Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

I have no evidence to show that we are literally rockin' around the Christmas tree, but I can guarantee you that it's the song most frequently sung in our house these days.  If it's not being sung out loud, then it's being sung in someone's head.  Or all of our heads.  All the time.  Thanks to Weston Charles!  He rehearsed the song for weeks with his preschool friends and had a smashing performance at their recent Christmas concert. And once you start singin' it, you just can't stop!

This Christmas is a bit out of the ordinary for our little family of four as we prepare to move to a new house across town.  We put the tree up but didn't add any decorations, so Miles decided he'd just make some. When he's in the mood, he'll get out the markers, paper, and scissors and create a new masterpiece.  Several of them are attached to the tree with duct tape.  This could get interesting.

We have other Christmas decorations out, including some of the 872 snowmen from my collection (okay, I don't have 872, but it is a rather large herd of snowpeople) but they are shadowed by stacks of boxes full of things we've carefully packed away we need to carefully repack for the move. Lots of work to be done in the next two weeks!  The boys have been (mostly) helpful, and Weston has thrown only a couple of tantrums over things he wants that are already sealed up in a box for his new bedroom.  In particular, his battery powered chainsaw and the farting Santa.  Need I say more?!

This is the last full weekend in our current home and it's bittersweet.  I'll elaborate on that later.  For now, some festive pictures!

We kicked off December with a wonderful trip to Green Bay, where we visited Great Grandma Lucille -- 

 and four lucky adults got to go to the Packers game.  Yes, it was cold.  Yes, it was awesome.

Next up was a great concert put on by Kids Korner.  Weston knew his songs well and surprised us by willingly participating in the show.  We were sitting in the balcony of the theater and could hear him perfectly!

(He's in the middle row, fifth one in from the right. Just squint really hard and you'll see him.)

Miles' class told the story about the birth of Jesus.  Although the donkey and wise men costumes were pretty neat, I think Miles was fine with having a speaking role.  I can't describe how proud of him we were (and still are!) for the hard work he put into practicing his line, and for the confidence he showed during their performance.  He was fabulous!  And so were his friends!

(I think we need to get him a pair of non-sneaker style casual shoes.  You think so?!)

Here's the full cast of characters from the event.  They led the audience in singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.  I might have cried a little...or a lot.

Then it was on to making gingerbread houses.  As you can see, the kindergartners had plenty of candy for the occasion.  Enough leftover to do a little landscaping!

On the home front, we've been busy making messes in the kitchen.  Last night we cut out about 7 dozen cookies....

And tonight, we decorated all but 9 of them. Actually, 10 -- I ate one when the boys weren't looking.  What happened to the last nine, you ask?  The boys simply ran out of steam.  It was time to lick the frosting off their little plastic knives and call it a night.  I don't blame them!  

After clearing the aluminum foil off the table (I went a bit overboard) and sweeping up sprinkles, we ventured up the road about 10 miles to take in the magic of this little display of lights.  We might go back again tomorrow.  Probably Sunday night, too.  It's worth the short drive, even with two little brothers trapped in their car seats relentlessly pestering each other.  Amazing how quiet the car gets as soon as we get there.

 

Merry, merry Christmas!

The Dentist - Take I

Today was Weston's first trip to the dentist.  He was fairly apprehensive about the whole deal and his mood didn't lighten upon arrival.  We brought Miles for a little moral support and he took his role very seriously. Actually, it started last night while the boys were snuggled in bed -- Miles coached Weston about what to expect and encouraged him to try the cookie dough flavored toothpaste.  I'm pretty sure Weston thought the whole conversation was a joke...cookie dough toothpaste?!  This dentist thing ain't real! No way!

Sorry buddy, it's for realz.

Behind the scenes, Westy is a loud, silly, wild little boy.  He always has a song playing in his head and a mischievous twinkle in his eye....life is one big game and he can't wait to rally the team for another round :-)

When it comes to things like haircuts, doctor appointments, and now dental visits, his little world is disrupted and his fight-or-flight instincts start screaming for him to flee.  Poor little guy!  Actually, the haircut experience has improved tremendously...so I'm optimistic that we can overcome this fear of the dentist some day, too.

Ever since the first toothbrush worked its magic in Weston's mouth (a good 2 1/2 years ago), we've talked with him about the importance of keeping his teeth healthy.  Part of that means having a checkup with the dentist.  Miles contributes to the discussion by talking about the special tickly brush, the flavored toothpaste, the light above the chair, and the awesome bag of goodies you get when you're done. We looked at some pictures of Miles last trip to the dentist a few weeks ago, and that was that.  Easy peasy.

Weston had other plans.  He wasn't ready for fancy toothpaste and he could not have cared less if he had 20 teeth or 200 teeth.  He sat on mommy's lap in the dental chair and cried big dinosaur tears.  After a bit of coaxing, he opened his mouth so Dr. Huxford could take a peek (from 4 feet away).  Suddenly the sadness turned to nervous giggling, and words of praise came pouring out of Miles' mouth.

