Sunday, December 5, 2010

New Traditions

Creating new family traditions has been simply joyful this weekend.  It began with writing a letter to Santa himself on Friday morning-even Baby O got into it and drew a few scribbles for  old Saint Nick before sampling the red and green crayons (thank goodness they are non-toxic and a call to poison control was not necessary). 

I thought you might enjoy the finished product.

A letter to Santa Claus from Boy O as told to Mommy O:

Dear Mr. Claus,

Thank you for making toys.  We will have candy left over from Halloween, pumpkin bread and milk for you to drink.  What kind of cookies do you want?  Pumpkin?

I would like a gun that makes noise that is big.  I would like a watch that makes noise.  I would like a car that makes noise (preferably with Spiderman on it). I would also like a Buzz Lightyear doll that makes noise when you push the button.  I would like shoes that make me faster and an Iron Man helmet. 

Santa, do you have a telephone?  Can I have your phone number?  I would like to call and talk to you.  Do you know Spiderman?  What are you making for him?

Love,
Boy O

We sealed the letter in a handmade blue envelope and delivered it to the special North Pole mailbox at the post office on Saturday morning.  Have I mentioned that Boy O is obsessed with buttons and things that make noise?



I did not envision spending most of Sunday morning preparing and drawing up plans for a homemade gingerbread house.  If you plan on making one, be sure to make your measurements and drawings ahead of time-totally worth all the trouble, but it took forever.  Another helpful tip: wait until the sides of the house are COMPLETELY dry before applying the roof.  I tend to rush things and am then surprised and disappointed when the whole contraption collapses.  Luckily the rest of Family O was at the playground when this scenario and my subsequent 'gingerbread meltdown' took place.  Leftover Halloween candy and M & M's came in handy, but don't worry Santa, we still have plenty if you have a sugar craving! 








New traditions and good times all around.  Stay tuned...next weekend we go to the tree farm to pick out our tree.  

6 comments:

  1. Hey Sparrow! You won the Cozy Mason Jar-I hope you enjoy it. Can you email me your address so I can get it to you?

    By the way, your boys are beautiful! I'm sure they are loving all these new Christmas traditions!

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  2. Holy Moly Kristen! I never, never win anything. So excited. Maybe this way, I can get a good look at how you used the hem tape on the bottom and I can actually make one myself. Yay!

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  3. LOVE THE POST (as always). The letter to Santa was just adorable. All boy, he is! :) I may have to get a gingerbread house to make with Cale. Did baby help at all?

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  4. Baby O did not help, but he did eat and thoroughly enjoyed some raw gingerbread dough. I have a good recipe for gingerbread to eat, but I wanted something a bit more sturdy and brittle for the house, so I got a great recipe from the food network (just search for gingerbread house) that didn't have any eggs and cooked much harder than my normal cookie recipe. The recipe had some measurements that I just doubled, so I also doubled the recipe itself. My house was a bit big and it took forever for the royal icing to really dry, so I would suggest something a bit smaller.

    My mom also had a good idea that she used to do with me-that is a bit quicker-a house made out of grahm crackers. She said it's a lot easier, smaller and quicker, so that's also an idea if you are looking for something simple.

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  5. I have another tip-I was too cheap to go out and buy real decorating bags for the icing, so I just put the icing in a sandwich bad and cut a small piece from one corner (no professional tips needed). It was definitely messier, but when working with a 5 year old, perfection wasn't really my goal and it did the job just fine.

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  6. I am gonna have to copy those 2 traditions! Especially the gingerbread houses! (If I could only find time in my crammed weeks ahead) I always love reading about boy O and how smart he is. Just when we were in ET, I knew he was special.. Did you ever enroll him in KG or are you waiting? Cuz I know he will probably skip grades if he hasn't started.

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