Christmas in Upland and Aunt Christy, Uncle Matt, Brielle, and Oliver Visit

Samantha: 115 Months, Week 2

Aedan: 83 Months, Week 1

Owen: 39 Months, Week 2

After arriving in Upland on December 26th, we were excited to spend a few days with Ema and Papa. We hadn't been to their house in a long time, and the kids always love it there. On Sunday morning we went to a masked service at their church, and the kids did a good job of sitting in church with us, singing along with the songs, and sitting quietly during the sermon.

We came back to the house for lunch and nap time for Owen, before we decided it was time to have our second Christmas of opening presents with Ema and Papa. It felt strange being in Upland for Christmas without Uncle Timmy, Aunt Pla, Aunt Jeni, and Alaina. It was much quieter and more subdued, but I missed our normal festivities and felt upset that Covid had just changed so many things this year. Nevertheless, we were able to video chat with Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla so they could see everyone open the presents they had bought and sent to the house. We also got presents for them that we just shipped out to California.

Here are the kids sitting in front of the Christmas tree, eagerly awaiting present time. (It's difficult to get a picture where everyone is looking at the camera and not making a silly face.)

Owen went first and opened a present from Ema and Papa. It was a Hot Wheels car transporter that can hold a whole bunch of cars, to go along with the Hot Wheels track set we got for him for Christmas. He was a hard person to think of ideas for this year, but he seems to like driving cars/vehicles around, so we figured that would be a good idea for him.

Aedan opened up the next present from Ema and Papa, and it was a Star Wars Dark Saber play sword. Aedan was asking for wooden swords like some friends had that they played with once in the fall, but instead Ema and Papa got these light-up Star Wars swords with sound effects, which were very cool.

Samantha opened the next present from Ema and Papa, which was a Barnes and Noble gift card so that she could pick out some new books. It seems like something a kid wouldn't really be excited about, but not Samantha. She loves reading so much, and Barnes and Noble is probably one of her favorite stores. She loves to wander around and look at new books to read and add to her collection, so this truly is the perfect gift for her.

Next, it was Ema and Papa's turn to open a present. I got them a Fairy Light Christmas Tree, like the one I suggested Ben get for me for Christmas, too. It's always hard to come up with ideas for Ema and Papa, so we thought that maybe decorations for their house would be nice. Plus, it's always nice to have things that brighten up the inside of your house during the wintertime. I love how Owen comes up and says, "I think it's a lump of coal!" He's such a funny kid.

We were back to Owen again, and this time he opened a present from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla. He got some train tracks that fit together to make various bridges. We have some bridge pieces for our train tracks, but they aren't very sturdy, especially when Owen drives trains on them and pushes too hard or knocks it with his feet, so I was looking for better bridges that we could use when playing trains. We definitely need to play with our trains more often. I think I sometimes forget the toys that I would play with Samantha, and trains were always a favorite of hers.

It was Aedan's turn to open up a present from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla. It was a Batman mask that changes the sound of your voice when you put it on and talk. Aedan didn't quite know what it was when he was looking at it, but definitely enjoyed it later once he got it out of the box and tried it out.

Samantha then opened something from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla. It was a Harry Potter outfit for her American Girl doll. I just love the genuine excitement she shows in this video. She is thrilled, and they picked this stuff out for her without any help from us. She just says, "Really? Oh my goodness! That is so cute! Thank you guys! That's adorable!" I love Samantha's excitement and gratefulness.

Next, it was Papa's turn to open a present. Ben usually buys a book for him every year for Christmas, something that he has read and enjoyed that he thinks his dad would like to read, too. This year's book was called "Jesus and John Wayne."

Next, Owen got a Optimus Prime shirt from Ema and Papa, which is perfect for him because he loves Rescue Bots just like Aedan did at his age. I thought it was cute how he went right over to the computer camera to Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla, so they could see what he got as well.

It was Aedan's turn to open something again, and he got a Bumblebee transformer that changes into a car. He has more of a preschool one that changes into a plane, and a giant one that transforms into a car that we got for him a couple years ago (that I think is now broken, and has so many steps that anytime he would want to transform it, even I would have to look up a video on YouTube). So this Bumblebee is perfect because it's a little more complicated, but not too complicated.

