Our Minnesota Christmas

We were blessed with the opportunity to head north for Christmas this year…it was extra special to be there this year because everyone was home (and our family expanded by two this year)!  The opportunities to all be together are few and far between now that we live in Texas and my brother and his wife life out east…we treasured the time that we were able to spend together and crammed a lot of memory making, a lot of dogs and a lot of people  into a few short days…

We left our driveway at 5:03am to head north…B enjoyed the inaugural ride in his new “big kid car seat (he seemed to enjoy sitting up and watching the world go by through the window- thanks Aunt Meg).  Ella is a great traveler, for the most part she sleeps in the trunk…her little head will pop up (like in the photo) about once every hour or so, just to make sure that everyone is still where they were when she fell asleep. We enjoyed watching the car thermometer drop as we passed through Kansas, Missouri and Iowa…we finally arrived in Minnesota about 16 hours after pulling out of our driveway…

My brother, M, C and I enjoyed a winter run our first morning, it was great to get our legs moving after sitting in the car for so long. Ella’s new nick name is “Polar Bear” she loved running in the snow!  M’s dog, Gatsby, enjoyed having a running partner too! The puppy, Madeline, is B’s uncle J & aunt A’s new dog.

Recently, my dad received a GPS as a gift.  C and M were quick to put it to use as they introduced all of us to the sport of “Geocaching”.  We bundled B up and my mom, dad, M, C, all  the dogs and I went off in search of our first cache.  B slept while we searched…he looked so cozy in his down snow suit…

 

Contrary to winter in Texas, it gets pretty cold in Minnesota…cold enough that the lakes freeze to provide fantastic ice skating rinks.  We enjoyed taking B skating…we pulled him in this little sled that my parents found earlier this fall.  B loved being outside despite the cold, his little eyes were wide opened as we took turns pulling him across the rink.

 

There are no “mountains” in Minnesota, but there are some decent hills that are fun to ski on.  It was fun to be back on skis, C did a remarkable job representing as a Texan and made each run look like a cake walk!

My mom planned a special night for our family on the night before Christmas eve.  We enjoyed a fantastic meal in downtown Minneapolis (per K’s suggestion (M’s girlfriend)) and headed to the Melting pot for dessert. It was really fun, we enjoyed some tasty chocolate and had fun sharing some of our favorite Christmas traditions. 

 

After dessert, we took a carriage ride through downtown. It was snowing outside, it truly looked like we were inside of a snow globe.

  

After our carriage ride, we headed back to my parent’s house to enjoy our second biannual gingerbread house decorating experience.  We made “couples” houses this year…C had the brilliant idea of creating a moat outside of our house with coffee, the licorice in the photo is the drawbridge to the house…our house looked great for a few minutes until the coffee started to seep into the “foundation” of the house…it later collapsed…C made the most out of our “situation” and ate it!

On Christmas eve, we enjoyed breakfast with my dad’s family. We had abelskiver (one of my Christmas favorites).  B wore his “team” vest.  Let me explain, my dad always used to say “You’re on the Team”…the line has kind of stuck around our family and this little sweater vest has a golden retriever on it that has a pennant that reads “team”…we found it rather apropo!

After breakfast, C had the idea to go to the Mall of America to people watch…he thought that the day before Christmas would provide a prime people watching eperience.  My brother J, his wife A, M, C and I enjoyed some delicious Caribou Coffee while we people watched.

 

While at the mall, we found a store that was selling some fantastic Christmas sweaters.  We all attempted to find our favorite/the tackiest and wore them on Christmas Eve for dinner with my mom’s family…this family “portrait” captures the pure class of our sweater choices.

