Christmas Eve!

After a great day of ice skating, we spent Christmas Eve chilling out. An errand here or there. Some Christmas cartoons. And then, we got down to important stuff.

1) Baking cookies for Santa!

Very careful with the icing.

Awesome shot, daddy. Too funny.

Wait a minute. This icing doesn't just have
to be on the cookies...

Finished variety.

Merry Star Wars Christmas from Yoda and Darth.

2) Mass - sort of. Grandpa Joe played in the Holy Savior Choir for the Christmas Eve mass in Wichita said by the bishop himself. Luckily, the diocese broadcast it live. Max loved the music. Here he is jamming at the end!

3) Christmas Eve jammies and one little gift, cookies out and ready, and a read from The Night Before Christmas before bed.

As with my family, Max got to open one present
on Christmas Eve.

A Cars blanket! It looks cool...

and it feels even better!

Twas the night...

Cookies and milk waiting by the chimney - check.

4) After the little man went to bed, Daddy had to help Santa put together a train table! I documented the 4-hour process. Ha.

Step 1: What the heck did Santa do to us?

Step 2: Watching It's a Wonderful Life for motivation.

Step 3: Santa helped Daddy bring it in the home stretch.

Step 4: Santa wrapped things up, ate a few cookies,
and left Max a little note!

And to all a good night!

Crown Center Ice Skating!

This Christmas, Paul indulged one of my great wishes: taking Max ice skating. We weren't sure how he would react to it, but ever since he saw the kids on Charlie Brown's Christmas special ice skating on the pond, he's talked and talked about it.

Paul took Friday, the 23rd, off, so we took the plunge that morning.

The preshow included a walk through the Santaland by the Mayor's Christmas Tree followed by lunch at Panera.

Then, we headed over to the ice rink for some action!

The skate rental area was crazy crowded.
I think Max's hesistant look comes more
from watching other kids than the skates.

On the rink with Mommy!

Learning how the other kids do it...

Experimenting with Daddy. I have to say,
the kid had a great sense of balance.

Family picture on my happy day!

(Video soon)

Max and I doing the couples thing.

Love that little look of wonder.

It was really a simple, yet great, adventure. And a fabulous day at Crown Center - Santaland, lunch, ice skating, Union Station. Really a quintessential Kansas City Christmas day. Score one for us!

Christmas with Kelly! (Updated)

Kelly, Paul's sister from Michigan, had a few PTO days to burn before the end of the year, so she came back to Lawrence/KC for some Christmas fun!

Max is sporting his Christmas duds!

Ahhh - Max and Kelly.

Borchardts around the tree.

Pauly and me. ;-)

Grandpa's new Life is Good shirt: " Bring it on" with a picture
of a snow blower.

Vader Nutcracker.

Grandma B and her antique Green Bay Packer bobblehead.
(Thanks, Joe, for the hookup.)

Max is reading to Kelly.

Grandma was ready for the Chiefs/Packers game.
Unfortunately, the Packers were not.

Max, opening the race track from Kelly and Phil.

Racing Cars!

(Video addition thanks to my figuring out how to download from my phone to my computer. I know - I'm an old fogey. I'm learning, people. I'm learning.)

Thanks Kelly, Phil, Grandma and Grandpa, for a great Christmas weekend before Christmas!