Overcome With The Christmas Spirit

Have you ever seen a bruised ear? It's nasty. Liam has one. He also has a couple of scabs on his cheek. All from getting a little too close to Sarah. It's not his fault...those dual-seat grocery carts are usually the scene of Sarah's rage, and he is trapped there beside her with nowhere to run.
But today was different. We went on a "good elf" mission this morning, dropping off toys for charity, buying some groceries for the preschool's food bank drive. I was trying to impress on the kids that this is the spirit of Christmas. Did it sink in? Who knows....but this afternoon Sarah was all about the hugs and kisses. Big time. I can't blame Liam for being gun-shy when Sarah comes running at him. He's suffered some substantial wounds at her hands. But I also don't want to discourage her positive affections, so I enthusiastically proclaimed: "Sarah's got the Christmas Spirit!" Hugs? Kisses? High fives? Christmas Spirit! Hooray! But Liam was as skeptical as Sarah was determined. So here's what the Christmas Spirit looked like around our house*...


* We were baking cookies when Sarah got the urge to hug at all cost. I was trying to change them out of their dough-y clothes when this shirtless tackle - I mean, hug - took place.
I see a little self-defence move coming on here...

Walkin' in a Whistler Wonderland

We are back from a little family getaway to Whistler. The term "getaway" may be a stretch when you add 2 small kids to the equation...but aside from a night of endless vomit and my wallet being locked up, we had a really nice time!
Neither of the kids remember the last time we stayed in a hotel but they have seen enough Chinese hotel rooms over Skype that they are familiar with the concept. And they were excited. Or at least Liam was, and since Sarah copies every one of his actions/emotions, we'll just say she was looking forward to it, too!
Working some last-minute deal magic, Matt surprised us with a hotel that definitely ranks in the "Much Classier Than Any Family That Still Packs Sippy Cups and Just-In-Case Bedding" category.
Sarah's favorite part of the hotel stay? Definitely the doors. She obsessively opened and closed every one of them. Light switches were a hit, too.
Liam's favorite part? His "Transformer Bed" (aka the pull-out couch). We all got a little caught up watching Shrek on the TV one night...

That first night was rough. The kids were tired from a napless day of travel, snow, and exploring the Village. They were very ready for bed. We set them up on the sofa and in the crib, gathered all the snacks we thought we might need from the kitchen and retreated to watch a movie in the bedroom. But sleep was not coming easily for the kids. They were in and out of bed, turning on lights, throwing things around, chatting....easily up past 10pm. And when it got to the point that we used the "Ignore Them" strategy, Sarah discovered a new tactic of her own...we'll call it "Bulimic Baby."
For those inexperienced in this advanced manipulation technique, the move requires said baby to stick a fist down the throat until the gagging reflex is activated, at such time the spring-under-the-butt reflex in said baby's parents is also enabled. Baby vomits all over so parents have to clean baby, baby's bed, and replace sheets with the back-up-bedding parents hoped they wouldn't need but learned their lesson last time so threw it in the bag. All while baby plays, chats and makes sweet little faces at you. All. Night. Long.
She wasn't sick. Just twisted.
So going on practically no sleep we decided to keep our plans to go snowshoeing and really tire the kids out so they would have no choice but to collapse at bedtime the next night. (Which they did, by the way.)
Liam didn't even last that long....
Lunch at Lost Lake...

As for the wallet incident....this morning while I was packing up a suitcase Liam turned to us and proudly announced "I did the safe!" The safe with my wallet in it? Yes, that safe...the one that resets the code each time you lock it up! Matt asked him if he remembered which numbers he pushed and Liam said confidently "Yes....these ones" while slowly waving his hand over the entire keypad.
Thank goodness for Maintenance Men with master keys and kind Housekeepers that sneak vomit-laden baby blankets into the hotel laundry. Good people.
Regardless of how it probably sounds, it was a great trip with lots of laughs and playtime in the snow!

Riding The Rails

Last weekend we were lucky to take a ride on The Polar Express!


We ate cookies baked by Mrs. Claus, drank hot chocolate, sang Christmas carols and even got to visit with Santa! I don't have pictures of any of those things because kids + moving trains + hot chocolate = not a good photo opportunity. So enjoy some pics of the kids being cute without the hot chocolate dynamic....

Just Moments Ago....

You read it here first....SARAH POOPED IN THE POTTY!
It was very unexpected as she kept repeating "Pee! Pee!" and then nothing really materialized in the potty. But she kept wanting to try, so I left her to it. When she called "Done!" (doesn't really sound like that, but we know what she's getting at)....were we ever surprised! She has never even tried to do this before. The four of us jumped around and cheered like crazy clowns, Mojo barking all the while. She has no doubt she did something a-ma-zing!
Matt doesn't like the picture-of-poop concept, but I figure we take pictures of every other milestone in their lives....and this is a big one! But I'll spare you the "details" in this picture. You'll just have to take my word for it.

No Imposters, Please

Liam does not look amused by the wooden Santa chair....

Thank goodness REAL Santa made an appearance at his preschool's Christmas Breakfast. This is more like it!:

"The Men"

This is how Liam refers to himself and Matt when there is a heavy duty job to be done. Or a job that "The Girls" are smart enough to steer clear of. It's a honey-do list with a masculine spin! For example:

"The Men are taking out the garbage."

"The Men are changing lightbulbs."

"The Men are vaccuming the car."

"The Men are goin' to Home Depot."

