Christmas 2012

I wish I could post tons of photos that would reflect what a great Christmas we had. But, instead of lugging the camera around and getting mad at Seth for dashing out of every photo I try to take, I "lived in the moment," which really means that I just didn't even think about getting the camera out. *Sigh*

Instead, I'll have to just paint the picture with words. First of all, I have to admit that I failed to capture Chippy's last day with us. The boys woke up to find that Chippy had made a zip line leading from the ceiling to the door. Such fun! On Christmas morning, Chippy wrote a short goodbye note on the easel. I wish I could say that Chippy's antics this year were as fun and magical as they were last year. But they weren't. I don't know if it was his antics that were underimpressive, or just the novelty of Chippy that had worn off, but I don't think we'll be talking about him well into July and August 2013, like we were in July and August 2012. Oh well. Mommy  Chippy did his best!

Part of what made Christmas great this year was Baba's visit. (Baba is my mom, for those who don't know her.) The boys loved having her around, and I loved sleeping in for a few days in a row while Baba entertained the boys at 6:30 a.m. She is exceedingly patient with them, especially Seth. She played a million games of Zingo with him, and played "doctor" a million more times. Not only that, but she made her famous iced sugar cookies (when I was growing up, she made a zillion of these, along with tons of other kinds of cookies and fudge and baked goods, to give to neighbors and friends), and cranberry nut bread, and side dishes to bring to the inlaws for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I actuallly gave gifts to our neighbors this year! Of course, I realized this sets a precedent. So now my mom will just have to come for Christmas every year! In any event, I loved walking around our street and delivering gifts with Seth. It reminded me of Christmas Eve when I was young, when we seemed to spend hours delivering the cookie trays. I don't think I'll ever be able to make the cookie trays like my mom did. But even something small like a mini-loaf of bread or homemade stove-top potpurri (my gift this year) means a lot.

Another thing that made Christmas so magical this year was SNOW! On Chrismtas Eve, Ed's aunt and uncle host a party. They live in Damascus, MD, which is north and west of where we live. As we drove to their "farm" on Christmas Eve, the snow began to fall. And by the time we got to their house, there was at least an inch or two on the ground. The driving was pretty treachorous, but the absolutely joy on William's face was worth it. (Seth had fallen asleep on the drive up, but he was excited, too, when he finally woke up upon our arrival.) I let the boys play in the snow to their heart's content, despite the fact that they weren't wearing snow gear. When they finally got cold, I put their knit gloves, hats, and socks in the dryer (and even Seth's pants!), fed them dinner, and then once their stuff dried, they went out again. They were in heaven.

Christmas morning was pretty great, too. No snow at our house, but the boys woke up and went downstairs. At first, they turned the TV on, and didn't even go in the playroom, where Santa had left their toys and stockings. Baba got up with them, and I got to listen from my room as it dawned on them that they should check out the playroom. They squealed! They shouted. Then they ran upstairs to tell us what they got. We all went downstairs and opened gifts. In the past, I've made eggs benedict on Christmas morning. But I was so involved on setting up toys for the kids and playing with them that time kind of got away from us. Mom and I had made cinnamon rolls a few days before, so we put those in the oven, and that sufficed. I think Ed missed the eggs benedict, but we'll try again next year!

After that, we headed over to Ed's parents for more presents and lots of fun with the boys' cousins (and second cousins, and first cousins once removed), aunts and uncles, Grandma and Grandpa, and Mema and Pepa. By the end of Christmas Day, I was EXHAUSTED. Happy, but exhausted. But the fun wasn't over. On the day after Christmas morning, it snowed again! At our house! And it stuck for just a little while. And I got out my camera! (Seriously! See below!)

 

It snowed for about an hour and then turned to rain. We spent the rest of the day indoors, playing games, playing with toys, getting on each other's nerves. You know--the usual vacation stuff.

 

I wish I could say the rest of our break has been as magical, but alas, it hasn't. I worked the Thursday and Friday after Christmas, which frankly, was a nice break. Otherwise, I've been breaking up a lot of fights, trying my hardest not to yell, playing a lot of games, cleaning up a lot, and generally trying to appreciate the time I'm spending with the boys--feeling grateful that my boys are healthy enough to fight, make messes, and make me want to yell at them. I am incredibly lucky and blessed, and if all I do in 2013 is remember that fact every single day, that will be than enough. Happy New Year everyone!

