Raisin' Our Voices to Wish You a Smurfy Christmas

I went to plug in our Christmas Village this morning and I was shocked to discover that it has been overtaken by vintage California Raisins and Smurfs. They used to belong to Dad and I, and they are now beloved possessions of our children. It warms my heart to see a lovely winter village just bustling with Raisins and Smurfs coming and going, caroling, shopping, and of course, riding skateboards in the snow. I do believe one of the raisins has purchased a surfboard for a special someone as well. You've got to love it when the 80's live on in your children, especially at Christmas!

Santa and Soda

Ainsley went to see Santa yesterday. This is the second Santa she's visited this year. The first Santa gave her a can of soda. I found out yesterday that her only motive for visiting a second Santa was her expectation of another can of soda. Santa's elf offered her a candy cane, which most elves do. Ainsley does not like candy canes. She politely told the elf "no thank you" and then turned to me and said, "Where is my soda?"

This second Santa did offer a perk that the Soda Santa did not...a live reindeer. Ainsley was pretty impressed by this and decided to let go of the fact that there would be no soda offered to her.

Holiday Artwork

The Girls have been creating a number of holiday works over the past few weeks. Here is a sampling of their latest art...Above are the footprint reindeer we made this afternoon. This is a family tradition of ours. This picture of a baby in front of a Christmas tree was created by Bennett as a gift for her little cousin.

Ainsley's drawing skills are exploding. Above is her first attempt at a snowman. She did a great job, and has drawn 12,578 snowmen since. Although after today, I think she'll be focused on drawing reindeer.

Candlekazam To Go

Tonight we, I mean Dad, finally completed our second to last Candlekazam challenge: Go through a drive-thru in a clown wig. It was quite entertaining for us, although the employees
who helped him didn't seem phased in the least. I'm sure they've seen crazier things while working the drive-thru window.

Deck the Halls

Bennett and Ainsley got to help Grandma decorate the playhouse for Christmas this week. Every year we have a Christmas tea party in Grandpa and Grandma's playhouse, so the place needs to look as festive as possible. They had a great time hanging the garland and stockings, setting the table and getting out the Christmas tree. I think we're ready for a Christmas Tea, complete with goodies, gifts and most importantly a space heater...it's cold in the playhouse this time of year!

Animal Rescue on the Beaches of California

School was cancelled today, due to the weather. How do children who are home from school spend their day? Playing "Animal Rescue on the Beaches of California" of course! Bennett came across a multitude of animals in danger this morning. Here she is holding a baby anaconda she found washed up on shore and barely alive. Notice the beach attire of shorts and flip flops, safety gloves for handling wildlife, and some sort of holding cage made of a Bilibo and a jumprope hanging from her shoulder. I was deemed "the naturalist" who was to give her advice as to how to care for each creature in distress. My advice when caring for a baby anaconda: Being they are water serpents (is that true?) you should keep them in a container that contains a moderate amount of water, as well as insects on which to feed. I have no idea what I'm talking about but I must not be too far off base because she took my advice. Of course, I don't think baby anacondas are known to wash up on the shores in California, so possibly both of us are way off base. Whatever the case, Bennett is greatly enjoying her day at home, I mean in California!

Candlekazam Update

We are still celebrating Candlekazam here, we've just had a few missed days due to a crazy schedule. Here is an update on Dad's Candlekazam challenges: He had to wear boxers over his jeans one evening. Don't worry...he didn't leave the house. He had to do everything blindfolded for one-half hour on a seperate occasion. He did a fine job of eating pizza and putting the clean, wet laundry into the dryer, all while blindfolded! He only has two challenges left. We're trying to figure out when they will take place, as our schedule is still pretty packed at night. He will be going through the McDonald's drive-thru wearing a rainbow clown wig. That will be fun. Finally, to wrap up Candlekazam, he must get into the bathtub with his swim trunks on. The bathtub will be full of ice cold water! That should be miserable. We'll try to get some photos of these challenges when they take place!

Thanksgiving Weekend Extravaganza

Bennett and Ainsley enjoyed our annual Thanksgiving weekend getaway with Grandpa, Grandma, Aunts and Uncles. I think this trip was exceptionally fun for them, as very little time was spent shopping. Here are some of the highlights... We got to see some great holiday lights. The first opportunity came in the form of fireworks to kick off the Christmas season. The second was a drive-through lighting display. The Girls loved both! Above they are taking in some lights. Notice Ainsley's "hanky" hanging from her belt loop: She spent the weekend battling a horrific cold, but her spirits were good even though she felt terrible.

Bennett as a dancing reindeer...

We went to see the Disney movie "Bolt" in 3-D. Here is Ainsley, watching the previews with her 3-D glasses on. By the time the movie actually started, she was over the glasses and watched 80% of the movie without them. Bennett, however, took in the flick in all of its 3-D glory. She could be heard chuckling loudly many, many times during the show. Fun!

Dad took Bennett for her first ice-skating experience while Ainsley was napping on Saturday. She had an absolute blast! She did a pretty good job, for a beginner, but she did arrive back at the hotel quite soaked from spending some considerable time on her bum.

Candlekazam!!!

So, we made a little craft the other night. It involved wrapping toilet paper tubes with construction paper and adding paper wicks to create candles. On each wick we were supposed to write down a Christmas activity for our family to do during the coming month. However, we (the girls in our family) decided it would be a much better idea to write down some CRAZY activities for Dad to do to entertain us. We have decided to call this craft/event Candlekazam! Each day for six days, Dad draws out one wick and is required to do whatever it says. The first day he had to dance a crazy dance to whatever song Bennett and Ainsley chose. He did a fine job getting down to Kung Fu Fighting by Cee-Lo and Jack Black. Today he must go about the tasks of his day with a blindfold on for one half hour. Here are some photos taken during yesterday's challenge, and it was a challenge for him..."Let Bennett and Ainsley paint your toenails." Dad is such a good sport!

Stool Steps

Bennett and Ainsley have an affection for climbing apparatuses in our home. They refer to the three we have each as Stool Steps, as if that is the proper name of an inanimate object that has feelings and a life. Weird. Anyway, they both love Stool Steps and use them regularly for various purposes. However, last night our largest Stool Steps became useful in a new way...stadium seating in the living room. Above the children can be seen eating some cheese cubes while watching a favorite PBS television show of theirs, Antiques Roadshow. Two young children eating cheese on a step stool watching Antiques Roadshow is something you just don't see every day. We live in a house of unique and entertaining experiences!