The Family that Legos Together

What does your family do to spend time together?  Do you have game nights, watch football games, or play a sport?  Maybe you ride bikes or do crafts.  Well, in our family, we build with Legos. 

My husband has always been a Lego fanatic.  We have so many tubs of Legos in our basement, I am pretty sure we could save money by just using those to finish our basement.  Despite the abundance of available Legos, he still loves getting new sets to put together, and he has passed that love of building with Legos to our children.  His parents have continued to get him new Lego sets for birthdays and Christmas as long as I've known him.  And so, his Lego collection has continued to grow. 

A few years ago, my mom started getting Billy and my brother each a Lego set for Christmas.  They, subsequently, would race to put the sets together that night.  The first occurrence I have documented of this event is in 2010.  Billy got a crane and Brian got an airplane.

 

Over the years, Billy's collection has grown to include the Sydney Opera house, the Batmobile, a Star Wars B-wing Starfighter, several Technic trucks, and the Ghostbusters Echto car (among others).  Now, the children have also started to build their collections.  Audrey really likes the "Friends" Legos sets that are targeted to girls, and she got several of those this year. 

So, without further ado, here are some of the shots I captured of our family's Lego obsession this Christmas. 



All I want for Christmas...

If you asked my kids prior to Christmas what gifts they would like to receive, these were their responses:

• Audrey:  An American Girl doll, a new bike, play high heel shoes, crafts, a sewing machine, Junie P Jones books, leg warmers, an EOS Chap stick egg, and of course, Legos amongst other things
• Barrett:  Hot Dog

Now, I have previously written about Barrett's hot dog infatuation, but I don't think anyone was convinced about how real that was until now.  That isn't to say that Barrett didn't love the gifts he got.  He has been playing a ton with the remote control dump truck, fixed the living room with his tools, and wore his Batman robe around the house after we got home.  Miraculously though, my mom did find him a hot dog.  It is a play grill set that included hot dogs and hamburgers, and Barrett was thrilled.  

Audrey's list was much more typical for a child of her age.  So, I should add that Audrey was lucky enough to get most of the things she asked for and more.  She only got a miniature American Girl doll with three books, but she was still thrilled with that, and from my perspective, that is good practice to see if she can handle a big one.  Besides, she got enough Legos to keep her busy for days and the play shoes that she has worn continuously since she opened them. 

It's Almost Christmas?

This morning, I woke up to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening.  Barrett was at my bedside requesting we go to the basement, because the storm was scary.  I convinced him he didn't need to go to the basement, but he did crawl into a bed for a little while. 

Last week, Billy took the kids to the hockey game, and it was colder in the arena than it was outside.

Yesterday, the kids and I spent time at the park enjoying the sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures.   We weren't he only ones that had that idea either.

Today, it's muggy and rainy.  It feels like April outside, not December. We are inside listening to Christmas music and making holiday crafts (with the assistance of my mother-in-law and Billy's cousin who are much craftier than I), but it still doesn't feel like Christmas could be two days away.  

I was just listening to Bing Crosby sing about having a White Christmas, but I am pretty sure there is no chance we will have a white Christmas in St. Louis this year.  Honestly, having a white Christmas here is not all that common.  Statistically, St. Louis only has chance somewhere between 11 and 25% for a white Christmas each year.  The last white Christmas we had was on 2010. 

Knowing that the weather won't be bringing us a Winter Wonderland anytime soon, it looks like we'll have to set the mood ourselves. Fortunately, we'll be seeing lots of family and friends over the next few days to bring Christmas cheer.  Happy Holidays everyone! 

First World Problems

When you have small children, you should always expect the unexpected.  So, why is it that when the unexpected occurs, we are still caught off guard? This past weekend, I have to admit I was wholly unprepared for what transpired in our house. Here's the rundown. 

When:  Saturday morning, 3 am
Where:  Nance house
Who:  Barrett
What:  Everything

So, I ask you, what is worse than a sick child at 3 in the morning?  When you go to clean up their mess and discover you have no running water to support the cleanup efforts. That's right.  I put Barrett in the bathtub thinking it would be easier to rinse him off there than try to clean him up otherwise and was surprised to discover the faucet just hissed and nothing came out.  I gained a new appreciation for baby wipes, Clorox wipes, and hand sanitizer through this experience.  Come to find out (after child and bed were cleaned and child was resting again), the water main on our street had burst at about 10 pm the night before.  It was all fixed by noon the following day, but that morning illustrated for me how fortunate we really are to have running water at our command 24/7.  In honor of that, here are the top 5 things I realized I missed/appreciate the most about having running water in my house.

5.  Showering
4.  Running a load of laundry whenever I need to (or at least being able to rinse out clothes before they stain)
3.  Cleaning...well...anything (dishes, counters, kids, etc.)
2.  Being able to get a drink of tap water whenever I need it
1.  Being able to wash my hands

I am sure the day will come when, each time I turn the nob of the faucet, I forget to be thankful for the clear, clean water that pours from the spout.  But, for now, I will gaze upon that glorious liquid with a smile and pray that next time something like this happens, we're out of town. 

My Christmas Wish

Christmas is almost here.  We've been preparing for weeks and the stores have had shelves stocked with Christmas goods for two months now.  Our house is now decorated inside and out displaying the splendor of the holiday.  But if I'm honest, I have to admit that I am greeting this season with mixed emotions.  On one hand, I want to share traditions with my children and make the holiday special for them.  But at the same time, I question why it is that we put so much emphasis on the event of the annual Christmas celebration.  Now, before I start losing people right off the bat, let me quickly elaborate.  God made Christmas special by sending his son in human form to live, suffer, and die on earth so that the rest of the human race can live eternally.  So why is it that in the midst of all of the decorating, shopping, and get-togethers I seem to lose sight of the fact that I can't do anything to make Christmas more special than it already is? 

Don't get me wrong...I love the scent of a live Christmas tree as the next person.  I love looking at all of our ornaments as we hang them on the tree and reminiscing about where they came from or who gave them to us.  I love getting to see family members that I haven't seen I months.  And I love that feeling when I give a gift that someone I love really loves. But it is easy for all of that pomp and circumstance to make me tired and stressed, and for those of you that know me well, that is a bad combination. 

This has been on my heart so much lately that I actually told Billy last week that I wanted to skip our normal Christmas next year.  Instead, I proposed we go on a mission trip somewhere to really spread the spirit of Christmas where it will have a true impact and not be lost in the hustle and bustle.  I know that will likely not happen; I mean, who goes on a mission trip with an 8 month old?  Nonetheless, I hope I can stand firm against the pressures to buy more, do more and deck the halls more.  I pray that I will be able to give more of myself to God's purpose beyond what I can adorn with paper and bows.  And I pray that he will stir in me a more generous spirit that will stick around long past December 25.