The first few days that we awoke to snow Aaron was up before the boys, revving up his snowblower and clearing the driveway like a giddy little kid. The boys did have fun spending a few afternoons outside tromping around in the snow and doing a little sledding, and I do love the beauty of freshly fallen snow, but now it's just cold. Brace yourself from the biting chill, run from the car to the house, plain cold. The novelty has worn off and I'm just ready for some warm sunshine again.
I don't think any points will be awarded for artistry on these gingerbread houses, but the boys did succeed in using every scrap of frosting and candy in decorating their houses so they felt pretty successful about the project. Aaron perfected his snow-capped roof technique while I attempted some frosting icicles and the boys stuck candies all over in random fashion...and we put another fun family memory down in the books!
One of our most memorable Christmas activities was preparing and serving breakfast at the Ronald McDonald house. It really was fun to join our friends and Nana and Papa Grover in the kitchen and rock out to Christmas tunes while we flipped pancakes, but more importantly, it was very fulfilling to pay forward a small amount of the kindness that we received as residents in a similar facility five years ago. We left the Ronald McDonald house feeling lifted up by the feeling of spreading Christmas cheer and a little more cognizant of how very blessed our family really is.
We shared the Christmas classic, "Christmas Story" with the kids at our annual Christmas slumber party. I felt that I wouldn't be doing my parental duty if I didn't introduce them to the Christmas Story, but I don't think they found it as amusing as I did...maybe it has to grow on you over several hundred viewings.
