Going Through Life One Blog Post at a Time
This was the perfect after-Christmas day. A bit of grocery shopping (Aldi was EMPTY!), setting up my new Kindle Fire HDX, listening to happy sounds from the kids as they play all the new Wii games, a nap, a Candy Cane Martini, and Bacon Beer Cheese Soup. Great day!
Merry Christmas! Just like last year, Christmas Day started rather late for us. Laura and John slept until about 7 am. That was fine by me because it gave me time to enjoy some coffee and time with Dad and Marilyn before the craziness of the morning really began. As you can imagine, both kids were so excited when they saw the two piles of presents from Santa Claus next to our Christmas tree. It was just so much fun to watch the kids open their presents. John was just *slightly* excited when he opened his Santa presents. He got lots of Legos, Nerf guns, a Flipeez hat, and a Lite Brite.
Laura was slightly less excited, but she was still talking in that high-pitched, squealing tone that always accompanies excitement… She received a Lite Brite, lots of American Girl things, and a Flipeez hat from Santa.
This was also a big year for Andy as I finally told him to buy that tablet that he has been wanting. It hardly seems fair that I wrapped it and made him wait until Christmas morning (especially given that he let me have my new Kindle Fire HDX on Christmas Eve), but I think he’ll get over it. Maybe…
After all the presents were opened, we ate a great breakfast and relaxed for a bit. The kids played with all their new toys and I couldn’t resist snapping this photo of John wearing a Santa hat and running around with one of his new Nerf guns.
Rachel and Alia (minus B who was sick) joined us about noon. After exchanging presents, the kids spent the rest of the day playing, playing, and more playing. We did manage to sneak in a photo or two of them. It only took six tries to get this one great one…
The adults ate great food, talked, drank some good drinks (Candy Cane Martinis FTW!), and just enjoyed the day. It was a great Christmas spent with family and great friends. Exactly as it should be.
Merry Christmas Eve! It was a day full of Kassel Family traditions. First, Grandpa Ken and Grandma Marilyn arrived to spend Christmas with us.
Along with baking for some of the day to get ready for Christmas Day, the kids and I made Reindeer Food, a mix of oatmeal and red and green glitter, to spread on the driveway so that the reindeer could snack while Santa Claus delivered presents to two kids on the “Nice” list.
After a tasty dinner of Marilyn’s Lasagna, the kids took a bath and got dressed in their Christmas Pajamas. Then, it was time for Daddy to read “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
Before heading to Christmas Eve service at church, Laura and John spread the Reindeer Food on the driveway.
Just like last year, the kids wore their Christmas pajamas and slippers to church. Pastor Paul even mentioned that he was slightly jealous that the kids got to be so comfortable. I always enjoy this particular service and the kids like to be part of the candle lighting. Upon arriving home about 10 pm, Laura and John waved goodbye to Chippy. We will miss Chippy, but he will be back next Christmas season!
Then, we set out the cookies and milk for Santa.
Since Andy had gone back to church for the 10:30 pm service, I put the kids to bed and then went upstairs to relax with a glass of wine and my new Kindle Fire HDX. About 11 pm, I heard some noises in our family room… I raced downstairs, but the cookies were mostly eaten and the milk was all but gone by the time I got down there. I knew Santa had arrived because our stockings were stuffed…
…and presents for Laura and John were by the Christmas tree.
Santa Claus had come and gone! I went back upstairs and climbed into bed because Christmas morning would come quickly.
It was officially the first day of Winter Break for the kids, so we had the Creech family over to celebrate. It was a *loud* morning of play and fun around here! Reagan and Laura made bracelets and opened a jewelry stand while Wil and John ran around the house playing with every boy toy that wasn’t nailed down. Busy, busy, busy!
After a morning of complete chaos, we did a quick pick up of the house and then it was Christmas cookie time. The kids helped me roll out, cut, and bake the cookies. Of course, they did have an ulterior motive for helping. They love to decorate the frosted cookies and then eat the last one they decorate! This year, Laura and John picked out the Santa cookies and those are on their own plate in a special bag ready to be set out tomorrow night.
Once the cookies were done and Mom and Dad got to enjoy a glass (or two) of wine, we headed out to another Columbia Christmas tradition – The Magic Tree! As always, the tree was gorgeous!
Despite the cold, we managed to get some good pictures, including having Laura take a few of Andy and I. All these years of visiting the Magic Tree and we don’t have a single picture of the two of us together…
And, of course, we got pictures of the kids under the Magic Tree…
We ended our evening by taking a drive by the Candy Cane Crib. This is a relatively new addition to Columbia Christmas traditions, but you have to go. It is a fun site to see!
John fell asleep on the way home and both kids were so tired after a busy, busy day of fun that we put them to bed without baths. I think the start of Winter Break was a success.
It was a typical busy Sunday in the Kassel Household. After seeing Ian and Amanda off, we got ready for church. Laura wore a new dress from Old Navy and John wore a “new” hand-me-down shirt. He actually wanted to wear the shirt, so there was no argument over getting him dressed. *THAT* is a new thing for him and I must say that I love it!
After church, we headed home to grab a quick lunch and change clothes. Next up on our Sunday agenda was the MU vs. WIU Women’s Basketball Game. We were supposed to attend a social for WIU alumni, but it was cancelled on Friday due to the impending weather. Regardless, we still got to use our game tickets and we were given $40 in concession stand vouchers, so it wasn’t a total loss! Mizzou took an initial, large lead, but WIU came back a bit. Overall, I would say that WIU played well – they were never expected to win the game – and it was great to see our beloved Leathernecks again.
After the game, we made a quick stop at Hy-Vee and headed home. The rest of Sunday was typical: laundry, dinner, and watching football. Also, I managed to wrap a few presents after the kids went to bed. Only three presents left to wrap! I would love to be done, but it is kind of hard to wrap presents that haven’t actually arrived at our house yet. Tomorrow…
Ian and Amanda stopped through here for the night on their way to Louisiana for Christmas. It was so great to see them! We spent the evening eating great food and chatting. It was a nice, relaxing evening with family. Just the way we like it!
John woke up this morning and the first thing he said to me was, “Mommy, it’s Holiday Party day! Then, he said, “My ear hurts.” I checked for a fever, but he did not have one. I did notice that his voice sounded different. I contemplated keeping him home from school, but I didn’t want him to miss his holiday party. Since, he wasn’t running a fever, I gave him some ibuprofen for the ear pain and sent him to school. Just in case, I went ahead and made an appointment at the doctor for after school. It turns out that was a good decision because he actually has tonsillitis and a secondary ear infection. He has amoxicillin now and, hopefully, he will be feeling better tomorrow.
