Seven on Sunday-- Holiday Edition!

I am not really sure how to fit all the Genovese family craziness into the short amount of time I have, but here goes!

1. For the past 2 years I have "adopted" a child for Christmas from MSPCC, my former place of employment. Last year, I asked for a boy, close to Tyler's age, to purchase gifts for. I really wanted for Tyler to understand how lucky he is and to enjoy giving to someone in need. This year, I adopted to boys, brothers, ages 6 and 3. We went out a few weekends ago and bought Transformers and Toy Story stuff for them, along with other "must-haves"-- crayons, art supplies, balls, etc. We wrapped it all, labeled it and I dropped it off to the office this week. Here is Tyler helping to box it all up:
2. For weeks now I have been asking Tyler to write his letter to Santa. He finally decided that it needed to be done and sat down this week to write his own letter. We were so proud of him! What did he ask for? Transformers, hockey guys, and a television set with a remote control (?). We will have to wait and see what Santa decides to bring this year.

3. Last Friday we had a holiday get together with some friends. The plan was to load 5 kids and 3 adults into their mini van and drive through Forest Park and Bright Nights together. Lucky for us, it had snowed earlier in the week and having the snow on the ground was a wonderful backdrop to all the lights in the park. Unlucky for us? There were a lot of cars and we opted to go before dinner. Whoops! Lucky for us? We all packed snacks! Problem solved. The kids were wonderful troopers and hung in there for most of the trip, thanks to the snacks and Kids Bop, Christmas Edition!

4. After a lot of stress and worry over which teachers to buy gifts for and what to buy them, I finally settled on a plan for Tyler's preschool teachers: movie gift cards and baskets. It was so much fun to put together! I found "popcorn buckets" at the Dollar Tree, filled them with candy and a box of popcorn, included a Blockbuster gift card, and viola! Gift complete! Hopefully Tyler's Green Valley teachers will enjoy family movie time as much as we do during the Christmas vacation!

5. Grammy sent Tyler an early Christmas gift-- books! We decided a long time ago that you can never have enough books in a house. When I had more time, I loved to read and would polish off a book in a sitting. At night, during quiet time, we read 3 books. Lucky for us, Tyler has picked up on the love of reading and this was the scene in the hallway yesterday morning:

Tyler was reading to all of his animals and his son. His son, you ask? That would be Charlie Brown....

6. For the past month now, Tyler has been working on earning his latest bribe, ahem, reward, for good sleep behavior. Walking through the mall one day I saw that Build-A-Bear was featuring Star Wars outfits! Knowing that Christmas was coming and this was a much bigger prize that normal, we set out on 30 days of good sleep behavior. Friday was the last day of the reward and Tyler definitely had earned the prize! We decided to turn it into a fun holiday night and headed to diner at Uno's, visited with Santa and had pictures taken, and then made our way to Build-A-Bear. Tyler told me in the morning that he wanted to pick out a kitty, and he did just that. He dressed his kitty in a Captain Rex outfit and named him StarWii. You can see a picture of StarWii in the photo above.

By the way, what did he ask Santa for? A television-- with a remote control!

7. Saturday Tyler and I ventured into the world of Gingerbread House decorating. After hearing from people about how difficult it was to get the structure to stay together I was a little apprehensive about what the finished project would be. But I am happy to announce that we used ample frosting and allowed for lots of drying time and we were successful our first time around! Tyler had a blast once he got the hang of it and kept asking me "Can I eat this?" "Of course", I said-- that is half the fun!

Hockey with Santa!

Tyler loves hockey. He loves playing it, watching it, talking about it, and anything that has to do with it. Scratch that, he hates mascots and refuses to go anywhere near them. Last winter while we were at a Springfield Falcon’s game, he was very nervous about going inside to out seat because “Screech would be there”. A friend of mine told him that night that she had called ahead to the rink and told them to keep Screech away from Tyler. Thank goodness—it worked like a charm and now we can all relax and watch games!
But I digress.

This week in hockey a “special guest” would be joining the kids. Knowing that last year Screech, the Falcon’s mascot joined them, we were prepared! Luckily Tyler’s fear of costumed anything does not carry over to the jolliest of them all—Santa Claus! The kids took the ice and Coach Steve told them they would play a scrimmage for practice this morning. The kids were all very excited—usually practice is all about the drills!

The catch? Santa would be goalie! What a treat! (I guess I assumed there would be lots of ice at the North Pole, but when did Santa learn to skate and be a goalie and protect his shins?)

