pre-christmas fun

I am thinking that I should talk about some of our weeks before Christmas fun so...here goes!

Lots of decorating the week after Turkey day...Dalton's tree went up before Turkey Day and the big one after as well as the outdoor lights!  Daddy does the outdoor decorating and mommy does the indoor stuff!  Dalton was eager to help both of us with decorating but especially daddy since he used his BIG TALL ladder!  And he also found one strand of colored outdoor lights...we use white lights so we decided to find something to do with them in his room...he loved it!  They have only been turned on a couple of times...they get pretty hot!  But he loves the thought of it though!

We have spent time with our play date pals...Maddy, Luke and their Mommy Katie!  This was several weeks ago when we got together at their house and attacked a ginger bread house...it seemed like a good idea, the kids had fun and then it all just fell apart!  We discovered that Dalton likes gingerbread cookies...who knew!?!?!?  We weren't able to have our play date Christmas party because Maddy and Luke got sick just in time for Dalton to get sick...this also happened last year!  We will start earlier in the month next year so hopefully they will get to open their gifts from each other together!  We also put together another gingerbread house at Dalton's Grandma Beverly's and Pa's house a week or so later...Dalton wasn't as interested but his girl cousins sure were!  This one didn't collapse...I think we were supposed to let the frosting set up or something on the first one...I need to figure it out because we still have a gingerbread train sitting in a box on our kitchen counter waiting to be assembled!  Mommy secretly wants to do it all by myself...but I don't think Dalton will go for that!  Please recall that I am a bit of a control freak so letting my almost 4 year old son loose on such an activity creates a bit of anxiety for me...I will get over it:)

Maddy, Dalton and Luke decorating their gingerbread house...one side has already caved in!  Luke was too busy eating the goodies to help with the decorating so Maddy and Dalton had it all to themselves.  Check out Katie trying to dash out of the picture...she didn't make it! 

 Oh and of course we attempted to get some fun pictures for a Christmas card...and in the end we got a couple of cute ones but only mailed out a handful!  Due to some computer issues Daddy wasn't able to use his mailing list that he normally does for his many friends and family and we were all a bit disappointed!  Hopefully most of those folks follow our blog or are friends with mommy on facebook and have seen and heard plenty about us over the past year and shouldn't be too disappointed if they don't get a Christmas card in the mail!  And then we decided to use the money we saved not doing a mail out Christmas card on our birthday party for baby Jesus...so it all kind of worked out!  But with every Christmas card that we received it just felt weird that we didn't so I am sure we will be back next Christmas but until then you will just have to enjoy the funny pictures we got trying to make a Christmas card this year! 

Some people make it look soooo easy to get a good family pic...well people it's not easy!  

Mommy also lost her babysitting gig!  Our kindergartner that we had been picking up has made a super good friend in her class that lives in her neighborhood so she is going to be going home with her instead!  We were glad to help out when we could but it's kind of nice just being mommy and Dalton in the afternoon again too!  He has asked a couple of times if we are ever going to pick her up again...it's funny how kids argue when they are together and miss each other when they are apart!

Dalton had his Mother's Day Out Christmas party and of course mommy was there to help out and snap pictures of her sweet little man.  Or so I thought until he told me he had to go to time out earlier in the day...it's his first time in two years of MDO to go to time out!  I knew the day would come, I know my son is not perfect but the reason just kind of cracked me up!  Dalton and I were talking at the party and he showed me a little girl who will remain nameless that according to Dalton spends a lot of time on the red carpet a.k.a time out and then he says, "I had to go to the red carpet too!"  So I say really what for...and he says I opened my lunch box before I was supposed to...I am thinking really!  He says he just forgot to wait...and the story has been confirmed!  Holiday party days can be a little on the crazy side from what I remember from being in the Pre-K room for 2 years so I am assuming that had something to do with it...who knows but now we have it...Dalton's first time out in MDO

Singing Jingle Bells & We Wish You A Merry Christmas!  Mrs. Glades mentioned how much louder they sing when there isn't an audience!  Most of them barely sang a word...but Dalton belted them both out on the way home for me...I loved my own private concert!

Dalton's contribution to the cookies and candy...Rudolph cookies! 

Mrs. Bivens helping Dalton play pass the candy cane game...quite a challenge for 3-4 year old kids!  When I got there he had decided to put his baseball cap on...silly boy!

Having a snack or two or three...lots of goodies! 

Home and school artwork...he has loved his countdown to Christmas Santa from school!  A cotton ball a day until Christmas we are getting closer!

