Pre-Christmas

 A few weeks before Christmas, Rudy and I went out to look at Christmas decorations. We visited a local house that always has a big display.

Rudy pretending he doesn't like the lights.

Then we went to Smithville and looked at the lights on the lake.

While there Rudy got placed in the stocks. I think his crime might have been bubble blowing.

The talking tree wasn't working but he went over to look at it and actually posed for a picture!

 We were very late getting our tree this year. But the weather was just a little cold the day we got it which was the most Christmas-like it's felt.

Rudy (photobombed) by our chosen tree.

Pretending to be Santa.

This is the first time we've had to put the tree on the roof. I don't know if this tree was that much bigger or my new car's trunk is that much smaller, but it survived the ride home.

I didn't get any tree decorating pictures but Rudy's friend, Jaedyn came over to help us (seemed fitting since Rudy helped decorate his tree!)

Christmas Celebrations and Cousins

Friday night our town had a small Christmas celebration downtown. Santa arrived on a  fire truck.

 

 

If you look closely you can see the first to greet him is a boy in a green jacket with a blue skull mohawk hat on. Yep, it's Rudy.

 

 

 

 

 

We ran into Rudy's friend, I, from school.

 

 

On Saturday we drove to Bill and Renee's for the great child switch. Chris and Patti had a Christmas party to go to, so we split the kids for the weekend. Lucy and Charlie came to our house and Max stayed with Bill and Renee.

 

Lucy was very intent on playing the piano- she wanted a book to read and follow as she did it.

 

 

 

 

This costume was Charlie's (very late) birthday present. Rudy had to try it out for him, naturally.

 

 

Paul and Charlie playing and singing.

 

 

 

Before dinner the pirate and the bandit raided our house. They searched the house for treasure and took it to their hideaway (as of last night, I was still getting treasures returned to me). They were a scary pair.

 

 

After dinner we went to a living nativity at a local church.

 

 

 

 

 

I think the chocolate chip cookies we got there were the biggest hit of all.



 

After the nativity, we went to see a local house that is always very decorated for Christmas.

 



 

The kids really enjoyed it.

 

Grandpa and Charlie took a walk through the blue arches.

 

Although no longer in their costumes, the pirate and bandit had many plans for the night. I think they involved staying up until Paul and I were asleep and then going downstairs. Fortunately, it's very hard for a 5 and 7 year old to stay awake when lights are out and it's after 9. When we left the room, Lucy and Rudy were in separate beds. When I went up to tell them lights out, they were both in the top and they told me they were both going to stay there. Rudy had his head one way and Lucy was the other way. Then when I went up to check again, Lucy was asleep and Rudy was still questioning what time we were going to bed. Some time before he fell asleep, he snuggled next to Lucy. Such a sweet pirate and bandit.

 

The next morning, the pirate looked a little different, the bandit was still around, and they were joined by a skeleton (although note the skeleton hands on the pirate- all he really wanted was gloves for his costume and the mean skeleton willingly shared). (I'm not sure who the bandit is calling.)



 

It's hard work being a pirate and sometimes you just have to get your blanket and mimi and relax.

 



 

After church, which was surprisingly easy with 3 kids, we stopped for lunch and then headed back to Bill and Renee's house. Rudy and Lucy were still a bundle of energy.

 

But Charlie was wiped out.

 

Rudy and Lucy had a lot of fun, and got along even better than usual. On the way home after returning them to their parents, Rudy said he missed both of them. I'm so glad he has fun with them.