Holiday Happenings, Week 2

You may have noticed that I love seasonal bucket lists over here. I love to plan out all the fun activities we want to cram into a few months (or weeks) and then cross those items off a list. However, you may have also noticed that we didn't do one for Christmas this year. I figure this season gets pretty hectic as it is so instead of putting any extra pressure on ourselves we're just going to wing it and see what happens. I have to say I think we're doing a pretty good job so far. Here's what we've been up to this week:

Ez and I have been crafting foam ornaments like crazy. I bought these on a whim at Michael's when the line was weaving halfway through the store and these were conveniently right there in the middle of the aisle. Impulse buying at its finest. I will say though that this is probably the best craft purchase we've gotten in a long time. Ez LOVES decorating the trees with little foam stars. In fact I had to go restock our foam star collection because he went through them all so quickly. He also loves helping me hang them on the bottom half of the tree, since they are a safer choice for Declan if he decides to eat anymore ornaments. But then, as soon as my back is turned Ez goes and collects them all off the tree so he can play with them. I find little stacks of foam ornaments all over the house. I guess they are his ornaments after all, so he can do what he wants with them. I've pretty much given up on the idea of having ornaments on the bottom half of the tree anyway.

Continuing on with our Christmas crafting streak Ez and I snuck in a gingerbread train decorating session while Declan was napping. Growing up I don't remember decorating gingerbread houses, but Ez and I did it last year and he loved it so we decided to keep up the tradition. The train was a bit more wobbly than I remember the house being, and if you were to take a peek back at last year's house you may have noticed a little bit more effort on mommy's part, but we had fun all the same and our slightly crooked train is now proudly propped up on our kitchen counter. 

One thing I was a little sad we missed out on last year was checking out all the Christmas lights. We just didn't know the area well enough to know where to look. This year we went to the same neighborhood we took the kids trick or treating and it did not disappoint. We decided to take an impromptu evening stroll and Ez loved pointing out all the candy canes and snowmen on what he calls "Christmas houses". Declan just stared transfixed for the most part, with a little "ahhhing" and pointing when a Christmas house was particularly Christmasy. I've said it before and I know I'll say it again, but this year with these two at these ages really is the best Christmas ever. Everything is magical and wonderful to them and seeing their eyes light up is my favorite part of pretty much everything. 

Obviously it's not really Christmas unless you've got your very own Christmas cactus:

In other festive news, we've been watching Disney Christmas shows on repeat (Ez is obsessed with all the Mickey Christmas shows, but especially the Huey, Louis, and Dewey one), wearing Christmas pjs as often as I can wash them, forgetting about our advent calendar and then eating three or four chocolates at a time, and Ez and Declan have thoroughly scoured every branch of the tree looking for any stray ornaments that I haven't safely moved to higher ground. Funny how they need my help to find shoes, lost toys, their water cup, and pretty much everything under the sun, but they can spot a green ornament on a green tree branch hidden all the way back by the trunk of the tree... Selective sight, is that a thing?

Hope you're all enjoying hot chocolates and Christmas lights and whatever else makes this season festive for you!

Secret Santa Book Exchange

This is our third year participating in Ashley, Elizabeth, and Courtney's Secret Santa Mommy & Me Book Exchange and I just love it more every year. We still read Little Blue Truck's Christmas and Where Do Diggers Sleep at Night on repeat, both gifts from this exchange. Last year Declan was just old enough to really get a kick out of the bubble wrap, but this year he loves books just as much as Ez which made it double the fun. 

Ez, Declan, Joe, and I had a ton of fun heading over to Barnes and Noble to pick out some books for super sweet and relatable Kimberly and her cute sons Nick and Alec over at 518 NY Mamma of 2. Be sure to head on over and check out their gifts!

As for us? We were totally spoiled by Courtney and Aria, who sent not one, but two books for Ez and Declan to enjoy. Super sweet. And all the more amazing considering Courtney just gave birth to adorable Lincoln, yet she still had time to host this exchange and pick out the perfect books for us. Right after I had Declan I spent a good amount of time lounging on the couch while the family survived on popcorn and cereal. Can you say super mom? Thank you so much Courtney, Aria, and baby Lincoln! 

