Santa, Santa, everywhere!!

Thanksgiving weekend was full of plans, and last minute activities, and SANTA!!! in places most unexpected.
On Thursday at football, Amy had mentioned the Old Town Littleton street lighting and Santa arrival on the next evening.  Given our open calendar and daytime temps in the high 60's, we quickly planned to join the fun.  Each block was lit for the season as Santa's "sleigh" slowly approached.  The lights of Old Town Littleton are quite like none other and the charm of this small city at the holidays was part of what drew me to wanting to live there.  Long-time readers will remember we tried to buy a house there upon return to Denver that appraised shockingly low.  Thankfully the light rail now takes us right there and we ended up living just where we belong. :)

As we suspected, half of the greater Denver metro area decided to join in the festivities so waiting in line to see Santa after he finally made his way back to the town center, was not going to happen.  We joined the Lineberry's for dinner (for them) and sopapillas after the fun for the perfect end to a great day.

 

Here's the lighting of the big tree in the "town center."

 

This video is Ben spotting the big man himself. :)

Saturday, mid-morning, we were back on the train, this time to Union Station and downtown.  We had plans to join Tante and her friend Brandon for Shop Small Saturday.  We haven't taken much part in Black Friday since it's crept right backwards into Thanksgiving the last few years, but we always try to shop small and local businesses the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I often have most of my shopping done, but also try to enjoy a meal or snacks at a local eatery.

Union Station was absolutely decked out beautifully for the holidays and it turned out was Santa's next stop after Littleton!! At Union Station there was NO LINE to talk with Santa and no charge beyond a donation to a local charity.  I was honestly so shocked at the scene that I directed Ryan to stuff money in the pot without paying attention to the cause.

Look above the clock! Brandon and Molly had the perfect vantage point to see us walk in.

The DELIGHT that overtook all of Ben's being when he saw Santa's open and welcoming lap and arms still brings tears to my eyes.  He was absolutely mesmerized! Santa chatted with him a bit but didn't ask what he wished for until we directed him.  Thanks to Santa on a Cadillac commercial about a month ago, Ben wants, "a black car," for Christmas. 

these pics are blurry but I couldn't not share.

We tried for some pics in front of the tree but something is wrong with my camera, so......

 

 After lunch of hot dogs, burgers, and kale quinoa salad (yep, only in CO,) we ventured through a few shops before heading next to the Tattered Cover Bookstore.  The Tattered Cover is a Denver institution and though it has fewer locations than it once did, it felt great to wander an independent bookseller in a choppy old building on our shop small adventure.  We made our way to Larimer Square and The Market for delicious desserts before hitting a couple more shops.  It was confirmed at Goorin Brothers that I still can't find a wool winter cloche big enough for my giant melon but I had fun trying.  We walked with Tante back to her car at Union Station as Brandon had bid us adios a bit earlier and we hopped on the train home.

 

The dark chocolate balsamic vinegar in this place is a life-changing taste.

 

We had a lovely chat with the guys at Evolution Cycles about Ben's next bike.  They reiterated that a "real" and more lightweight bike can make all the difference when kids are learning.  Being a one kiddo family, however, means we are not about to fork 

over $300 for a bike to be used 

only a year or two.  Ben only cared about the bike "blaaaack" mens mountain bikes.  16" kids bikes are made in only 2 colors per year and rarely black. :(

a true sissy tradition

That evening we joined Uncle Cole and friends at the Lineberry's to celebrate Cole's birthday the next day.  We hauled Ben home in his pj's just after 9 but he partied in his room for a while longer.  He also awoke before 6 am and by Bronco football time..............

I think we all shared his exhaustion from a long weekend spent welcoming the Holidays in the most delightful way.

thanksGIVING

The week of Thanksgiving this year included more Giving for Ben than before and although lots of the fun was in the novelty, I hope they are lasting activities.
Ben's class focused on gratitude and on giving and had a canned soup drive.  I took the opportunity to talk to Ben a lot about people in our community who are hungry and less fortunate.  In one conversation he said, "their bellies must hurt if they are soooooo hungry."  I was happy he was really considering and thinking about what we were talking about. 
Although I think he's placed some coins in the bucket in years past, Ben really took notice of the Salvation Army bell ringer outside the grocery store this week.  As I rarely take him grocery shopping with me, I quickly parallel-parked the car cart and emptied my wallet.  Ben seemed to know what to do and was beaming as the bell ringer took down the bucket for Ben to access.  Ben was very proud of having done something that must have seemed very "adult" to him and we took the opportunity to talk more about what it meant.  Ben replied emphatically, "now their bellies won't be hungry!"
"Yes, my prince, Exactly!"
To this kid for whom food is everything, I think this lesson hit home more than it might with clothes and toys at Christmas, but I'm already excited to share that giving with him.

