Shrek the Halls

Ok, I am by no means a movie critic. I cannot even pretend to be. I never like the same movies that the critics like, and frankly(and sadly), I don't have enough time to watch movies. Please don't take this post too seriously, especially if you are a Shrek fan.

Tonight the family got all bundled up and watched the ABC special of the night "Shrek the Halls". Ok, we may or may not have already been on the couch watching Wheel of Fortune, but when I saw that there was going to be some children's Christmas specials on TV I thought, "this may be fun...let's all gather 'round".

The kids were very excited to see Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and the whole gang on TV outside of their normal movie rolls, and I was excited because I have fond memories from childhood of being able to catch Christmas specials on TV as well. I love Charlie Brown's Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, and in the days of no TiVo, DVR, or On Demand, it was down-right special to be able to actually catch these shows on the night they were on and see them in their entirety.

I digress.

Tonight, Shrek the Halls was on, and we caught it from the beginning. I even had Scott set the DVR so we may watch it again if we felt the need. This was going to be special.

Seriously, I am not sure what I had myself set-up for! I guess, maybe, I was to wrapped up in my own childhood memories to really think about what I was getting ready to watch. If you can't tell already, I was not fond of Shrek the Halls. Of course both children watched it in their practically comatose state, and loved it, but I for one, was NOT impressed. I will promptly be removing it from the DVR.

I guess it wasn't that awful, it just wasn't as warm and cozy as some of the previously mentioned movies. I mean seriously people, who doesn't feel the warmth of the Christmas spirit when you are watching Lucy call her brother a blockhead about 100 times. Of course, there's that snugly little ol' Grinch...you just want to invite him over. Don't forget the abominable snowman in Rudolph, even if he does have a toothache, I just get the warm fuzzies every time he roars at the children.

Aahhh...The Christmas spirit and the movies. They really go hand-in-hand when you think about it.

How I Know My Son Has Grown...

With all the hub-bub lately with the holiday's and such, I feel like I am a chicken running around with my head cut off. In these dire straits, I have only one coping mechanism...LISTS! I can list out anything from to-do's to have-done's. Somehow, I feel much better when I see it out on a list, and even better when that list has stuff crossed off. So with keeping up with what I do best, I thought I would list off how I know my sweet little Pax is growing into a big boy:

He can reach the lights and turn them on and off (and on and off and on and off)

He can clear his dish from the table when he is done with his meal (and has only broke 2 plates!)

He is trying to be his own person by breaking out of his perpetual copy-cat mode. When Lanie excitedly pointed out that one of our Christmas ornaments resembled her ruby red slippers she wore on Halloween, Pax exclaimed "Me too momma! Oooh lookie this ornament looks just like my Crocs." The same, but different.

He is feeling so independent that he can cause a whole school to go into almost complete lock-down mode when his mother thought he was lost or had been snatched up. When I looked away for 2.2 seconds, as I walked into Delanie's classroom, Pax thought he would explore some other classroom...one with the lights off, door closed, and no one else in it! He had NO CLUE what the issue was, or why I was almost in tears when I found him.

He can give his sister a piece of his mind when he thinks she is making a poor choice

He can reach the locks on the doors, and lock everyone out, or himself in...whichever way you want to look at it.

He knows when he gets bigger that he just wants to be able to "Fly like a birdy"

Lastly, and most importantly, he was able to sleep through the whole night with out his paci!! Somehow, very strangely, paci got a hole. It was very odd...about as odd as the paci-fairy showing up the next morning with a new Buzz Light Year figurine. I guess now I have to see if he will make it through nap and bedtime tonight. Do not fear, I am under no assumption that we have licked the paci issue (no pun intendend), but we did make it over the first hurdle.

Aaahhhh, my boy's all grown up! Now, you'll have to excuse me while I change his diaper.

Bravery

Sometimes I wonder where exactly my girl comes up with stuff. I love that she has these wild hair-brained ideas that literally just pop right out of the sky. She has so many ideas/stories that still to this day, I cannot figure out where she would have ever come up with such a thought. I love these ideas so much that I cannot help myself but to pry, prod, and encourage her to get deeper.

Today, as we were driving home from gymnastics, Delanie informed me that she could hardly wait to get a chance to go back to Sea World. We were just there this past March with the Colorado Wright clan. Apparently, something about gymnastics got her thinking about Shamu.