I picked up a Little People Santa train for the boys and I thought it'd be fun to give them their books and train together to kick off the season. They couldn't wait to dive into their first Christmas present and as soon as the box was unpacked we wasted no time reading Eight Jolly Reindeer and Old MacDonald Had a Truck over and over to the tune of Santa's train choo chooing and blasting Christmas music. A perfectly merry start to all the Christmas festivities.

Oh, and I forgot to snap a pic but I got The Little Paris Bookshop, which is absolutely perfect for me, considering I spent years working in a book store and the author and I share a name. Can't wait to read! Thanks again, Courtney!

Be sure to head on over and check out everyone else's books! I love getting new ideas for my book list this way.

Thanks for hosting, ladies! We love this exchange so much!

Trimming the Tree

I'm probably the last blogger in blogland to get around to this but our tree is up! The ornaments have been rearranged approximately 3,689 since we decorated four days ago. The ornament casualty count is at 2.5. Not so bad, all things considering. Although one met its untimely death by being chomped into a million pieces by a certain teething toddler...probably not the best way to go.

Ez was just as into the tree this year as he was last year. And just like last year he got the highest honor of placing the star on top, which he did with as much enthusiasm as ever. Declan was a little eh about the whole thing. We had the tree for two days before we decorated and I thought for sure he'd be trying to climb it like a rambunctious cat, but nope. Barely a second glance and he was over it. He was into the decorating part though, especially climbing the step stool for no real reason other to perch up a little higher than everyone else and watch the goings on. 

Pine needles have taken over the living room, we find ornaments in the most unlikely of places, and the bottom half of the tree is bare 80% of the time, but I'll take a messy house, a partially dismantled tree, and this stage of toddler magic and wonder any day. I know the Christmas that my tree looks perfect is the Christmas that the boys have grown up a little too much for my liking, so for now cheers to imperfectly perfect Christmas trees, messes, and energetic little happy dances every time the tree lights up. 

Stocking Stuffer Exchange

When I saw that Whitney, Amy, and Jess were hosting a stocking stuffer exchange I was 100% in. Stocking stuffers are my FAVE, and as the official Santa in the house, stuffing the stockings falls under my domain. That means it's been a long while since I've had surprises in my stocking come Christmas morning. I love the giving part of Christmas, I really do. Shopping for kids and seeing their faces light up is definitely my favorite part of Christmas. But it's nice to take a break right in the midst of finding those perfect gifts for everyone else and get a bit of happy mail just for yourself.

I got partnered with Annie from Home of Malones and had such a fun time browsing her blog and getting to know her and her sweet children a little better. Annie made an excellent secret Santa and went above and beyond by not only getting me an actual stocking, which made the whole experience that much more fun and authentic, but she even sent it in a festive red package. It really was like Christmas came early.

Annie gave me a great blend of useful gifts and pampering, indulgent treats. I spy a lot of stuff I've been coveting from Target's dollar section (which is pretty much all the stuff, to be honest).

I can tell that my gift wrapping game is gonna step it up a notch this year thanks to all these fun add-ons (yes, I know those are drink stirrers, but I'm thinking they'll look super cute on top of presents too):

Not sure if you realized this Annie, but fuzzy socks and face masks are literally my fave Christmas stocking stuffers. Leggings, fuzzy socks, and baggy sweaters are my lounging around the house uniform.

And last but not least, some fun treats that my kids have already stolen ;) Not pictured are the super cute Christmas hand towels which for some reason Ez took a liking to and swiped right away. Why do we even buy him toys?

Thank you Annie! I love it all!

Make sure to head on over to Annie's blog and see her goodies, then check out all the stocking stuffers over at Whitney's for some fun Christmas shopping ideas!

Thanks for hosting, ladies!! I loved this exchange!

