Twelve Hours

Christmas Eve 6:21 p.m.

Christmas morning 6:21 a.m.

Christmas 2014

A Christmas Story

MOM reads to the Twins. Okay, it is not the Christmas story, but at least it was a story and they sat there for the entirety of it. Or most of it.

By the way, that is the Family's first piece of furniture. Dad has yet to enjoy it.

Just now, Dad went to try it out. It is very comfortable.

"Where's Buggy?" Hears Giggles.

DAD walked by the inverted tote and thought he saw it move. He looked around to take inventory of the Twins. EJ was accounted for.

He called out, "Where is Buggy?"

The tote giggled. Eventually she revealed herself.

On Pointe

DAD could not react fast enough to catch it, but Leisel was on pointe for several seconds. She was walking around too. By the time Dad found his phone and got the camera app running, she was done. She would not entertain requests to do it again.

The jammies came from Aunt Lisa. Thank you Aunt Lisa!

Trimming the Tree

MOM and Dad decided to spend the evening decorating and trimming the tree. True to their toddler nature, after decorating they began to pull them down so Mom and Dad had to undecorate the breakable ornaments.

Doughboy (and Girl)

wsrtg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doughboy

Heidi Burger

MOM offered to make a burger for Dad for dinner. She was truly inspired.

She toasted and buttered the Kaiser roll, sauteed mushrooms and onions, and topped the burger with crispy bacon and whole milk mozzarella cheese.

EJ's New Race Track

MOM bought an early Christmas gift for the kids. EJ finds it much more interesting than does Liesel.

Williams Sonoma Christmas

BEFORE Dad unpacked their stockings, he felt the need to decorate the mantle with something, but what? Oh this was too perfect.

Pretty creative Dad.

Well, They Are Stockings

BUGGY found his stocking. She pulled it down and put it on.

After a while, she asked Dad to give her hers. She put it on too.

"Don't touch the TV!"

New Post - Donna Please Let Heidi Know

HELLO New Family Readers. The kids are napping and Dad finally has some time to share new content. These posts will be brief.

Dad is tired of them climbing on the kitchen cabinets, the tables, the walls, him, so he set this up for them. After Christmas, Dad is going to build them a climbing wall in the basement.

Need to stop climbing the wrong stuff

Update: The Twin's Library

CURIOUS as to what the Twins are reading?

Guess How Much I Love You (Dad's favorite)

Hello Kitty Sweet Songs

Mr. Bear’s Vacation

Baby Einstein Mirror Me

Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

My First Read and Learn Bible

Goodnight Moon (soft paper and board book)

God made colors

God made shapes

And those books by that Doctor Seuss fella:

ABC

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

Happy Birthday to you

One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

The Cat in the Hat

Green Eggs & Ham
Mr. Brown can moo! Can you?

 
Recently added on promise of gift:
I Love You, Stinky Face
The Little Engine That Could

Happy Thanksgiving!

IT is yet again Thanksgiving. This is the Twin's second, and though they still don't know what it is, they will have memories of it for next year.
This year the New Family traveled to Illinois and spent Thanksgiving with Mom's sister and her husband in Carmi.

Before the trip, everyone got a hair cut.

Buggy got a Bob refresher

Dad discovered she prefers whole apples, not peeled.

After the last photograph, the Family loaded up into the car and drove the (no not 3 hours and 55 minutes thank-you-very-much-for-nothing Google), 4 1/2 hours to Carmi. Dad was tired and took no photos. The next day...

Aunt Lisa bought them both robes.

The New Family, with body clocks that were still on eastern standard time, woke up very early compared to their host family's custom. One of their host's children, who shall remain nameless, did not rise until 10:30 a.m. central time. The New Family apologizes for the noise they caused disturbing your sleep Hailey. Oops, sorry. Again. Well to be fair to her, and to be nice to her since Dad likes her anyway, she is a teenager and it is common for teens to tend to stay up later and sleep in later. Dad recalls working second shift as a young man and loving it. His energy curve was perfectly suited the 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift.

Dad did childcare in the Man Cave

Buggy stayed up past her nap time

EJ is fascinated by football

Kregg is proud of his feast.

TNF's host, Kregg and Lisa

Lisa and Mom

Extended family

The Cooks with Buggy and Grandma Irma

Buggy jams

Tryptophan nap

She didn't "wanna" nap, but did.

And Dad feasted on this,

It is customary in many families to give thanks to the hands that prepared this feast during the Thanksgiving dinner blessing. Perhaps we should also be thankful for the millions of other hands that helped get the dinner to the table: the grocer who sold us the turkey, the truck driver who delivered it to the store, and the farmer who raised it all contributed to our Thanksgiving dinner because our economic system rewards them. That’s the real lesson of Thanksgiving. The economic incentives provided by private competitive markets where people are left free to make their own choices make bountiful feasts possible.

From The Pilgrims' Real Thanksgiving Lesson
By Benjamin W. Powell  |  Posted: Tue. November 25, 2008

http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=2378 

And that is what Thanksgiving is.