December 27, 2012

  • Merry Christmas!

    HO HO HO!

    Merry Christmas!!!

    Look how old the kids look this year compared to the little photo of them from last year (on the left of the blog).  

     

    Chance had been wearing his Christmas suit for the three weeks before Christmas whenever he could get away with it ("no Chance, you can't wear your suit to the playground....").  However, a few days before Christmas Eve, his suit likely in the wash, he pulled the suit jacket above out of the closet and started wearing it everywhere.  It was a very nice hand-me-down from his much adored cousins.  It was at least 2 sizes too big but it had gold buttons on the sleeves and the outfit he had previously been wearing out was not going to compete with that and so he proudly went to Church in an oversized suit jacket.

     

    YiLin is not quite the fan of dressing up that his two siblings are but he does clean up nicely when the occasion calls for it.

     

    Shaeleigh always enjoys shopping for a Christmas dress although she wanted to wear her school socks (navy blue cable knit knee highs) with her dress this year because she is not a fan of tights.  Although I am 100% with her on the tights, I did manage to convince her that tights were the better fashion choice.  As for me...   I wore pants

     

    After overhearing a conversation between Shaeleigh and a friend on a playdate in November (her friend was telling her all about this elf that comes to visit in December hahaha) we decided to join the masses and ask Santa if he would send us an elf.  Shaeleigh named him Fred (with no disagreement from her brothers) and dutifully hunted for him each morning.

     

    A good summary of the past few days.  Grandma and Grandpa gave the boys costumes for Christmas which Chance cannot get enough of.  YiLin loves to do anything Chance does although no one can keep up with the clothing/costume changes that Chance goes through each day.  He drives us all crazy by leaving his clothes tossed about the house.

    Shaeleigh wanted an American Girl doll (Caroline) for Christmas.  I must admit, I thought we had dodged that expensive bullet....   I will say, she has been playing with her and has been tucking her into her little made-out-of-a-box bed for the past few nights and has covered her with stuffed animals and moshlings (so that Caroline's bed looks a lot like hers- cluttered).  She's been reading the books too which is nice because there are tons of them and I would love for her to find a new series of books to read.  She loves to read and goes through books so quickly but doesn't always like to try new authors.  

     

     

    Hm...   because even in their suits, superheroes are superheroes.

     

    Today, in order to get the energy out of the house, we went into DC to the American History museum.  The kids were really good and we all had a good time.  I need to take them more often as there is so much to see but they don't have the stamina for multiple museums.  YiLin, amazingly was really the most engaged.  He LOVED the dinosaurs bones, the insects, the mummies.  He loved to look at each of the displays very carefully.  He even really loved watching the live scientist who was scrapping stone from a fossil behind a glass display area.  

     

    Shaeleigh (scary, scary, scary) loved the gems.  The Hope Diamond - a big hit.  "Take my picture in front of this" she says.  Hahaha.  Oh boy.

     

    On the way to DC, Chance delivered what I believe is his first real joke.  We were riding the Metro and Shaeleigh asks, "What are we having for lunch?"  Chance didn't miss a beat a says, "Subway.  GET IT?!  SUBWAY?!"  HAHAHA - I have to admit.  That was funny.  

    And as long as we're talking Chance - here are the latest Chancism:

     

    While riding in the car one day:  

    "I'm not going to go to college.  I'm just going to get an iPad."

     

    Out of the blue, while just sitting and watching tv:  

    Chance:  I want to get one of those backpack things that you put on your tummy and put a baby in.

    Me:  Oh yeah?  You gonna have a baby someday?

    Chance:  Yeah you know, I'll just go to China or something.

     

    The night of the Christmas pageant:

    "I sing two songs.  Happy Birthday Jesus and Quiet Night."

     

     What can I say?  This was in the folder marked "for Xanga."  I guess I got a bit behind.  The kids loved Halloween.  I have to say, the schools don't make it easy on  parents though with all the political correctness causing them to decide that Halloween is not a proper holiday.

     

     YiLin's school decided to celebrate "Scarecrow Day" which meant I needed a scarecrow costume.

     

    Shaeleigh and Chance, of course, needed costumes for All Saints Day and so we needed St. Agnes and St. Michael in addition to the actual Halloween costumes.  

     

    And this?  These were the costumes the kids invented during the two days the had off for Hurricane Sandy.  Shaeleigh schnookered the boys into playing "Old English Horse Riders" and the rustled up what they could find that looked remotely like the photos in a book she had.  Those boys are too good to her.

     

    This is NOT a costume (although I kept thinking he was dressed like an ice cream man).  Kenn found an old bow tie and gave it to Chance.  Chance LOVES it and has been wearing it whenever he is not wearing his Christmas suit.

     

    This is also NOT a costume.  This is from the tv appearance the kids and Kenn made on Thanksgiving Day - marketing Kenn's petit fours.  The kids had a blast and both Shaeleigh and Chance's teachers played the clip in their classrooms making them quite famous for the week.

     

    And now I believe I am signing off.  I have a few more photos uploaded to the picture gallery but I am getting further and further away from Christmas.  Although wait - here's two more Christmassie ones:  Shaeleigh's Nutcracker debut.  She was awesome!  Surprisingly - she did NOT like wearing make-up.  Her final word on the subject, "I'm never going to wear make-up.  I only need Carmex."  Amen Shaels!

     

     

     

     Oh - and because we are new to ballet I have to say, I am still laughing over this costume note to the parents (and yes, it was written in all caps).  ABSOLUTELY NO UNDERWEAR SHOULD BE WORN AS IT IS UNPROFESSIONAL."  I will never look at ballet dancers quite the same.