Carson LOVES singing Christmas carols... I love the part where he tries to make the words into something he understands. Heard in our house this weekend (while "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" was playing on the radio):

When it came time to purchase a good nativity set, I went with one that had a ton of pieces available so I could build it over time. (Frankly there are enough pieces in the set to actually build all of Bethlehem - and most of the rest of the Bible as well. Both testaments.) The biggest factor was you can purchase a Mary & Joseph where Mary is still pregnant and riding on a donkey. As part of our countdown until Christmas the kids get to move Mary & Joseph a little closer to the empty manger each day... they start in our garage and work their way into the house, getting a little closer each time. On Christmas morning, we'll switch to a 'new' Mary and add little Jesus to the manger.
It's a fun way for the kids to know we're getting closer to the holiday while also providing a visual reminder of the 'reason for the season'. So here's the Holy Family hanging out on the pantry shelf in our garage and then on a shelf in our living room. They are currently making their way across our refrigerator:)

 

We left Friday morning for a Christmas weekend with Scott's family in Kirkland, WA. We hung out, watched the cousins play together and Carson even got to put his patience on hold for a while and open presents almost everywhere we went. Thanks all for spending your weekend with us.
 

"All Aboard! Well, ya' comin?"

 

Carson has been enjoying some of the benefits of being four years old... like getting to have a party at school on Thursday (there was no school Wednesday) and getting to finally turn over his bed. (He found the instruction manual we'd tossed underneath the mattress a few months ago and came running out with the picture, "Momma, I want my bed to look like this!")
Ahhhh, but little does he know this is just paving the way for Nolan to move into his room after he gets a big boy bed for Christmas... and then mommy will have her study back!! Merry Christmas to me:)

 

Carson turned 4 years old today!
We celebrated with birthday biscuits (his favorite breakfast), a low-key day (his best kind), cupcakes (even the dinosaur got a bite) and presents (trains & mazes & new trucks - oh my!). Happy birthday Mr. C! Each day with you is even more fun than the one before. You are a treasure.

We spent this whole weekend just hanging out and getting some things done - including the Christmas stuff around the house. Once most of the general decorations were done, Carson made sure Daddy knew where the tree was supposed to be in the living room:

And when the tree arrived... both of them were quite, um, we'll say "helpful" in that they didn't actually pull it down on Scott while he was under there... they just tried.



Nolan was convinced his helpfulness could extend to trimming (which was cute until he tried to trim the dog's tail) and Carson had other ways of undoing that which had already been done.

What a great day! We started out with a lazy morning on the couch, eating cinnamon rolls (because hey, if you know you're going to blow your diet for a day, you might as well do it right) and watching the Macy's Parade... but what a parade it was! Carson's eyes lit up with every new thing that came across the screen... giant balloons, dancers flipping through the air and cartoon character that came to life. It was like seeing the whole thing for the first time. There was no sense in even trying to leave the room - I would just get called back... "Mommy, Mommy, come quick - it's BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!". When it was finally time to take a shower I got a play-by-play of every balloon that came through while I was gone. Adorable. We spent the afternoon in Albany at Elaine's Uncle Rob & Aunt Vicki's house just enjoying some time together as a family. Oh, along with football and some really good food. The kids fell asleep on the way home and Daddy & Mommy are snuggling into the couch. The blessings we have as a family are too many to count... we have so much to be thankful for.

Dear Nolan,

 

Some thoughts from your mother regarding sleep.

 

First, if you are cranky and mommy gives you Tylenol around 7:30 it is because she is afraid something hurts and she wants you to sleep. It is not meant to perk you up and send you dancing around the house. Tylenol may be withheld in the future if this becomes a regular outcome. For roughly 13 of the 17 months you have been alive, you have gone peacefully into your bed at 8pm. This was not simply coincidence or an accident. Your parents have actually put thought into your bedtime; an equation that involves the amount of sleep you need, the time you need to wake up and our own personal sanity. There is no need to start ‘testing’ the bedtime routine so see if it’s set. It is. We will win.

 

Finally, your parents provide some lovely food options between the hours of 5pm and 8pm. You are welcome (and encouraged) to eat whatever the family is eating, but we are also willing to provide any combination of waffles, sausage, eggs, yogurt, cereal, fruit, etc. Refusing to eat during these hours and then waking up hungry in the middle of the night is unacceptable. Our 3:30am rendezvous with a bowl of Cheerios, a dozen strawberries, three pieces of cheese and some yogurt will not be occurring on a regular basis.

On a side note, thank you for not trying any of this while we were trapped in a trailer together a few weeks ago.

 

Love,

Mom