Christmas Grand Tour, (Mostly Consumerist) Highlights

A crazy Christmas whirlwind, in pictures:

1.) My mom showed up with a Rainbow Brite for Anneliese, and raise your hand if you almost just passed out from jealousy reading that sentence because I totally did.

Anneliese happily strapped her on (the doll is also a backpack, because why not?) and has barely put her down, despite not knowing exactly who Rainbow Brite even was (at first) -- but now that we have read a few books and streamed the 1985 movie (y'all! AMAZON HAS EVERYTHING) she is alllll in: A smart girl with a messy ponytail who runs fast and rides a unicorn with a colorful tail, and whose sidekick is basically a stuffed animal, all while wearing a million rainbows (even leg warmers!) and trying to save the world from being boring and colorless? Just close your eyes and try to imagine anything more Anneliese. See, you can't. She might be Rainbow Brite incarnate. Just throwing a theory out there.

2.) She is also now the proud owner of a glow pet (like every other child in America, apparently) and it is the most tackytastic thing I have ever seen. It is a stuffed animal, that like... unfolds into a pillow? And also glows. 

3.) Nathan got a rainbow loom and he is rainbow looming the crap out of everything (and it takes less and less help from me, which is lovely). These are his first three bracelets: one for him to match his PJs, one for Anneliese, one for Marmie.

4.) My grandpa got out of the hospital (pneumonia) on the morning of our Bumgarner family Christmas, just in time to feed Charlotte a giant bowl of cheesecake and ice cream while she gazed at him adoringly (of course). Yes, that is a cookie in her other hand.

5.) And then in her cake daze, she decided this was a hat. "It's a hat! I found it!" 

6.) My dad got Nathan a Rubik's cube, and much like the puzzles of last year, once he opened it, he was lost to it all afternoon. He also took it to bed.

(He still has not solved it. I know one of you will ask. I am smiling an amused smile at you. Okkkay. No.)

7.) Uncle Sean gave Anneliese a plastic wand with a ribbon on it, and let me tell you, that thing is Christmas GOLD. She has hardly put it down.

I kept joking that she is starting a ribbon ministry and interested applicants should talk to her. (There is a ministry for everything.) (There should not be a ministry for everything.)

8.) Winter coat, socks, no pants: this is the outfit of a child who slipped in a LOT of dog poop at her Aunt Ashley's house. (Five short hours before her big brother did the same thing at Grandpa's neighbor's house. Fourth day of Christmas = dog poop day. You heard it from the Bumgarners first.)

9.) We got Mark's mom a cruiser bike (her new house is near a greenway, and she is Dutch so her brain is probably riding a bike 85% of the time anyway, right?) and y'all, she was so legit excited she just hopped on it right that second and rode up and down the street, waving, while the kids chased and cheered. Maaaaaaybe the best moment of Christmas.

10.) Anneliese got fairy wings. She has asked for them a hundred million times in the last six months, and Grandma found rainbow ones. She wore them to climb on Grandma's new bike. As you do.

11.) All three of my kids now own Devices. There will be firm limits of usage of said Devices, but I am not sure yet exactly what those firm limits will be. For now, the Devices are unlimited Christmas break fun.

(If you're curious, the Devices are LeapPads, they are sturdy and super easy to use, and seem to have lots of games and such available.) They were all very wide-eyed at Opa and Oma's house when they opened these.

12.) We got to use Dad's house as our home base this week for bouncing between relatives' houses in the greater (greater greater) Charlotte area. And we had it to ourselves after he left town (he was on a cruise) (having his house all to ourselves was lovely enough to ease the jealousy of his cruise) (also we ordered a pay per view movie, so) which was hella easy and nice. We spread out ourselves and our kids, Anneliese had the middlest baby honor of getting Grandpa's big bed all to herself, we got pizza from an old high school haunt, and I had a lovely bath. 

(Charlotte and me at Dad's house, taking our selfies instead of going to bed.)

Oh! And I got all four kids to look at the camera at the same time, so I am pretty sure I deserve a medal. 

And that's how you do six Christmases in five days, Boom. (Hashtag exhausted.) Tomorrow Mark and I go home for a few days to ourslves, while the kids ring in the new year here. Christmas travels, the end.

Cousin Besties

So, Liam came to visit, and it was kind of awesome.