***

Ben has all of Thanksgiving week off school and we had a great time prepping for the big day and having more relaxed mornings.

 I think a Thanksgiving Eve viewing of The Blind Side has become a tradition in our house.

We took advantage of warm weather this year and got our outdoor decor done early.  This gorgeous boxwood wreath from Trader Joe's was the finishing touch.

Aunt Mae's wild rice casserole kept me busy the day before we gave thanks.

As always, there was lots to be thankful for this year and our day of giving thanks began with the 18th Annual Pigskin Classic.  The weather was great this year and Ben really understood that his turn for playing football came at half-time and at the end.  Also, the older the dad's get, the shorter the halves are. ;)  Like last year, we spent lots of time at the nearby playground while many friends and familiar faces stopped by to slide or play for a bit.  This year was the first with no major injuries and we headed home to shower and pick up food at about 11 am.  

Auntie Amy arrived with a vanilla steamer at just the right time. :)

I've taken pics of Ben and Hailey (the only kiddo his age I know who towers over him,) on this swing for two years now and will probably ask them to take a similar pic 

when they're 16.

MeeMee headed to Myrtle Beach with her mom and sis this year and Tante cooked for herself, so there was no juggling for us and only one turkey to devour.  We arrived at the Original Heimer Haus a bit after the Witherspoons and Ben quickly grabbed cousin Ian's hand and drug him off to play.  Although their interests vary a bit, they had a great time playing together, especially in the teepee Nana built and sewed for them.  Ian is great for Ben because he responds to him regularly and also is a bit more insistent than some of Ben's other playmates that Ben respond to his questions.

We enjoyed a delightful day chatting and prepping and ate around 4pm.  The feast was fabulous and as always, my tummy lacked room for all I wanted.  

Lola's secret to longevity;)

the "after"

 While the kitchen table was already full, Ben was first to arrive in the dining room and knows that, "turkey waits for no one."

When Ben talks about playing with Ian, wrestling is always mentioned. ;)

Many hours playing outside followed by lots of people and cousin time without a break meant Ben's breakdown ensued just as I'd forecast to his Dad about an hour before. ;)  He cried as we left about not wanting to leave Ian and many other things in a sure sign that it was time for this day of fun and thanks to end.

Big THANKS to all who made the day and the meal so great!! I'm especially thankful to live so close to so many I love so even when we're apart on "the big day," I know we'll be together soon.

misdemeanor for .....

....defacing of family property.  
At 4.25 years old, Ben received his first misdemeanor for misplaced coloring.  I know I'm lucky it took so long and that it could have been much worse and much earlier.
Unfortunately, he defaced what I hope will be a family heirloom and committed the crime just about 12 hours after I finished creating said treasure. 
I've been saving our holiday cards and letters with hopes to someday collage them in a book.  This year I had fewer holiday crafts on my plate and thanks to Ben having a sleepover at Tante's, I found myself with a clean craft table just waiting to be overtaken.

I use the word collage because this craft for me was far from a typical scrap-booking with cut-outs and stickers galore, but I love how it turned out and that we'll have all these special memories in one place.

I was just finishing an email to Aunt Christy when Ben entered the office beckoning me.  I asked him to wait 2 minutes while I finished and heard him climb up in a chair at the craft table behind me.  We had done this fun craft with neighbor Joey the afternoon before .....

                                                                                             and I was glad Ben was again checking out the craft space and even started thinking of what we could craft next.  In mere moments, I was jerked back to reality when I heard the tell-tale sound of the fat marker scraping against the linen cover of my book.  I jumped and screamed and hoped maybe, just maybe, the lid was still on.  Alas, Ben had found the one thing I hadn't put away from the previous days' crafting and had quickly discovered his next project.  

