All I Want For Christmas Is....Hog Wash???

We took the girls to an area business to see Santa last night! Given you have to wait outdoors, outside of his house for your turn, it was a great night to go. It was a balmy 37 degrees!
Neither of our girls believe in Santa, and Bennett is definitely not a fan of sitting on a strange man's lap, telling him what you want for Christmas when you know he won't bring it to you. She is, however a big, big fan of the beverage, Hog Wash, which was being given to children who visited Santa. This motivated her to visit with the man in the red suit.

Ainsley gladly sat with Santa, who I might add was probably a 24-year-0ld lad wearing reflective sneakers...highly realistic. Props to Santa though...he did a good job. All Ainsley wants for Christmas is a craft kit. Santa had not heard that request yet. Apparently all kids want a Zhu-Zhu Pet this year. Not Ainsley!

Here are the girls, leaving with their candy canes, coloring books, and the nasty...I mean delicious...Hog Wash! We look forward to visiting again next year!

Candle-Kazam Challenge #3...What a Doozy!!!

The reactions you see on our girls' faces regarding Dad's most recent Candle-Kazam challenge sum it all up....completely humiliating and hilarious! Candle-Kazam Challenge #3 - Dress up like Santa, climb on the

roof of the house and sing your favorite Christmas carol!
Oh my, this was one of the funniest things I have ever witnessed, personally! Even as I post these pictures, I am chuckling to myself. Dad was such a good sport. Here is "Santa" with the girls just prior to going "up on the housetop!"
Not only did Dad sing in his Santa suit, but he also broke out some serious dance moves. We were not expecting that, but it was the best thing he could have possibly done! He was HILARIOUS beyond measure and he was just belting out the tunes!


More moves...

and some more...

...and the finale! This was certainly his best challenge to date.

It's going to be a tough one to top!

After he came off the roof, he let Bennett sit on his lap and tell him what she would like for Christmas. Quite honestly she has the best thing a girl could have...an absolutely wonderful dad! He is just the best!

Candle-Kazam Challenge #2

Candle-Kazam challenge #2 is underway as I type! And the challenge is... ..."Have a sleepover with the girls in Ainsley's room. Bring a teddy bear!!!" Oh, my. The children are thrilled, especially about the teddy bear part!

Here are the cheribs, nestled in their sleeping bags and bed. Dad looks like a slacker, sleeping in the cozy bed and all. But in his defense, Bennett and Ainsley begged him to sleep in the bed so they could have the floor. He was completely fine with that arrangement! And might I add, a boy is never too old for his teddy bear.

Here are the girls and their dad, pretend sleeping. After I took the picture they decided to do some sleepover story telling. I can only imagine the tales that are being shared as I post this. Way to go, Dad! He is two for two on the Candle-Kazam challenges. Tune in for #3 in a few days!

Candle-Kazam 2010...Challenge #1

Candle-Kazam has officially begun! This December, Dad will face eight challenges. If he completes them all, we will be very amused and he will win a fabulous prize. Here he is, posing with the girls and the eight toilet paper tube candles. And yes, Bennett is wearing a tank top with shorts and Ainsley has her swimsuit on. Your guess is as good as mine on that.

Dad, bracing himself as he reads challenge #1. He actually got to start off with a really easy one this year. "Participate in an epic battle with the Chestnut Mountaineers, a.k.a. Bennett's nutcracker collection."

Here is the army Dad selected. I see he boasts the medic, the postman and a mouse soldier. Is that Randy I see as well, or could it be his twin brother Phil??? Looks like quite a team!

Bennett and Ainsley also have a strong group. A fireman, a chef, the tall general and a princess. Never pick a fight with a girl!

And the epic battle begins. It looks like the Dad's pirate soldier is going up against Randy's twin, Phil. Who won the war? This battle ended as all Chestnut Mountain battles do...a dead tie! Good job with challenge #1, Dad! We cannot wait for the others to come!

It's Coming!

