Our Tree

The day after the Festival of Trees, we headed to Mahoney's to choose our own tree for the Purple House.  They have all kinds of Christmas decorations at the nursery and the kids loved exploring.  They even found Rudolph!  They have watched the show a few times now and the boys really love it.  I NEED to get video of Jack saying, "ah boh boh bo snowman."  You may notice that Ben is carrying around an envelope.  It is a piece of junk mail that I handed him and told him it was his mail.  He didn't let go of it the entire night.

They all loved the greenhouse and admired the flowers.  There were some beautiful orchids there, along with pontsettias and all kinds of other blooms.  Once we got outside, the boys giggled as they ran through 'the forest' to find a tree. 

Once we were back at the purple house, everyone got into their pjs and we decorated the tree (after Grampy had put more than 1000 lights on).  The kids were very careful with the ornaments and really did a nice job.  Of course, all of the ornaments occupied the same two feet of space on the tree, but they were very proud of their work.

Apparently, Edward from Thomas the Tank Engine was present at the birth of Christ.  Who knew?

 I have been talking to Mairead lately about God, angels, heaven, and other concepts that are tough to grasp.  She seems to 'get' that God and the angels watch out for us, even though we can't see them.  I explained that Jesus is God's little boy, and told her what a manger is.  She quietly and independently arranged the manger just so.  She told me, "They can all see the baby."  I was impressed!  Maybe she remembers from last year- or maybe she was guided by a little angel.  Or Special Bear...

Festival of Trees

Last Friday night, Nana and Grampy suggested a trip to the Festival of Trees in  Methuen.  This annual event raises money for charity by collecting donated decorated trees from the community.  People pay admission to the event and then can purchase raffle tickets in the hopes of bringing one home.  It is pretty amazing.  One tree had all Patriots' decorations, and included a pair of tickets.  Another tree was adorned with tons of kitchen supplies (spoons, wisks, measuring cups, etc).  There were so many creative ideas.  The kids loved it.  It was a little overwhelming because it was crowded and there was just so much to look at, but they did really well.  The boys took turns with Grampy and Daddy.  I think they determined that up off the ground with these guys was the safest place to be- and the best vantage point.

I don't have pictures of them doing it (too crowded), but the boys' favorite part was taking the raffle tickets and putting them into the receptacles at each tree.  They would put a ticket in the slot and then peer in to see where it went.  Thanks for a fun night out, Nana and Grampy!

Happy Fakesgiving, 2011!

On the Sunday after Thanskgiving, we celebrated with our annual Fakesgiving dinner.  This is always one of our favorite holidays.  Jimmy and Jessica brought their amazing pumpkin soup, Jen and Mike made pumpkin martinis, and everyone contributed to a great meal on the table.  Mairead was very helpful in the making of the martinis.    The kids had so much fun playing together and we all enjoyed the quality time together.  Also, Katie and Steve made the big announcement that Lily is going to be a big sister in June!  Congratulations to the Crowder family!

At one point, my mom brought out a bag of old costume jewelry and let the girls have at it.  They LOVED it.  Lily kept yelling, "More Jew-ry!"  They tried on all kinds of combinations and Mairead declared herself to be "gorgeous."

Awww, how cute is this?  If she can't have a sister, a cousin is the next best thing!

This last picture is not actually from Fakesgiving, but I thought it was such an interesting shot.  Look at their hands and their faces- they are exactly alike.  They are so interesting to watch sometimes.  Their personalities can be completely opposite at times, but they have these little habits and connections that are fascinating to us.

We hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season!  We have been having fun with family gatherings, parties, decorating, and all kinds of Christmas-y activities.  It is the best feeling to watch them get so excited about Christmas and everything that comes with it!