The Joys of Christmas

I'll always remember 2008 as the year that Lucie and Ryan "got" Christmas. For the first time, they seemed to feel the magic and anticipation of Santa's arrival. They delighted in the simplest pleasures of the holidays, from pretending that their stroller was Santa's sleigh to taking the first bite of Grandma's sugar cookies to sharing in the family tradition of reading Gigi and Papa's well-worn copy of The Polar Expresson Christmas Eve. They had no expectations, and were simply delighted by everything that came their way.

Before we put Lucie and Ryan to bed Christmas Eve, they were so excited to leave out cookies and milk for Santa. When I tried to pour regular milk, they cried out in exasperation, "No, Mommy, Santa only likes chocolate milk!" A Santa we encountered out shopping one day told us this (from a safe, 10-12 foot distance) and Lucie and Ryan were not going to forget it. Their eyes lit us as we put them to bed and Papa reminded them to listen for reindeer hooves on the roof that night. What excitement!

Fortunately for us, this excitement put them right to sleep, and they were not to be heard from until late the next morning. We actually had to wake them up. Chris and I tried to enjoy this, as we figured it was likely the last Christmas we would be giving wake-up calls. If they are anything like their parents, uncles or aunt, 5 to 6 am peeks at the tree are sure to be right around the corner.

Lucie and Ryan had each made one request for their Santa gifts. Ryan wanted a new firetruck (no surprise there) and Lucie wanted a "duckie toy swimming pool". Lucie had seen something like this in a magazine and had her heart set on it. Though it may not have been the same one she saw, Santa, being the resourceful guy that he is, was able to find a toy that Lucie adored, and is actually a great game for the kids to play together.

I don't think Lucie and Ryan had any idea they'd be getting more than one present. With more gifts from family, they were stunned and delighted with their new treasures. Lucie reminded me of the little brother from "A Christmas Story" who falls asleep under the tree among his unwrapped gifts Christmas morning. By the end of festivities, she was overwhelmed by the excitement and was found walking around in a dazed, half-asleep state. What a day like no other.

Thanks so much to our parents for making the trip to spend the holidays with us this year. We were so happy to be with you, sharing in the simple pleasures of the season through two three- year-old's eyes. Though it wasn't Lucie and Ryan's "first" Christmas, I think it was their most memorable.

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas

12 simple steps to insure you end up with a tree to rival Charlie Brown's:

1. Starting in early November, describe in great detail to your kids how much fun it is to cut down your own Christmas tree (drawing upon personal childhood memories)
2. Then, once sufficiently excited, promise them that they will get to cut down their own tree this year
3. Neglect to research whether or not any Christmas tree farms actually exist in your county
4. Pick an unseasonably cold morning two weeks before Christmas (to insure most good trees are gone) and then drive 45 minutes to the last remaining tree farm within 100 miles of your house
   
5. Skimp on breakfast so everyone is very hungry once you arrive at the tree farm
6. Disappoint your children by telling them that we aren't buying the glorified shrub they have fallen in love with (see photo #1)
7. Celebrate the end of an epic search by finding a non-deformed tree of appropriate height (see photo #2)
   
8. Select tree without taking note of dramatic curve in trunk
9. Buy tree stand that requires 8" of clearance at the bottom of trunk
10. Lop off bottom third of tree so it fits into stand
11. Decorate with home-made ornaments which, at your kids insistence, can only be placed on the top-half of the tree
12. Lastly, stand back and marvel at a tree beautiful in its own right (see photo #3)
    

In our house tonight, the kids are asleep, the presents are wrapped, the wine has been opened, and Santa has come and gone so we wish a Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Sidekicks

We spent yesterday at the zoo with some friends from out of town. Ryan was glued to Chris's hip or on his shoulders for most of the day. Lucie spent lots of time by my side, holding my hand as we enjoyed polar bears eating breakfast, fed a giraffe and shared animal crackers at lunch.

Our friend asked me if this sort of pairing, Ryan following Daddy and Lucie hanging out with me, happens often. I thought it was interesting that an outsider noticed this. It has become so frequent, it almost seems natural to us. We think it's likely a combination of factors that leads Ryan to Chris and Lucie to me. Most simply, I think our interests line up that way. To give an easy example, while Ryan would jump at the chance to accompany Chris to the hardware store, Lucie would rather hang out with me on my errand to the bookstore.

That's not to say that we don't love our mother/son and father/daughter time. It just doesn't happen as naturally, so we try hard to create opportunities for this. A few weekends ago, Ryan and I headed off on the train in one direction, while Chris and Lucie hopped a train in another direction.

I loved my day with Ryan. He's such a joy to be with, and a thoughtful, inquisitive companion. We spent the morning at a kids' museum, painting a car, building a house out of foam blocks, and hiding in tires made of pillow. It felt like such a treat to just be Ryan's mom for the day.

He had fun at the museum, though in all honesty, I think he was more impressed by this water pump across the street than any of the museum activities. He asked question after question, wanting to know how all the gears and levers worked. My attempts at explanation were mediocre at best. I told Ryan that we'll make sure to take Papa to a similar water pump close to home on his next visit for a full and detailed explanation. Ryan can't wait.

'Tis the Season

Age three, the age of endless "But why, Mommy? Why, Daddy? WHY?" is in full force this holiday season. Questions, questions and more questions, often from both kids at the same time, run on continuous repeat in our house.

