Well, this will probably be a long post, but it will catch you up on our December and our Christmas break. I have to say December was not as stressful as it usually is. I think I anticipated a sad, lonely Christmas here at home and was pleasantly surprised how relaxing and enjoyable it was. We began the month by doing Advent. It was a wonderful way to teach Aidan more about Christmas and why it is such a big deal. It was so funny on the day before Christmas eve because Jim and I realized that Aidan had no idea that he would wake up Christmas morning with presents under the tree. He was so excited to read each night's story and blow out the candle. Jim decided we needed to put a few gifts under the tree to build some anticipation. I enjoyed doing some things to get ready, too. I baked several things that I knew I'd be missing...Chex mix and peanut butter kiss cookies..Lisa always makes those. It was fun decorating the tree, too. The boys indulged me for a while as I reminisced over each ornament. Aidan was enthralled by the Star Wars ornaments, of course. When I packed up, they all now have their own box! Next year I'll be hunting for a small tree for the "boys".
We spent a day at the Wild Animal Park and since I always tell Aidan the Carousel is only for when Daddy joins us, which is usually once a year, this was his chance. Luke was asleep, so he didn't get to ride. Aidan was thrilled and had fun. It was nice to enjoy a day together without Jim stressing about the homework he wasn't doing. We had lots of that in our two weeks home. It was a taste of what life may be in 6 months. Yaaay.
We enjoyed a few movie nights with a fire, since it was fairly cool here. No snow of course, but we were glad it was at least cool enough to pretend it was winter. We did get one morning in the mountains. It had warmed up and melted a bit by the time we got there, but we missed the traffic and crowds by waiting a couple of days. Aidan and Luke had a good time tromping around the icy snow and sledding. Aidan was a trooper about not getting to throw snowballs and building a snowman. He said next time we could do that. I think next year his expectations will be higher, so we may have to brave the crowds for good snow. Again, it was a nice day together.
We also enjoyed a sunny day at the baseball field. Aidan got a real bat with real balls. But daddy's instruction when he opened it was that it was NOT to be used at home...only at the park. This kid can hit a ball! Jim pitched balls to Aidan for an hour and half and he could have gone on all day! Luke enjoyed the snacks in the "dugout". We had to go for a walk after a while, though. We then walked down to feed the ducks.
Well, this will probably be a long post, but it will catch you up on our December and our Christmas break. I have to say December was not as stressful as it usually is. I think I anticipated a sad, lonely Christmas here at home and was pleasantly surprised how relaxing and enjoyable it was. We began the month by doing Advent. It was a wonderful way to teach Aidan more about Christmas and why it is such a big deal. It was so funny on the day before Christmas eve because Jim and I realized that Aidan had no idea that he would wake up Christmas morning with presents under the tree. He was so excited to read each night's story and blow out the candle. Jim decided we needed to put a few gifts under the tree to build some anticipation. I enjoyed doing some things to get ready, too. I baked several things that I knew I'd be missing...Chex mix and peanut butter kiss cookies..Lisa always makes those. It was fun decorating the tree, too. The boys indulged me for a while as I reminisced over each ornament. Aidan was enthralled by the Star Wars ornaments, of course. When I packed up, they all now have their own box! Next year I'll be hunting for a small tree for the "boys".
