

Matthew left his camera out for me today. I was just playing around. Here's what I got. I love the look on Eliana's face on the first one. Cecilia had just given her a zerbert.