Driving back and forth to WI during the months of November and December, aka the Holidays

Holiday Season 2015 had a very Wisconsin feel to it.  We had started the tradition of the one with the youngest and newest baby could host Thanksgiving so as to not have to travel and disrupt newly acquired schedules so Saaron hosted this year.  Christmas was at Nana and Doodoos and we had a Clintonville wedding for New Years.  I wish quite regularly that Martin's parents lived closer so we could see them more often and they were more solid figures than faces on an iPad but this holiday season I was thankful that we didn't have to divvy up time because that would have been tough.  Again, a consolidated post.
Baby Margot has no shortage of fabulous looks, this was her first for Thanksgiving 2015.

The most exciting first of Thanksgiving 2015, well, second most exciting I guess, was a fried turkey was attempted.  It was super good.  However, the heating of the oil was a factor that was not accounted for and took a smidge longer than anticipated.   As per tradition Ali was in attendance for Thanksgiving, and an added bonus this year was the Doctor.  We had a warm full house for Thanksgiving.

Margot was not yearning for attention at all.  Unfortunatley my disease ridden children were supposed to maintain their distance (but as seen here that was not always obeyed.)  She didn't get sick though, so there's that. 

Since we were in GB (and the Pack suffered that terrible loss to the Bears after retiring Brett's jersey) we decided a positive trip to Lambeau was in order.  We were just going to eat at the new restaurant, but then noticed there were tours going on and jumped up on that bandwagon. 

We got to go out the tunnel to the field!!!!!!!!!!

And be in the endzone.  There were two rules.  #1) Do not touch the grass.  OK.  I got that. 

And I was so focused on not breaking rule #1 that I didn't listen to what rule #2 was.  No Lambeau Leaping.  Whoops.  I as an owner should know better and not cause any micheif at my homeland, but no, I was that person on the tour that doesn't listen and gets yelled at.  Well, I guess technically it was Martin, but I am married to him so I take as much responsibility. 

There are pictures but I am too embarrassed to show them. 

After we got home it was time to set up the Christmas tree.  Last year our fake tree "broke"  when I was putting it away unfortunately so we had to get a real tree this year. I snuck out on a Monday so didn't go to a tree farm but rather to Home Depot, I may revise that next year.

Saaron and Baby Margot were in Phillips for Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning so the boys got all the attention in the morning.

The biggest hit for Ben was from Cousin Matt, a legit Millenium Falcon that opens up.  The coolest thing I have seen in a while.

I couldn't resist these cheesy matching outfits.  Red suspenders, I mean come on.

Our traditional family picture, with everyone smiling for the first time!!

We re-eneacted the Christmas Jammies so Margot could take part.

It had been so warm that we really didn't anticipate snow, but we lucked out and just after Christmas got a good dumping of snow in WI, the boys had fun playing in the pile in the neighbors yard

And sledding down Saaron's hill in their back yard.   Jimmy was so brave, he was flying down the hill and cackling the whole time. 

We had such a blast per Ali's recommendation to do the Duluth Christmas Train that we went and did it again, and in the course of the day saw three Santas.  Santa #1 was at Culvers when we stopped for lunch, he had his broad along with him.

Santa #2 was at the amazing holiday light display on Park Point.  Jimmy wasn't terrified of this one, however his face looks rather syndromic in this picture.  It was so freakishly warm that neither boy had his winter coat on. 

We boarded the train and headed to the "North Pole"

Jimmy is so excited about trains that it was more exciting for him this year. 

Jimmy was scared of the North Pole Santa so only Ben went and told him what he wanted.  I think he said "Imperial Walker and big Storm Troopers"

New Years eve we were back in Clintonville for Becca's wedding.  I have grown up in Clintonville and never actually been in the UCC Church, but I got to this time, and there was fire.  What a beautiful and touching ceremony, Pastor Jill knows how to host a wedding.

The boys were invited to the reception and danced the night away, they were taking in the bride and grooms first dance at this point.  I didn't know how much fun it was to have kiddos at weddings, and I am sure it isn't every time, but they were so well behaved and just loved dancing to the music.  What a magical evening it was.

Martin and I didn't quite make it to midnight, all the dancing and chasing after kids wore us out,but luckily, like most midwesterners, we watched the ball drop at 12am EST so didn't miss out entirely. 


Like all good things, the holiday season came to an end.  None too soon for our poor tree. 

Birthdays and Star Wars Halloween

This is super late so I am going to clump things.  For instance, Ben turned 4, we had an amazing family themed Halloween and Jimmy turned 2 :)  For Ben the theme has been Star Wars for the last 9 months, that hasn't changed a bit.  We still don't know a ton of people with kiddos the same ages as ours so we have yet to pull the trigger on a big birthday party, but what they don't know can't hurt them and Ben rather enjoyed his Storm Trooper cake. 

