Today was a busy day wrapping up the last of work before I tack on a couple vacation days to an already generous time off provided by the University for Christmas break. There will still be plenty that needs to be done as I prepare for my course that starts on January 3rd but I got as much done as I could. This left the evening free to slow down a bit and enjoy some traditions. I spent the afternoon wrapping gifts for my parents and baking cookies at their house. So I was ready for a little down time with my munchkins. Lil b had basketball practice so K and Big B and I snuggled up and watched some Home Alone. E was planning to head to a basketball game with a friend but at the last moment decided not to. We decided to squeeze in a tradition that K was dying to do from the moment I brought them home. It was late and I was worried that tired kiddos might derail the fun but alas, they were at their best.
Let the building begin! I took some video of them doing these because it just highlights their personalities so well. They were cracking me up with their little side conversations. E went straight to work, quietly creating detail and beauty in her house. She worked for some simplistic elegance and did a great job achieving it. K watched and learned from her big sis, as she does. She began to mimic her snow and icicles on her house. She did come up with her own idea of a wreath made of the fondant and Big B rewarded her creativity with a request to copy. She beamed with pride as she granted permission. It isn't every day a youngest child is given the opportunity to say yes or no. Big B then came up with the idea for fondant trees which was adopted by all his siblings. This type of activity doesn't play to Big B's strengths except for the fact that he is exceptional at idea development and hilarious self-deprecating humor. So from there forward, he began to innovate out loud and soon trees, chimneys and lights were going up on all the houses. Lil B tolerates the decorating activity but what he really loves is the opportunity to be loud, interact with people and eat a bunch of sugar. I love that he isn't afraid to go his own way. He came up with some decorating ideas that no one else had and was proud of his uniqueness. He created a doormat and some decorations on the side of the roof that no one else had. But he only decorated for awhile before he was gnawing off the side of his gingerbread house. He and Big B started creating stories of the attackers of their houses and used those stories as an excuse to dive in to chomping on the hard gingerbread. This did not seem appetizing to me. The girls just ignored them and continued on their quest for beautiful gingerbread houses. Here are some of the finished products.
K, as she usually does every year, sat long after everyone else was done and continued adding detail to her house so we had to take another finished product photo.
I am glad that we squeezed this in on this late evening. It was a good way to start Christmas break. It is always fun to watch them interact and laugh together. Gently teasing one another and learning to laugh at themselves. Traditions aren't always easy and can be tough to fit in to an already busy season. But they always reward with connection, fun, and shared experiences that bind us together. It is my hope that our children continue to want to do things together and to share these experiences even as they grow. Tonight was definitely a deposit in the account of togetherness.
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