Windy City Christmas Part I

After a smooth trip to Chicago, we packed into Papa and Nana's car and gifted my brother, Ross and his wife, Kira, with our larger than life presence.  For 3 days.  They were very brave and patient and made us feel completely at home through the madness.  My kids didn't whine or fight the entire time, which speaks to the sheer amount of joy they experienced.  It was bitter cold, like 9 degrees, most of the time, which forced us to remain indoors.  The boys resorted to dress up and Lego's a majority of the time, which was lovely for us parentals.  I don't know that I spoke to my son for those 3 days more than telling him to pee, eat and go to bed.     

 This was the costume of choice.  Why?  Note the magic button touching his chin.  Enough said.

Girl time with baby June was treasured by all of us.  We kinda fought internally over who got custody of her throughout the days.  June is easy shmeazy and was a total trooper.

 Meet Torty.  Dylan used his crafty negotiation skills and landed the school pet for the entire winter break.  Way to go D.  

At some point, we needed to get the littles the heck out of dodge, so some of us adults took them to the Botanic Gardens for the train display.  It was magical and a perfect outing.

Gigi is goin' strong and decided to take the trip to Chicago from Michigan with Kyle and Beck.  We were so glad she did!  

 Ready.  For. Presents.  

 Never mind the sleep eye.

 Both girls got baby Stella from Nana and Papa.  Squirt is enamored with hers and June Bug showed genuine excitement over her little friend.   

 Aunt Becky treated the kids to her home made ravioli and enlisted Squirt's help to prepare the meal.  Darling.  Just darling.  

 Our Christmas meal was planned, shopped for and created by my big bro and Kira.  Kyle and Becky were kitchen helpers and MAN did they do good.  Pork tenderloin with horseradish sauce, mashed potatoes, home made rolls, baked vegetables, wine, wine, wine....need I say more?  

Twas a lovely time with my entire family under one roof.  That happens very rarely, so we treasure the times when it works out.  Thanks to Ross and Kira for hosting the chaos and creating a Christmas dinner to remember.  Sure do love you guys.  

Next stop, Nana and Papa's house for the remainder of the trip.  Our time there was quiet and low-key, which was a perfect way to end our visit.  We went to C-mas Eve service at my home church, Hope, which is always endearing for me.  I still treasure that community of people and the building that holds them.  Santa found his way to Papa and Nana's chimney, I'm sure because of the reindeer food the kids sprinkled (dumped in one big pile) on the driveway, so Christmas morning did not disappoint.  Dude got his volcano (minus the remote control) and Squirt got her beloved candy canes and a bonus pack of mints.  Just for her.  Elfie even flew to the Windy City and hid each morning, adding to the magic.

 I would have typically made this little gem of a picture its own blog post, but there are way too many posts needing to be uploaded at the moment.  

My parents live on a pond that attaches to additional ponds.  Given the frigid temps, the ponds were solid ice.  This provided for outstanding outdoor entertainment.  See below.  My Dad thought this revelation of utilizing the frozen pond was so exciting that he up and bought a pair of hockey skates and has been frolicking on the ice ever since.  I envision his pirouetting and lifting his lanky legs in the air, but I kinda think he's just skating.  

 Hey look, it's me!  

This ends Windy City Christmas Part I.  Part II (Vogelzang festivities) to come.

Jolly Old Saint Nick

Our local outdoor mall is not only a hot spot for all our shopping and dining needs, but they also host the very best Santa this side of the Rockies.  He's jolly, he's old and his name is Nick.  What else could you ask for?  He allows parents to take a plethora of their own photos and his elves are welcoming, appropriately dressed and don't ask you to pay $15 for their crummy Polaroid shots.  The elves also make sure each child is referred to by name and age when they approach the man in red's cushy lap. Not to mention the carolers that serenade you while you wait in line.  Sounds dreamy huh?  Our kids believe in Santa and for now, we're okay with that.  It was darling to see their hyper selves calm as they got closer to Mr. Claus.  They sensed the gravity of this man's presence.  Squirt had a perma-smile as she boarded his lap and couldn't stop grinning throughout the ordeal.  Dude was silly and sweet and whispered his Christmas wish in Santa's ear as he departed.  (A remote control volcano of course).  Squirt firmly and quietly asked for a candy cane.  Mom and Dad even joined in the fun, which tickled the kids pink.

There are two poses we can coerce out of our son.  The pose above is the "nice" option.  For whatever reason, the ear must be touching the shoulder to constitute "nice."  Below is just one of the many "Dude" poses that come oh so naturally. 