Or, on this particularly wintry day: "The Men are hanging Christmas lights!"

But of course, men will be men, and that means a little sidetracking is bound to take place:

It's Liam's first-ever snowman!

"The Men" get back to work:
After I snapped this picture Liam told me "You can go back inside now, Mom. It's more warmer in there."

Point taken.

Words Every Mother Longs To Hear....

Today over lunch...

Sarah: "NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo"

Liam: "I think Sarah's saying "No snow, no snow, no snow"

Me: "You don't think Sarah likes the snow?"

Liam: "No."

Me: "Why not?"

Liam: "She doesn't like to drive in it."

Me: "Ahhhh. Do you like to drive in it?"

Liam: "I don't mind drivin' in it. But I think it would be better in a motorcycle. I need to get one of those."

Imagine That

This past week Sarah has entered the realm of imaginative play. Suddenly a laundry basket is no longer just a means of transportation for our clothes. It is now a car, a crib and a bubble bath. (She's extra cute when she pretends to wash her belly!)
Here Sarah demonstrates the basket-as-bed:

Just Like Bubble Baths of Yore....

Sarah was the baldest little cue ball of a baby. By her first birthday she barely had peach fuzz on her head. By spring she had bangs and not much else! Even now, her natural 'do is bang heavy, but she had finally grown the softest, silkiest ringlets in the back. However, the front was growing at the same rate, and the shaggy dog look was getting to be a problem. (Ie, it was getting in the way of her vision!) But every time I thought of taking her for that milestone first haircut, my mom's voice played in my head (or sometimes out loud!): "Don't cut those curls! Once you do the baby is gone! Her hair will never be the same!" This is exactly how it played out with Liam, so I knew it was true. But alas, silky baby hair is only cute until the moment you realize your child looks like Cousin It. So today was the day....
Sarah waited a long time for all that hair and endured a lot of gentle teasing regarding her lack of locks, so she wasn't going under the scissors without a fight. And what a fight she gave! We arrived ahead of our appointment so she would feel comfortable around all that hair product....we talked up all the cool chairs (Thomas the Train, airplane, etc.), we brought Liam the expert hair cuttee for moral support, we brought lollipops as a last resort. But what really happened is we wrestled her little body into the Batman chair, Matt and I each restrained one of her wildly flinging arms while I tried to snap a few pictures for posterity with my free hand. The hairdresser contorted herself around Sarah's writhing little frame and managed to get the job done in 4 snips of her scissors.
Observe:

Check out the bulging veins in her neck! This girl is SERIOUSLY MAD!

Liam stood quietly to the side, holding Sarah's sucker and wondering if this stunt going to put her on Santa's naughty list:

And then it was over. Sarah got out of the chair, retrieved the lollipop she was so disgusted with just moments earlier, accepted her light-up wand "prize" and trotted all around the mall showing off her new 'do.



And then it was my turn to cry. Oh, come on. You knew I would. But look at her! They chopped off all those ringlets before I could say "STOP! Just a little off the back!" But it's done. She looks pretty cute...and at least I now have another card of laminated hair to add to my odd little collection. :)

Ghosts and Goblins are No Match for Flu

As you may have guessed from the frequency of blog posts here, Matt spent the last couple of weeks in China. Halloween has been a blinking orange blob on the calendar for two reasons:
1) Candy, Costumes and Trick-or-Treating. Liam has been busting to get out there this year!
2) Matt was due to arrive home on Halloween and be part of all the excitement!
And he is home, but it feels like a figment of our collective imagination. Because he is bedridden with the flu. Halloween is no match for that, so the show went on while poor Matt did battle with a vicious concoction of jet lag and virus. We're still waiting on the outcome.
In the meantime...these two trick-or-treaters conquered the neighborhood!
They RAN from door to door, roaring, baaa-ing, knocking, ringing, and even remember the occasional "thank-you". They LOVED it. They fed off each others' excitement, and then...

...they fed off each others' candy!


Sarah lasted much longer than I expected out there. She insisted on carrying (dragging) her own bag and holding a box of "shakers" (Smarties) in hand. When she started to get frustrated with the stairs (see below!) it was time for her to come home and help me hand out candy. Matt's Dad came to our rescue with handing out candy and took Liam for Round 2 of trick-or-treating after Sarah was done. A big Thank You to Papa from all of us!

Little Spooks

A little Halloween photo shoot at the park has become a bit of a tradition around here. I took Liam there for a few turtle pictures 4 Halloween's ago (he couldn't sit yet!) and we have been back to the same park in costume every year since. We saw a break in the rain this afternoon and dashed home for the costumes. (And a pee. Sarah is on a roll!)
Here are a few of my favorites.....

Sarah really is sweet as a little lamb these days. I remember a brief "calm before the storm" period with Liam, too. I am not taking this peaceful spell for granted!


The dragon is a pretty appropriate costume at this time, too. Liam and I have had a (ahem) challenging couple of weeks. There's been a lot of fire breathing from both of us! ROOOAAARRRRR!





Uh, Mom? A little help here?



Sarah is pushing Liam on the swing. She doesn't yet know that she should get out of the way because he's coming back at her!

Which leads to.....






Looks like it's time to call it a wrap!

Happy Halloween!

Icecapades

Skating had a different twist this morning.....costume day!


Halloween music was playing throughout the lesson....Sarah danced the entire time. She particularly likes "Thriller." Here she is striking some sort of cute goblin pose!