The kids had a ton of fun and I had a great time watching them. Tyler did awesome considering the only hockey games he has ever played are those that take place in my kitchen or in the basement. There were a few older and bigger kids out on the ice and Tyler made sure to show them who was boss and took them out a few times. I also could not help but think that bedtime tonight would be a cinch (and it was!).

After they were all done with their scrimmage, it was picture time with Santa. They took a group shot:

And a shot with Daddy:

By the way, if you are keeping track, this has got to be visit number 4 with Santa this year. I am sure he is not going to forget who Tyler is, what he wants, or where he lives!

I couldn’t pass up these shots afterwards. Tyler loves playing hockey and Frank loves that he enjoys it. Frank is out there every weekend on the ice with him, helping the other kids, and encouraging them for the hour. It is great to watch and sometimes even makes me forget that I am in a freezing rink in the middle of winter!

Frank and kis "Mini-Me" (in more ways than one!):

All Aboard the Santa Train!

After a lot of debate about taking Tyler to the Polar Express Train, I cam across another train-themed Santa activity. There is a restaurant in Palmer, Massachusetts, Steaming Tenders, that is housed in an old train depot. It is located right next to train tracks and while you eat, you watch the trains go by. They also have an engine and an old dining train car that are both stationary on the property. This year they advertised "Cookies with Santa". The best part? A fraction of the price and a third of the drive! Because Frank was busy with hockey, I asked my friend, Elaine, if she would want to join Tyler and I with the kids, she was a go!

We arrived at the restaurant and were a bit early. We took the opportunity to snap a few pictures of the kids by the steam engine. It was massive and really cool. As you can see, Derek had no interest in looking at us when there was a huge train right over his shoulder!
From there we went and waited in the reception area with Maggie the clown. Despite Maggie's friendliness, Tyler wanted no part in her or her juggling! After a bit he relaxed and loosened his grip on my hand. It also helped that a train went by right at that time and the kids glued themselves to the window! After the train left, Jingles, Santa's main elf, came and told us our cookies were just out of the oven and to come aboard!

Mrs. Claus and Jingles served us all hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies while we waited for Santa to arrive from the North Pole!

After a short wait, Santa finally arrived. He visited with each table and made his lap available to anyone who wanted to take a seat. Tyler was happy standing next to Santa and reporting that he wanted hockey guys and Transformers for Christmas.

When we were all done, we got this shot of the kids on the steps of the dining car. They all had a great time and even were able to take home some candy cane balloons Maggie the clown had left behind!

Green Valley Christmas Pageant

Tonight was Tyler's first ever school Christmas show. To say Frank and I were excited would have been correct! We had no idea how he would react to being in front of so many people. We also had no idea what the show was going to be like-- he kept telling us "it's a secret"!

Elaine, Olivia's mom, and I went early to get seats. We were the second set of people there! We got great seats-- third row on the isle. We both manned still cameras, video cameras, and, oh yeah, 11 seats! The guys arrived and the kids were still in one piece! Tyler made his way to the stage and found his seat:

Tyler's group was one of the later ones to perform. Each child was assigned a song to sing in a smaller group. We were amazed that he sang along to the other songs as well. When it was his turn, he came to his spot and stage and was given his prop-- ice skates! The name of his song? 'A Slippery Song', all about ice skating and falling down! His teachers told me later that it was no accident he was assigned to this one!

After each group was finished and they sang their finale, a special guest showed up! Santa Claus! Each child got a chance to take a picture with him and receive a special gift! Tyler wanted no part in sitting on his lap, but did settle for taking a picture next to him:

Tyler and Olivia:

Each child was given a personalized smock as their special gift. I can only imagine the teachers making 30 of these!

Tyler and Olivia with Mrs. Fitzpatrick, their lead teacher:

Thanks for a wonderful night! It was wonderful to watch the kids perform and we are looking forward to many more shows in years to come!

Thanksgiving

This year Thanksgiving was spent on Long Island with Frank's side of the family. After a long, but safe trip, on Wednesday, we were able to spend a wonderful long weekend with the family! When we arrived on Wednesday Grandma and Papa took all the kids for an overnight stay-- always a great gift! Frank and I were able to have a delicious dinner at Vincent's Clam Bar. The ironic part? We used a gift certificate we got last Christmas!

Thanksgiving day was beautiful and warm. After the kids arrived home, they showered dressed and headed outside to play. Thank goodness for fickle East coast weather! Here Tyler is taking a break from Hide-n-Seek. He insisted on wearing the sweater despite how warm it was outside!

After running around for a bit which allowed for the adults to dress themselves, set the table, and work on cooking, the kids came in for a snack. Aunt Laurette spent a lot of time this week making chocolate lollipops for the kids:

Then it was time to play some more. Skylar and Tyler made themselves at home at the top of the stairs where they busied themselves with their Nintendo DS's.

