I wasn’t sure if we were going to get photos with Santa this year. I hate paying to get photos taken and they always seem so staged and a little risky. Who knows how the kids will react? But then Kei mentioned the Santa at his work and we just had to drop by and meet him. Thomas is so excited about Santa this year and there were no lines to wait in, so it was the perfect opportunity to get some photos.

When he actually saw the man in red in real life though, Thomas became a little shy. Santa gave him a special little gift – a silver bell from the movie Polar Express which we had watched just a few days before so it was pretty perfect.

Of course Samuel had the chance to meet him too.

And here’s the Christmas card picture – if I was organized enough to actually send Christmas cards that is.

Our tree is up. We stopped short of putting lights up on the house, but at least our living room is looking festive.

I didn’t buy any new ornaments this year, but I think I like the less-is-more approach. This tree is about a foot taller than the one we had last year. The only thing missing? Something for the top. May have to check out the post-Christmas sales for a star or angel so the tree is topped off nicely next year.

Of course I didn’t forget the candles. I really should light candles more often. I used to burn candles all the time and I really miss it.

Thomas helped me put up the decorations. He’s very good at following directions like “move your head a little that way so I can get more light on your face while you’re pretending to hang the ornament. It makes a better photo” 🙂

And there I am – look VERY closely.

Here are the stockings my Mum made for the boys. I bought some good stocking holders this year. They’re very simple, but safe. I looked at some really beautiful holders at Pottery Barn but they were so heavy that I was scared one of the kids would pull it down on their head. They were also a lot more expensive.

Oh, and here’s some validation from an anonymous observer. I found this little message written on our path the morning after we set up the tree. I guess it looks pretty through the window.

Thomas is so into Santa this year. I bought he and Samuel a Santa hat each and Thomas has barely taken it off his head since. Oh, and see those cute pajamas he’s wearing? He has barely worn them since I bought them about a year ago. The reason he wears them now? Because they have buttons like Santa’s outfit, and if it’s good enough for Santa…

It’s not really Christmas until you get the tree. Thankfully we live in Oregon where Doug Firs are plentiful and, to be honest, I really wanted the tree more for the fact that I would have somewhere to put the Christmas presents rather than anything to do with the Christmas spirit. I have to say though, that when Kei carried the 7 foot tree into our house and the smell of fresh pine completely took over, it made me want to reach for the mulled wine. Christmas has come to the Ishida house.

I did not colour correct this photo. This is really how the sky looked a few days ago. Isn’t it beautiful? We have been so lucky with the weather this year. It doesn’t even feel like winter has hit yet with most days still in at least the mid 50s. Don’t worry though. The weatherman is predicting snow on the weekend and you know what that means?… 2 inches of snow and Portland will shut down. Can’t wait. Good thing I got all my packages shipped and my Christmas shopping done because if the snow starts we may have trouble leaving the house.

It’s been a while since I posted a picture of myself on the blog…so…well… here it is. Haven’t changed much have I? This picture was taken in our new upstairs bathroom. You can tell because the walls aren’t a horrific shade of lavender.

Thomas really “gets” Christmas this year. He understands the concept of Santa and, thanks to the old “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” movie, Thomas now knows everything there is to know about the man in red. (and Kei is totally cashing in on the “Santa doesn’t bring presents for naughty boys” thing). 

A couple of days ago he showed me the contraption in the photo above. It’s the bottom half of his Duplo helicopter which has a pulley attached underneath. Now it’s a sleigh, with Santa sitting on top and a “reindeer” pulling it through the sky. Genius. As a result we’ve been playing “Santa” for the past week or so. A welcome change from The Wiggles.

The only downside is that a regular present delivery schedule has left toys spread all over the house.

Thomas developed a taste for “chocolate milk” while we were in Australia. Not just any chocolate milk – good old Aussie Milo. And we found a store that sells it in Portland so we now have a permanent local source for Thomas’ sugar fix.

Kei usually puts Thomas to bed at night while I look after Samuel and, honestly, I think putting him to bed is a skill. This kid has become so manipulative. I used to be able to stop him at three books but the other night he managed to stretch that to five (pleeeeease). Then he asked for some water, had a bad dream and at one point stood at his door and said it was time to get up and he just wanted to have some “quiet time” in the playroom. Time I started putting him to bed: 7:00. Time he finally went to sleep: 9:15.