Holiday Happenings

The most magical time of year is upon us and we've been soaking up every bit of it. The blog has been a little quiet lately, but that's mostly because we've been so busy. Joe's mom and her husband were in town for about a week for Thanksgiving, and we went straight from all things turkey to all things Christmas overnight. I did a bit of online shopping for Black Friday, but mostly we just spent the day with family playing Uno and Mario Kart, and getting out of the house to check out the tree lighting at our local Christmas in the Park. 

Not only is there a giant tree, but there are also hundreds of normal-sized trees decorated for Christmas. We didn't realize it at the time, but they also happened to have a tiny parade with a marching band and Santa in a giant sleigh being pulled along by a train. Lucky for us we happened to be in a prime viewing spot and Ez and Declan were momentarily impressed, until a plane flew overhead and then that took priority. Of course. My favorite part is all the little trees but Ez and Declan were much more impressed by the small train choo chooing its way around a tiny track. Since it was opening night the place was packed so we didn't stay long, but you can bet we'll be back soon.

Later that week we went to a local outdoor mall for dinner and to check out their tree, which was huge and impressive...except that most of the lights didn't work. At least the star was lit up, and that's the most important part. We also came across a giant Declan-sized chess set. Needless to say, he loved it. He was running around like crazy pushing all the pieces over like the little bully he is. Since it's almost Christmas we went into Joe's favorite shop: the Tesla store. He's obsessed. And I'm pretty sure Ez and Declan are too now that they know there's a mini convertible in there just for them. Don't be fooled by their faces in the photos below, they were much more excited than they let on. 

This past weekend we headed up to San Francisco to take in all the Christmasy city magic. Union square at Christmas time is a long standing tradition from my childhood and I love sharing it with Ez and Declan now. Back then I used to go with my mom to do all our Christmas shopping together. Now Joe and I just run full speed in opposite directions trying to wrangle these two crazy boys. Slightly different experience, but still magical and fun ;) We also made a visit to Santa...but I'll save that for a different post. 

And last but not least we went to greet the holiday train for the second year in a row. Last year Declan was a tiny baby strapped to my chest so we went early and got a pretty good viewing spot. This year Declan is a whirlwind of energy that wants to climb anything remotely climbable, jump off every curb he comes across, and generally run a hundred miles an hour away from us just for the sake of being mischievous. So we got there right before the train arrived and didn't get the best viewing spot to see Santa and all the other North Pole characters. Nor did we get many pictures because our hands were full. The best part was seeing the train depart, and since pictures can't do it justice we took video instead. Ez and Declan stop whatever they're doing and come running whenever they hear this video and then stand there watching as rapt as they did that night on the train platform. Then they ask to watch it over and over again. 

Hope you are yours are enjoying a festive, magical season so far!

Stocking Stuffers for Car Loving Toddlers

train // Paw Patrol // ornament // playdough // puzzle // crayons // emergency vehicles // mini trains // socks

Happy 1st day of December!! Also, Happy Birthday to Grampa! To kick off the month let's just dive into all things merry and Christmas, shall we?

My boys may disagree but stocking stuffers are my favorite. My mom usually put some See's chocolate, a toothbrush (odd combination), some nail polish and beauty supplies, jewelry, socks, and other fun girly items in mine. To be honest, I could think of a million girl's stocking stuffers. If I had a daughter there's a good chance she'd get twice as many gifts as everyone else because there's so much cute girl stuff. Boys are slightly repetitive. I mean, how many variations of cars can I get them? Turns out, a lot. This will be Ez's fourth Christmas, and his third being obsessed with any and every type of vehicle. Declan is quickly following in his footsteps and is already awestruck by buses, planes, and motorcycles. I've been slowly stocking up on their gifts, and these are a few of the ideas that I've come up with so far. Anyone else with car loving toddlers out there that would like to add to my list? New ideas are much appreciated!! And if you'd like to branch out from stocking stuffers you can check out our favorite books about all things that go and even more car gifts here.