December 23, 2009

A Traditional Santa

I would assume that the seasonal job of being a Santa would mean that each year a new person is put in the suit for boys and girls to visit. It is reasonable to think that Santa's helpers move on or find some other employment during the year. Well, not so if you visit the Santa in Marion Square located in downtown Charleston. Since 2004, Chapel's first Christmas, we have visited Santa at this venue and every year it is the same (gentleman) Santa in that suit. And I know this because he has a very particular look about him and we have pictures from each year to prove that indeed this person revives his role year after year. And Ms. Clause has been consistent for at least the past 3 years. I treasure the bond that my family has formed with this Marion Square Santa. It makes the tradition even more special because not only are we continuing the tradition of taking our children there, but he is continuing the tradition of BEING the Santa there. And with all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, isn't it nice to have tradition to look forward to?





December 21, 2009

A Folly Jolly Christmas

Living on Folly Beach has its perks. One of those, in the dead of winter, is the Folly Beach Christmas parade. What a rally. The City, which has practically been a ghost town since September, comes alive as people travel from far and near to participate in this rowdy one-of-a-kind Christmas spectacle. Having participated in Christmas parades before, I must say that the Folly Beach parade has the widest variety of floats, beauty queens, surfers, hippies, and shriners I have ever seen. My kids love it. And I love that we can simply walk from our house to Center Street and see all of our neighbors, buy hot dogs and hamburgers from the Exchange Club, and get a bag full of candy. This year we were joined by our friends Mike and Andrea and their little boy Sidney and MaMa Anne and PaPa Ed. Here we are enjoying the good times!

Waiting for the parade to start. Cold but excited.....
Jude slept while Conor was cold but awake.
Strange gorilla/surfer float??
Only on Folly does the refurbished school bus make the parade!
With the Grandparents.
Going for the candy!
Eli happy with his treats! Love this picture - priceless!



December 19, 2009

Christmas Card Chaos

It seems once you have kids, the appropriate card to send out at Christmas includes a photograph of your child(ren). Each year, for the past six that I have had kids, I have worked hard to get a nice photo and send it out to all of our family and friends. Sometimes the pictures are spontaneous and require no planning or work - like the one last year that was taken of our entire family in front of a beautiful tree in Disney World. I saw this photo and thought, this would make a perfect Christmas card. And it did.
This year, however, involved much more work. First, I ordered these cute matching "i believe" shirts from a nice lady that prints kids t-shirts for my store. Once that was done, I talked to this sweet lady who does photo's for my friend Caycee and she agreed on the spur of the moment to take the kids picture for me. So this past Wednesday I met her at the studio and it was WILD. Conor and Jude had been in the car for most of the day and Chapel and Eli drank a large coke in my car on the way there without my knowledge (long story) and that combination equaled complete chaos in this poor lady's studio. Which looked very much like she only photographed weddings and adults, not kids. But she was most accommodating and encouraging as my children ran in circles. I was convinced she would not be able to get one good shot; however, she managed to capture a few good poses for me to use. So for all of you who have not gotten my card, they are on the way. And when you see them, just know a lot of hard work went in to them! Next year, I am hoping to go the more spontaneous route.







December 14, 2009

Superhomecuts



Tonight Brett and Eli and had their second scheduled home haircuts. What is so great about getting home haircuts is not only the convenience, but also the great chit-chatting. If you think gossiping in a salon is fun, just wait until you get the opportunity to do it in your home. I am very thankful that we have a friend that is willing to come over and do the job here. I can easily schedule Brett and Eli and not have to walk around bugging Brett for weeks to go get his haircut. I can just say, "tonight is haircut night" and it is done!
The main difference is you have to sweep the hair yourself. Brett makes sure we don't throw any hair outside because his mom warned us of an old wives tale - if a bird makes a nest out of your hair, it's bad luck! Who knew????



December 08, 2009

17 Months - YES! They are twins!





Today, December 8th, my babies turned 17 months old. I can hardly believe they are practically 1 1/2 years old. Where did the time go? With each month they become more animated, more loving, and more fun. I took them park yesterday and even though they were dressed very similar, I got the same old questions. Are they twins? (Um, yeah! They are exactly the same size and both wearing chocolate stripes.) Followed by, is that one a girl and that one a boy? (Um. Um, I don't even know what to say. OF COURSE. One is in a dress and one is in pants and tee. They are definitely a boy and girl). Okay, so maybe it is not as obvious to everyone else as it is to me, but they are a pair and always have been. I guess as they age it is harder to tell they are twins. Jude's hair is so light and his skin so fair. Conor's hair and skin are very dark and she is a bit shorter than Jude. I guess I should expect these questions by now. We have been getting them from day one. And to tell you the truth, I am glad my babies still turn heads with their cuteness and still generate these questions from well intentioned strangers! Happy 17 month birthday, Conor and Jude.