 

My family has always gone to the “midnight” service  on Christmas Eve.  I can remember my youngest brother falling asleep in the church pew each year.  B was able to make it to church with us, he went in his pajamas….he was pretty tired as shown in this photo…

On Christmas morning, we were able to celebrate Christmas as our little family before everyone else woke up. It was so special to be together and really savor that time, even though B doesn’t understand Christmas yet, C and I really enjoyed experiencing it through his little eyes.  Later, A made her family’s “Christmas Morning Special” for breakfast …it was neat to be able to experience a tradition that means so much to her.  Then we  enjoyed opening packages with everyone.  B fell asleep while we opened gifts and  slept through the majority of our gift opening time…he did make sure to wake up with some time to  play with wrapping paper.  It was really surreal to be together as we opened gifts…our family grew by two people this year and it was so special to have them included in our Christmas time together.  Thank You Lord for A and B.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to my aunt’s  house for Christmas dinner. We were able to enjoy the snow in her backyard with my cousins and their dogs (there were nine dogs  total). A’s cousin, her husband and new baby joined us for dinner, it was quite a treat to get to know them better.  As of this year, the number of “kids” who sat at the “kids table” outnumbered the number of “adults” in the group…we all enjoyed the promotion to the dinning room table and the chance to catch up, share stories and laugh together (I think the adults enjoyed the quiet atmosphere at their smaller table in the kitchen).

 

B was able to enjoy some good play time with his cousin A.  A is about a month older than B. It is fun to watch A and wonder what B may be doing in a month!

All in all, it was a great trip.  It was such a gift to be together and experience our family’s recent expansions and get caught up on everyone’s lives…it can be a challenge to have family spread out all over the country…but it does force one to enjoy and savor precious time we do have together.

Our Texas Christmas…

We celebrated Christmas in Texas a little early this year…

We were able to spend a weekend with C’s family…

Our fun-filled weekend was kicked off by spending the afternoon with C’s sister and mom before heading to dinner in Fort Worth.  After dinner, C and B headed to C’s mom and dad’s house while the girls enjoyed the Nutcracker at Bass Hall.  Watching the Nutcracker made me nostalgic for the Christmas when I was in the “Nutcracker on Ice” back in elementary school…don’t give me too much credit, I think all I did was skate across the rink in a costume…but I remember thinking I may grow up to be a professional ice skater someday…

It was really fun to get dressed up and enjoy time together at Bass Hall!

On Saturday, we enjoyed a lazy morning around the house and a run around the neighborhood. We were able to visit C’s Mimi and Grandy in the afternoon.  Later, after B’s nap, we celebrated Christmas.  C’s mom found these  adorable  Christmas pajamas for B.  

  

B’s “Auntie B” gave him a  music table that he can stand against…It is was fun to watch B tap the drum and cymbal…he is truly following in his dad’s footsteps!

Earlier this month, we took B to “Van Grow” (a kid’s art studio in Fort Worth)  to paint Christmas plates this year.  The goal was to have the plate look like a wreath by using B’ handprints.  B was less than impressed by the idea of having paint on his hands…but overall the plate turned out pretty cute…

While opening gifts,  B was most interested in his bottle and the wrapping paper.  B received a membership to the  zoo as one of his gifts… we are so excited to have the opportunity to make memories with B at the zoo and to watch him learn about God’s incredible creation.

After all the gifts were opened,  C and I headed to his company Christmas party while   B enjoyed an evening at home with his Grandma J and Grandpa B.

On Sunday, we enjoyed a Christmas concert at church followed by a homemade lunch before heading home.

One of the great transitions about being married is the need to sort of divide and conquer for holidays…we were so grateful to be able to have the weekend to celebrate…it was great to simply be together, regardless of what day it was!

Glad you asked…

So this may last all of one blog post (assuming this gets published), but I may start throwing out a few of my answers to questions that Sara and I ask each other (really just my answers, Sara can post if she feels the need to).  If that doesn’t really make sense, well I understand because that is a pretty vague opening to a random post.  So here goes.

So we were having breakfast at Panera last Saturday morning {the bakery was closed which forced us to expand our horizons (read: dig through the gift card pile to see where we were going)} and I asked Sara what her all-time Fort Worth day of eating would look like.  She answered (because she loves those types of questions) and then I replied thusly:

6:00 AM – Yogi’s Bagel Cafe

- Ham and Cheese Omelet

- Home Fries

- Wheat Toast

- 3 or 4 cups of black coffee – I would probably go mostly Vanilla Nut, but may get crazy with a Hazelnut cup thrown in there.

