More Holiday Fun

Friday, all of the Mundelius cousins (Amanda - 16, Aurora - 14, Jennifer - 12, Brian -9, Jackson - 5, Maile - 4, Wyatt - 4 & Annabelle - 2) got together to practice a play that Jennifer had written over the Thanksgiving break. The play is an adaptation of Jack and the Beanstalk and bears the same name. JJ (aka Jennifer) did an amazing job writing and co-directing!

Aurora and JJ directing Annabelle and Maile

Maile and Annabelle exiting the stage

Saturday evening we went on the Sunol Train of Lights. It's pretty tame, but a fun holiday outing. The old train cars are completely lit with holiday lights. We had hot toddies and hot cocoa and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Sippin' some hot chocolate!

There's Santa!

I'm pretty sure he heard me say I want a Transformer!

Look at the side of the train...there's the lights!

Sunday we had our annual Mundelius Cousin's Christmas. The cousins were able to perform their play, and did an amazing job! Wyatt nailed his lines and could possibly have a career in acting!!! (I have a video...just working on uploading) After exchanging presents amongst the cousins, the kids had some time to play. Annabelle had some great responses when opening her gifts: "Oh my gosh" & "This is unbelievable!" Imagine these being said with the utmost inflection! It was hysterical...especially when this was said while looking at the BACK of the gift that was all white!!! We left from there and headed straight to the airport to pick up grandma and grandpa. The kids were excited as always to see them!

Breakfast with the cousins!

Annabelle and cousin Aurora

We have a breather of a day (kind of) tomorrow, and then the big day! The kids are loaded with excitement and crazy energy!

Presents for Teachers

To my horror, a parent stuck a note in Annabelle's folder asking that we (parents of the kids in her class) give money in order to collectively buy a gift card to the local teacher supply store as a present for the teachers. So they can buy stuff FOR OUR KIDS with a present for them???!!! I used all kinds of restraint and didn't call that parent to let her know what a teacher's perspective might be on this (although I think it would have been to her advantage, but hopefully she'll learn in the years to come). She must be a first timer...no experience with teachers... We PAY money for these kids to go to pre-school. That money should be ample enough to supply those classrooms! The kicker was that she said the office staff (director of the school) suggested the teacher supply store... Makes me want to vomit! Okay...enough with the rant.

Both kids have 5 teachers in each of their classrooms. There is one "go to" person that is supposed to be their main teacher, but in reality, all 5 of them interact with the kids equally. So, instead of giving just one teacher a present, we give something to all 5. We made peppermint bark, gingerbread cookies and the popsicle stick reindeer for 10! Overall, I think the product turned out pretty well and the kids had fun with the preparation!

Holiday Activities

We went to see Santa last week. The kids were both excited and eager. Wyatt had a new list of things he talked to Santa about (Transformers, the Incredibles DVD, and...there was one other thing, but I can't remember right now!). Annabelle told Santa she wants Cinderella. I don't really think it matters in what shape or form...she is just in love with all of the Disney princesses. The picture (that I am less one arm and leg for) turned out not so good. Whatever...it's the experience that counts, right?!

I'm coming to find that both kids are not so compliant when asked to pose for photos these days. I can catch Wyatt, and he almost always looks good (very photogenic, he is), but Annabelle...hmmm...it's MUCH tougher to get a good one of her. For starters, she doesn't really look at the camera. Also, when she does her "cheese" face, her eyebrows turn downward as if she's getting ready to attack! Or, one will cooperate and the other won't! I just need to go back to the candid photos...I can usually get better ones that way!

We went to see a play put on by a children's theater company at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek on Saturday. The play is called "The Greatest Gift". The kids loved it, and the length and storyline were perfect for them. The kids were dressed cute, so I tried to get some pictures...ugh...these aren't very good, but here they are:

This weekend we are going on the Train of Lights through the Sunol Valley. We're really looking forward to that! Then Grandma and Grandpa fly in on Sunday and the real craziness of Christmas begins!

Time keeps a rollin'

Wow, how time flies! After Matthew got back from Missouri, I took off to Santa Barbara for a great mom's weekend. I don't think I've been that relaxed, for that long, in 4 years!

