Christmas 2013 in Lexington

Christmas morning finally arrived and we were ready for a great day.  The only traveling we were going to do was across the driveway to have dinner with the Chrismans.  This meant we had the whole morning to hang out and play.

Here is the obligatory top of the stairs picture.  John had gone downstairs to make sure Santa had visited the house while we were sleeping and turned on the Christmas tree lights.  The girls were excited, although Reese is clearly still a little anxious about what is about to happen.  She's still getting the hang of this Christmas thing.

Then Reese opened up her stocking and saw that Santa had heard her wishes.  Whenever we asked Reese what she wanted from Santa, she always said, "A lollipop!"  And when pushed for more details, she would say, "Pink and big."  Done and done.  Good job, Santa.  Hopefully all of her future wishes will be just as easy to fulfill.

Callie was also delighted to discover that Santa had fulfilled her most important wish for a rainbow loom.  She couldn't wait to get started sorting through the hundreds of rubber bands and getting everything ready to make her first bracelet.  Once this present was opened she only had eyes for the loom.  It was fun to watch.

There were a lot of different gifts to play with, however.  We don't mean to toot our own horn, but we were pretty darn pleased with some of the gifts we got for the girls that we hope will get them thinking in all sorts of creative and scientific ways.  In the picture here they are playing with Reese's magnetiles, but Callie also received Snap circuit jr., and Goldieblocks which seem to be a hit.  There were a few interesting moments, like when Callie saw all of the containers of play dough Reese had in her stocking.  "Do you think Santa meant to put some of those in my stocking?" Callie asked.  Santa will have to remember that in the future.

Of course, Grammy provided one of the biggest hits of the day.  She bought the girls matching pajamas for them and their American Girl dolls.  These have been the pjs of choice ever since the packages were opened.  Grammy also sent stockings that provided practical items, such as floss and underwear, as well as fun items like headbands and lip gloss.

At one point early on Sarah had to specifically tell John to stop cleaning up all of the wrapping paper after each present was opened.  Apparently John has an obsessive need to limit the amount of paper on the floor.  Once his obsession was pointed out and contained, Reese could get back to thoroughly enjoying the wrapping paper chaos all around her.  Although the girls had more gifts to open than they could have imagined, it did finally come to an end.

Once we had opened up our gifts, and John was allowed to clean up a little bit, we welcomed Sharon and Chris for a brief visit.  All of their children and grandchildren were celebrating Christmas elsewhere, which in part explains why they were clearly showered and dressed while we were still in our pajamas.  Their visit also included more unwrapping, which suited Callie and Reese just fine.

It may have taken us a while, but we did manage to shower and clean up before going over to the Chrismans for Christmas dinner.  Now we have been over to the Chrismans quite a bit, and we know that they can put on a good meal.  But we all agree that this was one of their finest displays of culinary expertise.  It was impressive all around, and Sarah particularly liked the beef tenderloin with the horseradish sauce.

Not pictured here was Uncle Norman, Chris's uncle who we have come to know and love over the years.  He is 93 years old and if you ask the right questions you can get some great stories from him about all he has seen and done.

Overall, it was a wonderful day, and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.  We ended the evening with some solid relaxing, followed by a brief frenzy of packing.  We needed to be out of the house by 5am on December 26 to get to Louisville so we could continue the Christmas festivities in Connecticut.

Getting Ready for the Holidays

In the past couple of years, December has been a bit of a high octane month.  And if we don't hit the ground running, we fall behind pretty quickly.  This year was no different.

So we started our preparations the day we got back from our Thanksgiving trip to California.  The first stop was our traditional Christmas tree lot in Lexington.  It is safe to say that the girls were excited.  And as usual, the first tree that caught our eye is the one we took home.  It was by far the largest tree that we have had so far, and potentially the freshest.  It made the house smell great right away, and it lasted the whole month without falling apart.

It has also become tradition to get the girls in their Christmas jammies, put the holiday mix on the iPod, and trim the tree.  Callie and Reese were very happy with this year's pajama selections, and Sarah was proud of Reese's in particular, which said on the front, "Dear Santa, I can explain."  Very fitting, indeed.  Callie's had a more conservative look, but she loved them.  We'll see how all of this plays out over the next several years and if the trend continues.

Tree trimming is always about enjoying the process of getting the ornaments on the tree while also maintaining a healthy oversight in terms of both risk management and aesthetic appeal.  This year we only lost one ornament, and had to repair three.  That's a pretty solid year overall.  Reese and Callie both enjoyed sorting through the ornaments, finding their favorites, and remembering the trips and places we have visited to build our collection.  This year we added ornaments from Big Sur, Chicago, and Atlanta.  Not too shabby.

