Innocent Village Savagely Attacked!

Traditions at Christmas time are such a wonderful part of the season. Each year we try to do the same things we've done in years past because we usually have great memories of each tradition.

Sometimes however, it can be fulfilling to break tradition and do something spontaneously different. In my family growing up, we always opened presents on Christmas morning. We didn't dare think of doing otherwise, but I remember one year when that didn't happen. Every Christmas Eve we opened up one present; usually not a real big one. For some reason, that year, we unanimously agreed that we should not stop at just one. What occured next was a spontaneous early Christmas that left us with happy memories of breaking tradition. Perhaps we had a few regrets the next morning when we had already opened all the presents.

Now I have my own family, and have instituted some new traditions as well as the ones I grew up with. For instance, each year we put together a gingerbread house. In the early years, it was mostly me putting it together and the kids sneaking the candy. Lately however, they've been able to help out more.

This year, we deviated from the norm a little by purchasing a Wilton Minature Gingerbread Village. It looked adorable and perhaps simpler because all the pieces were so little. As we got into the process, I began to realize that it was going to indeed be far more difficult to assemble the cute little village of five buildings than it would've been just to build one house. I knew it was very important to the kids so I began to press on thinking it was going to be an all night affair. Rob sat holding Aubin and became noticeably strained at how tedious the task was. We didn't get past the separating of all the gingerbread pieces (each building had to have the pieces cut with a knife, it was like performing surgery), when Rob made a suggestion. "What do you say to just cutting our losses and eating it?" All activity stopped as we stared at Rob with mouths wide open. The nerve just to suggest such a thing! After a moments contemplation it sounded like a good idea to us all! I was so relieved as we scrapped the project and just gobbled it up. Anyone can admit that gingerbread houses are a frustating thing anyway because you can't eat them. Well, we did, and we liked it! There will be no gingerbread house at our house this year, only pleasant memories of the year we just ate it.

A Quiet Thanksgiving

None of these pictures are from today. They are merely pacifiers for some Grandmas that wish they were holding him.

This Thanksgiving found us by ourselves. We couldn't really get to family and our friends all left town. I had pretty low expectations, but surprisingly the day turned out quite nice.

Rob wanted everything low maintenance. He didn't want a turkey, just a ham. The kids were disappointed at first, but in the end I think they enjoyed it. I made a few side dishes and bought what I thought was a pumpkin pie from Sam's. Turns out it was a sweet potato pie (they look very much the same) which happens to be the only kind of pie in life that Rob detests! He of course, did not understand how anyone could make this mistake when there was a giant sticker on the pie that said sweet potato. I didn't even see the sticker. It looked like a pumpkin pie to me and having no previous experience with a sweet potato pie, I was duped. The kids and I liked it just fine. Rob, for the first time in the history of his 38 Thanksgivings...went without.

While at the table we went around and said what we were thankful for (it would be un-American not to right?). Alton went first and said he was thankful that we had food to eat and that he lived in a free country. I beamed at this response because I attribute it to all the American history we've been studying this year. Alayna was thankful for a Mom and Dad and food, and when asked, Avery was thankful for...food. We did break out the china for the event so whatever time I saved in the kitchen cooking, I made up for washing dishes! I have a wash cycle just for china on my dishwasher, but I'm afraid to try it. Has anyone used this before? Let me know. The rest of the day was relaxing with stuffed tummy induced napping and watching three hours of Fiddler on the Roof. Don't ask me why. I thought there would be some good Christmas movies on, but no. Alton and Alayna actually watched the whole thing!

After the kids went to bed, Rob and I mapped out our plan of attack for Christmas shopping tomorrow. This year, Rob will go. Somehow I don't have the energy to tackle the traffic around here and the mayhem of shopping for Christmas!

Because Grandma is getting Annoyed!

This is all I can do for now. He's almost 5 weeks old.