Excited for Christmas

It's easy to get so busy this time of year, I keep having to remind myself that I should really treasure the days and be more laid back about things. Rob and I won't always have 4 little excited people running all over the house giddy with the anticipation of Christmas morning. Okay, maybe only three are running around the house, next year it will be four.

The great thing about four kids is that the dynamics seem to change every year, especially with the space between their ages. Each one experiences Christmas differently.

Alton
Gone are the days when little $10 toys were a delight. His taste has grown expensive. He is very money conscious however, and so only asks for one or two things. He likes to give gifts, but can't resist a good bargain when doing so. We had the kids buy gifts for their siblings this year with their own money, which meant they had to save for awhile. Alton carefully plotted out these expenses. When he heard one thing his Dad wanted was a box of cordial cherries, Alton jumped at the chance to purchase them when he realized he could do so for $1.94.

Alayna

Christmas and all it's festivities are kept alive by this one. She eats, sleeps, and breathes the holidays. She is constantly under the tree analyzing gifts. She loves to give presents and will spare no expense to purchase what she thinks will please others. She spent close to $30 on Alton. Of course, all she wants for Christmas are her two front teeth...and a few other things.

Avery

He has probably been the most fun to watch this year as he really knows what's going on now. He is very excited and can't get enough of Christmas music. We quickly realized that we can no longer shop for him or others by sneaking things in the cart while he is with us in a store thinking he won't notice. Alton purchased a bulldozer for him during a family trip to Sam's. We thought we had been sneaky enough, but Avery keeps referring to the red present containing his bulldozer. He also brought the wrapped box of cordial cherries to Rob and said, "Daddy! Chocolate!" Apparently there is no fooling him! Mid-season we began purchasing gifts when he wasn't around!

Aubie

He's the easiest and most unassuming member of the family. A great Christmas for him will be a full tummy, lots of cuddles, and a semi-comfortable place to nap. It is always fun to have a baby around this time of year.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and enjoys their family as much as I do!

Visiting Santa

We journeyed far and braved the obscene D.C. traffic just to visit the infamous Tysons' Corner Santa.

Scenes from our Week

Life at our house is by no means boring lately. There just doesn't seem to be time to blog about it.

Here are some scenes from our week:

Regarding History which we all love. Me, because I'm learning so much I didn't already know, Alton, because he finds it so interesting and Alayna because, well, here's a quote:

"Mom, do you know why I love Europe?"
"Why?"
"Because it sounds like syrup."
Me looking at her with a blank stare.


Hopefully, she will get more out of the living history books we read everyday as she gets older.

Then there was the picture of James Madison I found with a speech bubble containing a quote I had never seen before.

Actually, Alton has me laughing more and more these days. His sense of humor is finally becoming more on an adult level.

Tooth Loss Mayhem:

Lately, Alton and Alayna have been losing teeth like crazy. I think there have been five in the last six weeks and both have more loose ones in their mouths! It was hard for the tooth fairy to keep up. Especially perplexing was the issue of what to do when Alton lost one of his molars last week and apparently didn't know it. He just woke up and it was gone...it hasn't turned up either.

These circumstances have brought about some questions regarding the tooth fairy. Here is a recent conversation I was privy to:

Alayna: "Lily says she doesn't believe in the tooth fairy."

Alton: "That's crazy. Where does she think the teeth go? I mean, why would your parents want to steal your teeth?

Alayna: "I know, they can't plant them to grow stars and all that."

I know what some of you are probably thinking, but basically my view is there will be far too many years of life facing very realistic circumstances and that every child should get as many years as possible to believe like only children do. I do not expect they will be bringing baggage into their adult years as a result of my decision. I have chosen, however to answer questions carefully these days and if one of them asks me point blank, then I will answer. That hasn't happened yet. So far, the only recent question has been when Alton asked me if the government funded Santa Clause. I truthfully responded, "No."