Waterstraut Christmas Mania

It's been over a week since I last blogged about the happenings around here, and we've had a lot going on. It's been a tough week around here, but it is still Christmas, and I don't want the boys to miss out on any of it. (You know, my kids are getting older- and they won't be kids at Christmas forever) So, we just kind of forced ourselves to power through. And honestly, I think it's been good for everyone. 

Last Monday we headed out to get the Christmas Tree at Lazy Lay Acres in Dade City. 

Generally, their trees are really pretty. They trim them up and they are mostly all these beautiful symmetrical lovely Christmas trees. 

But, that's not what us Waterstrauts look for. If you walk past the rows and rows of perfectness, way to the back, almost to the hill, you find some good contenders for "most likely not to be picked" trees. And thats what we were looking for. 

We like to find the tree that nobody else will bring home, just so it can realize it's dream of being a Christmas tree. There is probably some profound lesson in there, about beauty being in the eye of the beholder, but really we just think it's fun, and it's different. And you know how we like to be unique. Calib found the most imperfect, perfect tree, and we all agreed pretty quickly this was the one. 

 

When the guy came out with the saw and the trailer to take it back to the barn, he asked "really?" and we all just smiled, and confirmed this was the one we wanted, so Asa chopped it down. They said they couldn't in good concious sell us the tree for full price either, so we ended up getting it for $16! 

While they wrapped up the tree for us, the boys headed off to pet the farm animals. 

This baby pig was the best and LOVED Peyton. 

But it didn't mind Hayden too much either. 

(Also, I SO want a pig!) 

Anyway, as a bonus the tree this year was small enough to fit in the trunk! We didn't even have to tie it to the top of the tree like usual. 

We brought it home, set it up, and put some lights on it. It cleaned up pretty nice. 

We all get new ornaments every year. This year we had picked them out when we were in Mexico. 

Once it was all up, we were pretty proud of it, and all the neighbors came over to see. 

Oh, and Dipper just LOVES the Christmas tree. So far, luckily, he hasn't tried to climb it. 

That night we had Chinese food, per the Sattler family tradition. It's no Peking, but it was still good. 

Getting the tree was just one activity on our Christmas punch board. I tried to really mix it up there with various places to go,  a few craft projects, some snacks, and some games. 

One night we gave out our brand new stockings, complete with a present inside. It has always bugged me that we didn't have matching stockings (Mine, Calib and Peyton's were the same from our days before Asa and Hayden- and they had different ones). This year, however, we finally got us all matching stockings. And I love them. 

One night we had some inside out smores. 

Another day we had a craft project-- 

and the boys painted these glasses-- 

to use as candle holders! 

We had our Christmas movie night with Hot Chocolate and popcorn. (We watched National Lampoons Christmas Vacation). 

One night we had a Christmas Open Bar (non-alcoholic of course), in which I acted as a bartender. The boys LOVED this one more than I thought they would. 

Hayden's first drink was nutella hot chocolate with a sea salt chocolate stirrer. 

Peyton had a prohibition cocktail on the rocks with a pop rock "salted" rim. 

Calib had a prohibition cocktail- extra cherries. 

And Asa had an Egg Nog Float. 

Hayden was back for more at last call, and had a prohibition cocktail with a candy cane garnish. 

And Peyton had a hot chocolate, no milk, extra marshmallows. 

We also had a candy cane hunt. Asa and I hid 25 of those little candy canes, and let the boys loose to find them. Then they could trade in the small ones for bigger ones. 

One day we made reindeer cookies. 

And one night after Asa was in the office, we met him at Busch Gardens to go to Christmas Town, which is now included with your fun card/pass! 

 

I really liked all their lights, but mostly because every new area brought a new theme, so you were always seeing something different. It was the first time we'd been, and I'd love to make it a yearly thing. 

We also got a refillable hot chocolate. The boys are wearing sweatshirts, but it was like 70 that night- hardly cold.  

It felt slighty crowded- but only, I think, because everyone was getting there that evening. Wait times for even the coasters was hardly anything, so Hayden and I didn't mind waiting. Plus, there were light shows and various activities to keep us busy. 

Anyway, Christmas Town- totally fun, I highly recommend. 

We've also been working on our Fenderson project. I think I told you about it last time, but the Fenderson's are back, this time it's the sister, Cassidy, who is threatening to steal Christmas. 

Last week the boys worked on these folders, doing one for every country believed to be at risk. 

This week, they've been getting some clues to rule out the countries where the holiday is safe, and getting some rewards from the "Home Office"for their efforts. 

We also had a huge crossover event. It was a Christmas punch, AND a letter from the Home Office in one, plus an annual Waterstraut tradition. We had our Disney Christmas Day. We decided, once again, to park at putt putt and forgo having to move the car when we moved from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. (Usually we'd park at the Boardwalk or Beach Club, but it's been so busy lately, you can't park there anymore.) 

