Fleece In South Florida

Just What Every Girl in South Florida Needs....
Footed Fleece Pajamas for an 80 Degree Christmas Eve. Yep...it just makes sense. Not. When Katherine and Megan saw Alison's Footed PJ's, that is all they could talk about...Jammies with feet...just like Alison! So....I decided that would be their Christmas Eve PJ's and I went on the hunt.

This photo of Megan is a reminder of Ralphie ala

A Christmas Story....

Guess how many stores in South Florida carry heavy duty winter PJ's like this? If you find them in a store, let me know. I found a few one-piece long-john-type PJ's, but they did not have the all-important feet. Lands End and JCPenney On-line came through for me on these PJ's. The girls were excited, and surprisingly, they wore them all night.

It was difficult to guess the sizes, however, I told the girls these PJ's would last them until they leave for college and perhaps go to a climate where they actually NEED this sort of PJ's on any given winter night.

Unlike when the boys were little, the girls are not early, early morning risers on Christmas Day. (Andrew, on the other hand, got up at 3am "just to make a snack") Here they are ready to greet the surprises left by Santa. We always open stockings first, then gifts from others, then Santa gifts last, if we can hold them off. Santa gifts were all wrapped in one paper, so it was easy to tell which gifts to save for last.

Footed Fleece PJ's always remind me of traveling north with the boys in the winter. It was the only way to keep these Florida babies warm at night. They were not even used to needing a blanket at night, let alone staying covered. When Jeffrey was 3 years old, we were in New Jersey for Christmas. We could hear him early Christmas morning padding down the hallway on the wood floors. The non-skid feet in his PJ's made a distinct sound. He burst in to my dad's office, where Ron and I were sleeping, and jumped on Ron and with his HUGE BLUE BUG EYES and said,

"Dad, Santa is here!"

Ron said, "You mean he WAS here?"

Jeffrey said, "No, he is here right now. Right Now. Hurry, come and see."

Ron quickly got up and headed down the stairs with Jeffrey. The piles of gifts were a clear indication that Santa had, indeed, been there and we were in for a treat.

That was Christmas of 1986 when we drove with all 3 boys straight through from West Palm Beach to New Jersey. Andrew, at 5 months old, sat in his Car Seat for the entire trip...Front Center Seat (a huge no-no now) next to the driver as the rest of the Station Wagon was arranged just right for travel and packing all the Santa Surprises that needed to be hidden en route.

The Footed Fleece PJ's were a necessity every night of that trip north. I will have to scan the photos of each of the boys in their fleece. It will be a fun look back.

Merry Christmas!

If you are counting....yes, this is 10 posts for today.

Some sort of record for me, but then, Christmas doesn't happen every day!

Santa Is Real---Isn't He?

Santa Is Still Magic For Five More Minutes...
We spent a large portion of Christmas Eve day insulating Katherine and Megan from neighbor children who were determined to ruin the magic of believing in Santa. Their efforts were deliberate and unrelenting...until I intervened.
Historically, in our family, it has been a neighbor child who pushes the "Your parents are really Santa" issue. This year was no exception. I used great self control in not smacking a few children who went as far as to tell Katherine that if she still believed in Santa, they could not be friends. I did, however, speak with them and their parents.
Megan, on the other hand, came inside sobbing with every part of her body to tell me that the kids she was playing with tried to tell her Santa does not exist. It was a hard hit and a reality she was clearly not prepared to deal with.

I kept thinking, "This is Christmas Eve, can we just hang on to the magic for a few more hours, pleeeeeeease." (That is the point I intervened and put the smack down on the nay-sayers) And we did.

Still, I did not have to "come clean" on the Santa issue because neither of them asked me directly. I believe in never lying to my kids regarding Santa if they ask me straight on, but so far, I have not had to lie or even dance around the existence of Santa, Reindeer (after all they pooped on our front porch again this year after they ate the oats), Elves, The North Pole, etc.

