How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Alright, well nobody actually "stole" Christmas. In fact, we had a wonderful Christmas because we were surrounded by family and that of course, is the best thing about Christmas. BUT... if there was a Grinch and he was able to take away some of the excitement of Christmas, he came in the form of a cold. And that cold happened to none other than our little man, Harrison. He put on a brave face for some of the afternoon so that he could go through the agonizing ordeal of receiving and opening gifts. Poor guy, he even had to play with some of them just to entertain the adults who were probably more excited about the toys than he was. But by the end (middle) of the day, it was time for a good ole fashioned meltdown and the Grinch went down for a 4 hour nap. Harrison woke up later in a much more refreshed state and was able to truly enjoy some of the presents that Santa delivered. Side note: The Grinch has lingered around all week, uninvited, I might add, and he's really starting to get on my nerves. The good news is that I think he is finally ready to leave.

OK, so, back to Christmas. We got into town Christmas Eve and went to early church which was the children's program. All the kids were able to dress up and go to the front of the church as part of the Nativity. Harrison took a break from of crawling under the pews to go up front with PaPa and join the other kids. It was a very cute service. That night we had a family dinner at my parent's house. With so much family it is not hard to remember why Christmas is so special. Robert, my parents and I stayed up to prepare for Santa's arrival which is probably one of the most fun things about Christmas. And other than our uninvited visitor, the Grinch, Christmas day was a lot fun. PaPa cooked a great breakfast, there were lots of gifts to open, and there was lots and lots of family. It was a very eventful day!

Here he is trying to look like he is ready to open gifts

Brooks stayed in the Christmas spirit all day

Harrison and BeBe sharing toys...so sweet!

This is definitely one of the gifts that the adults were excited about...Harrison and BeBe were a little stand offish

Anger Management

We have discovered a way to help Harrison release some of his frustrations of the day. Robert moved our punching bag to the back patio so that it would get some use. And here is how we intend to use it!

More Christmas Fun!

OK, so the next day, after our St. Augustine adventure, we had another Christmas party to attend. Actually, we had 2. First, we went to Wickline Park in Flagler Beach for Breakfast with Santa. Our mom's group put this one together and it was a lot of fun. Santa appeared from behind the building, the building being the public restrooms, leading Harrison to believe that Santa comes from the restroom. Or at least, this is what we think because as we were leaving Harrison pointed to the restrooms and said "Santa's house".

And that night we went to Jacksonville for a special Christmas dinner with my family. My grandmother, Ma, made Brooks and her cousin BeBe each a beautiful smocked dress which they both wore to the party. At Nancy & Ralph's condo we started the evening with an entertaining round of Secret Santa. And after that we all ate a delicious dinner that Hoyt cooked up. That's right, other people in my family are amazing cooks, just not me. After dinner, Papa made sure to get Harrison and BeBe all jazzed up on sugar with candy canes. Just in time for the hour trip home to Palm Coast.

So we had a lot going on this weekend but it certainly got us into the Christmas spirit and it keeps us mindful of all the family and friends that we are so thankful for in our lives.

Christmas Play

Harrison had his "big production" this past Friday with his school's Christmas play. Robert and I got all amped up with our high tech camera gear in preparation to get the best video footage possible of Harrison's 1st onstage theatrics. But, it appears as though Harrison is not yet a fan of large audiences. Contrary to his natural instinct of making a scene in front of large crowds, Harrison decided to sit in his teachers lap while the show went on. And then, of course, once he got back to his classroom, Harrison was back to his old self as class clown.

Later that evening, we took the kiddos to St. Augustine to see all the lights and also to visit Santa's Village which just so happens to be at the St. Augustine Ampitheatre. Harrison got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what he wanted for Christmas, although, much like his experience with the school play, Harrison was a little stand offish with Santa too. Don't get me wrong, Harrison is more than willing to let Santa sneak into the house to deliver presents but one on one contact, not so much.

We had a great time and it was a fun filled day of Christmas excitement!

Harrison reading to Brooks

Getting ready for the holidays has kept me busy! So busy that I have not been able to post much in the last month. But just to catch up on what has been going on around the Lyons' household...here we go.

Harrison has been going to speech for the last month and is really improving on his communication and his word enunciation. And Robert and I are extremely impressed with Harrison's observation skills. This kid doesn't miss a beat and will point out things to us that we would never guess he was paying attention to. He is starting to sing the alphabet and count with numbers. And I also have noticed an artistic side to him as he tries to paint over the canvases that I have already painted. I guess he thinks he is already a better artist. He has had several playdates with his best buddies, Noah, Ethan and Brayden and the boys have a blast running around and beating each other up. Seriously, they are quite a wrecking crew. He also has more energy than ever and continues on his quest to turn me into a raging alcoholic. But most of all, Harrison is still in love with his little sister and I am continually amazed by his sweet demeanor and attentiveness to her. He is such a wonderful big brother!

And as for Miss Brooks, she is about the sweetest thing ever. I really think that with all the commotion that goes on around the house, she has decided to sit back and watch the show. Yes, I know one day she will decide to get involved in this crazy drama but right now she seems perfectly content to hang out (as long as someone is holding her) and eat. She also is getting cuter every day which I assume is from all the beauty rest that she is getting. She sleeps anywhere from 10 to twelve hours a night with a good 8-9 hour stretch before needing to eat. Just a tad different than Harrison's infant stage. She also is really starting to hold her head up and is always alert when she is awake, just taking everything in. I can't wait to hear what she has to say once she starts talking.

Here are some more photos of these 2 little munchkins!