Anyway, the Home Office sent the boys a letter and a Disney gift card, telling them to go to Epcots "Holidays Around the World", and learn all they can about the various ways people around the globe celebrate the holidays. The gift card was for research to be able to try some of the special holiday food. 

Every county is decorated for the holiday, AND has a lovely sign telling you all about how the people of that country celebrate. They even have "storytellers" if you catch the timing right. 

We had a Yule Log in France. 

And then headed over to the United States. 

There's a whole lot of little Christmas kiosks that pop up in America this time of year. (I particularly enjoyed the ones with all the houses and the Pirates scene!) 

They have the Capital Building and the Washington Monument made out of gingerbread. 

We stopped by Italy, and got some Christmas bread to bring home. 

And then off to Germany...

...where we got to hear a little from their storyteller. 

We also got some hot caramel. (Which was SO good, but also very caramel-y, and I could only have a few sips). 

The caramel smore however, was awesome. 

And the cheese plate wasn't bad either. 

And stopped in Chine for their holiday food. These were weird. It was almost like hard, sort of stale bread, but it had good flavor. 

We also caught the end of the China New Year Lion Dance. 

We kept making our way around the world.. 

And landed in the United Kingdom. 

The boys had a little bit left on their gift card, so on our way over to Hollywood Studios, we stopped at the Boardwalk for a dinner of Nachos and French Fries. 

And then we were off to Hollywood Studios. 

I can't even remember the last time we were there. Epcot and Magic Kingdom are our go-tos, and we've even been to the Animal Kingdom more this year than in years past, but I think we hadn't been since last Christmas- because it's the first time we saw it with the hat gone. 

We were there mostly to see the lights- as was everyone else in Florida. Usually if you go on a weekday in early December, it's not too bad. But, after 20 years, this is the last year to see the Dancing Lights, and everyone and their mom are coming to see them. 

It was, as always, gorgeous. Pictures will never do this justice. 

Oh, and we discovered Mr. Gold's shop from Once Upon a Time is one of the store fronts on the streets of America. 

If you get a chance, be sure to see them before they're gone, it's worth dealing with the crowds. And that's coming from me. 

We headed back to the car, and took a slight detour. Peyton really wanted to jump in the pool with his clothes on, but I wouldn't let him. I didn't want him to be in wet clothes all the way home. (Now I feel like I sound old- I should have let him jump in!) 

Since I last blogged, we've actually had two home games to go to. After selling our tickets to both home games in November, it had been awhile since we'd been. But, there's three Sunday home games this month. 

As usual we tailgated and played some football. 

The Bucs were playing the Atlanta Falcons. 

And quarterback Doug Williams was going into the "Ring of Honor" (Where his name goes up on the side of the stadium, and his jersey is retired). 

But holy geez, even in December it was a hot one. It was almost 90 out there-- in December! 

But it was totally worth sitting out in... 

Because the Bucs won! Which, as you know, doesn't happen all that much. 

This Sunday we were at it again, with more tailgating. If it looks like we're always in the same spot, it's because we are. There's a tree that is great to park under, and the boys affectionately call it "our tree". 

Oh, and this is my "hey boys, stand together for a nice picture" sequence. 

It was another hot day in Tampa as we walked to the stadium. 

This week, we were playing the New Orleans Saints. We didn't win this one, but at least it was close. 

Unlike in years past, when we played the Saints, it was a pleasant game to attend. There were way more Bucs fans (probably because we've actually won a few games at home this season), and the stadium was totally into the game. 

But holy geez, was it hot AGAIN. Like, 90's hot. With little breeze. In the 300 section. With the sun beating down. 

And, I got sunburnt. In December, people. I hear it's supposed to cool down for a few days this weekend, but we won't even be here to enjoy it. 

Also, Asa was not amused with the Bucs loss, and was none too pleased to take a picture. 

Our Elf on the Shelf has been hiding in various places. If you don't remember from my last post, we're all taking turns putting the Elf in different spots, and then at the end we will vote on our favorite. 

Even with all that, we've had a few other things going on. Some random art projects... 

...a Build N Grow.... 

And Calib's last basketball game of the season. 

And if that weren't enough, we also had Martin Van Buren's birthday to celebrate. 

We even made donuts for it. (Don't worry we got much better at batter distribution after this). 

And yesterday I hit a huge milestone when I wrote the last story for our last president. I'm all done with my presidential research, and all I have left is to celebrate two birthdays. That's kind of nuts. 

Phew. That about does it from here. It's a lot, I know. And, the train doesn't stop here folks. I have a list a mile long for things to do over the next few days, and then we're off on another trip. Through all of this, Asa has been in the office nearly every day in the last week, so I sort of have that glazed over/zombie look to me. But, this is the last day he will have to go in until January 6, and I couldn't be more thrilled. He gets home when it's already dark, and the kids are pulling at him to all spend time with him, but then we hardly ever get to hang out. But, that all changes today. Yay. 

Next Up: Cookies, Family, and Cooler Weather!