Soon, everyone else arrived for Thanksgiving dinner. Frank's Uncle PJ, Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill, Mom, and Dad, all joined us at Jim and Laurette's for a yummy dinner. Not that an on time arrival threw the schedule off! At 1P.M. Frank asked Laurette if the turkey needed to be cooking yet.... That was a yes! We threw it on the grill (where it was going to be cooked anyways) and it was ready by 5P.M.!

Skylar, Tyler, and Conor enjoying a delicious Thanksgiving dinner of... Pizza!?!

For the past few weeks, Laurette and the kids, even some of the people in the neighborhood had been taking care of a stray cat, nicknamed Mosey. Mosey is very sweet and definitely takes her time, moseying from one place to the next. She has an appointment at a veterinarian on Monday and may permanently reside with the Fagan's. She was invited inside on Thanksgiving night because remember that warm weather? It was windy and cold outside by evening!

No Thanksgiving is complete without Uncle Clark's, whoops, I mean Uncle Jim's house lighting! We all gathered outside and welcomed the start of the Christmas holiday season!

On Friday, we all took the kids ice skating at the beautiful new Bethpage Ice Rink. All the kids did wonderful and stayed on the ice for over an hour! Tyler zoomed around, Conor kept right up, and Skylar came away from the wall and skated unassisted!

Conor...

Frank, Conor, and Tyler....

And Skylar and Uncle Jim.

It was a wonderful weekend and we are praying for a quick drive home so we can light up our tree and decorations! Happy Thanksgiving!

Boston Bruins

Tonight we were able to score some great seats to the Bruins game in Boston thanks to our friends. Our seats? Second row, center. Frank and I both realized that Tyler has never had to sit in the balcony section for any of these games....what a life! Here is the view from our seats before the start of the game-- there is something about seeing the ice so smooth and clear:
From our seats we could watch what was happening at the official's and the announcer's table. At times, the referee would skate over, say something to these gentlemen, and then skate off. After each period, they would leave this box and Tyler would wave to them when they came back. They really liked him!

Center ice face off:

Not only were we directly behind the official's table, but we also has great seats to see the penalty box! This player, Shawn Thorton, #22, was in the box a whole lot-- mostly for fighting! Here he is, still jawing away at his opponent across the way. Eventually Mr. Thorton made way to the locker room-- his penalty minutes were greater than the time left on the game clock!

Prior to the start of the game, they showed Darth Vader, Storm Troopers, and Chewbacca on the JumboTron. At the end of the first period, the Star Wars theme started playing and this caught the ears of a certain little guy we were with:

For good reason, too! Both Darth Vader .....

and Chewbacca were riding along on the Zamboni's! It really was cool-- Darth Vader was his evil, menacing self, and Chewy was totally in character. Each time they rode by, Tyler gave them big waves. It was awesome!

The whole lot of us, living the big life!

The best part of the game? The third period. Why you ask? Well, it wasn't the score (but the Bruins did win). It wasn't the seats (they were awesome!). What else was there? This:

Remember Tyler waving at the men at the official's table? It paid off (that and a little how-ya-doin' by Frank). They flipped Tyler this game used puck-- still frozen, cold, and wet! Fantastic! What a great ending to a fantastic night! We can only hope that things are always that great!

Fall Soccer

Tyler had his last soccer game of the Fall season today. After numerous rain-outs, the sun finally decided to give these kids a chance to play! I was so excited to see how my little guy has progressed over the season.

The day started as another crazy Sunday morning with hockey at 10A.M., drive through at you-know-where for the super healthy lunch of nuggets and apple dippers, and then soccer at 12:30P.M.. In the meantime, being the soccer mom I am, I was off to my game in Connecticut at 9A.M.! Truth be told? Neither Frank or I will miss the craziness of our Sundays!
Tyler and his teammate, Emma, warming up with shots on goal. I love how the shorts are so long that you can't see his knees between his socks and his shin guards!
Somehow as the season went on Frank found himself on the field as the defense coach. I guess once a coach, always a coach, no matter the sport! His best defenceman? That little guy in blue ready for action!
I had a prime seat for a throw in. Unfortunately it was a prime seat from the rear view. You get the idea, right?
Here they come!
Leaving the field for the last time :(-- so proud of the way he played! He was a great teammate, helping his fellow players up when they fell, cheering them on as they took the ball, and celebrating with them when they succeed!

OLSH!

Our Lady of Sacred Heart under 6 Fall soccer, 2009.

Tyler accepting his trophy from Coach Joe.

Tyler with his trophy! How proud is he?