Finishing up Christmas

 Christmas Morning this year was like no other before at our house. Our living room was littered with train sets, race tracks, legos, barns and animals- It was transformed into a Marcus dream room. The two contributing factors to this were:

1. We have a 2 year old BOY and for the first time I understand why parents buy so many toys for their children. Boys really do play with their toys. My girls have never spent more than 5 minutes with a toy before they go back to reading, dancing or putting on plays. But Marcus spends hours building and creating and wants his toys always out and ready for action. 

2. I don't BUY our toys. We have a Jackpot (The Dump)  5 minutes away that I shopped at way too often in the last couple weeks before Christmas. It is hard to limit Christmas when your neighbors are limitless in what they are willing to give away.

 Brent's Mother always has something new and exciting and Completely Homemade for Christmas. I think she definitely has way too much time on her hands and she is working hard to cross everything off her list. I talked to her a couple weeks ago and she is already working away on her gift for next year.

This year we received a video of a collection of her posterity singing ALL of her favorite tunes she remembered from her childhood. About 7 years ago she started this project physically forcing many of us to practice songs with our individual families and send her videos. She also planned several family parties to finish the task that we were all dragging our feet on. Song by song we took turns coming into the living room to perform at Momma Jo's request. Some even were taught actions, asked to put on wigs, and Brent and his four brothers dawned bow ties and sang several quartets. No one was spared. No protesting that you weren't a singer was going to work. We all performed our solos, duets, trio's and quartet. 

We watched the completed video during our Christmas Breakfast and laughed ourselves silly. Then Brent and his daughters read a collection of stories and sayings that she also sent along with the video. Someone please tell Grandma to check the above photo out so she can enjoy seeing the reaction to her efforts. It wasn't staged. They truly love your stories. Thanks so much Mamma Jo. You inspire us all and we will treasure your books, videos and stories, for a lifetime.

 The best Christmas present for our children arrived two days late. Sunday night a blizzard hit and although not nearly as bad as feared, it left us with plenty of snow for our big hill in our yard. . . that dumps out in the street below our house. That is if you are lucky and miss the 4 huge boulders you have to dodge right before you slide into oncoming traffic. Alainna and Stephen were quite shocked that we send our kids out to sled among boulders and cars. . . but eventually they stopped being so stuffy and joined in. 

Merry, Merry Christmas to you all.   

And no one tell Caroline which workshop Santa dropped by to pick up her Christmas doll.