We all opened presents together with Marmie which was fairly adorable and in case you don't believe me, BEHOLD: PHOTO EVIDENCE OF THE ADORABLE:

Yes, mom got him snow pants. She got all the kids
snow pants (to go with last year's sleds?) but none of
mine looked half as adorable as Liam does here.

After Marmie went home, Liam got to stay, and my kids had a ball having their cousin here. Can I brag on my babies for a sec? Anneliese gladly gave up her bed for Liam to sleep in, and then bounced between my room and Nathan's for her own sleepy needs. She even happily handed over some animals and her favorite blankets for him to hug.

When Liam got a little weepy for his parents, even after facetiming with them, Nathan snuggled him and took pictures with him on my phone to make him smile (it almost worked).

But it is Charlotte who is the biggest magnet for Liam. They are only a few weeks apart in age, and especially after spending a good amount of time with him at Ashley's house a few weeks ago in the days leading up to my Dad's birthday dinner, they kind of adore each other now.

(Aside -- I totally forgot to mention the part of that weekend where Liam led her into the backyard woods and then we got caught in a downpour, and then as soon as I got them clean and dry, I found them in the kitchen, Charlotte pressing the fridge water dispenser ("it's waining!" ... uh no. no it is not) and padding through the flood she had created, while Liam clapped gleefully beside her.) (in other news, no one hire me to babysit two two-year-olds again anytime soon.)

Anyway I like to say they are cousin besties. (It makes me smile to see Charlotte with a special friend, since Nathan and Anneliese continue to be so incredibly bonded to each other, even in the face of a new sibling who has been around two years, which is totally a blog post for another day.) When Liam was sad for his parents, he cried next for Charlotte. They follow each other around, chatting and laughing about things only the two of them understand. Or, probably they don't understand, but maybe that makes it cuter. At one point in the weekend it got quiet in Charlotte's room and we found them like this in her bed:

So, yeah. Cousin besties. And this will always get to be The Christmas When Liam Came.

I kinda love it.

Merry Fireside Christmas

Merry Christmas! I have a fireplace! A working fireplace!

Y'all don't even know how lovely this is, or how long I have wanted it, and it was a total surprise on Christmas morning. I don't think I have had a real Christmas morning surprise moment since I was a little kid!

Apparently, several weeks before, Mark had it repaired and renovated and all ready to go for Christmas morning. Oh, I maybe swooned a little. It is SO PERFECT, maybe damn near the best Christmas present I've ever gotten. I love it so much.

Okay so besides just the fireplace we really had a lovely Christmas time together, our little family. We have tried to make it a priority (read: been somewhat insistent) that Christmas Eve and Christmas morning will always be us, always at home, and so far it has always worked.

We go to a kid-oriented bell service on Christmas Eve afternoon, then come home for a quick dinner and change. We always let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve and it's always PJs (they are always surprised), and they always wear the PJs when we head back to church for the candlelight service. Those worship times are later and the kids need to go directly to bed when we get home, and they have always been in the nursery anyway, so PJs work great. But this year Nathan was totally old enough to come to the whole worship and even sit with me in the choir (Mark was on night shift this year, so he only got to do the bell service) so I gave Nathan the option to either keep his dress clothes on, or if he reeeally wanted to wear his new PJs per tradition, he could wear them and put his kiddie choir robe back on too. And that's what he chose. PJs and a choir robe. Grinning all the way.

Oh and he loved the service. He had never seen hundreds and hundreds of candles like that, and he couldn't believe he got to hold a real one. And ring one of my bells (a real handbell, not a jingle bell but a real bell Mommy!) on joy to the world, and yeah it was ridiculously sweet and happy to have him worship with me.

ANYWAY that's how we do Christmas Eve.

And the next morning when Mark got home from work, we saw what Santa put in our stockings, then after Mark slept most of the day, we opened our presents to each other. (For me the best part of the afternoon was seeing the kids open what they picked out for each other. They get so excited trying not to tell what it is before it's unwrapped. I think they like doing their very own little shopping. So fun!)

Oh just a Daniel Tiger, in the pocket of a bigger Daniel Tiger
wearing Christmas tree glasses, gripped lovingly by owl mittens.

Santa brought a Cinderella dress and a few hugging animals
AND a scarf for Hattie!