Delanie: Mom, I can't wait 'til we get to go to Florida!
me: Oh ya, why is that?
Delanie: When I am there, I am going to go back to Sea World...You know the place with all the fish and stuff.
me: Ya, I remember.
Delanie: Ya, I think I am going to do something different this time.
me: What's that?
Delanie: I am going to get really brave.
me: really...why?
Delanie: Well, next time I am going to go where they feed those dolphins, ya know?
me: ya...
Delanie: And I am going to take one of those fish...you know the ones they feed the dolphins.
me: mmmhmmm
Delanie: And I am going to pop one right into my mouth and gobble it up!
me: WHAT? Why would you do that?
Delanie: Cause, I want to be brave and try fish...you know to see what it tastes like.
me: Well, if you want to try fish, sweety, you don't need to eat the Dolphin fish. You can eat fish that is for people you know.
Delanie: Ya, but I want to eat the Dolphin fish, you know, like Aunt Jen did when we were there.
me: What? Aunt Jen didn't eat the fish at the Dolphin exhibit...Why do you think she did that?
Delanie: Yes she did....When she was feeding the dolphins she said "ooohhh yummy"
me: you don't think she was just teasing?
Delanie: No momma, she ate the fish that the dolphins eat. I want to be brave too and try it...

Pax (in the most grown up and condescending tone)ewww Wanes, that's just sgusting...soo gross Wanes just sgusting...You can't eat fish that's so sgusting!

I didn't really know what to laugh at...the fact that this whole time (since March) Delanie thought that Jen had eaten the dolphin food, that she thought it was brave to eat dolphin food, that she wanted to try dolphin food, that Pax gave her a verbal tongue lashing about her choice in food, or the way Paxton says disgusting.

Pick any one of those, and you've got a winner!

A Lesson in Giving...Or Not?

'Tis the season! After a weekend full of shopping, list making, and decorating, it can officially be said that we are very wrapped up in the holiday season. With all the ads and commercials for children right now, it's not surprising that my sweet cherubs definitely have a bad case of the Gimme's/Iwannit's/Buythat's.

You know, "oooohhh a new Dora doll, Momma Gimme that!", or "Hey that's a Car's race track...Iwantit!" and "I've never seen one of those before. Can we Buythat?" Other symptoms include tantrums, red faces, tears, and stomping of feet.

This has led Scott and I to be very purposeful about teaching Delanie and Pax the gift of giving. Delanie, I am happy to say, has really grabbed onto the idea, and really has compassion for people who have nothing. She has done very well this year picking out presents for other children. I really think it is in her nature to be generous. She always has been pretty good about sharing, and offering her things to others. Oh sure, she has had a few episodes of stinginess, but she is only 4.

Paxton, on the other hand, is in a different boat than his sister. Again, I completely understand that his age is playing a VERY large role in this...most 2 year olds are all about self. I got a good dose of this earlier this season at Super T.

Scott, however, did not get to be apart of that wonderful shopping experience. He could not truly grasp where Pax stands on the giving issue. Plus, like any good parent, he saw a weakness in Pax (a lack of generosity), and wanted to help mold his heart.

So armed with a wonderful plan to take Pax to Toys R Us to buy his sister a Christmas gift that he picked out by himself, my husband was off to shape my son into a boy brimming to the top with generosity. Although I warned him on the way out of the door that this may not be all he was hoping it was going to be, Scott and Pax were off on a mission....2 very different missions.

I'm sure I don't have to tell you how this ended up. Scott came home empty-handed. Pax came home in tears, and completely un-molded. Apparently, there was this motorcycle that caught the little man's eye before they got to the girl section of the store. It's been 2 days, and he is still talking about the motorcycle. Poor Scott, he really didn't know what he was up against when he decided it would be ok to allow him to sit on it for just a minute.

Yup, we are treating a SEVERE case of the gimme's this year. It looks like it's a long lingering case...probably will last through the rest of this holiday season. We are hoping for a cure within the year.

All Aboard!

After a wonderful Thanksgiving Day dinner yesterday, where we were blessed as a family to be able to sit around a table in a warm home, with more than enough food, no major illnesses/health concerns, and as a family who actually all get along well; my family (Scott and the kids) spent the day together preparing for Christmas. Scott was thrilled to be pulling boxes and crates from the basement full of Christmas decorations and memories, and the great transformation began.