Now why did I go with Yogi’s over Montgomery Street Cafe?  Good question.  But once you get through the rest of my day’s meals, you will see why it just wouldn’t be good to start off with the grease laden ham and cheese omelet, hash browns, and the 5w-30 black coffee they serve.  But for the record, that is most likely my favorite breakfast in funky town, but that breakfast wouldn’t set me up for success the rest of the day.

11:00 AM – Chipotle

- Chicken Burrito with rice, black beans, chicken, sour cream, the “hot” hot sauce, cheese, lettuce.

- Their tap water (I can’t explain it but the water out of their soda machine is the perfect compliment to a well constructed burrito)

3:00 PM – Chipotle

- Chicken Burrito with rice, black beans, chicken, sour cream, the “hot” hot sauce, cheese, lettuce.

- Chips and Guacamole

- 1 Dos Equis

Yeah, I like Chipotle that much.  And if you are doubting my ability here let me throw out a few items of note.  I have eaten at Chipotle 4 separate times in one day before.  Also, I have eaten 2 burritos and a full order of chips and guacamole a handful of times.  I can do it and I would do it with flying colors.

8:30 PM – Rocco’s Wood Fire Pizza

- 1 Large Pepperoni Pizza

- 2 Peroni

So that is it.  That day of eating would make my heart pretty happy. 

There are a few honorable mention candidates, but maybe I will throw those out later.

Little Angel

When I picked B up from school today, his teacher gave me this little footprint angel along with a couple Christmas tree ornaments that have B's photo, hand print and finger prints...

Who would have thought that something so simple would make such an incredible gift? I honestly don't think that I could have picked out a sweeter or more special gift at any store. I can't wait to hang the ornaments on our tree each year and be reminded of this special Christmas season with B.

B has and continues to be such a gift to C and I...we marvel at the miracle that his little life is...it is so fun to watch his little world expand, it feels like he is changing by the week. As we anticipate Christmas and Christ's birth...it really does make us wonder what it was like for Mary and for Joseph and even more for God...to experience Christ's birth and to watch him grow up...to coo, to crawl...what a gift!

Merry Christmas!

The Manger

C and I have talked about wanting to create traditions for our family to enjoy...C came up with the idea of having a manger to place Christmas gifts under to help us remember that Christ is our ultimate gift and that all gifts and provision come from Him...

With that said, C set out to build our family manger about a month ago. He came up with an idea to have removable slats that can be changed out each Christmas, so that we could each paint some of our favorite memories/blessings from the past year on the removable slats... After the manger was finished, we got ready to paint...B's painting gear included a diaper, his Bumbo chair and his hands...

B was pretty indifferent about the paint...he wanted to try to eat it more than he wanted to play with it...

Bath time came right after paint time...it was hysterical, B had paint all over his face, ears, hair, tummy... it was everywhere!

Here is the final product...

It really was fun to paint the slats together and talk about some of our favorite memories from this past year...some of C's included B's arrival, a kayaking trip, our Maine trip & golfing in California. Some of mine included getting ready for B, B's arrival, walks & runs around our neighborhood with B and Ella, our trips to see family and friends, the glimpse that we have gotten of our church's children's ministry & B's dedication.

We hope this will be a tradition that we can continue for several years to come!

Merry Christmas!

My Cup is Full...

C and I are creatures of habit...we have a routine and we like to stick to it, we don't know where the routine comes from...but when we fall into one, we are committed!

We typically do our weekly grocery shopping together after church...I like the company and these days C pushes the shopping cart while I push B in the stroller and pick items off the shelves. Before we start tackling our weekly list, we usually get lunch at the little concession/deli stand at the grocery store (not real healthy, I know!) Today, while we were enjoying our DELIcious lunch, I mentioned to Chad that my cup was full...

Let me explain...

We set this weekend aside to enjoy Christmas at home with each other and friends...we really didn't have any firm plans in place...

