Post-Christmas Fun

The fun of Christmas has continued all week long. On the 26th, we drove into Boston and checked into the Marriot Long Wharf for a night away. After a yummy pizza lunch in the North End, we went to the aquarium for the afternoon. The kids really enjoyed the new and improved giant tank and touching the sting rays.

 We spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel pool and hanging out in our room. It's amazing how much more fun doing a coloring book is at a hotel than at home! The kids really wanted to stay at the hotel for dinner, so we had a surprisingly tasty meal at the hotel restaurant. The hotel lobby was very nice and the kids really liked this chair.

 After dinner we decided to walk over to the North End to grab some cannolis for dessert. The little snow we got during the day, combined with the Christmas lights along our walk, made for a very special evening.

 The king size bed was a favorite of everyone. I wanted a sweet picture that captured the kids cuddling....but got this series instead.

 

After a hotel buffet breakfast (where we totally got our money's worth between the lobster omelets and Barnes kids' appetites) it was back to the pool. Randy and I acted as the lifeguards and really enjoyed watching the kids having so much fun.

Pool 1

Pool 2

Pool 3

Pool 4

Pool 5

 We were all sad to leave our mini-vacation, but Caleb and Lina quickly got back to playing at home. The head-lamps and scooters came out for some nighttime snow play.

 Of course, the next morning we had the arrival of Grandma GiGi and PaPa to look forward to. The kids soaked up all of the attention from their grandparents. We had a fun day at Plum Island on Sunday and got the chance to see three snowy owls.

Papa and I both spent time with Caleb building his new K'NEX roller coaster. Everyone was pleased with the outcome!

 

Merry Christmas!

The kids shocked me this year, sleeping until 6:45 am and patiently waiting until Levi was awake before finally getting to come downstairs around 7:30 am. Caleb was immediately excited to see his new bike (with I neglected to photo) and that it had both hand-brakes and gears! Lina was happy that Santa brought her a new pink scooter (which I also neglected to photo). Levi was also thrilled for his smoke detector (!!) and new construction trucks! We had a lovely, lazy rest of the day with blueberry pancakes for breakfast, many hours spent in pajamas, and lots of time spent together.

 

 

Our crazy elf Lil' Sneep brought the kids snow-brick makers, which I'm sure they'll be trying out soon.

Everyone loved opening presents and it seemed to be the first year where everyone stopped to appreciate what they had gotten instead of rushing to open the next gift.

Lina loved her new running gear and got to try them out during an afternoon run. I especially love her new tights!

Levi really loved all of his gifts, but this orange football and matching tee were a big hit!

The kids all got a head-lamp in their stocking and Caleb was pumped to wear his on his afternoon run with Randy.

Christmas Cookies

Every year I try to make our annual cookie extravaganza a bit bigger than the year before. I really liked the cookie spread in Bon Appetit this year, so I added a couple new cookies to rotation. I also was a bit savvier and made dough throughout the week in preparation for my "baking weekend". At the end of the weekend, I had baked 1,723 cookies....my biggest number by far. We had no trouble giving cookies to our friends and co-workers and the kids and I passed out two dozen bags of cookies to crossing guards, firemen, and lots of snow removal workers....one of our favorite traditions.

Christmas Eve!!

It's Christmas Eve!!! I can remember the excitement that my brothers and I had when we woke up on Christmas Eve....definitely the longest day for a child to endure! It's not always easy to remember our childhood excitement and remain patient with the kids, but this year definitely seemed a bit better than years past. We kept the kids pretty busy and did some fun activities to help pass the time. We spent quite a while baking and decorating cookies for Santa. I was very impressed with how independent Caleb and Lina were with their cookie decorating.

 Levi's selections....including a couple of footballs and motorcycles.

 Adelina's creations...

 Caleb's cookies...

 They had lots of pretty cookies to choose from to give to Santa!

 Randy always helps the kids write one last letter to Santa.

 We typically have a nice dinner on Christmas Eve and Oscar wanted to join in on the eating!

 After watching one last Christmas special, reading Christmas books and settling into Christmas jammies, it was time to leave Santa (and his reindeer) a treat. Everyone was sound asleep at a reasonable time, which made the elves very happy!

Christmas Vacation Kick-Off

It's finally Friday December 20th...the day that Christmas Vacation begins!! Adelina was very excited to perform in her school's Christmas pageant and we thought she looked beautiful! The event is a bit wild for our tastes, but Lina had a great time and did a wonderful job singing all of her songs. Randy was off of work for the day, so he had the privilege of attending his first pageant!

 This photo illustrates my issue with the event.....no one can see their kids because everyone is standing trying to get pictures and videos!

 Caleb got out of school early and we all went to lunch together. When we got home, we started to decorate our gingerbread house, which was a lot of fun!

And to cap of the day, we went to the Stone Zoo for their "Zoolights" event, where the kids got to see Santa, ride a couple of rides, and see lots of Christmas lights.

 

 Lina and Oscar after dinner...

 Levi's wild hair on Saturday morning...