We also decided to have a birthday party for baby Jesus...Dalton's daddy and I have been wanting to start a tradition of some sort around the holidays!  We think we may have found one...Dalton has really been into baby Jesus this year and kind of confused about what it has to do with Santa, etc. so we thought that we would focus a little more on baby Jesus this year and of course Santa gets his fair share of attention too!  So we invited classmates, family, friends and neighbors over for a birthday party with cupcakes, crafts and presents (baby items to be donated to the Infant Crisis Services)!  It was super short notice and there were a lot of folks who would have liked to come but couldn't due to other plans so next year we hope to get an even bigger response!  Oh and of course Dalton who NEVER gets sick was up all night before the party throwing up...fantastic!  Bless his heart...he has never thrown up like that before...I slept on the floor in his room it was that bad!  But then he was fine...I warned all of those who had RSVP of the yuck!  Some still came others did not...and I don't blame them!  He was fine all day and then started at the other end that night and continues to battle that 4 nights later...yes I called his Pediatrician and they say there is a stomach virus going around that lasts 7-10 days...LOVELY!  All I want for Christmas is a little guy without a stomach virus:)

The little people nativity scene that Aunt Dawn got for Dalton came in so handy for our birthday party for baby Jesus!  Thank you Aunt Dawn...we were sad that you weren't able to make it to our celebration!

Our kindergarten friend Rylee stopped by and I was so glad she decided to make a craft...her angel turned out SOOOO cute!

These were the crafts the kids got to choose from...Dalton's are the samples!  An angel, a Santa and of course a Christmas collage!  Lots of glue...kids love anything with glue!

Dalton and his buddy Ian from MDO...he stopped by with his mom and sweet little sister!  They didn't do any crafts they were too busy checking out every single toy that Dalton owns...but his mom took some home for them to work on later!  I love that Dalton still has red cupcake icing stained on his face!?!?!?

One of mommy's good friends from college Cheryl and her cutie Cooper....she and Dalton made fast friends outside in the backyard playing in the flower beds!  One of Dalton's favorite things to do with his rakes and shovels!

Another good friend from college....Laura and her boys club Gavin, Payton and Brady! 

Look at all the stuff our friends & family donated...over 200 diapers and 1000 wipes!  Not to mention the other goodies...blankets, a coat, baby carriers, etc.  As soon as everyone is well we are headed to drop off our donations!

The only donations Dalton has had a hard time letting go of...the cool singing giraffe and curious George! 

We (mommy, daddy and Dalton) still managed to get to the mall to see Santa today...we have been doing the walk by at the mall for almost a month now!  Today was the day...he was all dressed up with his new tie...he initially wanted to wear it then he changed his mind then it turned it to an ugly conversation between mommy and Dalton and then he decided he wanted to wear it!  YEAH...it was SO CUTE and of course he won too because he is wearing a baseball cap in the picture!  We made his list for Santa just in case he was too shy to talk and decorated it with stickers, crayons and markers!  He asked for a drum set, Spiderman bike, jet pack and a tractor with a front loader attachment and stabilizers so it won't tip over like the kind on the fire truck...all of that from an almost 4 year old.  Daddy stayed with Dalton in the surprisingly not very long fast moving line while mommy stayed on the sideline to try to get a picture or two myself!  In years past he has not sat on Santa's lap and mommy or daddy had always been in the picture...not this year he went up all by himself and sat on his lap!  It always makes this mommy tear up to see the magic between Santa and all the little ones but especially my own little guy...especially when he was trying to be so brave!  You could tell on his face it was taking everything in him to stay on that lap...he wanted to be brave and he was.  There was a super sweet one of him with Dalton and Santa talking over his list and then one with a BIG cheesy smile...I let Dalton pick an he picked the cheesy smile so that's what we got! 

"The LIST"!

Walking with Daddy to go see Santa...wish list in hand!

Picture of THE PICTURE!  BIG SMILE!

We hope to get out to look at Christmas lights once Grandam Wanda gets here on Thursday...she is staying for Christmas this year and Dalton is super excited!  Now on to finish cleaning, baking and wrapping before she arrives...a mommy's work is never done especially the week before Christmas!  I am hoping and praying that we all get well and stay well between now and the end of the year! 

Mommy has shopped and shopped getting ready for Christmas until I could shop no more...I am sure our bank account will reflect that this month too!  For the first time that I can remember I really don't want to go back to the store ever again...or at least not until after Christmas!