Our Family Adventures: Winter Break Shenanigans Part One!

IT has been a busy month! Or at least a busy few weeks!

Our neighborhood hardware store had Santa so while Daddy was at a work function we went to see him. They were printing up the pictures so I made the mistake of not taking my own. The kids look great, if you can see it. I wish Santa had smiled though. The kids were sent home with a goody bag, coloring books and giant smiles!

On December 7th we got another new cousin! We waited a few days and then went to visit her. Kayda was in love! She is quite a doll! The kids were so impressed by how tiny a newborn is.

Daddy's work had an evening on a Argosy Cruise as a celebration for their department. We floated along, chatted and looked at some lights. We had a great time with Grandma and Papa H, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Pat and a bunch of others that work at the firm (and their spouses). The kids got to spend the night at Grandma and Papa G's house mid-week. (Thank you!)

I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus!

With Grandma and Papa G back in town and our second newest cousin coming for her first Christmas we needed to help them get a tree! We went to one of the local tree farms, the only one still open. Carson was super focused on pulling the wagon, he didn't want to leave it behind when it was time to walk through the trees. Dillon kept walking into the area we weren't allowed to cut (they met their quota) and saying he wanted the trees. Unfortunately the types that were available just weren't for us. We ended up going to a local nursery (which I love) instead. At the nursery the selection was all pre-cut so it was much smaller. Kayda got to choose the tree, she kept going between them trying to look for "holes" and if they were full enough and straight enough. I think she had a great time choosing with Grandma G while Dillon and Carson jumped in puddles!

Grandma and Papa G decided that the kids could come spend the night two nights instead of the following night like we had planned. So the kids and I rushed back the the house just in time to see Santa come around with the firetrucks! It's really neat! They bring out almost all the vehicles from the fire station and drive through the city's neighborhoods with sirens blaring and music playing. Santa is towed in his sleigh behind on of the trucks. All the kids get candy canes and you can make donations. Each kid had a can of food and waited in anticipation, except Carson, he was kind of worried.

He held onto my leg with a death grip the whole time.

There were several vehicles in front of him and another 2 behind what you can see here! Then kids packed up and headed to their sleep over.

After their first night sleeping over Daddy and I ran up to make gingerbread houses. Considering we used store bought frosting we were very surprised to see them actually stay together! It was so fun watching the kids pick through the candies! There were more that made it onto the gingerbread houses than into their mouth so that was quite the accomplishment! You could almost see the development as they got older and their ability/desire to make it look "just so". Hearing about the trees and paths and campfires that they made was delightful! They are so creative and so eager to share everything they do!

The houses made it about half an hour or so before kids started munching on them. But that's what they're for right?

Tuesday Kayda's riding lessons were cancelled so she was really bummed out. Since we had the whole day free the kids and I decided to go for a drive and try to get to some snow! We headed back out towards where we went hiking to Summit Lake and just followed the road into the mountains. During the drive the kids would yell out any time they saw even a tiny dusting of snow on the side of the road. They were bouncing around in excitement ready to be set loose on an patch of it they could find. The farther into the mountains we got the more snow was on the grass, then a light dusting on the road, then we were following tracks in 8 inches of the stuff. Dillon did NOT like driving in the snow. He was so worried we were going to slide off the road or get stuck, especially when we had to move over for other cars to go by the other direction. He got so concerned that we had to turn around and head back. Fortunately we had already seen a spot we could park and go play. It was by a gated road which had only foot traffic prints. This lonely one lane forest service road became our playground. It took a LOT of coaxing to get Dillon out of the car. He was so terrified that something was going to happen even with the car parked. He kept telling me he didn't feel good and he was scared. Of course as soon as I got him to get his coat on and he stepped one foot in the snow it was if the whole thing didn't exist!

Carson was quite devious and was ready to throw this at Kayda as soon as he could get enough in his hand.

We quickly discovered that the snow was just not wet enough to really form into much of anything. You could kind of compress it into a snow clump but it would not stick on when you rolled it. Kayda was determined to make a snowman anyway!

The boys decided they like to eat snow. I just told them not to eat any that wasn't white. The loved eating it so much that they wanted to go back after we left and get more to munch on.

After quite some time working at it, she finally got enough to stick together that she could make a tiny one. "Take a picture mom!". I obliged and was immediately rewarded by having a tiny snowman thrown at me!

Eventually we started a snow "clump" fight. I wouldn't go so far as to say they were anywhere near the snowball we are used to (rare as they are). Kayda and Dillon were hunkered down in the gutter like it was a fort so after a while of fighting in the open Carson and I went across the road and took over our own ditch! We sat there lobbing snowballs at each other. Dillon figured out to hit the snowball when it gets close and occasionally I would send Carson over to attack with a huge armful of snow. When I had thrown a few snowballs Carson became quite concerned that I wouldn't have the snow I needed. To remedy this situation he stood and front of me and swept the snow at me, right into my lap... and my face... and my coat. It didn't matter how many times I told him I had enough snow he continued. I would get up and move to a new location so I had more snow, he would follow me and start shoveling it in my face again. He was determined that he was being helpful so he was NOT going to stop.

Eventually I got tired of having snow shoved in my face by my own team mate so I went across the road and quickly flung snow and Kayda and Dillon. Next thing I know Dillon has turned around, stuck his bum in the air and started "digging" the snow at me, just like a dog.