Ryan's questions are often about how things work. He's fascinated by the mechanics of things. Lucie's questions are more literal. She takes everything we say or see at face value, and is quick to point out an inconsistency, or something that simply doesn't seem right. Most often, I can come up with a quick answer and we move on. But sometimes, I'm stumped, and when left to think about it, just as full of questions as my kids.

Lucie asked questions this weekend that stopped me right in my tracks. As we tromped through a Christmas tree lot on Saturday (more on that later), Lucie touched the top of her hat and asked me, "But Mommy, why is there a ball on top of my head?"

Later on Sunday, we were reading a book based on the 12 Days of Christmas song. We've read it several times, each time explaining the new concepts of partridges, golden rings and pipers. But this time, Lucie threw out a new one, asking "Mommy, what's 'true love'?" When we reached the end and all twelve days of gifts were listed, she wondered, "How does 'true love' carry everything?"

Still thinking about the powers of true love, Lucie, Ryan and I made sugar cookies together yesterday. No one held back, and by the time the cookies were in the oven, flour covered t-shirts, hair, noses, fingers and the kitchen floor.

Lucie and Ryan had polar opposite approaches to Christmas cut-out cookies. Ryan was very methodical and predictable. He took the Christmas tree cookie cutter and meticulously made tree after tree after tree, each one more carefully formed than the last. Lucie, on the other hand, was all about experimenting. She used every utensil she could find in the kitchen to make shapes, trying all kinds of approaches. No two of her cookies were the same.

And so, after lots of hard work, we've been enjoying a tray of delicious tree and assorted blob-shaped cookies. No matter the shape, they're quite yummy.

Holiday Hits (and One Miss)

Lucie and Ryan are running and jumping with holiday cheer. Well, they run and jump for just about everything these days, but especially all the Christmas books, lights, decorations and treats they've learned about and indulged in lately.

Unlike last year, Lucie and Ryan seem less afraid of Santa, and instead have lots of interest and questions about his job. Ryan, for one, is very curious about the logistics of a Santa visit. When I explained about Santa coming through the chimney, he piped up, "Mommy, why doesn't he come through the door?" And about Santa's return to the rooftop, "But, mommy, how does he climb up the chimney? Does he have a rope?" All of my lame answers about magic or not wanting to wake sleeping children don't satisfy this guy. It just doesn't make sense to his little engineer's mind in the making.

Advent calendars have been one of the biggest favorites this season. I have fond memories of mine as a child (especially those filled with chocolate), and thought Lucie and Ryan would enjoy their own this year. They love their calendars, and get so excited to open a door each day and discover what lies inside. I did make the mistake of buying the calendars on December 6th, which meant opening six doors at once to get caught up. Now every day since, Ryan and Lucie have not understood why they only get to open one door each day. Surely that's not as fun! It's definitely a lesson in self control, and I keep having to remind them that advent calendar doors, like vitamins, come only one at a time.

Sadly, we have had one Christmas activity that didn't go over so well. Thinking Ryan and Lucie might enjoy it, we taped the 1960's Christmas classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. I think we both had much rosier memories of this cartoon than reality, and we should have watched it again before showing it to our kids. We forgot all about the Abominable Snow Monster (not a hit) and the teasing between reindeers (too much for these little guys). Lucie was also very concerned about Rudolph's parents and didn't understand why he had to leave them when he still seemed like a baby. I felt bad for introducing something they just weren't ready for. From now on, we'll stick to Sesame Street and Wonder Pets, though even Cookie Monster has been known to scare Lucie at times.

More holiday adventures to come...

The "Loved Ones" Tour

These days, Ryan and Lucie sleep with a ton of stuffed animal friends or "loved ones" in their cribs. They used to be satisfied with just Bunny and Ducky. But now those furry friends have all sorts of companions, from Dino to Monk Jr. to Michaels (a.k.a. Mother Ducky) to baby aliens. It's quite a zoo.

When we packed for our recent trip to visit family, there was much consternation at the thought of only being able to bring the usual travel mates of Bunny, Ducky, and special blankies. Why couldn't back-up Ducky make the trip? And elephant's mother and father? They've never been on a plane! After much begging and pleading, two additional pals were each allowed in the bags. That is two per child, until Lucie threw herself on the floor screaming, just minutes before we left for the airport, in support of one more animal that just had to make the trip. Needless to say, Dino got quickly stuffed in the bag as we headed out the door. That Lucie and her powers of persuasion.

Once we were at Gigi and Papa's, Lucie and Ryan loved showing all their additional buddies to family and friends. However, Lucie soon got jealous that Ryan had brought his back-up Bunny and alien, while she had left her back-up Ducky and matching alien at home in exchange for two other friends. How unjust! When Chris called to check in (L, R & I traveled a few days early), a tearful request was made, "Daddy, can you PLEASE bring back-up Ducky and alien? PLEASE??"

So, not only did Lucie and Ryan have tons of fun on our trip, so did the eleven additional stow-aways (7 for Lucie and 4 for Ryan). They got to meet family and friends, hang out with cousin Tate and his stuffed entourage, including another Ducky friend, and meet all sorts of other favorite loved ones that live at grandparents' houses. What lucky ducks (and dinos, cats, aliens, etc.).

What were we all thankful for this holiday? Memorable times with family and friends, Uncle AJ's old hot wheels and Playmobil collection, fall leaves and rakes, endless games of hide-and-seek, our healthy, energetic and loveable kids and nephew, and last but not least, expandable suitcases.