The Day I Killed Santa

What do Santa, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy have in common?

Less than a week ago, they all died.

At least to Mikayla they did.  A couple years ago Mikayla asked me, "Mom, are you the tooth fairy?" and since she was almost eight years old I gave it to her straight.  "Yes, I am."  and she instantly felt part of a big secret.  But she didn't ask about any of the others, and we had planned on waiting until she asked before we told her the real deal about Santa and the Easter Bunny... but she didn't ask.  Ever.

I even tried to coax it out of her last fall, knowing that Christmas would be coming up.  Asking her leading questions about if she had any questions or wanted to talk about the fact that the Tooth Fairy isn't real.  She didn't bite.

As we neared Easter we decided we'd wait until after Easter and tell her the truth, not wanting to break it to her  2 days before the holiday.  It had gotten to the point where we worried she'd start getting teased about it at school, but she takes being lied to really hard.  One of her close friends lied to her at school a few months ago and she came home sobbing like someone had chopped off her foot.  Needless to say I was a little nervous about telling her that it had all been a "lie".

The first chance we got after Easter was Monday evening on the way to Wizard of Oz rehearsal (both the girls are in the Wizard of Oz which opens in less than 2 weeks!) when it was just Mikayla in the car.

Me: Do you remember when I told you about how the Tooth Fairy isn't real and that it's really me and dad?
Mikayla: yeah?
Me: You know Santa and the Easter Bunny?
Mikayla: Are you saying they're not real too? (looking shocked and bummed)
Me: me and Dad are Santa and the Easter Bunny.
Mikayla: Does that mean nothing is real?
Me: like what things do you mean?
Mikayla: (a little bit frantic) So Leprechauns aren't real!!?
Me: (stifling a giggle) No leprechauns are not real.  These things are just fun to imagine and think about.  They're all just magical make-believe fun for kids.

She took it pretty well.  I told her that now that she was in on the secret she needed to keep the secret, and not tell anyone and ruin the fun for them.  She said it would be easy to not tell the little kids but she'd have a hard time keeping it to herself with her friends... and we were 3 minutes away from play rehearsal where there are over 100 kids of all ages.

As we pull in to the parking lot she's got her hand on her mouth saying, "Oh I'm going to tell someone! I'm going to tell someone!"  Luckily she didn't.  And since getting through that first time around friends I think she has it under control.  I'm just happy she wasn't furious with us for "lying" to her all these years, but she understood that it was for fun.

But now, as far as my oldest child goes, Santa and the Easter Bunny are gone.  But she'll still get all the goodies!  :o)

Our First Christmas Dinner

Alternate title "It's About Dang Time!"

Since Sweet Pea was a baby, 10 Christmas's ago, Spencer and I have been trying to fit in our family's Christmas celebration on Christmas morning.  But there has never been enough time.  We would come downstairs to the tree and our stockings and open our Santa presents.  Then we would open our presents to each other.  After that we would eat a quick breakfast (though one or two years I made a special breakfast, but it was rushed) and spend the next couple hours getting everyone ready, food for 3 locations ready to go, presents for 3 locations ready to go, and hope we don't forget anything.  Then we'd head over to my mom and dad's, second we'd go to my dad's side of the family, and finally spending the evening with Spencer's relatives.  It was a long day and very very rushed.

Finally this year I gave up on trying to celebrate on Christmas day and planned a special Christmas with my family for the evening before Christmas eve!

I wanted to make a big special dinner, have plenty of time to open and enjoy presents with the kids, and have dessert, followed by more family time.

The morning of the 23rd the kids went with my mom and mother-in-law to Macy's 8th floor display of "A Day in the Life of an Elf" and have lunch at McDonalds, while Spence was out working.  That time alone in the house was a life-savor because I wanted to have the house clean for the weekend and it's harder to do that with kids around!

 I made Pioneer Woman's "Perfect Potroast" and "Creamy Mashed Potatoes", salad, homemade hot chocolate, and a thaw-and-serve cookies & cream pie for dessert!

 People listen!  This is the best pot roast you will ever eat in your life!  Combined with the creamy mashed potatoes (which I put too much butter on but it was extra awesome that way!) it is perfection on a fork!

 When the girls saw the table all set pretty they were so excited, they could tell it was something special and that just made me feel so good!  Everyone loved the dinner, even Little Man who didn't really eat any of the other Christmas dinners we went to all weekend (he's a stinker like that).

 After dinner we opened presents.  Spence and I didn't have the cash-o-lah to buy for eachother so we had just planned on watching the kids open their gifts, but the girls had gone to the dollar store with Spencer's mom to shop for eachother, their brother, and Spence and me!

 I think we got a bigger kick out of watching them open the gifts they got eachother than the gifts we got them!  They were very thought out presents!  They got me bright pink nail polish because they know I like that color on my toe nails, nail clippers (constantly clipping my and the kids' nails) pretty ornaments, cd holder for the car (needed) and some other goodies!