My shriek brought him almost immediately to tears and my ensuing "tears," caused a breakdown and long talk for both of us.  I always want Ben to feel welcome to create and especially want to foster development of writing and coloring since these are not his favorite tasks or strong suits.  I think that in the end he understood what are and aren't appropriate places to color and I know that next year when I pull the album out of the Christmas box, I will look upon those scribbles and smile.

#win

Ben's class is learning about thankfulness this week.  They're doing a food drive, talking about Thanksgiving and about being grateful for our many blessings.  They also did a quilt/wall-hanging combined with the afternoon class.
Here is Ben's square......

I'm gonna call that a parenting win! Ben always wants to color with only black right now so this made me smile to see.  Coloring and writing are still not his favorite and are indeed a struggle but I LOVE that this was in black and that I can just picture him asking to be done and get back to the books.

Other kiddos were thankful for their families (lots), their friends at school, their blanket, and presents.

I made it 4 years, 2 months, 22 days, and 8(ish) hours....... **UPDATED**

....before giving in to one of Ben's requests to sleep in our bed.  (There have been a couple of nights here and there when he was very sick that he has slept with one or both of us.)
Ben finally had the logic to say, "Daddy's not here. He doesn't need to sleep there."  With temps below zero and after a long conversation about how things would go the next night when he returned to his own bed, I gave in.  Unfortunately, Ben doesn't have a clue about all the things we do after he goes to bed and couldn't deal with the fact that I wasn't going to bed at the same time.  After a few sessions of jumping on the bed, looking out the window, and coming out of our room altogether, he went back to his own bed. :(  I do look forward to "sleepovers" when Ryan travels in the future but will plan better and maybe reserve them for non school-nights.  Nice try buckaroo!!!

**UPDATE**

Last night, just days after his initial attempt, Ben and I had a sleepover in my bed.  I was tired from a long week and knew I could likely fall asleep but also knew Ben would likely sleep quickly too.  He had a sleepover with Tante Thursday night and was up at 4 am. :(  We also rarely have Friday nights when Ryan is gone so I took advantage.  It was fun to snuggle and Ben kept reaching out for my head throughout the night. :) Unlike his father, though, this kid doesn't stop snoring with a little nudge. (yaaaawn)  I did fall asleep early and got up early too, and was able to finish addressing our holiday cards.  Ryan will be home in a few hours in case when I need a nap.

"it WILL mount!"

Winter came to Denver Monday....brutally, quickly and painfully.  Ben had two days off for teacher training and in honor of Veteran's day.  We began our day with a strider ride to the elementary school playground.  As we left the house I wondered why we'd worn jackets at all and within five minutes at the playground, I was glad we had.  The temperatures dropped 50 degrees in 7 hours and we took two trips out to play in the "snow."  Ben was out of his mind with excitement for the snow and for wearing his boots and for the fire he thought we would have.  At some point between our two trips outside I said, "buddy, we can go outside but the snow is not going to amount to much."  That comment stopped him in his tracks and he looked at me squarely and said, "It WILL mount Mommy, it WILL MOUNT."

I hid my laughter and calmly agreed with an, "Ok. whatever you say. "

10 am

2pm

brrrrrrr!

Ben did get his first real post-snow "warm" chocolate and couldn't get enough.

We spent our Tuesday with friend Wyatt and his mom, Jess at the WOW Children's museum and having burritos for lunch.  Tuesday was not supposed to include much snow, but it hardly stopped all day.  

Ben would've stayed at the piano all day.

He can finally do the bubble machine on his own. This one is a little more DIY and harder to pull than the one at the big (read: more well-funded) museum near our house.

Oh these two are such blessings to their Jessica mamas.

We spent Tuesday evening celebrating Great Grandma Lola's 97th birthday.  She is living in a great new facility very close to Pat and Jim that has meant less worry and work for all involved and she seems very happy there too.

This one melts me.

