Falcons Game

Santa Claus surprised us with tickets for the family to attend the Falcons v. Bucs game on December 30.  We even got an extra ticket to bring along Granddaddy.  It was both Eleanor's and Ben's first Falcons game and only Hayes's and my second visit to the Dome to cheer on the Falcons.  Needless to say, we were an excited bunch.

 

Thomas got us down to the Dome an hour early so that we could take in all of the sights.  

 

Once it was game time though, the Falcons decided that they really did not want to show up.

 

Playing with the knowledge that they already had a bye in the first round of the playoffs, they lost for the first time in the Dome this season, 22-17.  My Falcons game record is now 0-2.  Here's hoping I get some future opportunities to turn my record around!

Gifts from the Kids

In December at school, the children usually take some class time to make Christmas gifts for parents.  This year, the three children hid gifts under the tree for Thomas and me to open Christmas morning.  Eleanor surprised us with a creative sand dollar ornament decorated with a painted poinsettia.

 

Hayes was devastated in the second week of December when he thought I might have prematurely glimpsed his gift.  (Ben had hung it up on the tree, not realizing that it was H's present to us.) Christmas morning, I was finally able to clearly see Hayes's colorful, handmade ornament. 

 

Last, but never least, Ben painted this picture of the three wise men for us to hang up around the house each December.  

We look forward to pulling out these decorations next December and for many years to come!

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!  We met the kids (and Mimi and Papa) at the top of the stairs at 7am Christmas morning. (See their new Christmas pjs?)

   

They were very eager to see what Santa had brought them, especially since Ted had told them via Santa's letter that they had been heading towards the Naughty List.  (We later learned that Eleanor, our child who was the most frightened by the thought of Santa entering our house, snuck downstairs around 4am to see if Santa had come and if so, what gifts he had delivered.)  After seeing the gifts they had asked Santa for by the fireplace, we knew the kids had moved to the Nice List, though Santa did add some coal to their stockings. 

Eleanor was thrilled to find a Kindle Fire by the fireplace and had her face in the screen for the rest of the morning. 

 

Hayes received some Skylander characters and games but was engaged early-on by the Sports Illustrated BCS Preview in his stocking. 

 

Though I did not capture it on film, Ben got the one thing he really wanted - a ride-on toy Jeep.  He was a very happy camper Christmas morning. 

Knowing that Mimi and Papa had to get on the road to head back to Melbourne mid-morning,

 

Thomas cooked us all a delicious and hearty Christmas breakfast.  Once Mimi and Papa hit the road, we squeezed in a few games of ping-pong on our new table

before heading over to the Carrolls for Christmas with that side of the family.   There, the girl cousins all played the role of Santa as they distributed the gifts around to each family member  

before they opened up their Christmas gifts of American Girl dolls. 

Then, we waited for the rest of the Lee clan to arrive for our traditional Christmas night dinner together.  By the time we loaded up the car to head home, it was nearly 10pm and we had some worn out, but very happy children. 

Christmas Eve

This year, we had a busy Christmas Eve.  We started off our day by hosting a family lunch with the in-town Carrolls, Roaches and McGalliards.   I was able to take a picture of Eleanor and her grandmothers, to update the one we had taken when she was three or four.

Ben, never wanting to be left out, asked me to take the same picture but with him in it this time. 

 

Then, we headed to church where we would spend the next four hours.  For the 4:00 service, Ben and the Cherub Choir were the highlighted performers.  Ben and two of his classmates sang a solo during the choir's first song.  The boy on the right side of the pulpit, Harrison, with his hand on the microphone, stole the show. 

Throughout the boys' solo, Harrison kept redirecting the microphone away from the center of the pulpit to directly below his mouth. Then, the boy in the center, Miles, would try to correct Harrison's actions and recenter the microphone. The congregation laughed so loudly through the comedy that you could barely hear the three boys sing!

For the 6:00 service, Eleanor and the Peachtree Chimes performed "Hark the Herald Angels Sing."

After that service, we took a quick picture in front of the Christmon tree before heading home to get ready for Christmas.

The kids were eager to open up their annual Christmas pajamas gifts before sitting down to hear the traditional reading of The Night Before Christmas and the story of Jesus's birth as told in the book of Luke.