Gilligan Chippy

We woke up this morning to find Chippy had gone fishing.

For whatever reason, this just reminds me of Gilligan in Gilligan's Island. "Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale . . . "

Magic Seeds

Chippy brought the boys magic seeds on Friday morning.

With instructions:

We planted the seeds when we got home. We're still waiting to see what grows. But this is what we found on Saturday morning:

Wonder what it's going to be? (And no, it's not an ashtray with cigarette butts. That was Ed's first guess.)

******Totally forgot to follow up this post with what actually grew. Here's what we found two mornings later:

Nice, huh?

Chippy Fail

Chippy didn't move on Wednesday night. Or if he did, he returned to the exact, same place we found him on Wednesday morning. (On the piano, with all his pictures. Sheesh! He must really love himself!)

What can I say, Chippy was tired! And later that day, I frantically searched the Net and found this: http://fromgrindtowhine.com/2011/12/12/twelve-ways-to-save-your-butt-when-your-elf-on-the-shelf-forgets-to-move/

When we got home on Thursday evening, I slipped a letter on the piano to William from Chippy. Chippy told William that he didn't go to the North Pole because he didn't want to tell Santa about William's bad day on Wednesday. Nice move, huh? William did not want to talk about his bad day, so he didn't say much about Chippy's note. But he had a much better day on Thursday and Friday. Thanks Chippy!

Egomaniac

Chippy replaced the pictures on our piano with pictures of himself. I guess he thought our decor was lacking!

Don't even go there with the quality of the pictures. He probably had to go to Target at 9:00 p.m. and beg the photo guy to let him print 6 pictures of himself before the machines shut down. At that point, I'm pretty sure he didn't want to spend time trying to work on the quality of his pictures.

Yesterday (Tuesday), the boys woke up to find that Chippy had painted their noses! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of that one. Chippy was doubtful that that prank was even going to work. He was pretty sure the paint would rub off on the boys' pillows or covers. At the last minute, Chippy decided to get into bed with us, but then William woke up with paint on his nose, so then I had to scramble to explain why Chippy was in our bed and why there was paint on his nose. Nice going Chippy!

Breakfast a la North Pole

When Chippy first started coming to our house a few short weeks ago, he was quite organized. Then it all seemed to go to hell in a handbasket. I have a feeling Chippy had intended to prepare a more elaborate North Pole breakfast. But then push came to shove, and in the end, I Chippy came to realize that four year olds and six year olds are pretty easy to impress. Here's what Chippy brought on Monday morning.

William LOVED the donuts. Seth didn't care for the donuts, but he thought it was nice that Chippy brought them.

I just hope Chippy doesn't blow a gasket before Christmas comes!

First Responders

Today, Chippy wanted to honor the people who protect us, help us, and risk their lives for others.

"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." --Fred Rogers

Group Hug

Chippy might have had other plans for his return from the North Pole in the wee hours of Saturday morning, but instead, he looked to some friends for love and support. The boys didn't know that Chippy was grieving, but I did.

The Best Mummy Could Do

As Seth noted, "Chippy sure likes toilet paper!"

Shave and a Haircut . . . Two bits

Chippy needed to take care of some personal business this morning:

Ed was not amused. Those razor refills are expensive!

Snowball Fight!

Chippy took on the Rescue Bots in a snowball fight. But since snow is scarce in these parts, they used marshmallows. William thought this was great, since he managed to eat a handful of marshmallows before I cleaned them all up.

 

Can't say for sure who won, other than William.

On a Roll

Chippy decided to go for a joy ride down the stairs. Guess the bannister wasn't thrilling enough for him.

 

The boys thought this was funny. Ed was not amused. Keep it coming, Chippy!

Show Off

Last night, Chippy decided to show the boys what a real gingerbread house looks like.

Impressive, no? Let's see that from another angle.

 

What's that? You want to see it from yet a third angle? I know. The artistic talent just . . . overwhelms!

 

 

Nicely played, Chippy. Nicely played.

 

Meanwhile, on Sunday, William and I exchanged a few words and he got sent to his room. When I went upstairs to talk to him, I found this note outside his door:

 

 

There were two things that thrilled me about this note. First of all, he wrote it completely by himself. Usually, getting him to write is like pulling teeth. Second of all, he said please! How awesome is that? Looks like I might need to be a bad ass a little more often! Nicely played, William. Nicely played.



