Macy's Holiday Show

Today Owen and I met our friends Alex and Dawn to go visit the Macy's Holiday Show downtown Minneapolis. This year's exhibit was a Day in the Life of an Elf. Since parking is no less than $8, we decided to meet and Grandma & Grandpa's condo. and take the bus down. Grandma needed some snuggles before they took off for Florida, so Evan obliged and stayed with her.

Dawn & I took the big boys to Punch Pizza for lunch. They have a a really neat tiled wood fire oven. The boys were mesmerized by it. They gobbled up their pizza and we braced the cold walk to the bus stop. They were so excited, they watched up the street and starting yelling, "It's coming!" as soon as the bus was in site. Owen had to sit at the back of the bus and had no sense of personal space. On the way back he was practically on the lap of this young Latino man who just stared straight ahead with a suppressed giggle. He was definitely amused by Owen's excitement, but too cool to let it be known.

After the bus we pressed our way down the street against the wind and into the Minneapolis City Center where we found this humongous Christmas tree. The balls were as big as their heads!
And then on to the best part: the escalators. We road the escalators in the city center and then all the way up to the eighth floor of Macy's. At the top of each floor, Owen would launch himself off the end, jump on the gold engraved floor number and announce our next floor. On the way down we got some good practice counting backwards.

We wove our way through the rope barricades and entered the magical land of elves. "Gooooooood mooooorning Santaland," announced the elves in a Robin Williams tone as we entered.

The boys were in awe. There were mechanical elves making toys & candy, delivering mail, sleeping in their bunks, and doing all things elfy wherever we looked. It was a great time to go because there were no crowds. At the end, we bought a little treat and went through it again!


It was so fun to be able to go to this with Owen. Now I could see all the things Evan was talking about after he and Grandma went.





We saw the elves in bunk beds, the girl with the messy face,






and the mouse under the table which now apparently lives under most of our furniture and bites Evan periodically throughout the day.

One more Christmas & Birthday Celebration

Before we left, my Great Aunt Sarah came over with her poodle, Gidget.

Sarah brought some really cool "boy" toys for Owen and Evan. Evan got a big monster truck with a four wheeler in the back. Owen got this huge four wheeler that shoots across the floor. The only "guys" Ya-ya had to ride the bike were my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls. So, Purple Pie Man and Sour Grapes cruised around the living room on their red hot ATV, scarves and apron strings blowing in the breeze. See how Sour Grapes has her skirt hiked up? I always knew she was a hussy.
Evan is really into birthdays. He loves the show Frosty the Snowman when Frosty comes to life and yells, "Happy Birthday!" Evan announces that line whenever he sees a snowman, which this time of year is often.

Anyway, my mom's birthday is January 6th, but we never get to celebrate it with her because we usually see each other so much the weeks before. She usually celebrate her birthday for the whole month of January, but we decided to have an early party this year. The night before, she and I took Owen to see Marley and Me. Afterwards we were too tired to stop and pick up a Joyce's cake, so we stuck candles in these tiny, pie-shaped, pecan cookies.

Thank you, Sarah!
And
Happy Birthday Ya-Ya!!!

Fun in the Snow

While we were up North, the weather was pretty mild. We were able to enjoy the outdoors quite a bit. First, we all went for a snowshoe through the woods near Powell Marsh, where we had Evan's Welcoming Ceremony. We brought the sled for Evan, but he kept falling off, so Jim carried him most of the way.
Owen liked the looks of the empty sled, so Ya-Ya and I would periodically stop to take his snowshoes off and pull him or put them back on so he could hike. Bumpa, Jim and Evan went ahead. When Ya-ya and I finally caught up, Jim had tired out and was leaning against this fallen birch. Owen and I joined him. The forest was absolutely beautiful. Bumpa had gone on to cut trail through the swamp. The snow in the swamp was knee high on a tall man.
When we got back to the house, Evan was happy to be able to walk too.

Later, Jim decided to make a snowman with the boys. He wanted it to be taller than him.






He decided to make it on the lake as not to mess up my dad's perfectly plowed lawn. (Yes, lawn.)







During the building of the snowman, Owen traipsed out to the middle of the lake and back and Evan stood near the pier complaining.






But that did not deter Jim. He used all his strength to build the man. Meanwhile, Owen stood there whipping snowballs at the thing.

When Owen got bored of walking around the lake, he decided to practice his snow diving.
Here's the proud boy after his dive.And here's a proud family in front of our massive Northwoods snowman. His face is speckled with fungi & pinecones. Evan insisted that the snowman have a hat. My mom found this one in her basement. It is a hat I wore in one of my senior pictures. Guess we finally found a use for it.