When it was Samantha's turn, she opened a shirt from Ema and Papa that was a Harry Potter shirt that said, "Waiting for my letter from Hogwarts" and even came with a scrunchie. She really liked it. Can you tell a theme? This girl is obsessed with Harry Potter right now.

The next two presents for Ema and Papa were things the kids picked out for them at Target. Ema and Papa had mentioned that they needed some new decorations for the upstairs bathroom that they have recently redone, so they were excited to pick out a vase with some special dried flowers that go inside.

It was back to Owen again, and he got the same Star Wars Dark Saber play sword, so now both boys have one and can fight together. I know Owen thought that was really cool, but part of me wondered if maybe Samantha felt left out, and if she would have enjoyed one too, so she could join in the Star Wars battles. She's getting to that age where her interests are changing, but she still likes to join in the playing with her little brothers.

Aedan opened up another present from Ema and Papa and got a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shirt, which he was really excited about.

Then Samantha opened up a really pretty Christmas dress from Ema and Papa. At the end of the video I think she was about to say, "If only I could have opened this before this morning, I could have worn it to church today." Our church at home is still closed, so Samantha hasn't had many opportunities to wear fancy dresses for any reason.

Next, Ema and Papa opened up another present that the kids picked out for them: a glass vase with some fake evergreen branches and berries, as well as the empty vase to put the dried flowers in for decoration. I love how Owen goes off with the gift bag on his head. You know, just a normal occurrence around our house. He doesn't care if he is walking around and can't see anything! He trusts other people to protect him and stop him from hurting himself.

They saved the "best" presents for last, and Owen's was a Hot Wheels track with a shark that chomps down on the cars as they go down the track. Also, the car changes colors as it splashes into the water at the bottom. He saw this advertised somewhere and said he really wanted it.

Then, it was Aedan's turn to open up his bigger present from Ema and Papa, which was a Lego Ninjago set where you build a dragon. This was a set that he really wanted, and as you can tell, Owen was pretty excited about it, too, and tried to pull it out of Aedan's hands before he even had a chance to look at it.

Then, it was on to Samantha's bigger present. This was what she was MOST excited about, for sure. The Yule Ball set for Harry Potter that includes part of the Hogwarts Castle. This was the top present on her list, other than the step counting watch that we got for her, and she couldn't wait to open this set up and build it. You can see the excitement on her face and in her voice. Even Aedan screamed, "Yes!" in the background.

Ben and I didn't have too many things to open, as we got more gift cards and things like that, but Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla did get us a new bread maker, since ours stopped working a while back, and we haven't been making bread or pizza dough since then.

The next present was for all three kids from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Pla, another idea they came up with all on their own. It was a Star Wars Lego set that you could build three different things, one being R2D2, and then you could program it to move and control it by buttons on an app on your phone. It was actually a really cool idea, and we couldn't wait to build it and try it out.

The boys were excited to get their Dark Sabers out and start their first Star Wars fight with their new swords.

As you can tell, once Aedan got the Batman mask out, tried it on, and saw what it could do, he was a fan. He wore it around the house a lot that night, and Owen and Samantha enjoyed taking a turn with it as well.

We had a great Christmas, everyone enjoyed their new presents, and we always feel so blessed and special when we are in Upland. The kids get gifts that show their family really knows who they are and what they like. It's fun to watch everyone open and enjoy their presents, and we have a great time together.

We didn't let anyone open up toys, like Legos or things with a lot of pieces, on Sunday night after we opened presents, but we said they could on Monday morning after breakfast. So Aedan got out his new Ninjago Lego set, Owen got out his new Hot Wheels Shark track, and Samantha started to build her Harry Potter set. Ben and I both wanted to help Samantha and Aedan, and participate in building it with them, so we built a bag with one child and then switched to the other. It was fun to watch how focused and excited they were on building. 

Aedan is really good at building and really doesn't need any help, but he likes for someone to be sitting with him, watching him, and just spending time with him.

The end result of his completed dragon was pretty awesome!

It took a little bit of work for Papa to put this Hot Wheels track together and figure out how it worked to pop the car off the side, but once we got it together, Owen played with it for quite a while. Even Aedan was interested to see how it worked. It was cute seeing them interacting with each other, playing together, and enjoying the same toy together. I have loved watching the friendship between them grow lately as Owen become older, plays with similar things that Aedan likes, and communicates better, too.