It's coming! Wednesday, December 1st will mark the commencement of the 3rd-Annual Candle-Kazam! Bennett and Ainsley are ready. The question: Is Dad ready??? Stay tuned for photo highlights!

Quick Post

Little cousins on the prairie!

What It's All About

Well, the Christmas decorations went up this weekend! We usually put them up a day or two before Thanksgiving, but decided we'd have more time to enjoy the process if we did it on the weekend instead a of a weekday evening. We confirmed this theory to be true! So, I am very anal about the tree. I want it to look as good as possible, and this means lights need to be distributed evenly, the ribbon and such must be tucked perfectly into place, etc. What this also means is that the first hour and a half of putting up the tree is a mom-only, dad and kids-hands-off period of time. Bennett and Ainsley made GREAT use of the time this year. They found a few odds and ends in the decorating mess and created costumes to reinact the Christmas story. Ainsley was the angle, complete with Target sack wings and Bennett was a shepherd. A frightened shepherd!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks....I mean sleeping...maybe we need to work on recalling the story more accurately for this little shepherd.

"...the angel brought good news of great joy that would be for all the people. Today in the city of David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord!" Ah, the shepherd is alert and accepting the message, complete with baby lamb on her shoulder. Angel delivers the message with hands posed as if delivering great news, and she is delivering great news! It was really fun to see the girls wrapped up in the real meaning of Christmas as we decorated the tree. It was a great way to start the season and it's a focus I hope we maintain throughout the our celebration of Christmas!

Little Ladies At Christmas Coffeetime

This morning Ainsley, Cousin M. and I had the joy of attending a Christmas coffeetime of a friend who decorates beautifully for the holidays! He has 16 themed Christmas trees as well as many other beautiful holiday decorations. It is quite something to see. Ainsley and Cousin M. were so excited to get to come with me this year...they even dressed their best for the occasion! Here are the two little ladies posed in front of a tree containing 1,000 glass bulbs! Beautiful tree and beautiful girls!

Cousin M's personal favorite was a teddy bear tree.

Ainsley's personal favorite was the penguin tree!

The girls enjoyed some fancy treats at coffeetime. They did a great job of eating and visiting...such respectful girls. What a blessing!

As we left the gathering, we stopped to tell the silky goats "Merry Christmas!" I heard the goat say, "But it's not even Thanksgiving yet....wait, who am I kidding...Christmas should last all year! Merry Christmas to you, too!" Thank you, Merle, for opening your home to us today!

Thrifty Christmas Gift Idea

Here is a little Christmas gift idea for those of you buying for kids! I know a store that sells these blank puzzles. They are CHEAP...the one Ainsley is holding was 59 cents. Your child can draw a picture on the puzzle, color it, break it apart and have their very own art in puzzle form. The pieces are sturdy too! Here is Ainsley's first puzzle. I drew the picture and she colored it.

Ainsley LOVES puzzles so this was a really fun activity for her.

Ainsley and Cousin M. work together to put M's puzzle together. If you want details as to where you can pick these up, let me know! They are also available in various sizes/number of pieces. Fun and cheap...it's what I'm all about!

Update On the Little House Cabin

The Little House cabin is coming right along! I would say it is about 85% finished. All we need is a curtain for our window and some type of cook stove. Grandma is helping with the curtain and Dad will eventually help with a stove. The cabin is definitely being played in already though! Laura is busy sweeping while Mary cares for Baby Carrie.
It is Christmas on the prairie. We just brought in our tree and Grandma helped us make some homemade pinecone decorations. Soon we will string popcorn and make a few more ornaments. It looks like there are already a couple of cloth-wrapped gifts under the tree!

Mary crushes some corn to make cornmeal for muffins.

Laura and Mary snuggled in their bed on Christmas Eve. Thanks to our friend Kathy, we have a really cool olden days candlestick lantern seen glowing here! Don't worry, it normally will have a battery operated candle in it for fire safety. But on this snowy Christmas Eve, we felt we needed the real deal! We are loving the Little House cabin!