Day 25: The Big Day

It's the big day! The biggest day of the year! The day kids talk about from the day AFTER Christmas until the following one! Christmas Day!

The day started at 5:45am. The boys flew into our room announcing it was Christmas morning. We managed to shoo them away...for 15 minutes, until 6am (the time we said they were allowed to wake us up). 

As per house rule, the kids are NOT allowed downstairs until Mom and/or Dad go downstairs to set up the video camera, turn on some Bing Crosby, get the still camera ready etc. 

Santa brought the things the boys wished for the most. Calen's coveted gift of 2017 was a very small Nerf side arm pistol (for some reason, his biggest wishes are always the smallest, simplest things). Camden's coveted gift was a Hot Wheels Millenium Falcon track, complete with Chewbacca and Storm Trooper cars, because obviously. Other highlights included Yu-Gi-Oh cards from Santa in their stockings (which was absolute magic because Mom and Dad have said absolutely NOT to Yu-Gi-Oh cards since they already have 2938320 Pokemon cards), Star Wars Force Link for Cam (which is a wrist band that links to certain Star Wars guys and makes them talk and have sound effects), Legos (of course) and a large Nerf gun that Calen has been saving his allowance up for over a year for that we decided to surprise him with. 

Then, a day full of Lego building and Star Wars battles, a quiet dinner with Coast Guard friends, and to all a goodnight. 

Pictures are worth a thousand words. Merry Christmas!

Santa left footprints!!

The look of getting the toy (nerf gun) you have been saving all your money up for all year and get surprised with it

The best mess is Christmas morning mess

Have a very Nerf Christmas!

Traditional Hansen family breakfast: Cinnamon roll waffles (Death Star variety) with frosting drizzled on and sausages

Day 24: And To All A Goodnight

It's the night before!!! The best day of the Parental year, watching your children squirm impatiently all day as they await the arrival of the big man that evening and wake up to a plethora of fantasticness the next morning.

But since I don't like hearing hours of "is it time to go to bed YET???", we kept very busy. Brad and the boys played card games in the morning (War and the Minecraft card game) and some Jenga Quake (Jenga, with earthquakes!), then Brad had to run into town to get our extremely fancy, top shelf dinner, so the kids and I built a few 3D Christmas houses and made and decorated cookies for Santa all while checking Santa's continued progress on the NORAD tracker. 

For dinner, we had....are you ready for it....Chinese take out. 

Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra. 

Actually, famous movies aside (you'll shoot your eye out, kid), this is a brilliant idea for Christmas Eve dinner. It's easy, it's cheap, it requires zero prep on an already busy day, and no cleanup. 

So, we sat on the couch/floor, ate mushu prawns and orange chicken and watched our annual Christmas Eve viewing of the Polar Express.

After dinner and a movie we got dressed in our Christmas best and went to the chapel for Christmas Eve service. It's a short service, with a few hymns, lighting of candles and a quick message. Then we raced back home and checked NORAD one more time before reading the Night Before Christmas. 

They aren't excited AT ALL

One more NORAD check before bed!!

The boys DEFINITELY heard sleigh bells outside, and you've never heard two kids rumble off to bed SO FAST in your life ("SLEIGH BELLS!!! IT'S SANTA HE'S HERE GET IN BED RIGHT NOW!!!" --- that was the 8 year old, the 6 year old was just screaming in delight)

Then for the big show - Christmas music playing while everything is set up, Dad assembling Santa's deliveries and occasionally Mom gleefully clapping in excitement as the big display all comes together. 

Santa came!! Camden's gifts on the left, Calen on the right

My house rocks at Christmastime

Stockings in front of the fireplace!

Santa ate his cookies and gave the reindeer the celery, and Fred the elf left some special Santa Mickey cookies

I love Christmas Eve almost more than the following morning. The anticipation and excitement and magic in my children's eyes makes my entire year. 

And to all a goodnight!

