Pre-Christmas Fun

We have had a very full month so far.  We definitely have had enough Christmas activities to make it feel like Christmas is coming.  Especially, since our weather has been unseasonably warm lately.  There’s nothing like dressing your boys in short-sleeved shirts on a Sunday in mid-December.

Our December started with my mom and Nicholas doing their annual ringing of the bell for the Salvation Army.  Their shift was only an hour this year (compared to 2 hours in the past), which was the perfect amount of time.  Nicholas had fun doing it.  Apparently, his cute smile brought in lots of donations.  

After they were done, they came back and took Daniel and me with them to lunch.  Daniel definitely notices when he is not included these days.  I’m sure there will be bell ringing in his future as well.

Then, Friday came and Nicholas got another special day.  This time he went out with my sister and grandma.  He was such a gentleman helping my grandma any chance he could get.  I’m thankful that they have such a close relationship.

On Saturday, the boys went to a Christmas concert with my parents.  They both enjoyed it a lot.  They also got to go to dinner.  With them gone and Evan at work, I shockingly found myself with lots of time to myself.  It was wonderful!  As a homeschooling mom, I don’t get too many moments alone, so it was much needed.

The first Sunday of this month was very busy.  Daniel performed a song at church with the preschoolers.  The first service he did pretty well.  He did the motions and sang.  But, the second service, he got really into it.  Nicholas and I stood at the back of the room (Evan was helping up front) and could clearly pick out his voice.

Before church

Practicing in class

Cutest little barnyard animal!

After he was done performing, we quickly headed north to attend a brunch with Santa.  Not only could the boys see Santa, but they also saw a live reindeer.  Since the weather was so nice, it was no big deal to go outside and have their pictures taken.  They also got to take their picture with Olaf as well. 

Their cousin joined them for a couple of pictures.

 

Daddy, Daniel, and Olaf!

But, the fun didn’t stop there.  On our way home, we stopped at Evan’s parents’ house to celebrate his sister Kendra’s birthday.  Granted, none of us were very hungry (except Daniel who only eats small portions), but we had a nice time celebrating.

The next morning Nicholas had an "exciting" time getting two teeth pulled.  He now has 6 out of 20 lost.  I think part of the reason he loses his teeth so slowly is that the adult teeth often come up behind the baby teeth instead of under them.  Some people call this “shark teeth”.  So, they are not getting loosened as fast.  He was a little nervous about the tooth extraction, but he handled it like a champ and was back home very quickly.  The adult teeth are supposed to move forward, but I don’t see much room for them.  The dentist already said he would need braces eventually and I really don’t doubt it.

That evening we made gingerbread houses.  The boys enjoyed it and actually didn’t eat too much of the candy.  Slowly they have been picking at them, but so far, they are still standing.

Daniel may have had a little help with his.

But, Nicholas' is all his own work!

On Wednesday Nicholas had a Christmas party with the kids from his CC class.  They built gingerbread (graham cracker) houses.  They played a couple of games.  They had lunch and celebrated one of the boy’s birthdays.   My mom decided that would be a great day to take Daniel out by himself.  Like I said, he notices when Nicholas gets to go out, so he wanted his turn.  Just like his big brother, he is super easy to take out and about, so he and my mom had a great time.

Daniel, then, got another special day on Friday.  This time it was his turn to spend time with my sister and grandma.  Nicholas was a little jealous, but thankfully one of his good friends from church got out of school earlier than normal because of a field trip.  They picked Nicholas up and he was gone for several hours.

The next day, Evan only worked in the morning because in the afternoon Daniel had his preschool’s Christmas pageant.  It was well done and very cute.  He was so cute singing all those songs and doing the motions.  During one song, he even made up his own little spin that no one else was doing.  We definitely smiled and laughed a lot in the audience.  Near the end of the pageant, he was really getting into it and even screamed out some of the words.   It was priceless.

Before the show!

The best I could get from my seat!

Yesterday, after church and a couple of errands, we headed to meet Daniel’s birth family for lunch.  We really enjoy our time with them.  This year we have only seen them around Daniel’s birthday and now Christmas.  But, Daniel recognizes them and while he doesn’t understand everything yet, he does know that they love him.  They are wonderful people and I really love how they include Nicholas as well.  They always get him a gift for Christmas too.  He never leaves there feeling left out.  He kept saying, “I think they love me too.”  It warms my heart that even though he has the loss of his birth family, Daniel’s birth family has embraced him.

One of the gifts that he received from his birth family.

After typing all of that, I am tired.  And, we’re not even done yet.  We have more Christmas activities to come.   We are finishing up school at home this week.  Daniel also has preschool this week.  But, there will probably be some cookie baking in our future.  There is also our early family Christmas next weekend.  At least, no one can say they’re bored!