Holidays

So, Thanksgiving came and went since my last post. The boys had a nice big Thanksgiving this year - my mom, J's mom, J's sister and her two kids (15G and 12B), along with the 15G's friend (another girl), our friends from Carlsbad and their 5 yr old twin boys. The boys really enjoyed having the other twins to play with... that is until their cousins arrived. S was completely smitten with his cousin's friend as well as with his cousin (both really cute young ladies). He followed them around once they arrived and kept telling the friend that he really liked her and asked her a couple times if she'd come back to his house again sometime. She's also made it into our fantasy stories - she's joined poopie monster, princess belle and belle's pet bunny fluffy and because she came with his cousin, the cousin too.

Saturday following Thanksgiving we had a very small gathering to celebrate my 40th birthday. Four other families came and so we decided to rent a large bounce house so the kids would have some entertainment and then the adults could just relax and hang out together. What a hit... S & N loved it and pretty much bounced from the moment it arrived at 9AM (an hour or so before the party) until we made them get out for nap. After nap, they then got to bounce for another 2 hours while we waited for the man to pick it back up. S asked a couple of times if we could have the man bring the bouncy again sometime and if I could have Daddy pay for it for my next party.

Sunday, we were sort of in recovery mode... all the visitors, the party, etc. We asked the boys what they wanted to do Saturday at dinner and they quickly jumped at the idea of putting up the tree and decorating it. So, Sunday after the farmer's market (for me), we brought out the tree. The awareness and memory recall is so much higher this year. They were so excited to see the same ornaments again and really got excited when they saw the ornaments they made last year. They were in heaven when they found the little tiny train ornaments that never make it to the tree (because the boys play with them the whole month until they go back in the Christmas box). We read all the Christmas books that had been tucked int he Christmas box and not seen for a year. It was a great morning and sure went by so fast.

In the afternoon, we took the boys to the Santa Train at Traveltown. It seemed really early in the season for it, so I thought it would be a pretty good time to go. Ugh - everyone else must have had the same idea. We got there 10 to 5 (when it opened) and wound up not getting on the train until close to 5:30 or so and then we had to wait a half hour or so to talk to Santa. BUT, the boys were so excited to see Santa and tell them they were wishing for Lego's. They were not apprehensive at all and just so excited. It was so sweet to see. Also fascinating as we really haven't played up the whole Santa thing too much - since he's in the books, we've gone along with it but we haven't really promoted him and I sure am not (and have not) gone on and on about how he only comes if the boys have been good. I don't want to lie to the boys so if they ask me something directly about him, I'll answer honestly. We'll see how long that takes. We went through that when the boys saw Mickey Mouse at one of the birthday parties they went to recently. They asked me that night if he was real and I explained that he wasn't and was just wearing a costume so it would be easy for people to pretend he was real. N said he knew he wasn't real cause he was wearing a watch. The stuff that boy notices and how he relates it to things are just amazing.

All in all, just such a nice weekend. We were all bummed when it was over. And all very tired.

Dinner: left over sandwiches from the party, green beans (S), broccoli (N), cranberry sauce, a small piece of candy cane (both boys were in heaven!), left over fruit from the party.