 The drive home was a hairy one and for all I'd gone through single-momming it all week, I really missed having Ryan there to drive us home. ;)  So much of the country is under this cold-snap that even Ryan isn't escaping it in a much more southern locale.  Fortunately for Ben, the forecast calls for more boots, more snowballs and more "warm" chocolate.

the need for speed

Well, a couple months ago now, Ryan's car was "totaled" in a hail storm at work.  Of course all the damage is cosmetic but it would cost more than the value of the car to repair it.  This was a doozy of a storm and people with cars values up to $12,000 were totaled.  So, we hemmed and hawed and debated and decided to take the larger check, relinquish and car, and search for an all wheel drive sedan for Ryan that would include a LOW monthly payment for no more than 4 years.

The search was exhausting and after trying a couple times to check out cars with Ben in tow, we recruited Nana to watch him on Saturday and set out to buy a car.  Apparently dealerships make BIG deals on the last day of the month (the day before in this case,) so many cars we set out to see had sold the night before.  After seeing a couple and on our way for me to see some Ryan had already driven, we stopped by a dealer to drive an older Subaru (than others we were scoping,) that had a turbo.  Turbo is extra handy with our oxygen deprived altitude and makes getting up in the mountains all the more enjoyable.  Sadly the Subaru had been some young man's toy and the turbo was shot, as well as the speakers.  They had had one other car that fit all our parameters so we decided a little test drive couldn't hurt........

 I was "SOLD" before we even hit the highway and this was absolutely the most comfortable car I'd ever been in.  The V6 twin turbo and 300 HP didn't hurt either.  Of course I was skeptical of the coupe factor but it actually had the most front and back legroom of any car we'd driven that day.  Well on our drive it was revealed this car wasn't actually in our price range as we'd thought.  When we got back to the dealer we saw on the website that it was in fact the price we had thought although the dealers price sheet said differently.  Long story short, we took the car for the rest of the weekend and to have it checked out Monday.  Sadly, some quick searches revealed some big problems with this particular year(s) of this engine and there were some big recalls outstanding for this car.  We had also been looking to add an extended warranty with our financing and this warranty for this car was $$$.  So, sadly, this beauty sat in our driveway for all of Sunday and we took it back Monday morning.  Ryan was sad initially as the issues became clear, and I was devastated when we handed over the keys as I was SO excited for my hard-working husband to have something so fun and delightful for a daily driver.  

The whole search and experience was exhausting and not much fun.  So, for now, we opted to take the smaller check and keep Ryan's car until we can afford a newer CPO car with peace of mind included.  Luxury is not luxury when it comes with heaps of worry but, boy oh boy, she was fun while she lasted!!

Many Hallow's Eve's

As many holidays go, Halloween was not a one-night affair.  We did manage to keep it to two this year as we skipped Boo at the Zoo and some other events.  On Thursday night we headed to South High School for their trick-or-treat off the street.  Ben was the most excited for the drum circle group.  He ran back and forth across the giant gym with a little more intention this year than when we went two years ago as he'd actually stop for candy this time.  Ben was done in less than an hour which was quite alright with Ryan and me.

he got several compliments on his Air Jordan's from the high school boys

We really could've just left him here for hours.  I was amazed at how he picked up the rhythm.

On Friday the fun started right away with a parade around the school followed by a classroom party.  Ben is doing much better with me joining him in the classroom this year but still begged to go home after one craft and some time at the snack table.  

The whole school parades around the whole school :), and parents surround to watch. 14% of the total school population was Elsa from frozen.

The sugar high began with a juice box. :(

We headed home for a little down-time before the next round of fun began.  I ordered the Papa Murphy's jack-o-lantern pizza early in the day and thank goodness because that place was so busy you would've thought they were handing out gold candy bars.  Tante and Nana joined us and we fueled up on pizza and salad before heading out to Gaylord St and all the fun it entails.  Ben hit several houses on the way up the street to the closed-off business district and almost every station once we got there.  The biggest success of the evening came when Tante, Nana and I thwarted the "scary guy" who has a home on Gaylord and sneaks up behind people trick-or-treating to scare them.  He even called us out for blowing his cover while he was trying to get someone else.  Next year WE will scare HIM!

We stopped at just a couple houses on our street and got to see Steve and Leslie's famous flaming pumpkin before Ben retreated to the basement for The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.

We were out of candy shortly after 8:30 and Ryan and I weren't far behind Ben in saying goodnight to this Halloween.

Our little monkey through the years.  Monkey! Now there's an idea. :)