Christmas Traditions

With our new home (and it being our last home until we get shipped off to an old folks home by our children) and the aforementioned children growing older...I've really started thinking alot about family traditions. Family traditions from my childhood, from John's childhood, ones we've created and those we hope to create.

John and I work hard to keep old family traditions alive with the girls. We tell them stories and show them pictures of Christmas pasts. They love going through the ornaments and hearing about when it was made and by whom.

I wasn't completely sure that we (John and I) had started many traditions...I asked the girls what our family traditions were.

Going to GI town...spending time with Gma Ski, Gma Tillie, Gma and Gpa Kelly, and Gma Scarborough and gpa Gordie... baking goodies to share with our friends...going to the Vet's home to carol and hand out homemade Christmas cards...playing with cousins...

I asked what would happen if one year we decided not to go back to GI town for the holidays...what if we stayed in Lincoln?

I was bombarded with questions...

"Would everyone come here then?" "When would we see our grandparents?" "I don't think Lincoln has a Vet's home!" "What about the cousins?" "How would we get our gifts to everyone?" "Your going to totally confuse Santa! He knows we always go to GI!"

During the conversation I discovered that going to GI town and being with my family and John's is our Christmas tradition. And although its changed and had to tweaked to meet with our growing extended families...we prefer having the whole family together for the holidays. In any way that works! Whether it be in Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, Texas or even Hawaii... if it came down to it! (hint hint nudge nudge) As long as we're all together.

I can't remember ever having a Christmas when I wasn't with my grandparents...and I can't imagine it. I wouldn't want that for my children and now I know they feel the same way.

Christmas Baking

The twins are in 'stu co' (the hip middle school way of saying student council). I'm really impressed with their student council program...they involve the kids in a number of philanthropic activities. In the last two months there have been Pennies for Peace (an ongoing effort one week a month throughout the school year to collect pennies to build schools in Africa) a book drive for impoverished children around Lincoln (the twins spent some of their own money and bought a total of 27 books- YAY, girls!), frequent trips to an old folks home to visit and treat the elderly, and the teacher Christmas cookie exchange (each child in stu co brings three dozen cookies so that each teacher at their middle school can mix and match a dozen to take home).

My children, the generous souls that they are (insert dramatic eye roll here), volunteered to each bring double. So twelve dozen goodies were made this weekend...thank goodness my friend Jess came over to help!


While we baked and mixed and covered everything resembling a cookie in almond bark- Pucca and Ms K played and played. Ms K is Jess's daughter...a sweet little thing that I was able to watch when Jess and her husband first moved back to NE.



Ms K is 2...uh going on 16. She's a little bit of a thing and talks like the girls. Sarcasm, attitude and a sweet little girly laugh that you never tire of. Pucca LOVES playing with her. At one point while Jess, the twins and I were in the kitchen baking, John went to check on them upstairs. He found them in our bathtub playing time out. They had also built a fort in John's closet...filling it with every stuffed animal and baby doll in the house. It was super cute!

It was totally worth all the work...when this morning I took in the treats and was greeted with huge smiles. 'ooohs' 'ahhhhhs' 'Don't those look yummy!' and 'thank you thank you' were more than enough.

Snow day

Today is the first snow day of the school year. I'm seriously guessing tomorrow will be one too, but that's just my mother's intuition speaking.

The kids were in desperate need of some energy expending activity- so I bundled them up and sent them out to explore the new backyard. It took a little ingenuity to get Pucca's broken foot all waterproofed and safe- but with a few plastic bags and duct tape...anythings possible! :) Thank you, MacGyver- I learned sooo much!

here are some pix to enjoy...by the way I snapped these from the door way with a telephoto lens...there was NO WAY I was going out in that stuff! 9 1/2 inches and counting..I measured with my yard stick!

OH MY OH MY

Its been a LONG week! Moving is EXHAUSTING! I've said it over a hundred times since last weekend...but here it goes again- "I'm NEVER NEVER NEVER moving again! EVER!"

Our kids will bring home dates to this house, get ready for dances at this house, have their graduation parties at this house, we'll celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary at this house, the girls will bring my grandchildren to visit at this house and God willing, maybe even my great grandchildren!

Now I just want to clarify! I'm never moving again...because this house is it...its all we've ever wanted and more. The actual moving part just solidified it.

I'm not going to post photos on here of the house...privacy issues and all. So you'll have to take my word for it! I love it! The girls love it. And John loves it!

Only a bazillion more boxes to go and I should probably start my Christmas shopping...take care!