Well Christmas is getting closer and there is SOOO much to do to get ready. I feel like the more things we check off of our list...the more things appear on the list. The first thing we did was fill and deliver our Christmas boxes for Operation Christmas Box.
We had fun shopping around at Target and the Dollar store for cute cheap little gifts for our little girl and boy. Ethan picked out cars, play-doh, and crayons for his box ( I added some more fun stuff). Emersyn picked out stickers, princess toys, a purple shirt, and a fairy barbie for her girl. They had fun delivering their packages to the church and getting a cookie and a candy cane. As you can see Ethan was not so into getting his picture taken...more interested in climbing around in the car and turning the windshield wipers on.
I WANTED the kids to learn a lesson about giving to the needy, but Ethan only learned that he DID NOT like to have stickers on his shirt and HE DID like candy canes...A LOT!!!
Emersyn was so sweet. As I was packing up the boxes, Emersyn came over and sweetly said..."mom can I ask you something?" Then she said..."Mom..I really think that I should just KEEP that fairy barbie instead of sending it to that poor girl." She did have a good reason though... She said "I already have a Tinkerbell Barbie that THAT barbie could play with, but that poor girl probably doesn't have ANY barbies for her to play with...so she would be very lonely." Well played little girl:) BUT NO!!! Then I told her that we needed to share with the little girl BECAUSE she doesn't have other barbies like we do and that she would LOVE her new fairy barbie. THEN I told Emersyn that if she REALLY wanted one she could take ONE dollar out of her piggy bank and we could go to the dollar store and she could pick out her own fairy barbie. That REALLY got Emersyn thinking and she came back and said..."MOM I have a great idea. Why don't I keep THIS fairy and we can put a dollar in the box for that poor girl and SHE can go get her own." I LOVE EMERSYN SOOOO MUCH...she is always thinking!!! Well....The barbie got sent, but Em has NOT forgotten about her. She brings her up A LOT. BUT she is glad that the poor girl gets to have something fun to play with...I guess that is what counts.
This was the first year that our family participated in this fun activity, but it FOR SURE will be a new family tradition. When we walked into the church and saw the room FULL of shoes boxes PLUS a semi trailer outside FULL of shoe boxes I TOTALLY teared up. What a small thing for US to do, but all added up with everyone else and I feel like we REALLY made a difference for some little kids somewhere. I hope that as Em and E get older they will LOVE giving as much as I do!!!
We have ALSO been doing a bit of shopping to get ready for Christmas. MOST of the shopping happens when Emersyn is at school and me and Ethan head off for a few hours. I am HOPING that he doesn't remember all of the fun toys he picked out for himself when he opens his presents on Christmas:) BUT we did head to the mall on my birthday for some fun with my mom.
You know when the stars align and the heavens open up and your kids get along for a few minutes??? I LOVE THAT!!! It was a fun birthday...for the kids at least:) Emersyn kept saying..."Mom if it is your birthday, why is there no party???" "Mom, if it is your birthday, why is there no cake???" She was very disturbed that there were no decorations, cake, party, or friends. SOOO my dad got word and made me a cake. Let me repeat...MY DAD MADE ME A CAKE!!! It was super cute...and tasty. That guy cracks me up!!!
I got a new mop the other day. Not very exciting to most, but for Ethan the floor sweeping maniac...THE BEST DAY EVER!!! I had hid them (yes I got 2 different kinds) in the laundry room after my "late night I just got a new mop" mopping session. Well in the morning Ethan wandered into the laundry room and I heard OHHHHHH!!! Then he banged and bumped down the hall yelling MOMMA MOMMA...as if he had found candy or puppy. NOPE just the mops. HE WAS THRILLED!!!
I wish I enjoyed mopping as much as he does!!!
Our NEXT piece of Christmas cheer...decorating the tree. I have ALWAYS LOVED decorating the tree. BUT this year it was a bit stressful having Ethan around.
He was SUPER busy UN-decorating.
This is what he thinks SMILE means. We REALLY need to get that fixed;)
Grandma Judy was there to help us decorate, but she spent MUCH of her time super gluing the ornaments back together that Ethan had HELPED put on the tree. I guess in a few years when I look back on earless Minnie Mouse (yes a brand new oranment from our cruise that didn't make it 2 minutes before getting broken) I will remember this cute little face and how much he wanted to "help" decorate our tree.
Ethan's FAVORITE part though...finding old candy canes in the bottom of the tote. I don't even want to know how many candy canes he ate!!!
Of course Emersyn was careful about putting each ornament in JUST the right spot. She also wanted to know when and where EACH one came from. Then while her brother deconstructed everything...she read a book. I could not have 2 MORE different kids if I tried:)
BUT after all the mess and fuss and broken ornaments...we got it all put together. AND I didn't even sneak out in the middle of the night to rearrange the oranaments like I REALLY wanted to:)
The next day we decorated Emersyn's little tree. She was SOOOO meticulous about what she wanted it to be like. THEN her brother came along!!!
I am not sure how many times I have RE decorated that little tree before Emersyn can see that her brother has thrown it across the room or dumped it under the table....ugh!!!
Getting ready for Christmas is kinda wearing me out!!! BUT I LOVE how much the kids LOVE every single bit of it. It is like the house is filled with magic for a month...I LOVE THAT!!
Emersyn IS very concerned about her poor little brother. She keeps wispering to me..."mom, I am afraid my little brother is going to be on the naughty list." I think she will be relieved when there are presents under the tree for her naughtly little brother...although he MAY not deserve them:)
Our Elf on the Shelf Cookie also arrived back for the holiday season. Emersyn loves looking for him each morning. Often I find her talking to him or just checking to see what he is up to.
This morning the crazy elf was found eating cookies in the pantry. Cookie eating cookies...get the irony??? :) Well, sadly for Cookie...he didn't last long in the pantry. Ethan went into the kitchen to get a snack and came out holding Cookie....YIKES!!! You know they lose their magic if you touch them....what happens if you carry them around the house and hand them off to your mom???
WELLL...right now he is resting with Tigey baby and Teddy. Tonight Emersyn wants to write him a letter to take to the North Pole. I am pretty sure Cookie will have to spend the night in the Elf hospital too....anything to get his magic back.
Getting ready for Christmas has been EXHAUSTING!!! And we still have ALL the presents to wrap....PHEW!!!
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