A remote control car, and a (real!) spinosaurus tooth!
(What, Santa doesn't put actual fossils in your stocking?)

At some point late afternoon my mom came and brought Liam (new baby at his house, remember?!) and we ate breakfast for dinner, then Mark went back to work and then we played with new toys and drank coffee and had fun yes yes AND THEN I SAT SOME MORE BY MY FIREPLACE.

Did I mention the fireplace? Here, wait did you see it? Look at it again. This is what it looks like with a kid in front of it:

MAH FIREPLACE.

#fireplace

Merry fireside Christmas!

Merry Christmas Even!

One of these years Anneliese will stop calling it Christmas Even and I will be sad. But this year is not that year.

So, Merry Christmas Even to you and yours!

Sullivan

My sister had another baby! Here is Sullivan Brewer Grice, born December 23, 2013 (ooooh I just realized 12/23/2013 is a cool birthday. Big brother Liam also has a cool birthday on 9/10/11). He is perfect and sweet and already so incredibly loved.

A few pictures from a week later when we made it to Ashley's to meet him:

"It's a baby! I found it!"

All five Bumgarner grandbabies.
Death stare from number three.

our new nephew!

Advent, Super Fast

So. This is going to be an exercise in proving that I know how to not be wordy, while I tell all about Advent in one post. YES I CAN. (Right?)

It has been a lovely few weeks of preparing for Christmas, in both quiet and chaotic ways, thinking through fun gifts to buy for people we love, and dreaming of cooler weather because hey schnikeys it was like eighty today, which, during December? No, North Carolina, just no. So while y'all were hanging on the edge of your seats wondering if I would ever blog again (just go with it, it's what I need to believe) here are the lovely things we have been up to:

1.) Gift shopping. This is at Crabtree, my favorite of the malls in Raleigh. I mean, I like them all! I do! I alllmost feel disloyal naming a favorite... but it's this one. Look how pretty! Dang I love a good December mall bustle.

2.) Tree shopping. The kids were helper elves at the farmer's market getting a tree with Another Nathan.

If you think they aren't actually helpful for tree choosing, you would be wrong. You see, Nathan "knows" how tall they all are and can add up their heights for you, if you're into random math talk on Christmas outings. And Anneliese can tell you which one smells the most like Christmas. ("Oh it smells like Christmas! No this one actually. No actually this one. #actually) And Charlotte is never not delighted by a good tree: "Christmas tree! Christmas tree! I found it!") (Repeat x1000 every time she sees a tree anywhere in town during the entire month of December, including every time she walks into our living room. "I found it!" I will hear it in my sleep.)

3.) Decorating outside. Mark loves me enough to hang lights on the house and wreaths on the dormers, in the drizzling rain, with a broke-ass shoulder (YES STILL, WITH THE SHOULDER, WITH THE REHAB), in gym shorts and an undershirt because that's the weather we are having.

We never did get the garland and lights on the porch bannister which makes me a little sad and fail-y but I am trying to be okay with it. It was a fast and crazy busy December this year. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.

4.) Decorating inside. #nailedit

Kidding. We fixed it. And then decorated it.

Toddlers on stools hanging ornaments on trees = doing it right.

5.) Drinking Starbucks holiday beverages. Look, my kids drink coffee now, when its flavored like gingerbread!

No I'm kidding again. They drink hot chocolate. Occasionally flavored like a candy cane. *I* drink coffee, flavored like egg nog and chocolate, because mocha egg nog is the most genius thing I have ever come up with that somehow never ends up on the Starbucks menu board in December, probably because they couldn't afford to pay me the royalties on every one they'd sell. (That's how it works, right?) (Another Nathan calls it meggnog, which makes it sound gross and he better chill with that or Starbucks will never see the brilliance in my idea and pay me my due.)

6.) Seeing the Raleigh Ringers. They are kind of a big deal around here. In certain circles. Like musicy people and churchy people and handbell people and FINE you don't have to believe me, but they really are one of the best handbell groups in the country and yes that is a real thing.

ANYWAY their Christmas concert is always about half serious, half tacky fun, and this years tacky part had... (HAND TO HEART, THIS HAPPENED)... the local weatherman, on stage playing tuba, with handbells, on White Christmas. Just. Okay. Close your eyes and imagine it. (He was exactly as good as any decent high school tuba player.) Oh mah werd. Y'all. The crowd was honest to God enthralled. Like, smartphones out in the air taking videos. I promise you, I PROMISE, nothing has ever been less paparazzi-worthy than our weatherman playing White Christmas on the tuba accompanied by handbell choir, in a tuxedo in a fancy concert hall.