"Good job, Westy!"
"Open bigger, Westy!"

Dr. Huxford was pleased with the color of Weston's teeth (we are trying to keep him away from coffee so as to minimize the staining) and with how nicely they are arranged.  I must say he does have an impressive little set of teeth....fingers crossed his adult teeth line up so perfectly, too.  I can't imagine orthodontics are getting any cheaper by the year.

We spent a little more time in the dental chair checking out the various tools that the hygienist uses to clean teeth.  Miles was her right hand man (literally), retrieving tools and putting them back in place when she was done demonstrating them for Weston.

Here's the one picture I snapped of the event.  A proud little boy picking out a toothbrush and pencil...with a little advice from his big bro, of course!

Today's experience proved to us once again that although Miles and Weston have a lot of similarities, the very core of their personalities is quite different. Which is how it should be since they are two special and unique little boys :-)  Miles' first trip to the dentist was a total breeze.  Below is the evidence (along with the same - extremely patient - hygienist!).  A little nervous, but playing it calm and cool.

I wonder what kind of comparison we'll make in another 13 years when Weston takes his driver's license exam?!  Eeeeek!

HGE 2013

It’s that time of year for the Potts family to prepare for the annual Holiday Gift Exchange – or more simply put, the HGE.  I have the honor of serving as the (un)official HGE Coordinator.  While I’d like to say that I was The Chosen One this year because of my status as favorite Potts child, the truth is…well…several weeks ago I mentioned to mom that a superhero theme would be fun and she said, “So you’re volunteering to be the HGEC then?  Great!  You’d better get going on it so we all have time to plan.”  Deep down she knows she is the only one who really plans anything in this family, so I’m not too worried about the timeliness of this initial communication to the crew.  It’s quite likely most (if not all) shopping will be done online anyway.  And it’s also quite likely that most (if not all) online orders will be shipped to mom’s house for storage (and maybe a little organizing, because she’s good at that).

So here we are, folks.  For those of you who haven’t heard about the Potts Family HGE, it’s the annual exchange of gifts between adults to celebrate Christmas and a little bit of Hanukkah (we pride ourselves on being a blended family).  Participants include parents Jill/Larry, siblings Elisabeth/Charlie/Annie, and the characters who married into the family – Evan/Angie/Tanner.  The event itself usually doesn’t kick off until well after 9pm when all minions have (mostly) fallen asleep.  It may or may not include adult beverages (i.e. mostly Diet Coke, but some potent lemon liquor has been consumed in previous years).

The rules this year are fairly basic because nobody has time to for it to be complicating.  Here we go… 

In no particular order:

• In case you didn’t pick up on it already, the theme is SUPERHEROES!
•  Every HGE participant (giftee) will be assigned a name (giftee) for whom they are to purchase a gift.
• Multiple gifts are allowed, but may be construed as “favoritism” toward the giftee.  Totally fine if the gifter is Larry/Jill and the giftee is me.  Perhaps a bit awkward if the gifter is Evan and the giftee is Angie.  Just sayin’.  Keep in mind that superheroes do not have favorites – they come to the rescue of all people, regardless of race/ethnicity/gender/religious beliefs/scent/smartness.
• Maximum dollar value to be spent on gift(s) = $50.  Quit freaking out, Tanner.  I said it’s the maximum amount.  You can spend less.  But you might be called a jerk.
• No gift cards allowed.  Mainly because that’s always been a rule it’s a good one.
• The gift you purchase for your giftee must somehow tie back to the superhero theme.
• Creativity is always welcomed and generally required when purchasing the gift(s).  Refrain from buying someone a Batmobile or a catwoman suit.  Way too obvious (but totally awesome ideas!).
• As usual, you will be required to defend your gift at the time of gifting it to your giftee.  Props, songs, poetry, and other forms of entertainment are encouraged.

And some food for thought:

• Watch out for supervillains – they are not superheroes and nothing about them would make for a nice gift to your giftee.
• Remember that not all superheroes have super powers. For some reason that kind of makes me feel a little sentimental….hold on a minute while I wipe this tear from my eye.
• Okay.  Better now.
• Howard the Duck is considered a superhero, greatly skilled in Quakfu.  Interesting, no?
• There is a world superhero registry.  I’m pretty sure this would be a great resource for dad’s genealogy research.
• In your spare time (admit it – you have plenty!), I encourage you to create your own superhero:  http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero
• I was going to assign a superhero to each person but let’s be honest…you’re all superheroes just the way you are, so there’s no need to give you alternative identities.  Sigh.

And for a little inspiration, I leave you with Miles’ latest coloring job.  Who is this woman?  A superhero’s wife, of course.  He said it, not me….

You’ll receive the name of your giftee in the next day or two (I’m a little parched from this initial post) via email.  Check back on the blog for ideas, inspiration, and the occasional new or changed rule.  Keeps things fun when the game changes a bit.