Sadly, I must face that this year was it for the "Santa is Real" part of Christmas. Megan is 9 and Katherine is 11. Most 11 year olds are totally in on the "Santa is your parents" reality, yet this innocence and naivety is a blessing of Katherine having Asperger Syndrome. I am not sure she will even grasp the whole Santa-Parents Concept, but Megan will "get it" when she is ready. By next year, she will be a schooled in the "If You Believe~You Receive" Concept along with the Spirit of Santa is Giving.

To this day, I along with my grown children are still 'Believers'.

Once I do share the reality of the Santa-Parents Connection. I am firm in reminding the child how much fun it was to "believe" and that they continue to help the younger children around them enjoy the magic as they were able to.

How Do You Handle The Santa-Parent Connection?

Could you just smack a few nay saying children?

Preparations, Arrivals, and New Traditions

Christmas Eve Preparations...
For several reasons, we broke tradition (sorry mom and dad) and did not make the family Ribbon Jello Salad. Instead, the girls made Jello Parfaits with Red and Green Jello and Whipping Cream layers. Reason One: This dessert was one the girls could make with very little supervision and Two: Everyone came clean...they don't like Ribbon Jello Salad, especially the sweet layer in the center. It is pretty and festive, but is always sitting left over after dinner.
Heirloom With Dinner...

We inherited these green parfait and dessert cups from Ron's mother, who got them from her mother. I like using them at special occasions, like Christmas Eve, as it feels like we have a piece of those loved ones with us, even though they are no longer living.

Arrival From The North

Not Pole...In from Atlanta, my brother, Brent arrived just in the Nick of Time for dinner, wearing the hat he left home in and kept on his head for all 600 miles of the journey to South Florida. He stopped in Orlando to meet Jeff and Alison, who were headed back to Gainesville (thank goodness they met up, as he collected my American Express Card that Jeffrey accidentally drove off with.)

Let The Festivities Continue... Brent is Here! Party animal that he is, we will celebrate!

Christmas With Jeff and Alison

Christmas Eve Morning
Jeff and Alison had to head back to Gainesville so Jeff would work on Christmas...remember someone has to man the front desk when you are at a hotel on a holiday... We enjoyed every minute of their visit and only wish it could have been longer.
Kissing=Violence
For some reason, Katherine and Megan tell Jeff and Alison to stop being violent which means...stop kissing. I am so happy they found each other. They are perfect together!

Prior to departure for Gainesville....
As I have written and said many times...there is bad blood between Andrew and Mr Riley, our dog. I think they are too much alike...both in need of the limelight at all times.

Brothers...Brothers...
If you know Andrew and Jeffrey...this picture speaks volumes. I am so thankful my boys love each other and look forward to being together. It was sweet to see them exchange gifts and be thoughtful in between wrestling moves.

Andrew...
When Andrew is in a photo, very little is needed in the way of captions or journaling. Andrew got this perfect Florida Gators tote bag for Alison. It will hold all of her books and supplies as she begins her career as a Classroom teacher (which, by the way, she is awesome at already) He also picked up on the hint that Jeff and Alison would like a new Ice Cream Scoop. He delivered! This is the sort of thoughtfulness that touches the heart of a parent.

Every Gift...

Is very thoughtful and appreciated. Ever since our November stay at Alison and Jeff's apartment, Katherine has been asking for the same shampoo Alison uses as it made her hair so clean and soft. Jeff and Alison made sure she has her own bottle of the magic along with a super cute cosmetic bag that I may bribe out of her on a few occasions. They also blessed Megan with her own case of Jones Green Apple Sodas! Oh My...can you say excited! Two little excited girls on the eve before Christmas Eve. (Yes, Mom, that is Jeopardy on in the background!)

Merry Christmas!

Blogger To Blogger

John and Katie

Christmas Eve...

Rather than "Say Cheese" at photo time, we jokingly say...

"Blog-It"

(which is no joke..you see where our photos end up)

Here is John doing what fellow bloggers to best...

We took photos of each other taking photos.

Merry Christmas!