Christmas Decor

The Christmas decorations have been up for a week and we've all been quite enjoying the festivities.

Even before we up the decor, though, we had won a cute Santa candle holder in a white elephant gift exchange and stuck it up on the mantle. The first time the boys went into the living room, they immediately noticed it, climbed onto the coffee table and frantically pointed at the thing. How in the world did they notice so fast? Clever kids.

When we pulled out the Christmas tree (fake all the way, baby!), Dash and Liam thought it was the weirdest and funnest thing. Recognizing the star shape, they liked that bit best.

Yes, that middle chunk of lights is out. Can't figure out why. The bottom little bit sometimes works, sometimes doesn't. What can you do? Oh, buy another tree, you say? Or better yet, go natural? Nah.

They like to make their rounds each day, you know, got to make sure the tree's in fine health.

Check the strength of a limb here and there.

Some things deserve a closer look.

Hmm, he may have detected a problem.

Must check it through his special filter.

It checks out after all. Hurray!

Now, we thought the boys might get used to the tree quickly and leave it somewhat alone. But we shot ourselves in the foot in the first few minutes of setup. I was wondering if we ought to keep the classic round ornaments up out of their reach. Sean said no need, for they are unbreakable! And to prove his point, he dropped one on the ground, which bounced away unscathed.

But of course, that became the boys' new most favoritest game in the world. And all orbs that came within their grasp were promptly thrown across the floor. Day after day, it doesn't get old. But my efforts to return them to their tree limbs do.

So my floors look like this.

And the bottom of our tree is a barren wasteland.

And the top of the tree is a crowd of cheap plastic balls.

It's beautiful.

We don't have a lot of other decorations, nor a lot of places to keep them out of harms way. Our little nativity squeezes onto our bookshelf, while Dash looks longingly at that tasty looking manger, and Liam at that gnawable lamb.

Perhaps most importantly, our little snowman sits snuggly on our mantle. For this snowman was made on the very night we were engaged. This one belonged to Sean, mine has sadly disappeared in the ether. Little did either of us know that Sean would be proposing a few hours after my lab party in which the snowmen were made (thanks for the snowman craft, Kim L!). For Sean had received the engagement ring that day and just couldn't wait a day longer to ask for my hand. It sure made for a joyful Christmas season!

Here Comes Santa

Our church had a little Breakfast with Santa last weekend. It was the boys' first meeting with the jolly saint. With a squirmy Liam in my arms, I managed to snap this picture:

Poor Dash. Sean had just tried to stick him on Santa's lap and Dash was having no part of it.

So then I passed my camera to someone else to take a few more pictures with Liam included. And... none of the pictures took. She thought she was taking them but nope. Sad.

Luckily, there was someone there taking pictures of all the kids already! So let's see how it went down:

Trying to console Dash with a Christmas bear. Don't touch me, man!

Liam doing okay while chomping on a Christmas ornament but firmly latched onto my side. Do NOT let go of me, mom.

Welp... maybe next year. Ha, fat chance.

After that ordeal, we just let the boys wander the church building. They found a chalkboard and became completely happy again.

Draw draw draw (and a few moments of eat eat eat the chalk. When do they stop trying to eat everything again?)

Surprisingly when storytime came around, Liam gladly sat in Sean's lap and listened. Dash meanwhile kept running towards the Christmas tree until he realized Santa was right next to it. Tree! Yay! Santa! AGH! You could see his head get whiplash with how fast he'd spin back around.

But they're warming up to the idea of Santa bit by bit. See here:

(Ho Ho Ho5 from Katie Bradley on Vimeo.)

Mix a little bit of owl sound with a little bit of monkey sound and you get Santa!

When the Tongues Come Out

Eight Items of Business

1. A few months ago, Liam and Dash switched cribs. Dash kept going over to Liam's crib at naptime and compelling me with his urgent whine to get in. Liam would follow suit with his brother's crib. Pretty soon, it became the norm. It's nice because Liam, who was closer to the door, keyed in on all the sounds that meant I was peeking in. But Dash hasn't caught on to them all yet and I can sneak with much more ease.

2. The boys' sleep has been better. Really, the trick was going to Colorado. Since we've gotten back, they generally sleep later than they had been. I really appreciate that.

3. The boyos have caught a cold. Dash started his runny nose Monday morning and Liam yesterday around naptime. It's not too bad, mostly just congestion, not too much lethargy. You know, I really wish that they'd get sick at the same time. There's always a day or two lag between them. It's really hard to cuddle one sicky while keeping up with a crazy.

4. Dash is starting to develop an aversion to dirty hands. A few minutes into eating a messy meal, he offers up his coated hands with a pathetic grunt. After a few more moments, he starts rubbing them together to try and get the dirty off. Hopefully this means that use of utensils will improve!

5. Yesterday, while I was dishing up dinner onto their trays and Sean was playing with the kids, Sean looked up to discover Liam chilling in his high chair. How'd he get in there? Accepting the unspoken challenge, Dash toddled over to the other chair and climbed right up, like it aint no thang. Sheesh, boys!

6. Look at these profiles (Liam above an Dash below). They's beautiful. Such beautiful boys. Oh, and yes, there are more pictures of Liam in this post than there are of Dash, but the reverse is true in the last post. Even stevens.

7. There's a window upstairs that gives us a magnificent view of all the cars passing by. We spend many an afternoon, naming each kind of car. When a big van goes by, watch out, those boys are thrilled. Don't even get started on the buses. When a bus goes by, they stick a feather in their caps and call them macaroni!

8. Did you know I can't go five minutes without kissing one of their cheeks? Oh mercy, it's delightful. This motherhood business is the right business for me.