As you can tell in this picture, Samantha was pretty tired on this day. She hadn't slept very well in Upland and was up way too late the night before, causing her to be grumpier and not able to focus as well. However, she wanted to start building her Yule Ball set, even though we told her that she may not have time to finish it all that day. She was okay with just taking it a bag at a time and seeing how far she was able to get. 

Later that afternoon before dinner, everyone was just needing to relax and have a moment of peace and quiet, so we let the kids watch something on TV. This is what Christmas break is for, just relaxing, playing, and resting while we have the chance. Owen often likes to cuddle with Samantha while watching a show, and she's always up for it. She cutely tucks her arm around Owen's back, and Owen rests his head against hers. They are so cute together. Owen has the best big brother and big sister one could ask for.

On Tuesday, after a better night's sleep for Samantha, we were able to continue working on her Hogwarts Castle Yule Ball set. I thought I took a picture of the final product, but I guess I didn't. She was getting pretty close in this picture, and she was determined to finish it that day before we had to pack up and head back home on Wednesday. We took a little break between each building bag, but she stuck to it, and was able to put together all 922 pieces of this Lego set. Impressive!

In preparing for Aunt Christy, Brielle, Oliver, and Uncle Matt to come stay at our house for a few nights, we were trying to figure out sleeping arrangements. I had two different ideas. Aedan was going to sleep back in the bunkbed with Samantha. So we could have Matt sleep in Aedan's room and then have the futon and the queen size mattress set up for Aunt Christy and her kids in the basement, so that way they can all be together. Or, we could put a little air mattress on the floor in Aedan's room for Oliver to sleep on, and Brielle could sleep in Aedan's bed. Then, Uncle Matt and Aunt Christy could sleep in the basement, one on the futon on one side of the room and one on the mattress on the other side of the room. We didn't know what would be best for Christy's kids, but we were glad that we have a big enough house to have a variety of arrangements that we can make work when family and friends come to visit us. We were looking forward to our visitors coming soon!

Wednesday, December 30th, we packed up our van, piled in, and were on our way back home. It was a fun trip to Upland, and everyone had a good time spending quality time with Ema and Papa. As we drove back, there were tons of cops on the toll road in Ohio and Pennsylvania, so I made sure to let Aunty Christy know that, since they would soon be driving on those same roads. The trip home always seems to take longer, but our kids are troopers and do a great job.

After getting back home from being out of town, the first part of Thursday, December 31st was spent unpacking, doing some cleaning and picking up around the house, and getting ready for Aunt Christy, Brielle, Oliver, and Uncle Matt to get to our house late that night.

While Owen napped that afternoon, Samantha wanted to paint her ceramic rabbit that she got from Chicago Grandpa and Grandma. Aedan was really wanting to paint with her, but we decided that would be kind of hard to do, and although Aedan is actually really good at drawing and painting, we didn't want the two of them fighting over how to paint or Samantha getting mad because he wasn't doing it exactly like how she wanted him to. So he decided to get a box to paint in his own way. He didn't seem to care too much and enjoyed just sitting next to Samantha and painting together. He loves to spend time with her.

Our tradition for New Year's Eve is to have cheese fondue and chocolate fondue. The kids love it, it's a fun way to celebrate New Year's Eve together, and the kids look forward to it every year.

After getting all of dinner cleaned up, we found a kids' New Year's Eve countdown on YouTube so they could feel like they were participating on counting down to the new year without having to stay up until midnight (because that's not going to happen with our kids)! Here are some cute videos of the kids dancing along to the video. It had lots of different characters from different shows dancing around and singing, and they enjoyed seeing who was going to pop up on the screen next.

This last video is great because at the end of the countdown, the kids run at us and give us big kisses for the new year. Happy New Year! Good riddance to 2020, and here's to a better, hopefully more normal (at some point) 2021.

All the kids were excited to play together on Friday morning. It was fun having these cousins all together and giving them a chance to enjoy lots of time together.

One of the good things about living far away from family is that we get to celebrate Christmas and opening presents multiple times, which is exciting for the kids! So on New Year's Day, we opened presents with Aunty Christy, Brielle, Oliver, and Uncle Matt. I tried to get a picture of all five of them sitting together, but apparently Owen wasn't in the mood, as he is hiding in the background in most of the pictures.