Our House Is a Very Very Very Fine House

We celebrated Hanukkah with Ed's family on Saturday night and the boys got to spend the night at Grandma's and Grandpa's! (And Ed and I got a kid-free night and morning! Guess who slept 'till 8:30 a.m.? Oh yes wedid!) Even though the boys weren't here, Chippy still reported to Santa and returned from his nightly trip to the North Pole, this time, with tons of candy and graham crackers for the boys.

When we opened the Advent calendar, it became clear what Chippy wanted us to do with all that candy and the graham crackers--make gingerbread houses! (In case you missed how the graham crackers play into this, go back to this 2009 post about "gingerbread house hell" and then the follow-up post to see how it all turned out.)

So, in about an hour, somehow I managed to put together 5 "gingerbread" houses (yes--I used the hot glue gun again--so much easier than icing!) and then made the royal icing to hold the candy on. Then I picked up the babysitter, got dressed up, and Ed and I went to our neighborhood "grown-up" party, leaving the babysitter with William and Seth, our two neighbors, Charlie and Jack, and all the gingerbread house supplies. (Aren't we brilliant!)

The boys proudly showed me their creations when we got home:

Yep--that's about right. Hopefully they had fun! LOL. And the best part of all is that the babysitter CLEANED IT ALL UP!!! Brilliant. And yes--she got a very big tip.

Top O' the Mornin' to You!

On Saturday morning, the boys couldn't find Chippy. Then I opened the refrigerator to find this:

Chippy had dyed our milk green! The boys thought it was kind of weird. Of course, this might have had a greater effect if we had translucent milk cartons rather opaque (d'oh!), but Chippy gets an A for effort.  You win some, you lose some.

A Chip Off the Old Block

On Friday morning, we caught Chippy red-handed pilfering our chocolate chips.

The boys didn't mind, since they got to pilfer a few chocolate chips of their own that morning! Please note that Seth now likes to get in pictures:

I hope Chippy didn't get a stomach ache from eating all that chocolate!

That's One Swingin' Elf!

Chippy decided to fashion himself a tire swing from one of the boys' trucks. He hung it from the ceiling fan. Nice work, Chippy. 

 

Too bad Mommy can't take a decent picture. It's the camera, I swear!

Today's Advent calendar activity was a joke: Why does Santa have three gardens? So he can hoe hoe hoe!

We needed a joke today because Seth's daycare party was tonight. Ed had to work late, so I had to drive out to Falls Church to pick up William and then head back downtown for the party. Luckily, traffic was light. I didn't have to go get William, but he really wanted to go. The boys had fun and it was nice to be able to talk to other parents and not worry about what the boys were doing every second. Watching the other parents chase toddlers, it made me happy that I have older kids. Six and four are pretty awesome ages, actually. Minus the four-year-old tantrums and the six-year-old attitude, of course. :-)

That's a Wrap!





Chippy's talents know no bounds!

 



The boys thought this was hysterical. I can't believe Chippy didn't wake the boys up, cutting and taping so much wrapping paper. I guess the boys are sounds sleepers.

Our Advent calendar activity today was to go buy our Christmas tree. After work, we did our traditional go-out-to-dinner and then get-the-tree-from-Home-Depot routine. We were pretty quick about the whole thing. I never spend too long trying to pick out a tree. Once you get it home and string up the lights and add tinsel, garlands, and ornaments, you're pretty much good to go, no matter how wonky your tree may be. Tonight, after the boys went to bed, Ed and I brought the tree inside and put it up. The top half is nice, but the bottom half is, well, wonky. Oh well. Like I said, ornaments, tinsel, yada yada yada. We'll decorate Friday night and hopefully I'll get some pictures.

For the record, Ed HATES the whole Christmas tree tradition. So I appreciate the fact that he puts up with it for me. And not only puts up with it, but actually goes with us to get the tree, ties it on the roof of our car, brings it inside, and lies awkwardly on the ground, turning the screws into the trunk. If that's not true love, I don't know what is. I'm sure there will come a year when he's willing to cough up the money for a prelit artificial tree. When he does, I won't fight him on it. He's been a really good sport all these years, so it's the least I can do. (And not having to string lights on a Christmas tree? Priceless!)

Let Me In!

In the middle of the night, Ed heard noises downstairs. He investigated and decided some kind of critter was trying to come into our house through the chimney, so he closed the fireplace flue. When we woke up this morning, we discovered Chippy had been locked out! Oops!