 For his birthday we got him a big boy bed.  He was really attached to his crib and had a tough time changing from crib to "toddler bed" so we were a little ambivalent as to how this was going to go, but he loved it.

 The Kalwiters and Elder DeWolves came to visit for Halloween weekend, Ben was set on being Darth Vader and with the new Force Awakens movie out it wasn't hard to find something for Jimmy -  a Chewbacca costume was actually quite fitting.  We mentioned this to Saaron who decided to go to the next level and fashion their own family outfits out of Star Wars characters.  Martin and I had to step up to the plate so martin went and found a Boba Fett costume and I waited too long and was being non-committal until I decided I could make a R2D2 costume with duct tape, hula hoops and paper.  Gryff even got in on the action!

 If Harrison Ford didn't have the Han Solo act on lockdown Aaron would have a solid chance at it.  He avoided haircuts for months to achieve that 70s shaggy look.  Chest hair, already present. 

 

 The boys have colds so still need to keep their distance from Baby Margot, here she was on a safety blanket that the boys were not supposed to cross the border to get their germs close to her.  She is soooo tiny next to these two beasts.

 Jimmy is all about trains and Mickey Mouse so that is the theme we went with for his birthday. 

 The picture I saw on the internet was a little less "Mickey emerges from Flames " and more cute Disney poka dot, but whatever. 

 Ben was not goign to let Jimmy have this birthday alone, he was all about helping with the blowing out of candles and making wishes. 

 I found a great deal on Craigslist for a train table and although it is rather large and rather close to Christmas, I figured why not. 

 Jimmy is still playing with it here 4 months later so I am quite pleased.

Martin's 40th Birthday Dream: DISNEYWORLD!!

Martins dream was realized, 6 days of park hopping at Walt Disney World.   We managed to hit up every park and the water park doing at least two parks per day for the duration of the trip.  Believe it or not there were really no major meltdowns or disasters and we didn't end up putting up one of our children for adoption or divorcing, both of which I thought were plausible outcomes from that long of a trip with such little kids in such heat and with so little nutrition and so many chicken nuggets.
Martin had a strategy in mind, go to the water park early, wear the kids out, then go to one of the theme parks.  The first couple days that worked like a charm.   The beauty of Disney is that even at the water park there is toddler section.  Ben was all about the water inner tube ride.

 

 I LOVED the lazy river. 

 Jimmy LOVED the water spouts. 

 Martin LOVED the shark reef, even though we didn't get to snorkel through it this time. 

 Overall it was quite relaxing.  We were generally able to stay in the shade and there weren't crazy lines for things. 

 

There were life vests everywhere so we didn't need to worry about hauling around floaties and things too, which THANK YOU DISNEY for always thinking of these things. 

 

Since it was Vacation we stayed late at the parks and the first night we saw the Electrical Parade.  Jimmy was mostly unconsious for it, Ben was entranced by all the light and the sound.

We made it to Hollywood Studios on the last day of the Jedi Training Camp, it was the evening so we had missed the sign up, but luckily Ben was so overwhelmed and stimulated by everything else he didn't really even know that was a thing so we didn't have to deal with the messy clean up of tears and emotions learning he couldn't do it.  But I guess we do have our next trip tenatively scheduled when the Star Wars renovation area opens up.

Ben did get to build a light saber though, and to this day it is his prized possession.  It is really neat how they do it, the kids literally put every piece on and can make their own or copy one of the characters.  Ben went full Darth Vader with his design. 

We had the park hopper tickets so managed to get a little bit of everyhing in. 

Ben was rather hit or miss with the 3D shows, Jimmy was petrified and would grab onto your shirt with a strength I didn't know he had upon walking into any theater.  Most of the shows are not just 3D but add other senses to it like puffs of wind or smells, Jimmy was NOT a fan. 

 

 We did the test track, that was surprisingly hard.  Jimmy and I were about on par with our driving abilities. 

 

 

 

All along Martin's brother Diego was planning on bringing his family, we convened at the Animal Kingdom

Went on the Safari ride several times

Then went home to the hotel, we were in the room when there was a knock at the door and Monica and Carlos were there!  They surprised Martin for his birthday.  They had planned a celebratory trip to London, and since you can't go direct from Buenos Aires to London, they went via Florida to see him.  Martin was so incredibly surprised and happy to see them.   I was utterly shocked.  I had no clue they were coming, Deigo and Mariela did a great job coordinating that

The kids really liked meeting the characters, which isn't a super casual event.  They have stick appearance times and locations and you have to be in the right place at the right time, since they liked it we trudged around an tried to meet who we could. 

We didn't have anything too major planned for Martins actual birthday as you never know how the kids are going to be after a long day in the sun and in the parks, but now with a family reunion on our hands we needed to do something, we managed to get a reservation at the German restaurant in Epcott, we got a primo seat right next to the show and it was great.

It was an exhausting trip all in all, but amazing.  Everyone held themselves together amazingly well, even this was not a dramatic scene, just resting.