Gifts from Near and Far (and more sliding)

We got several fun presents this week in person and in the mail.  Grandpa Buxton stopped by with a hand made music box for Esme.  She wasn't quite sure what to think of it, but both her and Parker quickly took a liking.  Esme is already asking to have it play at bed time.

Grandpa also got to see the sliding track in person for the first time.

Later in the week we got a special delivery in the mail from great aunt Margaret in Nebraska.  A friend of hers makes aprons for kids and had a Vikings one.  She thought of Esme right away.  We have been having a lot of fun baking lately, so this was perfect.

Grandpa returned with more gifts too.  I was supposed to get a segmented bowl for Christmas, but it shattered as it was nearing completion on his lathe.  Heartbreaking, but every woodworker or crafter has been here before. I am also glad that no one was hurt by the flying pieces.  I wasn't expecting a replacement so quickly, but he works fast!  I love the new addition to our kitchen and it will be the perfect vessel for our fruit.  

He also brought Parker his very own donut shaped music box so the kids don't have to share.  Esme's plays Silent Night and Parker's plays The 12 Days of Christmas.  Such precious keepsakes they can have for the the rest of their lives.

The sliding track continues to offer fun in our own backyard.  I will have to wait for some more snow to be able to expand or extend it.

Diet Cola Taste Test

It's time for our diet cola taste test.  We did an un-cola one just before Christmas.  I am guessing most parts of the country have Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi as the primary options.  We have a few other second and third tier options to add to our taste test and I chose the one I could get in the cheapest manner.  In this case, it was Zevia, a stevia sweetened drink.  Watch our video below to see what happened.

The Zevia was obviously a distant third in our rankings.  Jimmy and I came to the same conclusion based on the taste.  We were surprised that the Diet Pepsi was the sweeter one.  Jimmy preferred the Diet Coke for its bubbliness and I preferred the Diet Pepsi for its sweetness.  Even Parker didn't want to touch the Zevia again, so we will stick with the basics.  

Herrmann Sliding Center

 We spent New Year's Day relaxing and building a sliding track in the back yard.  We had a good amount of snow, so I thought I would give it a try.  I initially built the starting hill in the morning, but quickly realized the powdery snow was not going to work.  I dug out the hose and rebuilt it in layers, adding water so it would freeze and harden.  I added a curve at the end so they won't crash in to the fence.  I am hoping to get a good base down so we can built it up and maybe make it long as we get more snow.

Goodbye 2020!

Jimmy had the week of New Year's off as well, but I worked 2.5 days.  We got some more snow and the kids had a great time playing outside and helping clear it.

Jimmy got a popcorn gift basket from work and Parker loved the movie theater butter variety. We looked up the place and made a trip to Popped Corn in Minnetonka.  They have so many varieties, it was hard to choose which ones to try.  They also have a ton of fudge. Parker got his very own little bag.

We decided to hit up the sledding hill after I got off work on New Year's Eve.  Esme was so excited.  We went once during the October snow storm, but it was so deep that we didn't get too far.  The hill was in much better condition this time.

Parker mastered going all the way out on to the pond.  Now that both kids are enjoying this activity, it may be time to pick up some new sleds.  The ones we have were free on the curb in our neighborhood a few years ago.

We made a small batch of sugar cookies for our NYE "celebration."

I made a charcuterie plate, some cheesy bacon dip, and we sipped on some cold duck after the kids went to bed.  Neither of us made it to midnight this year, which is very rare.  Jimmy is usually snoozing early, but I dozed off too.

We are definitely happy to say farewell to 2020.  There are so many things to be hopeful for in the coming year, but COVID isn't gone yet and we can't pretend it is.  What are your hopes and dreams and goals for 2021?

More Christmas Break

The kids are having a great time playing with their Christmas gifts.  I helped Esme make play-doh teeth and she enjoyed being the dentist.

It's been staying pretty mild which allows us to play outside every day.

We've been doing some driveway sledding and will get back out to the sledding hill once it's packed a bit more.

Jimmy's sister's family stopped by on Saturday for a visit and to drop off presents.  The kids got adorable matching pajamas and some really fun new toys.

Bop It and the fart gun are getting a lot of use already.  The fart gun even has a little water canister to mist out from the end.

Esme loves her new Peppa Pig castle and didn't seem to mind her bottom getting cold.

We enjoyed playing and being silly the rest of the weekend.  We made a worms and dirt kit that Grandpa and Grandma Herrmann gave us a while back.  Esme loved the pudding and cookie crumbs, but didn't want the gummy bugs and snails.

We love displaying our Christmas cards in a fun way and are blessed with so many.  It will be sad taking them down next week.

How cute are these new jammies!  Esme is obsessed with matching at the moment and loves matching with Parker.

We'll Be Home for Christmas

Welcome to most pictured day of the year.  I took even more pictures that normal since we were filling our day with activities.  Typically, we'd head to my parents pretty early and mostly chill out all day.  Both kiddos climbed in our bed, which was a fun way to wake up.  Esme wished Parker a "Happy Christmas" in her adorable little voice.

They both asked to open presents right away, so we let them.  Esme got a BB8 foldout play set and Parker for another swing for the basement (hopefully they won't fight now.). They also got a new play doh dentist toy that was for both of them.

I had already installed our new swing mounts, so it was ready to go up. Esme's toy didn't come with any figures, but we gathers some up and Daddy Pig was immediately cornered by a "storm pooper."

Later in the morning my parents stopped by with presents.  We each got our traditional Santa bag that we got to open right away.

Each of the kids got a small toy and a bunch of snacks.  They would typically get gift cards in these as well, but they got those in their Advent calendar.

Jimmy and I each got some K-cups (for the free Keurig I managed to snag last week), chocolates and gift cards.

Esme proceeded to immediately try out all of the new play doh colors she got.

We had a pretty simple noon meal.  I was able to heat up the other half of our Thanksgiving sides and made baked potatoes and pineapple ham.  We've had so many cookies and other sweets lately that I didn't even make a special dessert.

We headed outside for some playtime before the Vikings game.

The football game was a bit disappointing.  They needed a win to stay alive in the playoff hunt, but didn't get it.

We opened presents with my parents at halftime over Zoom.  The kids each got a new pair of crocs, a bike helmet, a sweatshirt, and a book.  It was cute how quickly they figured out going over to the iPad to show my parents.

I did the good ole fashioned box gift card wrapped in packing tape in a box, inside a box, inside another box trick for my nephew.

Esme was obviously a fan of her presents and wore all of them the rest of the night.  My dad proved he is a good listener by getting us a bottle opener to attach to our deck.  I think this stemmed from a conversation during our cider taste test.

We finished out evening by continuing our Pixar tradition.  Theaters aren't open, but we did get to enjoy Soul from the comfort of our living room along with some homemade caramel corn.

Merry Christmas friends!