On Friday, we had the opportunity to visit some dear friends who just had a baby...it was so fun to hold their little one and try to remember B being that small...he looked like he was ready for college in comparison to our friend's little guy. It was so sweet to hold a newborn this time of year, I was flooded with memories of B's birth and found myself wondering what Mary & Joseph must have felt like holding Jesus in the minutes and days after he was born. Later we enjoyed dinner out with B...the people watching was fantastic...in fact, so much that we ordered desert just to stay at our table a little longer...then we went home and cleaned some drawers and cabinets out in effort to utilize as many square inches of our little house as possible...most people would say that this activity may be like pulling teeth...but it really was fun to discover items that had been lost in the abyss of our accumulated clutter...I found my learners permit card with a photo from when I was 15 (we enjoyed some good laughs)!

On Saturday morning, we woke up, bundled up and headed to the bakery for breakfast. While ordering our sweets, we discovered a doughnut shaped ornament and decided to purchase it to commemorate our Saturday breakfast tradition...(we can now say that we have a chocolate frosted doughnut hanging from a branch on our tree). We enjoyed our sweets and coffee and then headed to help C's cousin take their Christmas card photos. After lunch, B and C watched football while I wrapped Christmas gifts. Later we met some friends from our Bible study to go shopping for some precious kids in need and then enjoyed a fantastic meal and finished the evening by enjoying some cider & cocoa while wrapping the gifts we had all purchased.

Then this morning, C woke up early and got B's breakfast ready. He proceeded to get B up, feed, bathe and dress him all on his own (it was a treat)! Then we headed to church. We decided to bring B with us to "Big Church" to enjoy the Christmas concert that our church has each year to kick off the Advent season. We were able to sit in the first row of the balcony so B was able to see what was going on without much distraction...he loved it! He sat still on my lap for almost a half our, wide eyed, impressed and not wiggly. At this point, my cup was overflowing, I can't describe the feeling I had in my heart of being at church, listening to some of my favorite Christmas music, sitting next to C and watching B be completely mesmerized! We later enjoyed a truly thought provoking lesson in Sunday school about Old Testament prophecy & Christ's birth. Since this morning, B has enjoyed a nap, we have taken our Christmas card photos with some dear friends and now C is watching football while I bake some cookies (with Christmas music playing and the Christmas lights on our tree glowing).

I am by no means trying to romanticize our life or paint our family time as perfect...we are far from that! On Friday, we didn't have much planned for the weekend, we just wanted to enjoy being at home and being together and were pleasantly surprised with how the weekend turned out. I am so humbled to sit back and think about our weekend and all the little blessings we were able to enjoy. It makes me wonder how many little blessing fly in and out of each week that I don't see or am not able to enjoy because I let them slip by. As Christmas quickly approaches, and as life flies by...I hope to be able to savor and relish in the little blessings & gifts that the Lord sends our way! My cup is truly full...nothing exceptional or out of the ordinary has happened...but when I really do examine life, my cup is full...I am so thankful for the small things, for the challenges...for everything!

Merry Christmas!

Its Beginning to Look a lot Like...

We decided to avoid the threat of getting caught in any snow storms while chopping down our family Christmas tree this year, we have heard that the forests of Fort Worth can be especially dangerous... So we drove to The Home Depot to pick out a tree that had already been cut...of course we had to capture B picking out his first tree...please notice C's foot attire (only in Texas) and the look of excitement on B's face as he rides in the orange shopping cart.

My mom sent this advent calendar for our family to enjoy each year...since we haven't picked out a stocking for B yet, we decided to hang the calendar from our mantel...it will be fun when B is really able to understand the meaning of Advent. We counted down the days till Christmas when I was growing up...I have some sweet memories of different Advent traditions our family made together...it is so fun to create new traditions for our little family...

This is our humble little tree all decorated...I decorated the tree while C and B cheered me on...really, C wrangled B and prevented him from putting ornaments and lights in his mouth. C made some cider to enjoy as we decorated...the night provided some sweet family time. C is working on a making a manger to place next to the tree. We really want Christ to the focus of our family's Christmas traditions. Our hope is to place all of our gifts under the manger because Christ is our ultimate gift!

(The lone gift is actually C's gift to me...I want to give him props for having the gift purchased and wrapped before December 1st! The anticipation of what is inside will only continue to increase!)