Christmas with Ya-Ya & Bumpa

I wasn't the only one disappointed with my gift giving this year. My mom's gift for Owen didn't make it in time and she had to scramble. She won big points giving Owen the Safari Rescue Boat that Santa didn't bring and a Diego Underwater Lego set.

We think Bumpa was impressed with the fish scale we bought him, but it was hard to tell what he was muttering from underneath his huge pile of presents.
As usual, however, the boys were just as happy with their books as with anything else. Owen got a Tag Reader.

And Evan got a CD player to play books on tape. It also doubles for a karaoke machine. Bumpa burned Evan a CD with his favorite Christmas tune, Santa Baby, and he serenaded us dutifully.

My mom had a new plan this year to only buy each person three gifts. My aunt planted the idea for her to buy one meaningful, one fun, and one gift that's good for you. Funny thing about our gifts was that the boxes seemed to be stretched to the brinks. One of my boxes included a pair of PJs, a fleece jammie jacket, and a huge bottle of bubble bath. Owen's lego set and rescue boat came together in one large box, too. Everyone seemed to have the best intentions this Christmas, but the outcomes were a bit comical.

A Christmas at Home

This was the first year that we have ever spent Christmas morning home alone. I don't know who was more excited: Owen and Evan at the prospect of presents left magically in our house lacking a fireplace by the mysterious Santa elf, or Jim and I in anticipation of the looks on their innocent, believing faces. It was just as magical as we all could have hoped.

Owen got the pirate ship that he asked Santa to bring. He was more than thrilled, but still remembered that we talked about getting rid of the swords. Evan was more interested in his candy filled stocking. That boy has a serious sweet tooth that has obviously been passed down from father and grandmother.

Evan even likes toys that involve sweets. For his birthday, his favorite present was a box of toy donuts. For Christmas, he was ecstatic about this counting cookie jar.

Jim has a history of being a notoriously bad gift giver. This year he did good and bad. I received the iphone I requested and was pleasantly surprised. Owen received a more typical Jim gift. The kind where he goes out aimlessly to Harmar Mall, searching for something, and runs into the first kiosk he sees and thinks, "Oh yeah! My almost four year old is going to LOVE this fake deer skin picture of a grizzly and two cubs stretched out and tied to pine branches decorated with faux fur and feathers!"

It's a dream catcher. And Owen is like, "What kind of bad things is it going to catch at night?" Great. Now, our very literal little peanut is afraid of the night. A former colleague of mine, grasping at straws, said, "Well, did he at least get it at a little art gallery or native store?" No. I will repeat. Kiosk. Non-returnable. The person took his money, closed shop, and ran before Jim could change his mind. However, Jim did check to make sure the fur was fake before he wrapped it.

Then we tried out the gift I bought him. The new Fisher Price Computer Cool School. I was so excited because Owen really struggles with fine motor skills and this was the perfect way to get him excited about writing. Guess what? Not compatible with Mac! Oh well. We have plenty to be thankful for and happy with. Although all of our gifts didn't turn out to be all we had dreamed, we had a really fun morning together.

Christmas Eve with Cousins

Jim's brother and sister in law invited our whole family down for Christmas Eve at their house. While their family went to church, Evan and Owen snuggled up with Bumpa for Christmas stories.

The appetizers alone could have fed us all for a week. There was shrimp cocktail, crackers & cheese, cookies, BBQ meatballs, dips, and this beautiful little Gingerbread House that the kids couldn't resist. Evan made trips back to the table all night. The frosting was as hard as glue. In frustration, Ellie went at it with her teeth.
Jen set a beautiful table with red napkins and gold chargers. At the top of each dish was a beautiful parfait with pink & orange grapefruit sprinkled with red pomegranate seeds. Everything was perfectly done. The ham was moist, the beans were fresh and crunchy; she even made twice baked potatoes which Jim had never had before and loved! It was delicious and picturesque all at once. Even the kids enjoyed the meal. Ellie and Owen had PBJs with no crust, per Ellie's request.

While we were all wrapping up with dinner, Ellie ran into the living room and opened her first gift. It was this adorable hat that Gina brought her back from England. Ellie came running back to the dining room and announced that she didn't like it with brutal, but adorable, honesty. We all decided it looked just as cute on Addie (which then, of course, made it more appealing to Ellie.)

In Jim's family, we only buy gifts for the kids. The rest of us buy one generic gift and then play a white elephant style number drawing game to get our present. Jim and I each came home with a typical Letts Family style gift. Jim got imported beer (not bought in England) and I got lottery tickets (as did several other family members.) Here are Owen and Ellie with a few of their favorite things. We got Ellie a ballet dress that plays a waltz while you dance. Owen got this awesome hook from Tom, Jen, Ellie and Addie. These three year olds love their imaginative play!