Day 23: Fake It Till You Make It

This morning, our alarm clocks woke Brad and I up at 330am. The truck was packed and we were prepared to get up and surprise the kids with a day trip to sled at Tahoe. 

But, we woke up, and both basically said to each other "No way." Brad was sick yesterday, I wasn't feeling well today (for predictable woman reasons, not because of zombie plague), there hasn't been fresh powder in four days and it's the day before Christmas Eve AND a Saturday which means it's going to be a clusterfuck out there. 

So, we turned off our alarm, hid the kids snow pants that were out for them to change into, and went back to bed. What they don't know don't hurt them.

Instead, we kept it pretty quiet today. I made cookie cutter PB&J sandwiches (complete with frosting and fancy snowflake sprinkles) for lunch, and then the kids helped me make some sort of Christmas popcorn treats to snack on while we watched Elf (recipe below). 

And that was it, really. Brad took the boys out for some scheduled caroling on base while I laid on the couch and SLEPT since I didn't sleep much last night. When they came home, we finished off the Santa Claus and accompanying Santa's Reindeer books, just in time for Christmas Eve tomorrow. 

Done, done and done. 

And now, for that recipe (completely ripped off of Pinterest)

You need: 

Microwavable popcorn (I used 2 bags of unbuttered Kettle Corn)
3 tablespoons butter
marshmallows (mini)
M&Ms
sprinkles

1. Microwave popcorn and dump in a bowl
2. melt butter in a saucepan, then melt marshmallows in the same saucepan with the butter
3. Pour melted gooeyness onto the popcorn, mix
4. add M&Ms and sprinkles
5. eat and watch yourself gain 10 pounds in 5 minutes

Day 22: Weaver's Wonderland

It's officially the first day of Christmas vacation! Bring on the sugar! Bring on the excitement! Bring on the bickering. 

Okay, only a little bickering. But since there's some sort of bacterial epidemic running rampant through the base and everyone is catching a zombie virus, I forced the kids to stay inside, and so of course cabin fever started taking over. 

Thankfully I bought gingerbread house making kits weeks ago and stored them in our laundry room, waiting for just the right day where everyone was home and Christmasy boredom was threatening. Brad came home early today and so we did our annual gingerbread village making. Each year Brad and I split into 2 teams and take a kid (this year he had Calen and I had Cam) and we build 2 gingerbread houses. 

This year I found alpine style houses, which I like because it's 90% ROOF, and that's what the best part of gingerbread house making is anyways, decorating the ROOF. 

After this Brad promptly went to bed because he caught some strain of the zombie virus (actually I just think he had a classic case of the "Hansen Stomach", because Hansen men seem to be able to barf on command), so the kids and I left our infected home and went to see Weaver's Wonderland. 

Weaver's Wonderland (which isn't called that anymore) was a house in Rohnert Park that has won national Christmas decorating awards for several years in a row. It's truly the most incredible display of decorations you've ever seen. However, last year was his last year decorating, and Weaver donated (or sold) most of his decorations to his neighbor friend down the road. So, this year we went to the new Wonderland, which isn't QUITE as impressive, but it's still freaking amazing, especially the Dickens Village that takes up the ENTIRE GARAGE. 

The boys and I bumped into Santa! Also creeper Santa sign in the background

Coincidentally the owners are friends with Calen's old baseball coach and his family/our friends, so we hung out for half an hour or so and chatted and gave the kids 1382 cups of hot chocolate. Then we walked around the rest of the neighborhood, which actually for the most part do a really good job too. It's always the best when entire neighborhoods put on great displays together. 

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve Eve and I'm in total denial. Isn't it only the first week of December?

Day 21: The Best Way To Spread Christmas Cheer Is Singing Loud For All To Hear

Today was a great day and I look forward to it all year. 

