A Charlie Costal Christmas

As Sue McConnell unknowingly pointed out, I haven't blogged in some time since she thought I cut her from my blog! But like the poltergeist, we're baaack!

We've been on our usual tour whoring ourselves around all the towns and their Christmas festivities. We've seen Santa twice and talked to him from behind the velvet ropes on several other occasions! We're known for screaming down from the 2nd floor of the mall to Santa. Finny's 1st attempt was a bit fitful, but the subsequent ones were a success! Hey, practice makes perfect!!

Charlie is really into Christmas this year, but also reminds you that it's not all about the presents. One day, my Mom and I were talking about Christmas Eve and Charlie said "Why are you talking so much about Christmas and not saying anything about Jesus?" I guess the 2 hours twice a week at the Tabernacle is really paying off! And Finny said the other day that he built the Ark (yes, THE Ark) not Noah. I just let him go with it!! And by the way, they are now crediting Noah's wife with helping build the Ark (or at least they are at the Tabernacle), so that's a big step forward for women's rights!!

We celebrated my Mom's birthday with her (a few days late), but I didn't want her not to get cake and a little love on her birthday! The boys and I made her dinner, but as Charlie is too quick to point out "Mommy doesn't cook as good as Mom Mom!" I can't argue with that, but at least she had a night off from cooking and cleaning! I'm shocked my Dad actually didn't make a goofy face in the picture!

We took the boys to Storybook Land in the beginning of December for the first time ever. People drive from all around (Burlington and Gloucester counties) to go to it and it's right here in our back yard and we've never been! Now I know why. Just kidding. It was cute, in a retro, creepy, "Weird New Jersey" kind of way. The lights were definitely amazing! And the kids were just awestruck, but it's definitely a every-couple-of-years thing for me! I'm waiting for the "Jersey Devil" mascot to be introduced there.

We foraged through the tree farm once again this year in search of the perfect Pine. And once again we found it! Getting it decorated was a bit harrowing since it almost fell on us, but once we got it fish-lined to the wall (a patented Kazooti specialty) and then my Dad rigged it from underneath with some boards to stop the leaning... it was all good. The boys just love it. Charlie turns off all the house lights and we sit in the glow of the tree and he calls it "magic." Last year, Santa brought them an authentic Disney World locomotive complete with all the characters for under the tree. The boys sit for whole minutes (wink, wink) watching it go around. It blows real smoke and everything! I love watching them watch it! (And yes, Finny is wearing purple and pink jammies in that picture. Mom Mom got them for them. They picked them out and they both love them. When he's not wearing them, Finny carries them where ever he goes!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my2RKbWWXPE

Sadly, Joe's Grandmom is not doing very well. She's really ill and in a nursing home, but the boys always want to talk to her, so we make her videos and upload them to youtube for his Mom to show her. I thought this one was particularly cute because Charlie is talking about Christmas... "it's not all about playing in the snow and all that stuff!" And then the other video is him hamming it up talking about the Christmas play at school, in which a girl played Joseph b/c he "didn't want to dress up!" He'll wear purple jammies, but he won't dress up like Joseph!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRhkZeHru40

If I don't blog again before Christmas, Merry Christmas and hopefully our Christmas cards will get to you before the big day! Writing them out was a breeze, it's the buying the stamps that trips me up!