Although Reese's decorating style could still be classified as low and crowded, Callie has certainly matured in this area - she pays attention to widespread coverage and also knows to make sure that similar looking ornaments are not placed close to each other on the tree.  We must admit that the end result did not require much redecorating after the girls had gone to bed.

For the last four years or so, we have had the good fortune to get to see Santa in the comforts of a friend's house.  She hosts a party every year to kick off the holiday season, and Santa is there all night to talk to the children who want to share their wish lists.  This year was a big year for Callie.  For the very first time, she announced days before that she wanted to sit on his lap and tell him what she wanted for Christmas.  And as you can see from the picture she wanted to make sure that Santa truly understood what a rainbow loom was, because that was definitely the most important item on her list.

In the past, in order to get a picture with Callie and Santa, we had to sneak one in.  So several years ago, this exact grouping of girls with Santa in the background was the only kind of picture we could get.  This year was pretty cute, because the girls asked to recreate that moment.  You will notice there are no pictures of Reese with Santa.  There is a very good reason for this.  Even now, when she sees a picture of Santa, Reese informs us assertively that she does not want to sit in Santa's lap.  She is quite firm on this point.

The next Christmas activity on the list was the creation of a good looking gingerbread house.  The girls were excited about the craft, most likely because it created opportunities to sneak a piece of candy every five seconds or so.  Sarah was excited because after several up and down years with gingerbread houses she located what is essentially a pre-fab house that allowed the girls to decorate as soon as it came out of the box.  They did not have to wait overnight for things to dry or stop decorating while their parents invented new ways to hold up gingerbread wall and roofs that refused to stay in place.

The end result was one of the best we have had so far.  And there were even enough pieces of candy left to make it appear decorated.  You might also see from this picture that Sarah has allowed her children to have more artistic control of the project.  And that shows some real growth and maturity on her part.  Every Christmas provides opportunity for growth, and that is not age-restricted.

Our church does a lot of wonderful things for children throughout the year.  But we have to say, that one of the most enjoyable evenings is in early December when the children put on the Christmas pageant.  The folks involved in children's ministry and choirs do a great job putting it all together, and the chapel is usually packed with proud parents and church members who have attended every year knowing that they will be properly entertained in the spirit of the season.  Where else could they go to see baby Jesus attended to by a zebra and a mouse?  It also gives parents like us another use for Halloween costumes.

This year marked Callie's promotion from manger animal to angel.  Needless to say, she was excited by the whole deal.  And she was not alone.  Here she sits, halo and all, next to her friend Eli, who is also in kindergarten at Callie's school.  They do look pretty cute, don't you think?

Although you see all smiles in these pictures, we must share that there was a lot of hard work leading up to the pageant.  In fact, our family had the opportunity to listen to all the songs featured in the pageant over and over again in the car on our very own personal CD.  The music was good, don't get us wrong.  But it was also very, very familiar by the time the pageant evening came around.

The next phase of Christmas preparation and enjoyment was the girls' outing to the Nutcracker.  Although John did not participate in this activity, it would not have been possible without him because he was the one who made the last minute run to the Opera House to purchase tickets.  And with a little help from a friend of ours at the Opera House, John was able to get some good seats.  The girls had a fantastic time, and maybe next year Reese will even stay awake through the whole thing.

For the second consecutive year, we decided to stay in Lexington for Christmas Day before traveling to see our family.  It allows us to wake up in our own beds on Christmas morning.  But it also means that we can attend the Christmas Eve service at our church, which we have come to enjoy.  Our favorite part of the service, without a doubt, is singing Silent Night in a sanctuary lit only by the candles held by each person in attendance.  It's a beautiful reminder of what the season is all about.

And after all of the preparation, all of the activities, all of the running around, and all of the costume changes, we made it to Christmas Eve with smiles on our faces.  The girls were prepared to welcome Santa and his reindeer with all the necessities.  Although Santa may have left our house as thirsty as when he was when he arrived.

It was off to bed, and fortunately both Callie and Reese went to bed without too much fuss.  That meant we could finish up our preparations for the big day.  And there was even time left over to join the Chrismans for a special holiday beverage Chris had put together.  Everyone was prepared to have a merry Christmas.

Reese Turns 3!

With Thanksgiving passed, most people's minds turn toward Christmas.  However, we have one more important stop before we can fully get into Christmas mode.  And that stop is Reese's birthday.