The boys' elementary school (Two Rock Union) does a fantastic little Christmas music program every year on the last day of school before winter break. A lot of schools do this of course, but I love it here because 1) we were jipped of a music program in San Diego, and 2) the school is SO small that it's only one classroom per grade, so you know 99% of the student body. 

Each grade sings a different song, starting with 6th grade and working their way down to the tiny preschoolers. Then, the entire student body (which isn't that big, like 160 kids maybe?) come out and sing a few Christmas carols together. 

Calen's third grade class sang Over The River and Through The Woods and included sign language with it, which I found fun. Calen was front and center with his little blue Santa tie and totally has the best smile of any kid ever. 

Sign language while singing Over The River And Through The Woods. Calen is ALWAYS smiling (front row center). I love that kid.

Camden's 1st grade class sang All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, which really should have been sung last year because Cam had all his front teeth missing in Kindergarten. He picked out his own outfit this year, suspenders and a bow tie complete with paperboy hat. My God, could he be any cuter? The answer is obviously no. 

Cam doing a sweet dance move on his way out

After the concert, the school did something new this year and had a school-wide gigantor gingerbread making event. The youngest grades (PreK-First) did graham cracker houses glued to milk boxes, and the older grades did gingerbread men. I visited with Calen a little bit, but he "didn't need me" because he thinks he's growing up or something, so I spent most of the time with Camden helping him build his house, but then Calen's true colors came out and he came and found me and wanted me and Cam to come to his grade's table, so we did!

Making gingerbread men with my biggest boy! So handsome today!

Bam Bam and I making a house!

Cam put Candy canes at the front of the house because "the candy canes are guards and they are guarding Santa's house". Of course they are. 

I find too often catching myself and realizing how fast the boys are growing up, so days like today are just the best and I cherish them deeply. 

Day 20: Firetrucks and Boring Snowflakes

I woke up this morning fully aware that today was going to be on overdrive. The boys both had Christmas parties at school (pajama parties, no less) that involved way too much sugar and a little sprinkle of chaos. It was also an early release day, so they were going to be sugared up and then sent home. I had to work during the school hours, so I missed the fun stuff but got the privilege of picking up two sugar-jacked, pajama clad wild things disguised as my children. 

I thought maybe, since Cam had been sick a couple days before and the entire base seems to be coming down with something or other, that they could stay inside and calmly do some crafts or something. I still have a few Pinterest projects up my sleeve, after all. 

So, we made q-tip snowflakes. The idea is to cut q-tips in half (make one half larger than the other), then glue them in a design on a piece of construction paper, and add glitter, and then cut out the paper later to make a snowflake. 

I liked the idea of this project because it would take more than five seconds for the boys to finish. It might take them half an hour, or, gasp, even an hour! They'll be busy! They'll be entertained! They'll be doing something constructive!

I think the fact that it was a little more time consuming is what made the boys get over this project very quickly. They wanted to make one snowflake and be done with it, but I convinced them to make a few more to decorate the house with. But it definitely wasn't their favorite craft. Or if it was, they hid it well. But they turned out really cute and I like seeing them on my living room window. 

Note: When they stuck them on the window after they dried, they seemed more excited about the end product. So the jury's out.

After dark, Santa himself (or a helper, according to the kids) came down the hill into our neighborhood sitting on top of a Coast Guard Fire Dept. fire truck, complete with police escort. Of course the anticipation of this brought all the neighborhood kids outside, and candy canes were eaten, and more sugary chaos ensued as an entire mess of kids ran circles under our big decorated tree and chanted Santa's name as he came down the hill. 

A gaggle of Coastie kids waiting on Santa!

Santa!! Cam is far left and Calen is in the middle waving

But seriously, how fun is that. 

Day 19: Staging

We've all seen those beautiful photos in front of the tree that look like they were caught in a truly magical moment, where your kids happen to be standing in a perfect way, with matching pajamas, and aren't arguing, and you just happen to have your camera at the perfect settings to take the photo. 

