Winter Break

During Winter Break in Maine, we can almost always count on snow. So we usually sled, skate, and make forts and snowmen in the snow. It is super windy, so we haven't been skating, and there isn't any snow. So we have resorted to this:

Madison turned her brother into an inside snowman...Have a great Winter Break!!

Christmas Day

The kids were extremely excited for Santa to come...so excited, that they woke us ua at 4:04am. The reason I know the exact time, is that Madison made sure to tell me. Steve and I knew there was no way we were getting them back to sleep, so we got up and started the festivities. ( I do remember that feeling you get Christmas morning when you are a child) So I never care what time it is, as long as no one gets grumpy.




Christmas makes Everyone turn into a little kid...my Dad will always think he is Santa




Thank you Santa...the very hard to find Zhu-Zhu pets

The DSI...the only thing Madison really wanted.

Riley wanted a pop gun, but Daddy had other ideas

Christmas Eve

Madison Reading to Riley


Sprinkling a little reindeer dust



Giving Meme a little loving

Out traditional silly family photo

I think Christmas Eve day is the longest day of the year, and I don't care how old you are. My kids were Soooo bored all day, they couldn't stand it. My parents came over for Dinner, we served Lobster Stew, scallops wrapped in bacon, crab dip and Shrimp cocktail. The kids opened their Christmas pajamas, sprinkled a little reindeer dust, and left out some milk and cookies dor Santa and Madison read The Night Before Christmas

Advent Calender

Over the past month, the kids have taken turns opening the advent calender doors. Last year I bought one that had chocolates hidden behind the doors, and that was fun, but I'm not a huge fan of my kids eating candy everyday...even if it is only one piece. I was telling my husband that I wanted to make an advent calender for this year, so he went out and bought me a kit to make this...Today the kids opened their gifts and were pleasantly surprised to get Rudolph light up noses. Riley has been obsessed with Rudolph this year, so it was the perfect find. The bus driver was laughing so hard when he came to pick them up this morning. They had their antlers and noses on and were all bundled up in their jackets and snow pants. I have to admit they were quite cute. I even joined in the fun!

Please excuse my appearance, I hadn't had my morning coffee yet

Heritage Festival

In second grade, the students learn about their heritage, and they celebrate by having a heritage dinner. Madison came home and asked me about our family tradition, which there are a lot of, but none of them are linked to our heritage. We are kind of a mixed back..Heinz 57 if you may. Her teacher Mrs Maxim asked if the parents would make a traditional dish from our ancestors...my first thought was to send in a bag of Chex mix, but my darling daughter didn't think that was funny. So we picked one country that we came from...Ireland and I cooked up an Irish potato casserole. There were a lot of yummy dishes there and it seemed like the kids enjoyed learning about where they originated from.

Riley's kindergarten class went to the animal shelter and each family brought in something that was needed..blankets, bones, cat food...treat, etc. When he got home, I asked him if he had fun. He said" they had a cat just like Simon, besept(accept) this cat had a tail. And they had a dog just like Tucker, besept(accept) he was a little fatter. Kids are so funny.

Annual Christmas concert

Don't you hate it when your kids are vertically challenged and they put them in the back with the not so height challenged kids in front of them...UGH!! Which means that I can't take great photos of my kids.

This year the kindergarten sang Jingle Bells and Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, and the Second Grade sang Must be Santa be When Christmas comes to town (from Polar Express) which is one of my favorite Christmas carols.

The next thing that happened in December, is the kids wrote letters to Santa...I can't remember what they said, but I do remember they were sweet..However, We did receive letters back from Santa again this year

Christmas tree

It is another one of our families traditions to go to The Edgecomb tree farm to choose and cut out own tree. My husband worked there as a kid in the summer and the owners son was his best friend growing up. It's always fun to let the kids choose the tree and Steve cuts it. This year we took my good friend Andrea with us. Her husband is gone a lot. ( He's a crab fisherman, and is only home for a few weeks a year) So she joined us in the fun!! It was one of the coldest, windiest days. We picked quickly to get out of the element and came home to decorate and have hot cocoa.

Christmas 2009

Wow...it has been a while since I blogged..I get too busy reading everyone else's blogs to have time to write my own. There are some AMAZING ladies out there with some great ideas...beautiful homes and wonderful families, I am in awe. So I decided I needed to be better about writing my own. I'm going to back track a little, My kids are Super excited for Christmas ( and so am I) I took the to see Santa in town the other day, and they were beaming. We followed that up with making our traditional gingerbread houses, a tradition we started with one of my closest friends Wendi. Her family used to come home to Maine for Christmas, but since her parents sold their B&B they all stopped coming. They are one of those families that make you feel like you are family...don't you just love that?? Anyway..my kids loved making them so much that we continued the tradition. And I'm so glad we did. It's one of those things I picture still doing when I am a grandmother.