After hearing the stories, checking the Santa tracker to make sure he was not yet in the U.S. (he was in Liberia), and making Santa's plate of cookies and pouring his glass of milk, it was time for bed.  The kids were worried that Santa would come upstairs to check on them, but we assured them that he was pressed for time.  Thankfully, they understood and fell asleep quickly, hopefully having some sweet dreams.  

Ted's Adventures

Once December 1 arrived, the kids were excited to see our Elf on the Shelf, Ted and spend the next 24 days with him.  On his first morning, he brought the kids doughnuts and chocolate milk, a special treat to kick-off the holiday month.  For the next 23 days, the kids woke up early each morning to see what mischief Ted was up to.  I personally think Ted had quite a bit of fun in our house as he always seemed to have a smile on his face.  We found Ted doing the following:

• rolling down the stairs in a roll of toilet paper
• drinking syrup out of a straw in the refrigerator like Buddy in the movie "Elf"
• doing YMCA with some Barbies

 

• playing the Wii with a Christmas bear
• reading The Night Before Christmas with some other stuffed animals
• attempting to beat Lego man at Tic Tac Toe

 

• focusing hard to complete the NY Times Sunday crossword
• trying to tear down E's candy cane chimney

 

• making a visit to each child's room and watching them while they sleep

 

A week before Christmas though, Ted shocked the kids when he brought an official letter from Santa. 

In the letter, Santa told the kids that they were heading to the Naughty List unless they changed some of their behaviors. This letter scared them straight as they all wanted to be on the Nice List. 

Once Christmas morning arrived, we were sad to say good-bye to Ted, but were eager to see on what list Santa had placed the children. 

Christmas Ornaments

This December, Eleanor, Ben and I decided to make some more painted glass ball ornaments like we had last year.  Thankfully, we still had leftover paint and I had stocked up on glass balls in November so we were prepared to get painting!

The kids (Hayes had no interest in participating) and I tried different color combinations and loved watching to see how they all blended together.  The ornaments take about four days to dry so it ends up being a rather drawn-out project.  We were quite pleased with our finished products though as I found similar ornaments actually being sold on Etsy.

Here are some of Eleanor's favorites

 

 and Ben's. 

We can't wait to see what they will look like on our Christmas tree next year!

Gingerbread Decorating

Last Saturday, after our breakfast with Santa, we decorated gingerbread houses at our friends', the Watson's, home. 

 

As expected, Andrea had it very organized and Martha-Stewart-like.  

 

She had antlers and red noses for everyone.  When drinks were ordered, they were delivered in a glass snowman bottle with a doughnut on top. 

 

All of the girls and little boys took to decorating right away. 

 

Hayes needed some encouragement, since his preferred alternative was to watch the Polar Express.

After a full lunch, the kids were treated to a hot chocolate bar.

 

 Then it was time for group photos

before loading up the finished houses in the car.

Here are the completed sugar shacks . . . 
Ben's -

 

Hayes's (and you can tell that the Polar Express won out)- 

 and Eleanor's -

Thank you Watson Family for a fun-filled few hours!

Parent Awards

Sweet Eleanor presented us with these awards last week. 

As a stay-at-home mom, I'm usually not up for any awards, but this is one I definitely accept.  

Spinach Pie

Who would think that one of Ben's go-to meals would be spinach quiche or what we call "spinach pie"?  It has been a weekly lunch/dinner fixture in our house, along with his pretzel chips and hummus, since he was a baby.  Ben and I are both grateful that we have this healthy meal option. 

 

Ben appreciates it because he generally does eat much of what I cook; this quiche is always in the fridge ready as a back-up.  I'm thankful that he eats it because then I'm certain that a vegetable or two enters his body each week!

Another Santa Visit

Last Saturday morning, we continued an annual tradition of attending a breakfast with Santa with Grandmommy, Granddaddy, Uncle Michael, Aunt Ivy, cousins Anna, Cate and Everly.  Though the kids had already chatted with Santa in Alys Beach over Thanksgiving, they were eager to remind him of a few items on their lists.  Each of them filled out this form letter just before it was their turn to sit on Santa's lap. 

 

Then, it was their time to have a talk with Santa.

 

They walked away from Santa happy that they had been very clear with their wishes.  Here's hoping that Santa agrees!