December 07, 2009

Counting Down the Days

Like most kids this time of year, Chapel and Eli are counting down the days until Christmas. And like most kids in Germany, they are counting down the days with the help of an Advent Calendar. Aunt MiMi sent them the Advent calendar just last week and according to her, they are all the rage in her new country. After using Wikipedia, I now know why - the origins of the Advent calendar comes from German Lutherans who, in the early 19th century, would count down the 24 days of Advent physically by drawing lines as they waited and prepared  for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. Eventually the tradition evolved to the form used today. 

There are all sorts of Advent calendars but the premise is the same. They all have little windows with numbers on them, and you start with 1 and count up to 24 (some go to 25) until you arrive at Christmas Day. And behind each window you get a small treat and on the final day, the treat is larger than the others before it.  Which is very exciting for kids. (I did read that some Advent Calendars show pictures of the Nativity behind each window - but I bet kids still go for the candy ones!) The particular brand Meredith sent is a Haribo Advent Calendar. And Haribo is of course the Germany company responsible for the ever popular gummi bears and other like confectioneries. So this afternoon, we opened up a few windows to catch up to the 7th and the surprises were awesome. Gummi cokes, gummi sours, gummi angels, gummi bears and a bracelet with pictures of gummi candy. Chapel and Eli were so excited. And they can't wait to open more - it is full of suspense and excitement, this Advent Calendar. So hats off to the Germans for thinking of this cool calendar and making it an even more awesome tradition by incorporating some tasty treats! I can't wait to see what the final window has in store. 




December 06, 2009

Conor Johanna Barker, I Heart You

Conor is so full of life. She has the biggest personality of almost any baby I have ever met (and I have four so I should know). In the words of Uncle Ra-Ra, she demands attention. And it is true, she really knows how to get the crowd on her side. One of her biggest passions is animals. She sees a dog and starts "woof woofing" almost instantly. She sees a cat and screams, "cat, cat". So it only fits that her first trips to the zoo would capture her attention and provide entertainment for the entire family. She is truly a happy-go-lucky baby that enjoys life and embraces a new experience. So here is to Conor Johanna and her first visits to the zoo in Jacksonville, Florida and Columbia, South Carolina. Here she also at build-a-bear where she chose a cat and stroller as her gifts. I hope that she always has the fun, loving spirit that she so freely exhibits at this age. She is a sweet, smart and fun little girl that puts a smile on the faces of her mom and dad and brothers and sister.

Making "cat" at build-a-bear.

Still pushing "cat" around way past bed time.

Being Silly.
Riverbanks Zoo.

Feeding the giraffe.
Jacksonville Zoo.

December 02, 2009

Party In The USA

The Miley Cyrus concert was a blast! MaMa Anne bought the tickets for Caroline, Bren and Chapel and Crystal and I took them on Saturday night. The concert was in Columbia and that day we did a little pre-concert shopping where the girls all purchased a few new things to wear. Chapel bought the cutest pink fedora and top, Bren got a new outfit with great boots, and Caroline got some snazzy pink leopard nails. I loved how all the girls were so excited to get dressed up and do their hair and make-up. I was also very impressed that Caroline took the time to make signs at home and bring them with her to the show. Everyone loved them and we even let one concert goer beside us hold one up. The signs did demand attention and it was perfect planning on Caroline's part to come prepared.

As for the concert itself, Miley is a great performer (although not quite the level of my beloved Britney). She definitely has some awesome skills for, what, a 16 or 17 year old? Chapel was very still during most of the show, just taking it all in. She asked a few questions, but mostly she just watched and watched and watched. Never taking her eyes off the stage. All the girls loved the Party In the USA song and Chapel danced and waved her glow stick during that one. I think she was in awe because even though this was not her first concert, it was the first of this size that she can remember. 

I think I can finally embrace this Chapel growing up business! Girls night out, concerts, make-up, shopping! What's not to love? 

At the hotel, getting ready to walk to the concert.

Waiting in line outside.

Chapel and Caroline dancing.