OK, so my home doesn't go through a GREAT transformation. I've seen some people's homes where you can barely recognize it from it's former self during the Christmas season. However, my home does get what would be comparable to a mini-face lift or a chemical peel. We have the 2 trees, one for the family, and one for mommy...no one else cares about having a tree that is coordinated and has each ornament placed just so.

The family tree is so special to me (and hopefully the kids too). Each year it has more and more ornaments as each child adds their yearly ornament, as well as any ornament gifts they make or we receive. As each one is unwrapped, we talk about who it belongs to and when they got it. Pax really wasn't in the reminiscent mood today, but did put a few on the tree that were not breakable. He really thought it was a game. If he got it on the branch with out it falling on the first try, there were cheers and hoots all around. Lanie wanted all her ornaments in one spot. I had to delicately explain to her balancing out the tree with ornaments so that it looks beautiful no matter where you stand. Still she wanted all hers in one area so she could sit and look a them. Eventually, we got them all spread out.

Then of course there are the mantels, vases, and banisters. New this year, a Nativity scene for the glass table. Pax is very quiet when he is around the Nativity scene...he doesn't want to wake the baby up..."Shhhh," he says, "This baby is asleep." One day he'll fully understand how precious that little baby is, and that all this fuss is all about Him. We still have another 1/2 day of decorating, and then we will call it good. Of course, at the bottom of one of the crates today was The Polar Express!

Even though I am not fond of the snow, it was perfect that it was falling today. It was a very gentle snow, similar to getting a dusting of powder sugar all day. It just made the home even more cozy as we played Christmas music and worked our way through the boxes and crates. It also reminded me of the snow that falls through out the movie, and had me very anxious to get in my pj's, climb into bed with my kids and hubby, with hot cocoa, and watch in wonder. Pax joined us this year, and was super excited to watch the "Train Movie" in mommy and daddy's bed with the lights off...And what's this in my sippy cup? It was warm cocoa...a very special treat! Of course, the movie did not disappoint. Both kids loved it, as did I. It was a very special night. I can't wait to see their faces in 2 weeks when they find out they get to ride on a real Polar Express when we visit the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.

Of course, I took some pictures...and even used the self timer so I could get in on the action...lucky you!

Here are my two little snugly bubs waiting for the movie to start:


Pax...who has no idea as to what's in store for him:


Delanie, who knows exactly what to expect, and can hardly wait:


And the whole fam thanks to self timer and an amoir...that just paid for itself hehe:

(if you're wondering about my very chic jammies, sorry they're a limited addition...no more left)

Of course there was no photography allowed during the actual viewing of the movie, but trust me memories were made.

Do a Little Dance

Tonight after dinner, we all got a special treat from Scott. He had gone out and rented Evan Almighty. This is the movie with Steve Carell, (Michael from the Office) and is the sequel to Bruce Almighty.

Carell's character has been asked by God to build a modern day Ark just days after starting his new job as a congressman. As you can see from this clip, Carell's character is also fond of doing the happy dance, and through out the movie we get to see said happy dance quite a few times.

This is a very cute movie, and even though it included real people (as opposed to cartoons, or animals that can talk because of cinema magic) both kids sat down and watched it. I think Pax liked the boat, and Lanie, she loves animals.

At the end of the movie, after the flood comes, (Oh come on, I didn't spoil it...It's Noah's Ark, people!) Carell's character has a chance to sit down with God and have a heart-to-heart. After their conversation, he and God do the Happy Dance for good measure. This leads to the credits, which leads to all the cast performing their own version of the Happy Dance (you know in the "behind the scenes" type footage) to Everybody Sweat by C+C Music Factory.

What is it about that song? Seriously, everyone wants to get up and dance....including Pax! Our little mover and shaker jumped right up from his previously almost comatose condition (which he is in anytime he is watching a show or movie), and blessed us all with his own little Happy Dance. That little man could really shake his groove-thang! Surprisingly enough, I DIDN'T have a camera!! So this is a memory I will have to hope I can forever burn into my brain, and be reminded of whenever I come back to this blog.

In case you are all wondering what it may have looked like, I guess you could say he got some moves from these elves! Way to study up, Dude!

...and yes, I got you all to look at the elves dance again hehe!

Ok...This is Too Much!

As the friend who originally sent this out suggested...Be ready to soil yourself....

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9568789045

Just our family's way of getting ready for the holidays!

Thanks, Nicole, for making me laugh :)