We entered into Christmas with the kids' holiday parties at school. I had volunteered to coordinate the party for Kylee's class, so Brandon took the afternoon off work to help with Hadley and so one of us could attend Connor's party. As you can see in the pictures, Hadley fit right into the mix in both classrooms. :)
The kids really enjoyed the break from school. Connor, especially, was a little burnt out and ready for a break. We spent a fair amount of time in our jammies over the break, and the kids were excited to have more TV and Wii time than normal. We played Rock Band and Mario Kart together and just relaxed. It was wonderful.
Christmas Eve found us at the KC Rep, where we took in their production of A Christmas Carol. It was amazing. Connor, Kylee, and I attended along with Uncle Craig, Aunt Sarah, and cousins Cara and Collin. The kids were all real troopers and the message of the play was a great one to start the holiday out with.
Christmas Eve we spent time with the Haneke/McKinney clan and we tackled our first REAL traditional holiday meal since Grandpa and Grandma have been gone. Brandon and I read up on how to fix a bird and Brandon took charge of that project. The meat was DELICIOUS and the side dishes brought by Sarah and Mandy rounded out the meal perfectly. We enjoyed dinner together as a family, eaten on Grandma's Christmas china with Mom's silverware, and had a nice evening.
Connor has figured out the secret behind Santa, but Kylee is still full-throttle into it, so she was so excited to put out cookies and milk for Santa. This year, she put a sign next to the plate so the big man in red was sure to find his snack.
I thought it was precious. A part of her ritual is to prop the fireplace glass open so Santa can get through. :)
We tucked three very tired kids in bed on Christmas Eve. Connor was back up at 1:00 am, asking if it was time to open presents. Daddy tucked him back in, and then everyone slept until about 6:45 am. Connor and Kylee came into our room, rearing to go...we were able to talk them into laying in bed with us until about 7:15. We got up and Christmas morning began. Hadley was still sleeping soundly in her crib until around 8:15. The big kids had came, destroyed, and were playing with their new toys before she even awoke. :)
Santa brought Connor and Kylee beanbags this year:
On Christmas afternoon, we left Liberty and boarded an airplane for Colorado, where we celebrated Christmas with the Carlsons. We were grateful to arrive there in one piece (and without being groped at airport security). Hadley was a champ on the plane, keeping Mommy really busy all through the flight, and then sacking out as we taxied to the jetway after landing. Of course.
We had a great time in Colorado, hosted by Grandpa and Grandma Carlson and with cousins Drew, Amy, and Beth and Aunt Mary and Uncle Justin. The weather while we were there was actually quite mild. The kids took turns riding the 4 wheeler with Grandpa Carlson and we enjoyed more good food, playing games, and spending time together at Grandpa and Grandma's house. This was Hadley's first visit to Grandpa and Grandma's, and she just slid right into it like she'd been there a thousand times before. It was great!
We came home tired, but very happy. We spent New Year's at the Blakemore farm in Kearney and then celebrated Christmas on January 2nd with McKinney family at Aunt Sarah's house, where we inherited, among many things, a Venus Fly Trap (pics to come). It was a great note to end the season on.
The kids went back to school on Tuesday of this week and it has been a bit of a rough adjustment for all of us. I feel as if Kylee, in particular, is experiencing kindergarten re-entry all over again, as she has been really whiny and quick to melt down since going back to school, which has made things interesting on the home front. Hadley has been a bit lost without brother and sister in the house. Today while I was changing linens on our beds, she busied herself by throwing some of Kylee's bracelets in the toilet (does it say something about our stage of life when I admit that one of the blessings in my day was that the toilet water was "clean" when I had to fish the bracelets out?). Our 17 month old tornado was quite proud of her work.
It's been a long week and we're grateful that the weekend is here.
