Christmas in Mattapoisett

Today we went to Mattapoisett to celebrate another day of Christmas (more presents and more eating) with Nana, Pop, Jeff, and Leah. It was rainy day and we stayed inside and played with new toys for the family - a Wii and remote controlled helicopters!

Jack played the Wii for 6 straight hours (and was exhausted by the time we left) - bowling, golf, tennis, etc... He beat everyone in bowling!! By 20 points!! Not bad for a 5 year old...

Drew wasn't as into the Wii, but had a ball playing with (or should I say destroying) the helicopters! Be sure to click on the pictures to see his facial expressions (and Josh's!) - priceless!!

Merry Christmas!

We had a great day! Apparently Joe put in a good word for the boys and they were on the "nice" list because they had presents under the tree when they woke up this morning. They even thanked Joe (they also said good-bye to him last night and said that they would see him next year!) for all of their presents! We had a lazy morning with Mimi, Baba, and Laura which consisted of opening presents and eating a big breakfast. And later on in the day Nana, Pop, and Jeff came over for round 2 - more presents and more eating. Couldn't have asked for a better day! Merry Christmas to all!

Cape Visit

The boys and I made our annual Christmas Eve trip down the Cape. It was a quick visit, but great for us to see Bede and for Bede to see the boys!

Happy Holidays!

Welcome Winter

Winter doesn't officially start until tomorrow, but it sure looked like winter when we woke up this morning! We had about 12 inches or so and got another 4 inches during the day. The boys were so excited to go outside, they could hardly wait to get all of their gear on. They had a ball digging, shoveling, and "helping" Daddy clear the walk and driveway, although Drew kept getting stuck because the snow was so deep! We had a great day being "stuck" (we could have ventured out, but didn't want to!) at home!

Not... Tall... Enough...

Drew's Turn @ The Menorah

Happy Hanukkah!

White Visit

Josh and I visited with Jon, Meg, Campbell and Josie (who we hadn't met yet!) before heading back to the 'burbs. It was great to see the girls and visit with everyone without having to worry about the boys getting into trouble!

The Last Hurrah

Josh and I escaped to Boston for the night as sort of a "last hurrah" before Snyder Baby #3 arrives (who hasn't been mentioned yet on the blog, but yes, we are expecting another bundle of joy!!). We walked around Newbury Street (and were lucky enough to witness the 2009 Santa Speedo Run) and the Back Bay (and parked a block from our old apartment on Marlborough). We shopped on Charles Street and got coffee at Panificio, just like the old days (before kids). We had an amazing dinner at Oleana and spent the night at The Liberty Hotel. On Sunday we tried going to the Paramount for breakfast (like we used to do every weekend) but the line was out the door so instead went back to Panificio, which was just as good and better than we remembered it to be. What a GREAT night away for us! Below are pictures taken from our hotel room - what a view!

The Elf on the Shelf

I kept hearing about The Elf on the Shelf from friends, one of whom called it her hero! So I did some investigating and found it to be the CUTEST idea ever.

Last night when the boys got into the tub, there was a little elf sitting on the shelf in the bathroom. They didn't notice it, so we had it point it out to them. Then we explained that he is one of Santa's elves and he's here to help Santa keep track of who is naughty and who is nice. That every night he reports back to the North Pole and tells Santa the scoop - whether they were good or bad that day. And that we'll know he went to see Santa when he shows up somewhere else tomorrow morning. There is one rule - that you can't touch him and if you do, he'll return to the North Pole and not come back. He can't talk, but you can talk to him and tell him your secrets or anything you want Santa to know.

First and foremost, we had to give our elf a name. After some suggestions (Jack and Drew being the most funny suggestions), we settled on Joe. Joe was our elf.

Jack asked where I got Joe and I said that Santa gave him to me today at the mall and he seemed convinced. He then said that Joe didn't need to go all the way to the North Pole tonight to tell Santa! That he could just go to the mall!

Jack brushed his teeth "really well" and said "Joe will be so pleased!".

When Jack got up this morning and went into the bathroom to go potty he looked around and asked, "Where's my friend Joe?". So he went downstairs and eventually found him sitting next to the cable box. He told Joe that he heard him leave last night (ha!) and that he hoped he told Santa that he wanted a race car for Christmas.

Drew isn't so sure what to make of Joe and doesn't seem as interested as Jack, but Jack keeps reminding him that Joe is watching, always watching, and that he better behave or he will be on Santa's naughty list and he won't get any presents for Christmas. He also keeps reminding Drew that Joe can't talk, but he can listen.

I think Joe is our hero...

Visit with Santa

I told the boys that after Jack got off the bus today that we would go and see Santa so that they could tell him what they wanted for Christmas and get their picture taken.

Jack: "Whoa, that's a long drive to the North Pole!"
Me: "We're not going to the North Pole, he's at the mall today!" and thinking this isn't heading in a good direction....
Jack: "What's he doing AT THE MALL??????"
Me: Changed the subject!!

It's pouring rain here today (after having an inch or two of snow this morning) and it's literally a slushy mess outside. I didn't want to go out in this weather, nevermind take the boys out in it, but it worked out perfectly because Santa was all alone and just waiting for us! In and out of the mall in under 10 minutes - can't beat that!!

Spider-Man

Jack went to Riley's birthday party this afternoon and came home looking like this!

Teacher Gift

I saw this adorable dish online and had to get one for Jack's teacher!

Let the Countdown Begin!

The first of every month Jack brings home a monthly calendar from school. Today he brought home an advent calendar and a ziploc bag full of cotton balls! Every day we're to add a cotton ball to the correct day in December and when Santa has a full beard, Christmas will be here! The countdown has officially begun!