Getting Ready for Christmas!

We've been busy getting ready for Christmas! 

We got the tree set up the weekend after Thanksgiving.  The kids had a blast putting the ornaments on the tree.

 Trevor was unsure about what was going on at first...

I got my eye on you, Mommy.

Austin climbed under the tree to help Daddy get the base set up...but then thought it was funny to climb under there again and again.

Trevor wanted to carry around the plastic containers full of replacement lights and ornament hooks.  Here he was "helping" Daddy replace burned out light bulbs. 

Each of the kiddos with their baby block ornaments.

These are a family tradition.  My Grandmother made these ornaments for each grandchild in the Brintnall family. We tease about the fact that each subsequent grandchild got a bigger and bigger block as her eyesight got worse.  My mom carried on the tradition and made the needlepoint blocks for my babies.  

 Austin hanging his block on the tree.

Sarah's block going onto the tree (and Austin moving his).

 Mommy helped Trevor place his.

But he wanted to play with it for a while.

 Trevor with one of the ornaments Great-Grandma made.

The tree all done!

 Stockings hung by the chimney with care...

We had a busy week this past week. I was rounding in the hospital nurseries and doing night clinic all week.  Nanny came over to play with the kids on the days my work and Steve's work days overlapped this week.  Of course, when Nanny is over, Sarah tries to get ahold of her phone to play with the kids' apps on there.  Here she is sharing with Trevor when Nanny was over on Thursday.

Unfortunately, by that evening, Trevor was not a happy baby!  He started with pink eye, then spiked a 103F fever, threw up once, and was super tired.  He had a fussy night, but seemed OK by the next day. However, by Friday night, he started with a croupy cough.  We had a very rough Friday and Saturday nights with my poor baby spiking fevers, coughing terribly, and having stridor even at rest.  By Sunday morning, I popped into clinic with him to get him a shot of dexamethasone for his croup, and he also had an ear infection brewing.  He gradually started to perk up with treatment and is now back to himself.

Despite not feeling the greatest, Trevor still had fun when we went to the Holidazzle Parade on Saturday.  Grandpa has a connection through work to a company that rented out one of the skyways over Nicollet Avenue in Downtown Minneapolis to watch the Holidazzle Parade (which is sadly in its last year).  We got to have a delicious dinner and then watch the parade in the comfort of the heated skyway.

Austin being a goof with Nanny!

Sarah pretty excited (with the city street behind her).

 Trevor got ahold of Grandpa's empty beer bottle. 

Ready for the parade to start!

My poor baby with his puffy eyes.  He was still a happy boy despite not feeling well.

The kids got light up snowflake wands. 

Sarah was mesmerized.

The start of the parade...

Circus Train

Mother Goose

Wizard of Oz

Trevor playing with his snowflake wand.

Sarah getting a taller vantage point with Uncle Brian.

Pirate Ship

Santa's Sleigh!  

He even held a sign welcoming our party as he went under the skyway.

Prior to this past weekend, I spent a day making a whole bunch of sugar cookie dough and freezing it in rolls.  On Saturday, we got out all the cookie dough and baked the cookies.  We had enough cookies to fill 10 of those big plastic storage containers.  On Sunday, we had everybody over to frost and decorate Christmas cookies and haver dinner together.

The kids had been waiting for cookie day for weeks!

Very excited!

Here is Mommy looking awfully tired after being up most of the previous 2 nights with croupy baby Trevor.

I cranked out batches of frosting and the crew at the table frosted and sprinkled all the cookies.  We made a LOT of cookies!

Trevor enjoyed his first experience with our family tradition - Christmas sugar cookies with buttercream frosting.

And the big kids helped Mommy lick the big beater!

We are excited to enjoy some time together as a family for Christmas and the New Year.  We all are off of work and school for the week between Christmas and New Years and will be planning some fun activities around home for a little "stay-cation".  Despite this being a very busy time of year, I hope you are all able to slow down, take a breath, and remember the whole reason we celebrate Christmas. It's all about a little baby who changed the world!

Merry Christmas!