Just Dance Kids

After all the presents were opened and enjoyed at a leisurely pace we had our dessert, and more playtime before heading to bed.  It was truly my favorite Christmas!  I cherished that relaxed quality family time together and can't wait to do it again next year!!

Cookie Baking MY Way

Last week I made sugar cookie cutouts for the kids and I to frost, because Christmas is coming soon, and if you know anything about me it's that I love cookies!

Because my Christmas tree and snowman cookie cutters were dirty, I decided to make candy canes and snow flakes!

 But, even with an excessisve amount of flour they were kind of sticking and getting messed up... so I changed it up a bit... because I can.

Yes those look like Pumpkins, yes they are supposed to be pumpkin cookie cutters, but because it is a highly dependable cookie cutter I used them anyway and called them "bulb ornaments".  Works right?

Then the girls and I frosted them!  Little Man didn't want to decorate, he's not into that artsy fartsy stuff that we are.  I made the frosting with powdered sugar and milk.  I like to start with it a little runny and then add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.  It's still a bit runny, but that's what the paper towels are for!

And because I'm kind of a freak, and because it's delicious, I threw some chocolate chips on a ball of sugar cookie dough and popped the whole thing in my mouth.  YUM!

And yes... they are all gone, and have been for a few days now.  But we made a bunch more (different kinds) last weekend so I'm all good!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from us!

Once again, couldn't get a decent picture of Little Man, but my mom did so maybe she'll send it to me ;)

 Sweet Pea was a "cute witch", Babydoll was Rapunzel, and Little Man managed to agree to wear a pirate vest... but wouldn't pose for me.

I really have no idea why we don't get trick or treaters

 Little Man made it about an hour before Spence took him home for a pack of M&Ms and bedtime.  The girls made it another half hour or so before they told me they wanted to go home because their bags were too heavy!  I don't remember that EVER being a reasonable excuse to want to go home!  I remember my mom trudging through a few feet of snow with me and my sister during a huge blizzard 20 years ago! I also remember coming home from several hours of trick or treating, in the freezing cold, with friends feeling like a popcycle! I don't EVER remember coming home because my bag was "too heavy".  I was pretty sure I had birthed them both until tonight.

Little Man told everyone "thank you" after getting his candy, and only a few times asked for more :o).  One girl handing out candy said, "yep!" after he thanked her, and he kind of looked at her like why didn't you say your welcome? and told her very cheerfully, "thank you, welcome!"

It's Funny Now, but at the time it was NOT

I've talked before about how much trouble we have getting a good picture of our kids together for the annual Christmas card, yet I still try to get that picture!  I've given up on trying to get a "perfect" shot of them together, and will settle for another compilation if I need to, but I was hoping today to get a "good" picture of them all together.

It was a beautiful fall day, with lots of leaves, and enough clean kids clothes to put together a fall color scheme for some outdoor shots.

Tell me... which of these gems screams "Merry Christmas" to you?

Easter Day!

Easter re-cap in pictures!

There was:
Easter basket hunting and finding...

 Mom's taking pictures with a flash in a completely dark room seconds after Little Man woke up... sorry buddy.

 Easter egg eating

 Jump-roping

 Bubble blowing

 Bubble chasing

 and food eating

 I made the cream cheese frosting myself and decorated them with jelly beans :o)

I didn't even attempt a picture of the three of my kids together dressed up... just stresses me out.  It was a wonderful day full of fun, family, food, and a celebration of everlasting life!

Easter Preparations and My Little Troublemaker

I've got enough Easter pictures for two posts, so this first one is dedicated to the preparation part.

Last Thursday I planned an Easter egg hunt for the daycare kids.  Our neighborhood does a huge one every Good Friday morning but one of my daycare kids (besides the babies) lives outside our neighborhood and I knew she'd love hunting for and collecting eggs, so we had one in our backyard!!

First I set out fun springtime foam stickers, plastic cups with two holes punched in the tops, one on each side, sparkly chenille sticks, and Easter grass.  By the way, I hate plastic Easter grass. Go paper, it's way less messy!

 And I set them to work making little baskets to put their goodies in!

 Since Sweet Pea was home from school that day for spring break I asked her if she wanted to hide the eggs, or find them.  She chose to hide them.  Once they were all hidden, and cup/baskets were made, they were off!

 This was Little Man's first egg hunt that he could participate in.  Last year he was still just a crawler.

 I gave the toddlers a little head start, and when they each had a few eggs I reminded the bigger kids what their egg limit was and let them loose.

After the big neighborhood hunt on Friday morning Spencer, the kids, and I decorated our Easter eggs! 

 Little Man wasn't too impressed with the process, he really just wanted to play with the bowls of dye.  Not gonna fly with this Momma!  So he took off to play while the rest of us did the eggs and played with Easter egg-shaped playdough.

 
Oh did I say play? 

Hey... where's the little guy?  I don't hear him anywhere?

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His door is closed.
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 Busted!!