Christmas Spirit

Christmas Traditions

So we just finished sending out the last of our Christmas cards yesterday. And I can't help wondering how long this tradition will continue. Personally, I LOVE sending and receiving actual cards & letters in the mail. Growing up, my parents put together a really creative newsletter every year. I remember helping address envelopes (by hand mind you, none of the easy data merge to sticky labels), add stamps, and lick envelopes. And through the years, though I didn't personally know every person we were receiving cards from, I anticipated another family photo from the Jones or Jerches just to see how much everyone had grown and changed. We moved around a lot growing up, so for many of the families, this was the only time of year we kept in touch.

But now, things are different. With facebook, blogs, & email, it's so much easier to keep up with people. I know what my friends from Jr.High did last Saturday. Even as I typed our family letter, I couldn't help feeling a little repetitive. I should have said, "So, if you've been reading our blog or if you ever check facebook, you probably already know all of this, but I have a sentimental attachment to mailing out newsletters so here you have it . . . " Maybe if my attachment is to mailing out the letter I should just send a postcard that says,"Merry Christmas! Read blog for update." I know many people are switching over to electronic Christmas cards & letters. Makes sense. It's more economical and green. For the time being, I'm still hanging onto the real deal, but I wonder how many years it will last. It's hard to imagine a Christmas without a Christmas card tree though.

One tradition that will never, ever change is Christmas cookies. Danny & Kaylee got to decorate with their Grandma LaRue over Thanksgiving (side note - we had a fantastic, SNOWY, Thanksgiving in ID with Matt's family. Did I bring my camera? Yes. Did I take pictures? No.). Kaylee, in particular, really got into helping. Cookies seem to be a trend with her. Last year she was swiping cookies before I'd introduced her to any other solid foods.



Thanks for two adorable aprons, delicious cookies, & an unforgettable afternoon Grandma!!!

Thoughts on Shopping

I just love online shopping. It is so much easier in so many ways. More choices from the comfort of your own home. The kids are asleep rather than trying to jump out of the shopping cart. The "shopping trip" takes as long as I want it to. Nobody is pestering me to go down the LEGO Star Wars aisle for the umpteenth time slowing down the whole excursion. Nor is there anyone cutting the trip short with overtired screaming. If a certain website doesn't have what I want, I don't have to reload the kids in the car, drive somewhere new, and unload them again. I just try a new site. Needing a specific gift for a hard to shop for person? Type in a few words and bam - hundreds of gifts that are perfect for them. I suppose this is the one downside of online shopping. Sometimes there are too many choices. But with free super saver shipping, online discounts, & no store hassle . . . I am sold forever. Thank you Craigslist, for helping me save $. Barnes & Noble - ordering online with a gift card & free shipping. Kudos to you. Personalized gifts throughSnapfish. Priceless. And Amazon.com. I heart you.

And when ordering online isn't an option, a big shout out to the little guys. Tonight I had a miserable trip to Michael's in search of a very specific type of scrapbook. What I found instead were lines of people, crowded aisles, mediocre help (we might have that . . . just look around in this area), and too many interesting toys causing Danny to dawdle (since when does a craft store have toys anyway?). So, I used my handy dandy Droid, typed in a search for scrapbook and found Paper Zone, a little local store. A phone call and quick 5 minute drive later, I had my perfect scrapbook in hand. The store had several other things I'd been looking for as well and the customer service was GREAT! We made it in and out in 10 minutes and I had everything I needed to finish a few Christmas projects. Hooray for Paper Zone. Hooray for the little guys who still do it right.

SNOW

Though it has melted now (at least in our part of the world), we enjoyed it while it lasted.

Watching.

Playing.

Smiling.

Peas

Recently I became aware that I was failing with my children in the nutrition department. Grains - check. Protein - check. Dairy - check, check (my children will not have a calcium deficiency at all). Fruit - usually. Vegetables - fail. Sugar - WAY TOO MUCH. I realized my need for change during a week that consisted of more fruit snacks than fresh fruit (but hey - 100% vitamin c) & carrot sticks & ranch being the ONLY veggie of the week. Matt and I eat a lot of fresh salad, but the 4 year old and 2 year old just don't dig lettuce yet and usually end up eating only croutons. I vowed to add more variety to our fruit/veggie palette.

Enter peas. I rarely cook peas because they are one of the only things Matt does not enjoy eating. He'll eat them, but prefers everything from zuccini to bok choy. I had a mission though, so peas were prepared. To no avail. Kaylee threw them to the dogs. Danny rolled them around on his plate. And then, an epiphany. TOOTHPICKS.

And suddenly, the peas were delightfully delicious. Sliding the the round peas down the toothpick until a little green caterpillar was achieved became a game. The kids ate one toothpickful and wanted another right away. And another, and another. And now weeks, and dozens of toothpicks, later, we are a pea family.

Tonight's discovery was the joy of serving sugar snap peas. The kids were enthralled by shelling the peas. It was so fun for them to remove the pod and see how many peas were inside. I knew I was making progress on my quest to incorporate more veggies when the following occurred. Kaylee, as she often does at mealtime, signed more. I reached for another piece of pizza and she shook her head no. I was confused until she clearly pointed at the pea pods and signed again. "More peas please."

If I had known . . .

• that my kids would be uncooperative at the professional photography studio, I wouldn't have wasted the time or $.
  
• that they would be equally uncooperative posing at home, I wouldn't have even tried.