This year Reese turned three, and this means she got to pick out her own cake design.  She went to the store with Callie and Sarah, and after some careful influence she saw the light and chose a ladybug cake over a Barbie one.  The final result, pictured to the left, looks wonderful.  You would never guess that its creation witnessed several potential breaking points where Sarah felt she may have bitten off more than she could chew.  It probably doesn't help that the cake is usually decorated the night before when stress levels are high.  However, the smile on Reese's face makes all the pain worthwhile.

Speaking of smiles, as well as general excitement, Reese was very happy that it was her birthday and that she got presents.  Indeed, she found it very difficult to contain herself, even when it came to reading the cards that came with the presents.  Turning three was such a wonderful thing for her, and for the rest of us as well.  Callie wanted to show Reese how to open her presents, but Reese showed that she had already mastered that skill.

One of the gifts that Reese got was a personalized Diego storybook, that not only focused on zebras but also had pictures of her inside.  It was almost too good to be true.  She had to show Sharon and Chris, who were duly impressed.  The evening was wonderful, and in what has become a birthday tradition for the girls, included a meal with the Chrismans.

It is hard to believe that Reese is three years old.  Life has been a whirlwind since she entered our lives, but she has made a name for herself in this family, that's for sure.  She is a joyful force to be reckoned with, and we are so lucky to be her parents.

Who knows what this year will bring for her.  All we know is that she is going to meet it all head on, with a big smile on her face.  Except for when she is throwing a fit, and then all smiles are out the window.

Thanksgiving 2013

This year the table's were turned for Thanksgiving.  Not only was the destination California instead of Connecticut, but this time Sarah flew out early with the girls and John caught the tail end of the visit.  Indeed, you will just have to trust us that John was there, because he did not make a single picture in this post.  And that is pretty amazing, because this post has a lot of pictures.  

The adventure started with Sarah, Callie, Reese, and Grammy heading to the Oakland Zoo to meet up with Kate, Ashlyn, Lauren, and Lauren's parents.  Within moments of the girls seeing each other they were off and running.  Lauren and Sarah constantly feel so lucky that the kids get along so well.  It is fun to see.

Callie and Kate particularly enjoy each others company, and typically ask when the next visit is going to be.  And the question is usually posed only moments after the last visit has ended.  On this trip they showed their navigational skills and led the group from one exhibit to the other at a pace that many of their elders had a hard time keeping up with.  It is just so cool to see the picture of the two of them here when you compare it to pictures taken of them when they first met in Monterey when Callie was 9 months old and Kate was 3 months old.

Unfortunately for the other two girls, their love affair is still a work in progress.  Ashlyn had a few issues to work through, and unfortunately required some one on one Grandma time.  Reese was not too dismayed, however, and took advantage of the situation by clinging onto Auntie Lo the entire time.  It is funny how holding your friends' kid is so much more tolerable than dealing with your own clingy child.

All the girls for the most part were content with posing for pictures that Lauren and Sarah required for the sake of posterity and their own amusement.  Besides, they were just having so much fun together that they didn't mind hamming it up a bit.  In fact, this was a photo that Kate and Callie specifically requested be taken.  That doesn't happen too often, so Sarah took advantage of the opportunity.

After the trip to the zoo, the whole clan headed to a local ice cream joint to reward all the good behavior.  This was a true creamery and is apparently pretty well known in the area.  The girls were certainly pleased and wouldn't mind a return trip.

This trip was extra special because we not only got to see Mr. and Mrs. Yee, but we also had a short visit with Grandma Wong, who is 92 years young.  It meant the world to Sarah to introduce Callie and Reese to Grandma Wong.

To make the most of our trip to Oakland, on the way back to Sacramento we stopped off in Benicia to have dinner with Uncle Zac.  The girls seemed content and quiet on the drive to dinner, and once we stopped the car we found out why.  Pictured here is exhibit number one, Reese caught green-handed.  Apparently she was bored using the regular coloring book and decided to see what it was like to color her hands.  Now she knows.  She must be ambidextrous, though, because both hands were pretty well covered.  Impressive to say the least.  Although we washed her hands for quite some time at Uncle Zac's house, the evidence was still there for a couple of days.

Grammy wanted to have the girls help her with some Thanksgiving crafts.  And what is better than a craft that you can eat when you are done.  The turkeys are made with oreo cookies, Reese's peanut butter cups, whoppers, and candy corns.  You can see from the smiles that they were a big hit.

GA and Aunt Haley also wanted to get some good cousin time in while we were on the West Coast, so they decided to throw a cousins birthday party.  The party was full of activities, cake, and presents.  It is amazing that in just a short period of time we have expanded to have seven cousins all age six or under.  It was a bit chaotic, but it was fun chaos.  And this is what John (not pictured here, or anywhere else on this post for that matter) flew in to see.