Ellie had her first dance recital a few weeks ago. We weren't able to go, but she did give us some incite by playing dance teacher. First I was the student and then Evan. He wasn't such a good student at first, but she gave it a good shot. If she would have gotten our two year old monster to listen to her, she would have had to move in with us for a year.

The boys have really gotten into Christmas carols this year, much to my delight and Jim's dismay. Even Evan, who has been speaking sentences for about four months, knows the words to many of them. My amazing sister in law was cleaning up from dinner while entertaining the three big kids. Here they are skipping around the dining room table singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. We watched for that red nose all the way home and we are pretty sure we saw it just past Shakopee.

Thanks for hosting a wonderful Christmas Eve, Jen & Tom!

A Christmas Visit with our Grandfriends

I organized an event for my Stay at Home Moms groups to go to the nursing home where we take our Music Together class. Two weeks seemed like a long time not to see our grandfriends (especially "our" Jo.) I didn't really have a plan other than to try and put smiles on the faces of some seniors. We all brought some Christmas books and the lyrics to a few carols.

The group consisted of these four nerdy boys (who were reading up on shark facts before the show), a little girl Evan's age and two little baby girls. It was a pretty good turnout considering it was -7˚ this morning.
I brought some props to keep the kids entertained. Owen and Evan got these Rudolph noses in their Advent Calendars last week. They light up when you pull the string. Alex LOVED it. I think this is one of the best photos I've ever taken.
We had a lot of fun trying to sing Christmas carols. Then Kate and I struggled through a few Christmas stories. But the real reason we came was for the hugs. Nothing puts a smile on an elderly person's face like the touch of a child.

When we got home tonight, Owen wrote his letter to Santa. In it, he listed the ways he had been good. One of the first things he said was that he gave the seniors hugs and said Merry Christmas. Hey Santa. I think he deserves a few extra presents for realizing the importance of that, don't you?

After the visit, Jo gave each kid a tootsie pop and ride on her wheelchair. While they waited, the boys released some energy by running around these chairs. They don't need much of a break to recoup. Evan joined them when he got back from his turn and our token toddler girl stood to the side demanding, "Stop! Stop!" It was a great time. We feel so lucky to have this place be a part of our regular lives.

Welcome Winter

Saturday morning we left, with a dusting of snow, and headed to Osseo, WI to visit Great Grandma & Great Grandpa. It was Great Grandpa's birthday and also happened to be solstice. We got Great Grandpa a daily fisherman joke calendar. It's full of your typical easy laugh jokes that Norwegians love.
*My Dad was manning the camera. He's new to videography.

We haven't been to my Grandma's for a real Christmas celebration since Owen was born. All the traditions were there that reminded me of my childhood. My Grandpa had gone to Strum earlier in the week to get meatballs. We had rutabagas, mashed potatoes with gravy, jello, lefse, green bean casserole. My Grandma made something for everyone. All that good heavy food, too, that makes you feel like this afterwards.
But what really brought back the memories, was the 1960's version of Trouble that Brenna dragged out of the closet. It still has all of it's original pieces. Tracy & Brenna were going to play, until Owen and Evan showed up. After a few moments of frustration, they ended up wearing the markers as fake fingernails, which is exactly what we use to do, too!
We did a little gift opening before we headed back to St. Paul. Owen got a Tonka Firetruck and Evan got a Tonka Ambulance. Christmas can basically be over now... for the next 5 years. They have played with these vehicles non-stop since and ask for them right away in the morning.
One of my gifts was my parents' wedding album. I was a little choked up. The pictures are hilarious. If I wasn't so tired from wrapping, shopping, baking, and mailing, I would scan one in to share. Maybe later. We are all laughing here at My Grandpa walking my mom down the aisle in his brown polyster suit. My Dad's hair was as long as mine and he had just got a haircut! Ahhh, the 70's.
My favorite present of the day, was this little stinker.
(I should probably stop calling him that. The other day when he was irritated with Jim, he said, "Daddy, you a stink-a." I always say it with fondness, but there are probably better terms of endearment.)

We stopped in at my Aunt Penny's afterward because we won't make it back during the holidays. By the time we hit the road, they were awful. We saw many cars in the ditch and there were warning signs on the highway indicated that the roads were slippery. Jim, my safety boy, is a very careful driver. We went at a snail's pace and spent an extra hour in the car, but the boys got a good nap, I finished a good chunk of my book, and, most importantly, we arrived home safely. Unfortunately, the weather put a dent in my solstice celebration for the evening.

