Twas the Week Before Christmas 2011

 Twas the week before Christmas and all round the hood

Buddy could be heard sawing and nailing the wood

 The “squirrel house” was rising up into the air

The roof and the walls soon would be there.

Mackenzie lay awake with songs in her head

While Rudolf and frosty danced in her bed.

and I in my apron, wooden spoon in my hand,

with Mackenzie made suet for winter wonderland.

Down in the kitchen we made such a scene

There were pine cones,

 “cookies”,

and bells – that don’t ring.

Then out on the porch, I put up our flag

“Warm Welcome” it waived like a birdy gift tag

As I hung up our flag, I hadn’t a clue

Warm welcome was exactly what nature would do.

The warmth on the land abandoned all thoughts of snow

And our tweets must be hung at 55 or below!

Then what to my wondering eyes should appear,

Forsythia,

daffodils,

and mums were still here!

With the sun shining bright, frogs started to sing.

I guess they thought for a moment “Hey! It must be the spring!”

So back to the kitchen for Mackenzie and me

To make cookies for friends ‘cause it’s Christmas you see!?

Putting pretzels on Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen!

then on Comet, on Cupid, on Donder, and Blitzen!

Into the oven, and onto a tray,

and into the wagon to be given away.

Then as children before a big birthday do sing,

Mackenzie lifted her voice and to bells gave a ring.

Praises for Jesus inspired their songs

And wiggles galore, Christmas is coming along!

And then, there’s that ringing she heard in her ear

The little boy beside her was standing too near.

As she drew up her lip and was turning around,

 That poor boy’s bells fell down to the ground!

 

Once songs and bells ended, Pastor Jeff shared a story

He told of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus and all of their glory.

With the Bible, held open, perched in his hand

He read of God’s greatest gift to all of the land.

Mackenzie- how she listened, her eyes so intent

absorbing the message that was being sent.

Then with school letting out until the new year,

She began crafting what must be a hundred reindeer!

Some with big antlers and eyes of light blue

Some with red noses,

‘cross her pages they flew!

With bellies still plump from the cookies this week

it was almost Christmas and we had a tradition to keep!

Taylor would come, though a little bit late,

For sugar cookies to make and then decorate.

The homemade dough was just as sticky as ever,

But once baked, their design was creative and clever.

Flour and sugar were all over the place

The floor was covered,so was Mackenzie’s face!

Then Christmas Eve arrived in a flash,

It was time for Buddy to make his mad dash!

He called his friend Bryan and they spent the day

Converting “squirrel house” into a structure for play.

Meanwhile, I entertained Kenzie and got us all fed,

Then Buddy helped put Mackenzie to bed!

And now I proclaim, as I turn out my light,

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Cheers!

May your Christmas be filled with wonder and awe for all that is wonderful!

A Little Holiday Magic

This past weekend, we went to our Real Estate Agent's Christmas party at a local nursery.  We have taken Mackenzie there to meet with Santa every Christmas since she was born.

For the first time (with a little coaxing from us and Santa), Mackenzie actually talked to Santa!  AND Santa remembered her from last year, which really added to the magic.

Perhaps because Mackenzie was the only child in sight, Santa could really take his time and talk to her.  She thanked him for the ladybug pillow pet he gave her last year and proceeded to explain, in great detail, the toy that she would like this year. 

 

Then Mackenzie put a word in for Bob and Tanner.  Santa asked if they barked a lot this year.  Mackenzie explained, "Bob did all the barking and Tanner Sheeded (translated to "shed") a lot; but it's okay, Santa,  they are really good dogs and I bet they would like some special bones." 

 I was so glad Mackenzie talked to Santa this year!  It was so much fun to listen to them!  Last year, poor Santa played hiding games and tried to coax her with candy canes; but the closest she actually came to him was when Buddy was holding her.

 Which was progress from the year before, when she wouldn't even let Buddy hold her while sitting next to Santa.

 Even her first Christmas, she was unsure about the guy in the red suit!  But now, finally, all that's changed!

It sure was nice for Santa to follow up with her too!  Now she KNOWS she's still on the "nice list" regardless of the "sleeping struggles" we've been experiencing the past few days!  If you're interested in checking out Santa's video message to Mackenzie, follow this link : http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/gaTTjBSdc1FhQM-tdt1QcKg

In addition to Santa, Mackenzie also bonded with a dog named Daisy at the nursery.  I think Mackenzie believes that if you love a toy enough, it will truly come to life.  She did her best to animate Daisy. 

 Before we left the party area to look for some plants, we stopped by a little wishing pool.  I have no idea what Mackenzie wished for; but as we were starting to leave, I chanced to glance over at the trees.  There I noticed it...Mackenzie's birthday tree!!!!  The tree I've been actively searching for since Easter.  The tree we promised her at her first birthday.  It was the only one there AND it was 50% off!  I am eager to see if its magic truly shows on her next birthday.

 In the Gardens

Mackenzie and I conjured up a little magic for local wildlife - we figured they deserved a party too.  We went to the "discount produce" zone and picked out some fruits we thought the animals would like. 

After slicing an abundance of fruit, we headed outside!  Mackenzie helped string the popcorn and cereal garlands on the trees.

and she helped hang the fruit, like ornaments, on our holly, cedar and arborvitae trees.

There were apples (soaked in pomegranate juice)

clementines soaked in pomegranate juice

persimmon soaked in pomegranate juice

and pomegranate - soaked in pomegranate juice.

While Mackenzie focused on the trees, I went to work on the wreaths that I created last weekend from our tree trimmings and grapevine.

We hope all our friends and neighbors (even the wild ones) feel welcome here for the holidays!

Oh!  And remember the magic corn we put out last week?

Look who stopped by a couple evenings this week!  What a thrill it was to watch the deer with Mackenzie.  She tired of watching them before they flew away; so we never got to see them fly.

Meanwhile, inspired by the wildlife activity outside and some of the books we've been reading lately, Mackenzie decided that all her inside animals would start the great migration to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus.

I decided someone should bring food, so I set up a little train headed toward the nativity scene in our family room too.

Skill(s) of the Week

We finally roasted the last three of our pumpkins to use for baking some holiday sweets.  Mackenzie is becoming an expert seed scooper!  If she (we) were a little more motivated, she would have been trained in seed cleaning too so that we could enjoy some roasted seeds.  However, time was running short and our to-do list long, so we let the critters enjoy these seeds.

Mackenzie also got a cookie decorating primer at school this week.  A little practice for the baking we will do next weekend!

My skill of the week(s) lately has been turning any and all of Mackenzie's food (breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner) into reindeer.

triscuit thin crisp, cream cheese, black olives, mini turkey pepperoni, and pretzels

And the highlight of my week was, while I finished our Christmas cards, Mackenzie wrote her first word!  It still makes me want to cry.

We hope your holiday is filled with magic and wonder too...and awe for all that is wonderful!

Santa Claus is coming to town!