We tried to have everyone take turns opening things so we could see what everyone was getting, but it was hard to do that with five excited kids. Here is Brielle opening up her flying fairy that we got for her.

Then Owen got kinetic play sand from Aunt Christy. I think he will enjoy playing with this. We used to play Play-Doh and stuff like that a lot when Samantha and Aedan were younger, but I feel like we don't do as much of that with Owen because he is much more interested in the older toys and activities that Samantha and and Aedan are doing.

Aedan opened up a set of Dog Man books that he got from Aunt Christy. He was really excited about that, as he has been enjoying Dog Man books we have gotten from the library, and he really is enjoying reading graphic novels right now. It's so wonderful to see him excited about reading.

Next, Samantha opened up a Babysitter Skipper set that came with a little baby and crib. She has expressed more interest in Barbies and wished she had more babies and younger girl type Barbies, so she put a few on her Christmas list this year. Aunt Christy was also able to fit our old Barbie house and all the furniture, clothes, and dolls into her van to bring out for Samantha. Samantha first got the Barbie house when she turned 4, and she played with it quite a bit for awhile, but then the last couple of years we were in Michigan, she hardly touched the Barbies or the house, so we gave it to Brielle to use before we moved out to Pennsylvania. However, now Samantha was showing more interest in wanting to play with it again, and Brielle wasn't really playing with it anymore, so we decided it would make sense to bring it back to our house again. We will see if Samantha gets more into playing with Barbies. That was pretty much all Aunt Christy and I played with when we were little, but it's probably different for us because we had each other, whereas Samantha doesn't have another girl to play Barbies with.

Samantha also got a pop-up soccer goal to use to practice. That was something she requested after playing soccer this past fall, and she was excited to be able to get it out, set it up, and use it, once the weather gets warmer in the spring.

Owen opened up a cool Star Wars set from Uncle Matt, with a mini Millennium Falcon and TIE fighter that you can pretend to fly around.

Aedan got an awesome Batmobile Lego set from Uncle Matt, something he was really excited about getting. Although, he's excited about getting any kind of Lego sets.

Next, Samantha got the Harry Potter Privet Drive Lego set from Uncle Matt. Our kids definitely love Legos, and Harry Potter sets is what Samantha is collecting right now.

I forget who exactly got what for who, but I imagine that this super hero dress up box also came from Uncle Matt, since we were kind of grouping presents together. This is a great idea for Owen because he loves to pretend he is a super hero, and now he has a few different costumes to choose from. The Incredible Hulk is one of his favorite super heroes, so I knew he would enjoy seeing that the Hulk is included in the box as well.

This next present was for all three kids to share. It was a Star Wars character set with Princess Leia, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and R2D2. They will have fun acting out the story with these figures. Star Wars is another thing we all love in our house.

Next, Owen got a Baby Yoda stuffed animal, and Uncle Matt actually had another one on order for Aedan as well.

It didn't take long for the kids to bust out the costumes and start dressing up. Owen couldn't wait to be the Incredible Hulk. Doesn't he look tough and scary in his costume?

Presents were

 over, and the kids are running wild! I guess it's a good thing we have a circle in our house you can run around and around.

After spending most of the day inside on Thursday opening and playing with presents we decided Saturday needed more structured activities. After breakfast we got out the kinetic sand that Owen got for Christmas, separated it between the five kids, and let them play and create for as long as they wanted.

You can hear how quiet and focused they are in this video. They all loved it, and Oliver and Brielle had played with it before, but our kids hadn't, so they thought it was pretty unique, much different than Play-Doh and a really neat consistency.

Here are the creations that Aedan and Samantha made once they started using cookie cutters with the kinetic sand as well.

After cleaning up the kinetic sand, we decided it would be warm enough to go outside and get some fresh air. The sun was shining, and it was good for the kids to get some energy out. We took the short drive down to the Rimple Loop trail to take a walk through the woods, play with ice on the bridges, and notice all the painted rocks.

The other exciting activity was breaking ice chunks off the bridge, throwing them off on one side, and then watching them float down the water and out the other side. It's the simple things that children often find the most fascinating! They could have all done this for a long time. They were having fun, working together, and learning new things.

(Blog about December 27, 2020-January 2, 2021)