Not. 

So instead, you stuff your kids in matching pajamas, and bribe force threaten their lives convince them to stand a certain way to take that picture perfect Martha Stewart Magazine shot. 

And then, you bribe force threaten convince them to lay on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, no not that way this way with your arms like this, and shove a book in their face (Santa Claus, the most beautiful magical Christmas book ever) and tell the 8 year old to read this page to the 6 year old. Why because I said so and you can't get up until I tell you to. 

The things we do for great Christmas photos. 

Luckily the kids forgot they were being staged and actually started enjoying themselves and read two more pages of the book. 

See? My ideas aren't that terrible after all. 

Disclaimer: This post, like most of my blog, is full of sarcasm. They actually are really good sports and deal with my obnoxiousness with the camera with only a little complaining. 

Matching Christmas dinosaur pajamas. Because obviously. 

Day 18: A Case Of The Mondays

Man, was it Monday around here. 

Camden woke us up around 5am, super pale, wailing that his head hurt and had a bad, phlemy cough. 

Which, in the world of Camden means that sometime in the next 10 minutes or so he's going to barf. 

He NEVER has a headache unless vomit is about to be involved. 

So, I whisked him into the bathroom and told him to sit on the floor, and flew downstairs to get a large plastic bowl (if you ever eat popcorn at our house, make sure it isn't in a powder-blue bowl). Then rushed back upstairs, set him up in bed with an ice pack and some Children's Tylenol and his bowl, and prayed that he was going to be the only one waking up sick this morning. 

As predictable as the tides, Cam threw up (in his bowl), and my day of errands immediately was cancelled. Calen left for school and Cam was set up in the playroom on a mattress topper and spent the day watching Star Wars and Mickey's Christmas Carol, playing Disney Infinity and even moped downstairs to watch the Rockettes at Radio City Hall with me on Netflix (of which Cam asked during the 12 days of Christmas number, "do these people EVER stop dancing to this song?"

I did have to take him to work (on base) with me for 10 minutes while I sorted out a schedule issue, so I packed him in the Yukon with his Christmas Mickey pajamas, cowboy boots, reindeer hat (of choice), and barf bucket, which I took a picture of because it was kind of hilariously pathetic.

Mondays, man. 

Day 17: (Fake) Snow Day!

After the crazy day yesterday, we needed an easy day today. Like, a day where the kids basically look after themselves and stay the heck out of our business. 

Earlier this season I had purchased a good sized bag of that instant snow stuff. You know, the anthrax looking powder that you add water to and in the blink of an eye it's "snow". Last year, we did this on a much smaller scale, enough to fill maybe a tupperware container. This year I decided more is better, because MORE IS ALWAYS BETTER, and got enough to make almost 10 gallons worth. We filled up a large storage tote with it and left it in the garage with a sign and Fred, our Elf on a Shelf. Then I decided that Fred should be skiiing in it, because I like to make my life complicated. So, I devised some skis out of popsicle sticks and poles out of candy canes and hot glued some pipe cleaner fasteners on it and plopped "Nordic Fred" into the snow. 

Do you KNOW how hard it is to stand up a flimsy elf (even after we sewed wire into his limbs last year) on popsicle/candy cane skis in fake snow?

Impossible. 

So I sat him in the snow like he fell or something and left it at that.

Fred retires this year. Thank God. 

That stupid elf. Also Santa Jack Skellington joined us

Anyways, once the surprise from Fred was discovered we spread out a painter's tarp and dumped the snow out. Instantly the boys scrambled to get all their Star Wars guys and had en epic, two hour long "Hoth Battle" (Star Wars....Hoth is the Ice Planet....stay with me here non-nerd friends), down to having a rebel base and trenches and snow speeders crashed in the snow. 

Incoming.

The trenches of the Rebel Hoth Base

The best part about this stuff is we can just pour it back in the storage tote for later use. And if it dries out, just add water!