Goodbye SBT...for this year

My kids are both card carrying Cowlitz Indians. What, you couldn't tell? Seriously, they are. So, when Blake wanted to name our elf "Super Bear Thomas" I thought was his Indian roots shining through - it sounds sort of like an Indian name to me. Last year by the end of December Blake said "Mom, it's just a game, right?". I thought this year would be a bust, but it was quite the opposite. Blake took Christmas VERY seriously this year, including our elf, SBT. You are not suppose to touch the elf (who reports back to Santa each night) or he will lose his magical powers. SBT is wise enough to return to our home each evening somewhere out of reach, he must know we have a toddler in the house. When Blake's cousins came to visit one of them touched SBT...twice! Blake broke down in tears 3 times that day so worried SBT had lost his powers. That night he returned with a note explaining that Blake was still on the nice list...but cousin Jake was on shaky ground (sorry Jake!). That seemed to solve our drama. Now that Christmas is over with, I'm so happy I won't have to go flying out of bed early in the morning to make sure Super Bear Thomas remembered to find a new perch. Darn elf.

Super Bear Thomas with his note to Blake

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas eve at Grammy & Grandpa's house this year and it was so much fun. They had a treasure hunt for the kids, plenty of food and goodies as well as an appearance from Santa himself!

Lauren and Georgia, or GG as Lauren is calling her these days. Could Georgia be any sweeter?

Georgia can't go to see Santa so for the second year running, Santa came to her. I think my Dad is awesome for dressing up. I wouldn't say costumes are really his thing, but anything for the grandkids. Even though Santa wasn't a big hit with Georgia (or Lauren) I'm glad she got to experience this all important tradition we put our kids through :)

Lauren was completely freaked out and Blake said "hey, that's Grandpa!" Santa even took off his hat, beard and glasses in front of Georgia but it didn't seem to help!

Wrestle time

Excuse me for posting this intimate little photo...I just thought it was funny that Georgia is actually potty training herself right now, but Lauren thought she'd show her how it's done - Pittman style :)

Loot from the treasure hunt.

Grammy & Blake

Back at home - Lauren sampling Santa's goodies. Blake quickly let her know how important these cookies are to Santa, he took it all so seriously this year.

Also sampling Santa's goodies...it's like I have three children.

Love

A Very Pittman Christmas

It's been a busy few days here. Grandma and Grandad came up to celebrate Christmas early, followed by Aunt Lisa and Gage and Jake. My kids have had so much fun they are exhausted :)

Lauren & Grandad playing with her new pots and pans.
The karaoke machine with dual mics was a HUGE hit.

Karate Mr. Potato Head!

Gage, Jake and Blake decorated gingerbread houses...with lots of candy.

Gage & Jake's house Blake's house...and my wine!

Demonstrating how to decorate a gingerbread house.

The big kids wanted to ice skate, so of course Blake wanted to try it too. Lisa held Lauren so I could go skating with Blake and I have to say I was really impressed. He held on to the wall the first two loops around and then wanted to be out in the middle. I, however, was far from graceful. The picture is a little random, I was trying not to fall down while holding my phone.

Christmas Season

We've had a very busy holiday season already and it's only the 15th. We've done lots of decorating and baking...and eating! Here are some pictures from our holiday adventures. Bellevue Botanical Gardens

B & his FAVORITE ornament...the Husky helmet.
She looks so sweet and innocent, not like the ornament rearranging expert she is.

Um, really? Here's Blake at the Christmas Celebration for his school. All of the kids in his class were pretending to be asleep as part of their play. Blake was the only kid laying ON TOP of another child (Ella of course). I think we need to have another little chat about personal space. Fortunately, Ella's mom thought it was funny!

Snowflake Lane

Snowflake lane is a little late for Lauren, she almost fell asleep in my arms.

I love Christmas decorations, but I don't want to be that mom who won't let her kids touch anything. So, I've tried to hang my favorite ornaments up high on the tree and relax about the rest. Here's how things are going so far:

Mary, waiting for her steam bath.
Lou, snuggling with some ornaments.
We may need to move Gabriel from the Christmas decorations to the Halloween decorations.
Grocery cart full of low hanging ornaments and one advent calendar.

Gingerbread

Blake and Laurel decorated gingerbread houses yesterday. They had a great time and some of the candy actually made it onto the houses. These two have known each other since the day they entered the world, it's so fun to see them grow up together, they are such good buddies.

"What? You didn't want me to use your favorite Bobbi Brown lipstick that was recently discontinued?" I guess it was Lauren's favorite too...

Playdate

We got to have Alison and Georgia for a playdate today. It's always so fun to have the cousins together. Georgia only has another week + with her feeding tube and then she'll have "line away" as she says. Yeah G!

A gentle hug for his cousin...and a headlock for his sister :)

riding with his ski helmet as usual...