Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas Day!

What a fun Christmas morning and day we had! Jack woke up first around 7am and after coming into our room, immediately went into Nana's room and opened the door yelling 
"surprise!". After coming downstairs the boys first wanted to go see if the reindeer ate any of the food. Then they started looking to see if Santa came!
Hudson's Santa gifts - a Cars 2 talking ship and a note from Santa

Jack's Santa gifts - a bike and a "big" giraffe




Nana reading Santa's letter to Hudson





a Dumbo ornament from Nana

Giving Daddy his gifts

Hudson made Daddy a football bowl with Aunt Sam, and a tea cup for Mommy

Jack hanging is new elephant ornament on the tree

Some of the aftermath

Playing with Hudson's new color changing cars

He was so excited about these Appmates you can race on the iPad

They set up the three track sets together and Hudson played with them nearly all day. Hudson had a Cars 2 themed Christmas for sure and got many tracks,  play sets, launchers, and larger vehicles from the movie. Of course he knew exactly what each item was when he saw the box and also knew how to work them as he had seen all of the youtube videos on them:). Jack was mostly entertained by Hudson's gifts, but did like his wooden blocks set, blender and Thomas the Train play rug. 


The boys watched the Fox and the Hound this afternoon and they both loved it. 

Before bed in their new Mickey jammies from Ainsley and Max!



Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and could feel the excitement of Christmas building, especially with these two little excited boys! We went to a beautiful candlelight church service with Nana and neither one wanted to stay in the nursery so we let them stay with us. Hudson did pretty good during the service and asked many, many questions! He was so excited about the candle he had a very hard time keeping his child candle "light" out till it was time. Jack was very interested in where the kids from the kids choir went and the baby the Pastor used in the sermon went and he LOVED the songs. The candlelight songs were made more special seeing their little eyes light up with the beauty. 

Watching a show with Daddy before dinner

We let the boys exchange gifts with each other. Jack got Hudson a "Cars" ornament and a car that Hudson picked out while shopping with us a few weeks ago and told us he would just "forget" he got it when Xmas came around.

Hudson got Jack an ornament that sings his favorite Xmas song, "Frosty the Snowman".  Jack was with us when he bought it and Hudson had such a fun time trying to figure out which ornament he liked best and hiding it behind his back to get ti to the check out so Jack wouldn't see it. 

Hudson also got Jack a book that Hudson got from the school library that Jack really liked. Jack loves when the animals eat salad in it. 

The boys trying out their new sleeping bags Nana got them. 




Putting reindeer food out

Making a plate of cookies for Santa


Hudson insisted on sleeping in his new sleeping bag!





Holiday fun

We have been having so much fun with all of the Christmas activities. We've been starting the day with our advent calendars and spending cold days putting up Christmas trees, making ornaments, and decorating gingerbread and cookies, and looking at Christmas lights around town. 

Hudson has been so funny this year as he tries to understand the whole Santa concept. We pulled out Elf on a Shelf and I had so much fun gathering some cool ideas. After just a few days though he was just not buying into this magic elf and kept telling me how he is "just a doll, mom". He is NOT real. This is sort of confusing for him since I try to tell him that "monsters" and all sorts of other things that scare him at night are not real. So we tabled the elf this year and may try him another time!


He loves making lists and has many, many Christmas lists going around the house. While we are out shopping and he wants a toy and I tell him it is Christmas, he tells me that if we buy it he will makes sure he "forgets" about it. Ha! He has also been inspecting the wrapped gifts pretty close and already has guessed many of them correctly based in the boxes!

Before bed, Hudson always gets really chatty asking many questions about things. After reading one of his favorite books, the Polar Express, Hudson wanted to know who to get to the North Pole. After telling him it was really far away and not a place to travel to easily, he proceeded to tell me that he had a really great idea. That after school in the car, we could just type in the North Pole into the computer in the car and it would tell us whether to go left or right! This child has a solution to everything! 

Jack is certainly feeding off Hudson's excitement and constantly making us laugh. He is talking up a storm and going around singing songs like Frosty the "No man" and saying "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Kissmas". He is full of expressions like "oh, man" and "one more, that's it!" after each piece of candy he finds and greets everyone with "Hi, how are you?" He also loves to say "No running, I promise" when we go into a store. This promise doesn't last long! His new favorite way to get around jumping like a frog, saying "ribbit". 

Tasting the decorations for the gingerbread house




The Christmas gifts under the tree have turned into building for his Cars


Salt dough ornaments

Snowmen handprint ornaments

We have also been putting up their own little tree's in their own rooms with some of their own ornaments. My parents started this as a tradition when we were little and gave us an ornament every year so we are doing the same for the boys. 
Hudson's tree
Jack's tree
                        

Christmas Eve Eve with Evan and Lyndi

We got off to a great start to the Christmas weekend with a visit from Aunt Lyndi and Uncle Evan as they stopped through on their way to St Louis. Jack quickly bonded with Evan even though he kept calling him "Uncle Pete"! Hudson had so much fun playing with them too. 


They picked the perfect present for Hudson and he LOVED it. He was so excited that he went and hid for a minute behind the chair!


Jack was a big fan too of his favorite face on a pillow pet!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

An attempt at a Xmas tree picture

Hudson didn't want his picture taken but would let me take one of his Cars:)

Monkey see, monkey do