Speaking of expansion, here is GA with the two latest additions to the clan.  Harper, dressed here in blue, is Haley and Ryan's youngest and at Thanksgiving was nine months old.  Sadie, the littlest one of all, was born to Sara and Tyler in July and will grow up having to keep pace with her older brothers Brady and Chase.  But at this point, Brady and Chase are outnumbered, five to two when it comes to their immediate cousins.

Next up on the visit was a day with Great Grandma Lucas, who was kind enough to move to a place with a big playground across the road.  It won't be hard to get Callie and Reese to visit again when they know that this playground is part of the deal.  They got to run around while Sarah and John got to catch up with Great Grandma.  She is as feisty as ever, and loved being able to watch the girls in their element.

We had to snap a quick picture of the multiple generations before the visit was over.  It's always a good idea to capture such photogenic individuals whenever you have the chance.

The girls had fun asking Great Grandma to watch them climb this or slide down that.  And Great Grandma enjoyed the energy that circled her.

Very few pictures capture the joy that this relationship brings to both parties quite like the one to the right.  Reese loved being able to ride on Great Grandma's walker, and Great Grandma would have been happy to push her around for hours on end.  You also get the sense from this picture that Reese and Hazel are kindred spirits.  It is not far fetched to imagine that Reese will also celebrate her 80th birthday in Las Vegas.  We are so lucky that this is a relationship we have been able to nurture.

Thanksgiving Day found us all at GA and GU's house.  They were generous enough to host the whole gang, which meant dinner for 22 total.  The adult to children ratio was just over 2 to 1, but when you have 7 kids in a house, you really want at least a 3 to 1 ratio to feel safe.  We did convince all the kids to lie down in a star shape so we could capture them all from above.  It worked out pretty well.

Here are all the cousins who can stand on their own two feet and have a couple of Thanksgivings, Christmases, and family reunions under their belts.  They have a lot of fun playing together, and we are lucky that they get along so well when they only see each other once or twice a year.  Callie and Reese happily shared their chocolate turkeys with the crew, which certainly didn't hurt the warm welcome they received.

But the trip wasn't done yet!  The next day we ventured into downtown Sacramento and paid a visit to Sutter's Fort.  We have driven by it numerous times, so it was fun to actually walk around and check out the place the represents part of California's early history.  John could have been in this picture, but he was off somewhere in the fort taking pictures to use in one of his American history lectures.  Oh well, maybe he'll make next year's Thanksgiving blog post.

The final picture of the post captures part of our last night in Sacramento, when we had dinner with Grandpa Dan, Great Grandma Lucas, Keith, Uncle Zac, and Grammy.  The food was great and the company was even better.  We are so fortunate to get that time with all of them.

Before we knew it, the time had come to pack our bags and head to the airport for the return trip to Kentucky.  Thanksgiving had now passed, and we needed to get ready for the next series of events.

Fall 2013 Update

This fall marked Callie's third season with the Sting.  And like the past two, she had moments of utter joy, utter indifference, and leg fatigue.  We can't say for sure, but this may have very well marked her last season in cleats.

We thought this season would be her breakthrough, especially with John assisting Coach Patrick on the sidelines.  But alas, having your father as a coach does not necessarily make all things better.  Indeed, it might even make some things more frustrating for the father involved.  Ultimately, Callie loved her teammates and her parents loved the parents of her teammates.  The environment was encouraging and carefree, which is as it should be for five year-olds who are still figuring out which direction to run.

Of course, Callie loved her girl teammates just a little bit more than the rest.  Maddie and Janey made the whole experience just that much better.  If only there was a sport that included hugging and lifting, these three would have made us champions.

Callie's trophy shelf is up to three, and she couldn't be more proud of how they look.  Overall, it has been a fun three seasons of soccer for all us, but it just may be that Callie does not have passion for the "beautiful game" in her.

Fall 2013 also marked Reese's first official cleaning at the dentist.  She is used to following in Callie's footsteps, and apparently Callie is a great mentor because this cleaning visit occurred without any negotiation, bribery, or tears.  It's always fun to have a situation where everyone wins.  It is also important to note that at this check-up, Sarah expressed to the dentist that she did not want either Callie or Reese to lose a tooth any time soon, because in her eyes this is a true rite of passage from little kid to big kid.  Dr. Steckler eased Sarah's mind by reassuring her that Callie's teeth are tightly packed in there and are not going any where for a while.  This might mean braces in the future, but for now it means peace of mind for Sarah.