Happy Faces for a Happy Mama

It's been a long time coming. My kiddos and I must do "crafties" and art projects several times a week together and while I've cherished their creations comprised of seemingly aimless lines and circles, I've been waiting for the real stuff to start seeping into their artwork. A few weeks ago, it did. For both of them on the same day at the same time. Must be ae twin thing. I was so ecstatic, you would have thought I won the lottery. And in a way, I sort of did.

Introducing "Faces" by Jonathan and James.
Medium: Sidewalk Chalk

Jonathan's happy face, complete with hair and a goatee!

James' face "with only a little smile."

A New Christmas Tradition

There’s something about the holidays that make family traditions so special. Like decorating the house for Christmas Thanksgiving weekend and Mass and McDonald’s on Christmas Eve. As the boys get older, I look forward to introducing them to existing traditions but get even more excited when we can create new ones.

We started a new tradition last week – a simple, albeit fun family outing. We combined a visit with Santa, ornament and Christmas Angel shopping all in one fun day.

A Visit with Santa

We began the day early, loading up the car and taking the boys to see Santa at the mall. They’ve always been good about sitting on his lap every year, but are a bit reserved and shy. This year was no exception.

Santa doesn’t arrive at Arrowhead Mall until 10 a.m., so at 9:45, we were the first family in line. The boys’ anticipation was almost unbearable as they fidgeted with their hands and talked about the other errands we had planned that day. However, as soon as the big man walked out and sat down in his golden throne, Jonathan’s shyness kicked into overdrive as he turned red and scooted as far away from him as possible. When Santa’s elves called the boys over, James bravely walked up to him and gave him a big, “hello!” Jonathan followed in his twin’s shadow and gave an inaudible greeting.

After talking to Santa for a few minutes, the elves called for the boys’ attention to snap a photo. James flashed his vintage, cheese-ball smile while Jonathan filled his right cheek with air and gave a weird grin. I’d never seen him do this before…clearly a response to being uncomfortable on a stranger’s lap with a stranger taking his picture!

After several takes, we got a normal one out of Jonathan – only after the elf requested they say, “LEGOS” instead of cheese. Go figure! I wanted to purchase one of the photos of Jonathan’s silly face, but the elves had already deleted it from the system.

Trains, Trucks and Superheros

After our visit with Santa, we cruised over to Hallmark so the boys could choose an ornament. This extends a tradition in my family I adored as a kid. Every July, when the temperature reached a scorching 100+ degrees and Christmas shopping should be furthest from our minds, my Nana would take my sister and me shopping to pick out an ornament for the tree. It was a lovely tradition and I have quite a collection of ornaments. Each one is included in my own family’s tree and reflects the mood, trend and personality I sported each particular year. Like, in fourth grade, I had a surfer-chic thing going and chose a chubby Santa riding the waves on a surfboard. The year I got engaged, a Barbie bride joined my collection. Now, as a family of boys, my girlie ornaments are quickly being overtaken by testosterone infused trucks, Transformers and trains.

This year, it was the boys’ turn to pick out their own ornaments. They were excited and knew exactly which ones they wanted. James chose a “bullet train” and Jonathan chose a vintage red fire truck. Jonathan asked to pick my ornament out for me. He knew exactly which one I was going to pick anyway…Iron Man! Both boys chose Daddy’s - a Super Friends Super Hero Squad ornament. Each one captures the essence of our family this year.

Christmas Angles

Dan and I usually do our Salvation Army Christmas Angels shopping by ourselves but wanted to include the boys this year to teach them about giving to others in need. After a quick glance through the names hung on the trees, we chose two boys around our boys’ ages. One boy wanted a bike and Play Doh and the other wanted a train set and Matchbox cars. Perfect! So, we headed to Toys R Us and the boys picked out the items on their lists.

Hot Dogs, Fries and Bird Poop

We ended our day by eating lunch at Miracle Mile Deli back at the mall. James wanted to eat outside and since it was perfect weather for a picnic, we decided to eat under the trees outside the restaurant. We had a great lunch, except Dan was “christened” twice by the birds in the trees above. The boys couldn’t stop cracking up about the “bird poopies on Dada’s shirt.” Hopefully that last part won’t be repeated when we partake in our new tradition next year!

Letters to Santa

A few weeks ago, the boys had me write their letters to Santa. This was the first year we actually put their wish list on paper and it's apparent we are fully ensconced in a Thomas the Train and Transformers mode! Here is their list, word-for-word.

James
Dear Santa,
I was a good boy this year. I would like you give me a toy. I like:

• Splatter
• Neville
• Slag
• The garbage truck book whose name is Stinky.
• A cab-over-engine Huffer truck.
• A big Mix Master or Long Haul - the ones that are hard to transform.
• A cab-over-engine cup.
• Cab-over-engine vacuum truck.
• A motorized Lady and a push Hank.

You get to eat the cookies and drink the milk. Merry Christmas!
Love,
James

Jonathan
Dear Santa,
I would like:

• Dinobots. I like the bumpy Dinobot, the flying Dinobots and Sluge and Grimlock.
• The new Optimus Prime.
• Stinky the Garbage Truck at Target.
• Long Haul.
• A Transformers cup.
• The baby street sweeper I like at Hobby Lobby.
• A motorized Lady and a push Hank.

Reindeer's, these Twinkies are for you. The carrots, too. Santa, Merry Christmas!
Love,
Ja-Ja

Calling All Autobots

To say my sons love the Transformers is an understatement - especially Jonathan.

Saturday night, we all sat down to watch The Muppets' Christmas Carol. About 15 minutes into the movie, I noticed James seemed a little uneasy with Ebenezer Scrooge's demeanor. I turned to him and said, "Scrooge is not a nice person is he?"

Jonathan pipes up next to me and says, "We need Optimus Prime in here!"

A Lumberjack Weekend

What better way to spend Halloween weekend then in crisp Flagstaff with Aunt Amy and Uncle Chris? We had a fantastic time and of course, the boys love their Aunt and Uncle to pieces. So much so, when asked what they were thankful for this year at Thanksgiving, both boys replied, "Going to Aunt Amy's house" and "When Uncle Chris throws me into the ceiling." Gotta love the last one...

Despite the brisk, windy weather, the boys enjoyed the homecoming parade. It took Jonathan some time to warm up to the idea though...that boy does not like extreme heat or cold.

After realizing James was making out like a bandit with candy, Jonathan decided to poke his head out of the blanket long enough to get some treats.

There's nothing like a Tootsie Roll Pop and a spider ring to take the edge off of the chilly weather.

After a delicious BBQ at Chris and Amy's and a nap for the boys (let's admit it...Dan, too), we headed over to the game. We got there at halftime and NAU was trailing by a ton, but the boys still had fun watching the action!

Freeman Farms

Pumpkins still on the vine!

We discovered a cute little family-owned pumpkin patch and working farm in Verde Valley, Arizona. Even though it was a bit of a drive, we wanted to take the the boys to a real pumpkin patch to pick our pumpkins this year. We really enjoyed the cooler weather and quaint atmosphere!

Train-loving boys that they are, Jonathan wanted to shunt the freight.