There's nothing quite like the days before christmas around here. We've been busy elves: crafting, baking, shopping, and making endless lists just so we can cross things off.
We decorated cookies for our local friends and neighbors...
We packed up cookies and jars of last fall's applesauce and tied them up with ribbons. Last night we bundled into the minivan with a thermos of hot chocolate and delivered the gifts to our friends while checking out the streets with the best lights.
Last night we also delivered a minivan-load of food and gifts for the family we adopted with our MICE friends. Our five families adopted a family from El Salvador, the Monjaras. Last weekend we spent a Saturday morning at Fred Meyer, buying everything from toothbrushes to pies to winter coats for the three kids. Just a few of us drove to their apartment last night, and it was truly the highlight of our holiday season to sit in their home and talk with them (in bad spanish) about their lives, and maybe make their holiday a little brighter. (No pictures of that adventure - it seemed kind of irreverent to document it.)
Tonight we finished our wrapping and sat around by the fire with some of the treats our friends have brought us. We read some of the christmas and solstice books we've collected over the years. The boys talked about whether Santa is real, and made an inventory of what christmastime means to them.
Liam's faith in Santa is very strong, but he's also practical about it:
I think no one really knows, and it just matters what you believe. Milo is pretty sure the tooth fairy is us (probably due to the time we forgot about it...), but isn't ready to say he doesn't believe in Santa. Some excerpts from their musings on the meaning of christmastime:
Being together with family. -liam
Presents! - milo
Having dutch babies on christmas morning. - liam
Eggnog. - milo
Helping people who don't have very much. - liam
Sitting by the fire with cookies and hot chocolate. - liam
Cutting down and then decorating the tree together. - milo
We hope all our family and friends are happy and warm this holiday season!
being goofy...
and sharing great food...
(Then the Ducks lost the Rosebowl. But we were too happy being with our friends to be sad for long. There's always next year...)
We spent our first ski day of the year at Willamette Pass, a smallish ski area about 1.5 hours from Eugene. Joel and Jess and I switched off in the lodge with Lucy, and we all got in a full day on the slopes.
I have put myself into the low intermediate category of skiers. If only I could conquer my fear of the speed... Joel, however, is quite an expert snowboarder. I wish I had caught an action shot of his jumps and other tricks.
Liam tucks and speeds straight down the mountain. No fear in that one.
And after the day was over, we did a little reverse tailgating in the parking lot before coming home for soup and wine.
Santa heard Liam's request for a stuffed snake. (A stuffed snake? I guess it chases away the bad dreams.)
Lucy got some felt pens which she immediately used to draw all over the rug.
But her favorite gift was a cardboard box.
Liam's faith in Santa is very strong, but he's also practical about it: I think no one really knows, and it just matters what you believe. Milo is pretty sure the tooth fairy is us (probably due to the time we forgot about it...), but isn't ready to say he doesn't believe in Santa. Some excerpts from their musings on the meaning of christmastime:
Turns out, three really is a charm. I got our advent calendar done this year in time for the kids to wake up on December 1 and find a shiny gold $1 coin apiece in the first pocket. I started this project two christmases ago. I'm glad the kids finally get to use it, but more glad that I don't have to look at it in my sewing basket anymore.
It's made from wool felt. Each numbered pocket contains two little gifts, one for each boy, and an ornament. The ornaments come out of the pockets and hang on the big star using tiny little hooks. The ornaments are little felted balls I ordered from someone in Italy via etsy.
We filled the pockets with dollar coins, chocolates, tiny little toys, and other sweets. We left Lucy out of it this year, but next year I'll be hard-pressed to find things tiny enough to fit three in a pocket!
Milo and Liam have been going to chess club every Thursday after school. I have to say, I was skeptical that this was going to hold their interest, but to my surprise chess has become a big part of their lives. Milo entered a tournament a couple of weekends ago. He ended up in the top 10 (out of 48 in his age group). The boys challenge each other, their dad, their friends... I have never liked the game myself - too frustrating. But I hope they keep playing - it seems like a good balance to the soccer universe they live in.
