Stockings

We headed to Blacksburg on Christmas Eve and got there in time for dinner. On the way up I realized I had forgotten to put our stockings in the car. 

So Mom suggested trash bags and they actually worked out really well. Santa had an easy time filling those and not having to stuff things in their stockings.  

And really for 2020 I think garbage bag stockings are pretty fitting!

Santa came through and filled our trash bags!

Joel got money and a xbox coupon to play xbox and not have to go outside or do any chores that day.  He was super excited about this.

Today he was playing the xbox and his friend Nathan also got money from Santa to play the xbox. Actually Nathan got 5000 vbucks which Joel said is equal to about $32.  He asked why Santa left more money for Nathan than him.  

I said Joel did you tell Santa what you wanted this year?

Joel: "How could I tell Santa? This is a covid year. No one can go see Santa! What did you expect me to do? Have an awkward zoom meeting with Santa?" 

 

Christmas Eve Eve

We weren't sure if we would make it to Blacksburg this Christmas with Colin feeling so bad but he started turning a corner and feeling better. So we did our family Christmas on the 23rd.  

Watching them give gifts to each other is my favorite.  

The plan was to take Colin skiing a few days after Christmas but we have put that on hold until he gets his stitches out and can actually eat more than ice cream and soup. He is very excited and it'll be a fun weekend when we get to go. 

We like to wrap their gifts and put them under the tree al of december.. We did that growing up and its fun to shake and guess what they are. Its also fun to notice new presents put under there that day. Joel came to me and asked if he was naughty this year because a few of his presents had a bad word on it.  I went and looked and somehow only Joel got allllll the gift tag stickers with a bad word on it.  

Afterwards Colin said it didn't really feel like Christmas yet but then this whole year hasn't felt normal. And since Colin was feeling so bad we didn't do any of the typical Christmas things we do.  We slept in the next morning and then headed up to mom and dads where Colin said then it started to really feel like Christmas. 

Gingerbread Houses

The last week of school before break I found a Christmas Gingerbread House Unit on Teachers Pay Teachers and decided it would be perfect for Norah. It was an entire week of activities and tons of math problems. It was geared for 4-6 grades so some of the activities were a challenge for her.  At the end she had to build and create these gingerbread houses and then  find the area, perimeter, volume of each. It kept us busy and she loved every minute of it.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We haven't done too much this Christmas.  But have managed a few Christmas fun activities. 

Last weekend we went to see Elf in the movie theater. My friend rented out most of it for us and it was just our group and one other family there.  

Shaking presents and trying to guess what they are.

Our elves returned this year.  But the best elf this year the kids have said is Grandpa's elf named Erik. Erik has way more fun Norah says. 

The kids have been busy elves themselves making and wrapping presents.

Norah and I had to perform for our piano teacher all the Christmas songs we had been learning so we facetimed with the family the night before and gave them a concert. This is a really bad picture but it makes me laugh. And thankful for technology. 

 A friend and I took the kids on the tram ride through the Botanical Gardens one night to see the lights.