The Kassel Family Project Life 365

I decided to try something new today. I rode my bike to the closest grocery store to get a few things. It was a fun, new experience for me that I will definitely do again!

Merry Christmas to me (the day after)! I went to CycleX today to have my sit bones measured. The result is that I need a slightly wider saddle. I walked out of the shop with the new Specialized Mimic seat. This is made for women and is both firm and soft in all the right places. I am looking forward to getting it on my bike and trying it out!

Merry Christmas! It was a great day here at the Kassel Castle. We began the day by opening all the presents. All four of us made the nice list this year and Santa brought us games to play as a family!

Both kids were very excited to get everything that they wanted from Santa Claus. Laura was especially excited because she had asked for the illustrated versions of the Harry Potter books. She got those along with “Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them”. She didn’t know that book was also illustrated!

John was excited because Santa brought all the Skylanders Imaginators that he asked for along with a set he didn’t ask for and the NERF Infinus gun.

Then, it was time to dig into the presents from Mom and Dad. The kids had a great time opening everything. Laura was especially excited to get the LEGO Harry Potter Great Hall and Whomping Willows sets.

The present that got the biggest laugh from John was his new “Floss Like a Boss” t-shirt. Our Fortnite-loving boy giggled for a while after he opened it.

The last present to be opened belonged to John. He had very much wanted a Traxxas Slash remote-controlled car, but they are expensive. The excitement on his face when he opened the box was worth the cost!

These cars can go upwards of 30+ miles per hour depending on the type of car and battery. I foresee a lot of fun in his (and Andy’s) future!

Both kids were very happy with everything they got. This is Laura’s pile of presents.

This is John’s pile of presents.

Andy spent a while opening a lot of boxes and then we had an amazing breakfast of crepes. We spent the rest of the morning just relaxing and enjoying the day. The kids had a great time with all their new things. In the afternoon, Andy and I went for a bike ride to visit the Big Tree and the weather was just beautiful! We spent the evening enjoying an amazing dinner and just being a family. It was a truly great and relaxing Christmas!

It was a busy Christmas Eve! We began the day with baking and decorating four different kinds of cookies. I bought some decorator icing this year and both kids had a great time because they could be more creative. Laura decorated the gingerbread cookies.

John decorated the sugar cookies. In case you were wondering, he likes his sprinkles…

The kids hung out with some of their friends while I made spaghetti for dinner. Afterwards, we said goodbye to Chippy and Melty for the year.

We finished the evening at Christmas Eve services. We got home about 10 pm and John was so tired that he went straight to bed. Laura insisted on Andy reading “The Night Before Christmas” (another Kassel Christmas tradition) and then helped us put out cookies and milk for Santa Claus. Then, we all went to bed. Not long after that, I heard a noise. I ran downstairs to see what it was only to discover that Santa had come!

Happy Christmas to all and to all a good-night!

We took a Christmas light tour around Columbia today. First, we stopped at the Magic Tree. It was just as beautiful as it is every year.

Next, we went to The Crossing Church to see their version of the Magic Tree. This one is 80 feet tall.

There are over 200,000 lights on this tree.

Our next stop was downtown Columbia to see another tree lighted by the same person who does the Magic Tree.

We finished the evening at the Candy Cane Crib.

Time to check another Kassel Christmas tradition off the list!

The kids got a special surprise today – letters from Santa Claus!

Santa Claus really pays attention throughout the year.

Both kids were excited to read the letters and learn that they are on the nice list. It is visits from Santa on Christmas Eve!

One of the families from John’s former baseball team came over tonight for dinner. You know it has been a fun night when you laugh a lot, talk a lot, and, then, find the boys like this…

I guess five hours of boy time wore them both out. Thanks for a great night Oreskovichs! We must get together again soon!