Christmas kids and a big photo update

Watching Lauren get all excited for Christmas has sparked my Christmas spirit, which had been dormant for several years.

We started the season with St. Nicholas' day, December 6. Mr. Fro started reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to Lauren every night before bed. (She can recite the whole thing. I want to take a video of her reciting it. ) Lauren and Jeff wrote their letters to Santa and put them into their stockings on the night of the 5th. Jeff had some help with his list. Lauren dictated hers to me, and then she decorated it and signed her name.





St. Nicholas comes and takes the lists and leaves some little treats in the stocking - a bit of a Christmas appetizer. St. Nicholas' Day has always kicked off the season for me.



For you purists, who would note that the stockings should be hung by the chimney with care - that is our fireplace. It has cut-out sections on the sides which are perfect for hanging stockings.

After finding their stuffed stockings on the morning of the 6th, we were off to brunch with Santa (and my parents.) We had a lovely lunch (Jeff refused to eat his baby food, opting instead to eat my chicken spinach crepes) and then the kids got to go visit Santa - who had presents for them. It was the first Santa visit for both of them. I didn't know how Lauren would react, but she sat there and had a whole conversation with Santa. She told him the things she wants for Christmas. Then, she told Santa that Jeff can't talk, but he'd like some trucks and some toys for Christmas. That's my girl, looking out for her little brother.




Jeff sat on Santa's lap, looked at me, then turned and looked up at Santa, and looked back at me as if to say, "Um, do you see this guy?" He didn't cry, but he looked a little skeptical of the whole situation.





Santa had a big bowl of candy canes that he was giving to the kids. Lauren took hers, and then looked at the bowl and said, "Santa sure likes J's." Santa cracked up.

Lauren loves Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, you know, the old Rankin Bass stop animation movie. I had recorded it from the TV showing a few weeks ago. Then last weekend my in-laws had their annual Christmas Sleepover with all of the grandkids, and they watched Rudolph. When Lauren got home, she informed me that "Rudolph doesn't have commercials on Grandma's TV."

I happened to have picked up the DVD when I went shopping the morning of the sleepover, so imagine Lauren's delight when she realized that now, Rudolph doesn't have commercials at home, either. Fortunately, the DVD set I picked up also has Frosty, which they also watched at Grandma's.

Lauren also sings along with Christmas songs on the radio in the car. If she doesn't know the song, she makes up words. It's very funny, sometimes, the things she sings. She also surprised me in the grocery store the other day when she suddenly broke into "Feliz Navidad" in the middle of the orange juice aisle.

I took the kids for the annual Christmas portrait yesterday. I was a little leery of wrangling both of them but fortunately, they cooperated. The pictures turned out very cute and as usual, I probably ordered way too many of them. I'm using several of the ones I ordered as Christmas gifts for Aunts, Uncles, Godparents, etc. I also, for the first time this year, opted to go with the photo Christmas card. This is the photo on the card:



Some other favorites from yesterday's photos:





The woman at the photo place took the two portraits above and turned them into one composite photo with both kids in it. I love it.






These are cute, too. The photographer loved this one of Jeff. Lauren really liked her dress and kept spinning around.

I've already hung the individual portraits in their frames over the fireplace, replacing last year's portrait for Lauren, and replacing the 1-month portrait for Jeff. They both look so different!