But anyway it was a lovely night and we laughed a lot and heard good music, so.

7.) Making these hymnal ornaments. I saw the idea to repurpose the old blue hymnals (Presbyterians got a new hymnal this year, remember?) into crafts and such, including ornament ideas, and I loved it. I asked our music director for a few of the broken-binded ones too dilapidated to donate, and he gladly handed them over, and then what started as an idea for me and my kids sort of morphed into Nathan's whole children's choir, and it was so fun. I let them choose their favorite Advent and Christmas songs, and then circle stamped the pages, and the kids pained wooden shapes and glued their songs on. We decoupaged them and added glitter and a ribbon, and they came out legit pretty! Not just kid crafty, but pretty!

And now the old hymnal gets to live on in people's Christmas trees, which is both supremely cheesy and also lovely.

8.) Having our annual Old Fashioned Wrapping Party™ on the floor of the living room under the watchful eye of Captain von Trapp (they let me pick the movie) (obviously).

Then I tried to cram everything under the tree and gave up with several gifts for later gatherings because they just wouldn't fit, and I made wide eyes about my very large family and whoa y'all we have GOT to rein in Christmas, but for now isn't it all joyful and splendid and lovely, all the fun things we get to give people?

9.) Going to worship a lot. Some quiet peaceful services, some really musical magestic ones, some full of joyful chaos, and I kinda love them all.

Look at Nathan's sweet choir in our pretty church! (He is in the second row, in the middle.) (And no, naysayers, we don't have a tree in the sanctuary all through Advent, just for this one hour in one evening, and then it gets donated -- and it looks giant and pretty so just go with it.)

10.) Santa's Cookie Worskhop™ -- five kinds of cookies, every year, planned and scheduled around doughs chilling and racks cooling.

Maybe one of my best moments of this Advent was sitting around my kitchen table watching all my kids frost and sprinkle cookies. I had a Moment.

Advent in one post. So much for not being wordy. Eh.

Daily Goettsch, December Edition with a Lost Tooth

This is how you blog when you're in a December frenzy: already-shared happy moments from the month!

Gray days have nothing on Anneliese.

Charlotte apparently thinks my driving needs a two-handed ridealong grip. Okay kid. Okay now.

And Nathan finally lost his first tooth! (Confession: we barely knew it was loose.)

He has been waiting for this since halfway through last school year, and finally he joins the ranks of his friends with a hole in his mouth and a matching lisp which makes me both happy and sad at the same time. We have had a rough weekend with this one, but glad for his moment tonight and ready to start fresh tomorrow. Parenting, man.

Dad's 60th

Happy 60th birthday to this guy!

That's my dad by the way.

It is also my mom's 59th birthday, because that's how my family rolls, but this weekend this year we were extra focused on Dad and his milestone. We had a big dinner at Ashley's house and food from each decade of his life.

And we made a big birthday video, like the ones I make for my kids every year. (I know how to do one thing in my video software. One thing. That.) Which was fun in itself, but also because poring over pictures of my dad was hilarious (this is the part where he texts me and says ERIN! YOU PUT THAT ON THE INTERNET?! Yes, yes dad I did):

I can only assume this is some kind of centerfold shoot? Yes?

what is this for? why does this picture exist? BLOGGING IT.

this is the most 80s thing that ever happened, ever.

I mean, when you find a great hairstyle that works for you, you don't quit it.

And also looking at photos of us as young kids was fun. Look at me!

Charlotte has me in her! I love that I have at least one kid who looks a little Bumgarnerish.

And seeing pictures of Ashley as a toddler makes me realize why my parents keep using her name on Anneliese. WHOA. Even she thought it was a picture of herself.

Anyway it was a fun weekend trip down memory lane -- weird and awkward and hard on some levels, since our family sure looks different now than it did then -- but so fun to see my dad grow up and have an incredible and adventurous life.

And because it's my blog and I can, here is one  more picture of Dad and me. Maybe my favorite of everything I found in six decades of photos. This picture says everything.

Happy birthday Dad (and mom!) -- I love you so much. SO MUCH.