Casa Vogel Christmas

Over the years, we've followed an every other year trend of heading to Chi-town for Christmas.  This was the year to board a jet plane, so we did just that, 2 excited to the max kids in tow.  You see, there are more toys and opportunity for mischief at Uncle Ross and Aunt Kira's house as well as Nana and Papa's house than in their boring homestead and they were ready to get down and dirty.  Before leaving town, we celebrate as a family at home, around our own tree of gifts.  This year, we limited the gifts to things they could actually use and appreciate and lowered our spending.  I don't know why we didn't follow this mentality years ago.  It was so simple and so rewarding for everyone.  We hand picked a few items per kid and they were happy as clams. Dude got sweet legos, an Angry Bird calendar, Star Wars shirt and a book from his sis.  Squirt was tickled with her aqua yarn "R," kissing it and hugging it.  Who knew?  She also got a hat, a sleeping mat for the nights she feels the need to sleep on our floor and a book from her bro.  Daddy was surprised with a new wedding band - something hes been wanting for years.  It was a trick to get his old band off his finger and to the store to get sized, but I'm crafty that way.  This Mama was blessed with a writing retreat recently, so that was my gift. Tim added a couple books for my new journey to my stash, which was just what I wanted.  I'm lovin books these days.  Real books that you can touch with real paper in them.

Our son has a knack for kissing.  It's a problem.  We do allow him to kiss his sister, but she's not too keen on it, as evidenced below.
 

 Fast forward 24 hours...Dude is already assembling his new lego set.  He's a lego mastermind and will sit for hours following every last direction.  We're legitimately amazed at what he's capable and can't argue with his new career aspiration of becoming a Lego Teacher.  Go for the gold buddy.

 More Christmas cheer to come.

November Holiday Cheer

I'm spending some QT with my blog baby today.  She's been feeling rather neglected.  It's January 2, which means a few different things.  #1, Winter Break is almost over.  Thank you Lord.  After 2 weeks being "off schedule," family togetherness is no longer cozy and sweet.  We're all ready for our individual routines to commence.  So much so that we've resorted to tying our children together to stop the arguing and placing Dude in the rear of the Pilot to avoid the ability for the little blessings to touch each other.  Or look at each other.  I trust I'm not alone in my feeling of disdain toward winter break but maybe I'm just a terrible Mother. Which very well might be the case.  #2.  It's 2014 - the beginning of my new beginning.  More on that later.  #3.  Christmas is over.  Sad to say, I'm feeling relieved about that fact.  Decorations are stored in the cold shed, Christmas music is banned and the tree is resting with his fellow dried up trees at the tree dump.  The new year has been rung in.  Ours included a visit with the Sheas (and a few drinks), throwing our children in bed and Tim and I battling it out in a rowdy game of Sequence with our hip hop, young people music playing on the iPod to liven up the sad state we were in.  I naturally kicked his butt and we were cashed out by 11:03pm.  Jealous?

I'll wrap up the November holiday season highlights in photos below.  Quite a few to catch up on.

 I can't craft a bow to save my life.  Luckily, Mom can.  

 Next year we'll commence our tradition of chopping down a Charlie Brown tree from the mountain landscape.  The Whole Foods tree is pretty and pricey, but it's just not the same.  And it devoured our living room.  

  Mommy's angel ornament from my childhood collection.  Pretty sure Squirt busted one of her wings but it was sweet for 2 minutes. 

 What you're seeing is a small segment from Dude's popsicle stick puppet show.  The characters features are Santa and one of the three wise men.  We're all inclusive over here.  See the video below for the complete show.  Note, it might not be visually stimulating but the audio is rather darling.

Elfie was a hit again this year.  Not so much with Mom and Dad, but the kids think he's a barrel of laughs which makes it all worth it. The first night he spelled out "I'm back" in marshmallows.  Dude came running upstairs saying "Guys!  Elfie is here and he's BAKE!  He's BAKE!  I don't know what that means but he's here!"  Dude spent the morning coloring pictures for him and teaching him how to play Uno.  After 20 minutes he says, "Mom, I sure do love Elfie but he is super boring to play with."  

  

 My Chicago gal pal, Erin, made this super chic wreath and sent it with my parents.  Lovin it!  I wish her craftiness was closer in proximity.  

 Cookie Exchange 2013.  I took the year off in 2012, but brought it back due to popular demand.  I love seeing the new faces that enter my world from year to year and of course all the oldies but goodies too.  

I'll break there for now.  Our Santa visit is worthy of its own post, so that'll come soon.  Happy New Year friends!