Tot School-Christmas 09!

Again, last week was simply about celebrating the Season and spending time with the kids doing those things that make up Christmas memories and traditions. My mom was so good about doing fun things with us and for us at Christmas time, and I fully believe it's the reason the Season is still so magical to me. I promise, I'm just as excited the whole month of December as the 6 year olds awaiting for Santa to arrive. I love the decorations, the silly jewelry, the Spirit that seems to come from someplace higher, the music (I have a playlist that Grayson now is sick of... "We always listen to that music."), the time with family, the food, the giving to those who you love and those who need it most....get my drift? I love Christmas!

So, last week was about continuing one of those traditions we had in our house at Christmas time. We baked (and baked and baked) homemade cookies to decorate for the kids...well, for me and Grayson, really! I remember every Christmas my mom making these exact cookies and the anticipation for them being completed and ready to eat. I remember her taking them to school for my class's Christmas parties and being so proud that my mom brought those incredible creations. So, needless to say, I had built them up on a pedestal and couldn't wait to tackle it this year for Grayson.

The first batch came out of the oven, I smelled them, and I thought, "Mom."

Well, as a child, all you see is the finished product, the end result....the beautifully scrumptious cookie that exemplifies the essence of Christmas. You don't notice that you don't see your sweet mom for days, or that she's rubbing her hands because they're all cramped up from frosting 4 dozen cookies. Let me tell you something....I now I have a new found DEEP admiration for my mother for all the years of decorating she spent! It took one afternoon to make the dough, one day to roll it out and cut out all the cookies, and one 10 hour day of decorating. Whew!

But even though it was a LOT of work, it was such a joy to complete the task and do something for my children that my mom did for me once upon a time.

And who knows, maybe one day my children will open an oven door and think of me...


The rest of our week...
Grayson used a sticker set to make a nativity scene.

Grayson's Mother's Day out teachers gave him the most thoughtful gifts....some reindeer food, edible play dough, a gift certificate for us a night out, and some great puzzles. I'd been wanting to buy him a foam alphabet puzzle, but they found one (I think at the dollar store) first! He opened them Friday morning and played with them all morning.

Again, most of our time this week was spent doing normal things together, but I'm beginning to see that, even without a lot of super organized planning, we are finding ways to spend our time productively and having a lot of fun in the meantime.

Hope everyone had the Merriest CHRISTmas!!