Poor Chippy. And as William exclaimed, "Daddy! He was just sick. That's not good for him!"

I tried to get a picture of the boys with Chippy, but Seth couldn't sit still, and I wasn't using the flash. Typical four year old!

Today's Advent calendar activity was a success, although it's a surprise, so I can't reveal it here. I guess things are looking up!

William also brought home a note from his teacher that explained that his class decided that collecting food for needy families at Thanksgiving was so awesome that they want to do something to help needy families for the Holidays, too. So they chose to get gifts for children at a local homeless shelter. They each chose a specific child and brought the wish list home. They also brought a list of other items that families and the shelter need. This is the second child that William is "adopting" for the holidays, and he is so eager to help. He wanted me to read him the other items that families need, and he asked if we could get some of those things, too. I wish I could get it all! And I'm so happy that William really wants to reach out and give to others. It makes me feel better about all the excessive crap toys that William will recieve for the holidays.

You Sank My Battleship!

Chippy's feeling better! Well enough to take on Ironman in a rousing game of Battleship.

As Seth noted, however, it looks like Chippy doesn't really know how to play Battleship.

As for the Advent calendar, today's activity was to take a bubble bath. Easy enough, right? Except guess who forgot to get bubble bath? I guess organization isn't my strong suit after all. Thank goodness shampoo makes decent bubbles. One of these days, I'll get this right!

And the Hits Just Keep Coming

Today, poor Chippy was not feeling very well.

And yet, he's still got that smile on his face! What an elf.

The boys were not sure what to make of this development. William said he was faking. Seth seemed unconcerned. I think so far, Chippy has not quite lived up to expectations. LOL.

Speaking of expectations, along with the arrival of Chippy, December 1 heralded the arrival of the Advent Calendar. Chippy actually brought the boys this Imaginext Advent calendar.

 



They like it, but they've already opened four doors. They don't quite see the point of waiting for 24 days to play with all the different parts. I can sympathize. I mean, all the parts go together. You can't really play with it until all the doors are opened!

Meanwhile, I also created 24 days worth of special holiday-themed activities for our own advent calendar. On day 1, the task was to write letters to Santa Claus. Late in the afternoon, I finally convinced them to sit down and make their lists. Day 2's task was to make homemade ornaments. I had some craft kits to make Christmas trees, reindeer, and a Santa face. I asked them if they wanted to make the ornaments--several times throughout the day. "No thanks!" "Not really." So while the boys played, I got out the glue and put together the Santa face. Later, I noticed that Seth had taken it upon himself to fill the Advent calendar drawers with candy, since I had neglected to do that this year. Silly me for thinking that fun activities and family togetherness would mean more than cheap candy.

I guess someone in the Hahn household had better step it up a notch! It just goes to show you that all the planning and organization in the world can amount to a hill of beans in the eyes of a four year old and a six year old. Good thing they're cute!

Chippy Not-so-Triumphant!

So I have three drafts of posts that I started to write but never finished. That pretty much sums up my life right now. On Thursday, William came down with strep throat, again. His first bout was several weeks ago. Both times, he woke up complaining of a sore throat. He didn't have a fever, so I basically told him to suck it up and go to school. Both times, we got a call less than an hour after school started that he was running a fever. The first time, he threw up once I got him home. So I took him straight to the doctor for a culture, which came back positive. On Thursday, he didn't throw up, but Ed took him to the doc anyway, and sure enough, strep again. Fortunately, he started getting better immediately both times. So all is well, for now.

Way more exciting than strep throat, however, is the return of Chippy the Scout Elf! The boys have been eagerly anticipating Chippy's arrival and were disappointed that Chippy didn't come back right after Thanksgiving. I explained to the boys that Thanksgiving came early this year, and Chippy needed a little more time to prepare for his strenuous assignment. He made his grand entrance by taping wrapping paper in front of the boys' bedroom doors and sliding down the bannister.

The boys were not impressed. Instead of happily crashing through the paper and squealing with delight upon discovering Chippy's latest antics, as Chippy had envisioned, they simply ducked under the paper and missed Chippy entirely as they ran downstairs and searched the house for him. When they finally noticed him (after I asked, "What's on the bannister?") they looked confused. Seth asked, "What's he doing?" I guess I should be glad that the thought of sliding down the bannister hasn't even occurred to them. At any rate, hopefully Chippy won't disaapoint them over the next 24 days!