Real Pink Barbie Mystery

We have solved the "real pink Barbie" mystery! For some unknown reason, Quinten calls his kitchen a "real pink Barbie". Last night he asked why Santa did not make it pink like he had asked. Quinten has been calling himself one of Santa's elves so Mark asked why the elves did not paint it pink. I am so grateful that I wanted Santa to bring a kitchen. Imagine if he had not gotten the kitchen and kept asking for the pink Barbie. Everyone would have been frustrated since we thought the Barbie was the Barbie!

Christmas Pictures

Everyone ended up at my parents house which made my parents quite happy! Quinten was quite spent and refused to get in the picture. What are you going to do?


Quinten received a ski vest and goggles. He begins formal swim lessons after the New Year. He has gone to sleep wearing his vest he loves it so much!


Aunt Patti and Quinten share a moment.

Quinten loves playing in his new kitchen. After working with daddy fixing things around the house, he used his new tools to fix his own kitchen! I love the fact he tried to get daddy to use his wrench to fix the toilet earlier in the day!

Lauren asked Quinten to sit in her lap while we were at my parents. What a sweet moment! If you get them off the phone, look at what can happen. Of course other things can happen but this is the absolute best!

I was so excited for this Christmas day. Quinten had the perfect blend of being excited for Baby Jesus and knowing that Santa was coming. We did a more minimal holiday where Santa only brought three items and mommy and daddy brought about three. It was hard but worth it trying to remember the real reason for the season. I awoke before 6 but no one else came alive until nearly 8!!! I asked Quinten if he wanted to sing Happy Birthday baby Jesus before we went downstairs and he said yes. He proceeded to get him out of the manager so he could really hear us sing. This brought tears to my eyes and I wish I could have filmed it. He goes up to the "air up" nativity scene at work. He talks so gently and sweetly it makes my heart melt.

We took turns opening gifts so we could see what was given. While hard at times for Quinten, I did not want to miss a single moment. His most requested gift was a real pink Barbie. When he opened it out of his stocking, he said "what is this?". We have yet to figure out what he meant as he keeps talking about pink Barbie. He has yet to play with her but it is the 1st gift he mentions when anyone asks him what he received. A new kitchen awaited him and he has played in it non-stop since yesterday morning. he has made everything from pasta to cereal to pizza. I asked him if he had Bourbon and he informed me I do not like Bourbon! This is a true statement and I am not even sure why I asked him for it!!

Lauren received many gifts from her mother. She continues to mature in a beautiful manner. She understood what we were doing something different with giving a smaller volume. Her favorite gift came from my sister Mary. It is a peace pendant that fell off into the sink! Her dad and brother successfully retrieved it! This year we were fortunate to have her on Christmas Day. The next day she went with her mother to see her grandmother. While we would prefer having her with us, this was her grandmother's first Christmas without her husband. She belongs with her mom and that family.

Getting Excited for Christmas!

Quinten is getting quite excited for Christmas and Santee Claus. He usually says Santee Claus over Santa Claus. He loves looking at different figurines in the yards and in our home. He talks with him and uses his imagination fully. We have decided on a small, non-materialistic holiday. Santa is bringing three gifts and mommy and daddy have 3 gifts. Quinten and Lauren are blessed with grandparents, aunts and uncles to also shower them with gifts. We want the kids to appreciate what they do receive and learn the true meaning of Christmas. I am having trouble as I keep coming up with gift ideas and have to remind myself we are done shopping. He told me recently that he knows Santa Claus can only bring so many things in his sleigh since it comes all the way from the North Pole.

I want to develop some memories and traditions both kids will take with them into adulthood. Each year the kids receive an ornament that they will take with them once they leave our home. Santa's gifts will be wrapped in Santa paper. We have a wonderful dinner Christmas Eve dinner and my parents have been able to join us the last several years. We have attended services at Janet's church so we can receive communion. Jim Zappe has come over Christmas morning to share in the celebration. We hope he and Cheryl can both come this year and possibly spend Christmas Eve night with us.

Sprained Ankle

Last night I sprained my ankle just as I was starting my two mile run. I had gone around the corner and thought I should run on the sidewalk so I would not get hit by a car. Usually, i run at the YMCA (this makes it sound like I run often-I do not!). At the 1st driveway, I went up and rolled my ankle. Wow-the instant pain. Mark had planned on taking Quinten out for a quick errand. In getting up I realized I could not bear any weight. I started yelling for Mark and saw the car going very slowly right by me!!! My screams were heard by the neighbors inside their house ahead of Mark but not Mark!! They came across the field to help me when a stranger stopped his car and offered assistance. The stranger and his wife drove me back around the corner back to the house. What a blessing form complete strangers.

Poor Mark! he felt terrible that he drove without hearing me. Who looks for a wife lying on the ground? He was wonderful when they got home. Quinten was also so sweet wanting to comfort me. Today the ankle is swollen and tender but I can bear weight. It needs to be kept elevated, medicated and iced bu I can walk! The YMCA triathlon is about 2 months away so I need it to heal quickly. Lauren teased me that I should not be competitive and be training because it caused this accident!

Santa Train

We rode the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway. This was Quinten's 1st train ride which alone was exciting. He loved going on the train. The train ride lasted two hours through the Hocking Valley area. While we cannot say it was overly scenic in the winter, we enjoyed the gentle motion. Approximately 45 minutes into the trip, Santa appeared on our train car. As you can see from Quinten's expression, he was quite excited. When Santa came up to Quinten, he became shy and would not talk with him. He did give him a hug. Mommy let Santa know that Quinten is hoping for a fire truck with a ladder and hose. Santa said he would talk with the elves and see if he could bring one down to him.