Cookie Exchange

I hosted a Cookie Exchange for one of my stay at home moms groups today. I have enough cookies to last us a year and I have another exchange this Sunday! The thing that's great about a cookie exchange is that it only takes seconds to exchange, which leaves the rest of the time for socializing. And the nice thing about hosting is that all the extras get left at your house. This is a small sample of the goods I collected today.

We totaled 6 moms and 8 kids. It was a cozy and well controlled group. It was especially nice to have some girls in the mix. Evan and Eve were so gentle with Samantha.
Meanwhile, the big brothers were absorbed in imaginative play.
And the soon-to-be big brother tested out the helmet. It works!

It was nice for Evan to have kids his own age to play with. There was a lot of jammin' going on today. This band has great potential. They're not at all camera shy.

Maya plays a mean bongo. Evan accompanied on the ukulele.

Hazel is a prodigy with penetrating eyes.Evan is hoping to be the next Louis Armstrong. He's definitely got the cheeks!

Solved and Unsolved Mysteries

Evan surprised me the other day while we were opening the Advent Calendars. Every day when we get up, we changed Owen's wall calendar and then we figure out which box to open on the advent calendars. The morning of December 11th, Owen asked what box comes after 10? (He's been counting much higher than this for a long time.) I posed the same question back to him. He used his best adolescent tone and replied, "I dunno." So, I started counting, "8, 9, 10...." Much to my surprise, Evan pipes in, "Eleven!"

*Later I found out that whenever Grandma Connie takes them up in their elevator, they count the floors. So, he has had a lot of unbeknown modeling.

Then, a few days later, I was reading Evan the Dr. Seuss ABC book (the same exact copy my Dad read to me as a kid, night after night.... after night) and as I was reading the letters in order, Evan shouted out "P!" and "Z!" at just the right moments. Now when Owen was little, we sang the Alphabet Song all the time and we practiced letters everywhere, even in the tub, but I admit I have greatly slacked in this area with Evan, so how the heck did he figure that one out? The boy obviously listens better than we thought.

Yesterday, Evan was sitting in Owen's desk "reading" books. Owen curled up in the chair next to him and said, "Evan, read me a story and say, 'Honkey, honkey, honkey'." (That is what Evan says when he pretends to read and we, again, have no idea why.) Evan obliges. Then Owen picks up the book that our senior friend, Jo, read to us and says, "Millions of Cats by Ardis Stewart." I wheeled around in complete amazement. Ardis Stewart was my paternal grandmother who died two years ago this New Year's Eve. Owen barely knew her and we haven't talked very much to him about it because it's been hard to explain death to him. I didn't even realize he knew her full name. This one still is bewildering me, but it reminded me to stop to reflect on and remember our passed loved ones this holiday season. We hope you will too.

*My pictures don't really go with the stories, but it was really hard to find good pictures of the boys that I haven't already posted.

Happy 1st Birthday Adeline

I just can't believe that it's been a whole year since our little Addie-cakes was born. Our niece, Addie, turned one on Sunday. A year ago, we were driving down to the hospital in Mankato to meet her for the first time. Both boys were completely enamored with her and still are.
Look at her now. Laughing...

and cruising all around.

Ellie made special party hats for the three big kids. They were all decked out with feathers and spiraled pipe cleaners. She is such a little artist. Owen, the stinker, wouldn't wear his, but Evan donned his with pride.

Jen had some great games set up for the kids. First, they pinned the hat on the birthday girl. Addie won this game, (with Tom's help) much to Ellie's dismay, but everyone was a winner with the great little gift bags Jen put together.

Then they all took turns trying to pop a balloon with their bottoms. Owen's favorite part of this game was falling off the balloon. Ellie was the winner of this game. I was just about to start a new video for her turn, when POP! It was probably good that I didn't, though, because with her party dress, we all saw London. The kids loved this game so much that they later started round two all on their own.

Addie wasn't so sure about this "cake" stuff. She has never had sugar before and didn't altogether love it.




Addie did not get that from this side of the family.






Owen isn't much of a sweet tooth, either. Here Ellie is trying to convince him that fruit is good. Ellie loves everything that is sweet. That's because she is a "sweetie."

Jen, Ellie, and Tom tried to route Addie on.

After dinner, Addie got in on the games, too. She and Evan played store. Evan kept "scanning" Tom and loved the pretend credit card. Whenever we go to the store, he always begs to hand the credit card to the cashier.

At the end of the night, the big kids cozied up on the couch to watch their favorite Christmas special, "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" so us adults could talk and catch up a bit.

It was such a wonderful celebration.
Thank you Tom & Jen for letting us be a part of it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDS!