The One About Christmas 2011

   After a long weekend of Christmas's starting Thursday night, we are all just Christmased out.  I thought I would let Gavin have a friend over today, thinking they would all play together and give me some time to catch up on laundry, dishes, etc..  Wrong!  That's okay.  They had a fun time playing with all the new toys.
   I actually managed to have TWO Ladies nights last week on Monday and Wednesday, with two different groups of friends.  It was so nice to see everyone, especially my friend Gina who I haven't seen in over a year.  Both nights we just met at DW's and enjoyed chatting and catching up.  Ernie got to spend some mornings hunting, and the weather was nice so that the boys got to take some walks and play outside.  We had a nice week leading up to Christmas. 
   We started celebrating Christmas on Thursday evening, because Nate and Jess headed to Kansas for the weekend.  Travis bought a very special gift for Nate and himself--both of them are now official Green Bay Packers SHAREHOLDERS!!!

    This year, I really wanted to start some traditions in our family and have been researching some different things we could do.  I read about sprinkling reindeer food outside on the snow, adding glitter to oatmeal so the reindeer could see it.  Well, no snow this year, but the boys sprinkled the oatmeal on the grass. 

     We also made birthday cupcakes for Jesus, and sang "Happy Birthday" to him.

I really want my boys to understand the true meaning of Christmas, and not be completely focused on the mounds of presents that Aunt Shayla tends to bring them every year despite my urging that one gift is sufficient.  I found some great ideas to celebrate Advent with children, but it was too late to do them this year.  I will be prepared for next Advent.   I know there are people (including a good friend of mine) who do not teach the tradition of Santa to their children.  My friend believes Christmas has become too commercialized and wants her children to focus on the religious meaning.  I think that's wonderful.  Ernie and I never really discussed whether or not we would teach Santa to our kids:  we just did it.  It never even crossed my mind to have that discussion.  Although I also believe that the true meaning of Christmas is now hidden behind the shopping, presents, etc..I think there is just something beautiful and magical about believing in Santa.  I don't want my children to miss out on that.  So we will just make sure we talk equally about Jesus's birth and Advent along with preparing for Santa and writing our Santa letters. 
    On Christmas Eve, Ernie and I dropped the boys off at my parents' house and went to mass.  It is always so packed full of people, and we didn't want to make the boys sit that long with no room to move.  Father started the mass by having Santa Claus walk down the aisle and kneel at the Nativity.  It was really beautiful.  I remember when we were little, we had a book about the kneeling Santa visiting Baby Jesus.  After mass, we went back to my parents' house for the Funk Christmas.  Some people couldn't make it, but we still had a full house.  I love big family Christmas celebrations!!  Grandma Rita was able to come in, so that made it extra special.  Last Christmas Eve, she was still in the hospital.  We had a surprise Christmas engagement to celebrate.  My cousin, Derek, proposed to his girlfriend Lauren on Friday night.  We also got to see Kim's baby bump for the first time.  It was a fun night.  Here are some pictures:

Asher stole the night when he opened a present and yelled, "Oh my gosh! I so excited! Look what I got Kray!  Kray..look what I got!"  He really enjoyed the older boys this year, and buddied up to Marcus especially.



My three beautiful (and extremely TALL) cousins--Sammie, Emily, & Riley, admiring their Fossil watches.  They are the final three grandkids still in high school. 

 Uncle Brian wore a Santa mask, that Asher found AMaZiNg!  He kept walking up to him and saying, "Santa!  It's Santa!"  And then Gavin got a hold of it.

On Christmas Day, we hung around home in our pajamas and let the boys open their Santa gifts and gifts from us.  Asher was very excited to get his chipmunk.

The hit gift of the morning was a pair of Spiderman shoes I found on Zulilly.  They only came in Gavin's size, but Asher has been claiming them as his ever since. 

Around noon, we headed to my parents' house again for the Kurpgeweit Christmas.  Grandpa Richard and LaRoyce left early December for Texas, so they weren't there this year.  Here is the best family picture we could get.  Neither boy felt like posing.

Gavin taught Travis how to play Angry Birds, and Asher introduced him to the Monster Book on the IPAD.



By Sunday at 5:00, I could barely keep my eyes open.  I was asleep by 8:00 that night (Thank you Ernie for putting the boys to bed and letting me go to bed early.  Best Christmas gift ever!!) 
Today, we attempted to relax.  It was so nice that we had to play at the park for awhile.  We also had our garage floor poured today out at the house site, and tomorrow they are doing the basement floor.  Thank goodness we have a good weather outlook for the week.