Then it was full swing into Thanksgiving preparations! I hosted and prepared my first ever Thanksgiving. Kind of a big deal since I had sworn up and down that I would never, ever cook a turkey (because I didn't want to actually handle the thing). I got over my "thing" and pulled it off alright!

It was a pretty quiet one, considering we only had Pat & Fred (Matthew's parents) and John & Chieko...kind of. Jackson got sick that day, so John and Chieko had to tag-team. Only 5 adults actually ate the food I had prepared for about 20. I think Matthew had turkey for 3 meals a day for the following 4 days straight, and I am still eating stuffing!!! We don't have any pictures from the meal...our camera broke while I was away (hmmmmm....). I have a whole new appreciation for all those who have prepared Thanksgiving meals in the past! It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work!!!

We attended our first Christmas event at the annual Tree Lighting of the old oak tree in downtown Danville. The kids had their first encounter with Santa there...Annabelle went up to retrieve her candy cane from him, but that was about it for her. She wasn't scared, but I don't think she really knew what to do, either. Wyatt stepped right up and started describing the littany of things that he wants. When I say describing, that's exactly what I mean...he doesn't actually know the names of many of the toys he wants, which is funny, and difficult to really pin down exactly what it is that he's talking about! What was really cute was later the next day, Wyatt said, "Oh darn! I forgot to tell Santa to bring a learning bike for Annabelle!" He has it on his wishlist and everything...what a sweet big brother!

We got our tree this weekend and decorated it with care. Annabelle helped out a little, but lost interest pretty quickly. She moved on to "cooking" with her pretend food and our silver tea setting pieces, while the rest of us finished the job. Later on in the evening, Annabelle started putting "presents" in her stocking for good little girls and boys. We each got a puzzle piece! She is very entertaining, to say the least!

We've been working on some holiday crafts...they will be presents for the kids' preschool teachers and whomever else gets lucky! The kids have really been in to it...they are currently into mass-producing popsicle stick reindeer!

I tried to get a new picture of the kids in their Santa hats, but they weren't so cooperative...I'm going to try again later...I won't even begin to speak to the attitude that goes along with that face! We're on to a new "phase"! Sooooo much fun!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying getting into the spirit of the season!

Ahhhhh....Water Polo

If you know anything about our life, you know that a lot of it revolves around the world of water polo. It is Matthew's passion, so I support it. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of him right now. He is currently in Columbia, MO at a national tournament called the Speedo Cup. His 14U 680 Drivers team won the entry to this tourney about 2 months ago, much to my chagrin. It was an accomplishment, sure, but when it comes right down to it, it means more travel time for Papa (5 days gone!), more quality time for Mama and the kids (note the sarcasm in the word Quality!).

But througout the weekend, I have realized what a big deal this really is. This tournament is the best of the best for this age-group, and Matthew's team is playing...not only are they playing, they are holding their own and competing with these other really great teams from all around the country.

They won their first game against a team from Washington, lost the second to a team from SoCal, then went on to win the next 2 games on Saturday. This put them in the championship bracket for Sunday. The first game on Sunday was a tough one, as we got our back-sides handed to us...Matthew said the kids were a little apprehensive, just not playing the way they practiced. So, they lost that game pretty handily...to another SoCal team, I think maybe from El Toro? Don't know where that is...

The last game where they were playing for 3rd or 4th, they met up with the team that beat them big-time on Friday, called Rose Bowl. This time the boys were ready, but unfortunately, due to some bad reffing, we took the loss. But, FOURTH?! They took FOURTH!!! That is quite an accomplishment for a team that has only been together for a little over a year...maybe not even that long (you see, I have very selective memory when it comes to water polo!!! heee, hee!!!)

Anyway, I'm really proud of Matthew and this accomplishment. It is a big deal...and I can't wait for him to be home tomorrow night!

P.S. The kids are great...we just got back from our first ever movie theater experience! I took them to see the Bee Movie. They LOVED it!!!

Halloween Parade

Wyatt and Annabelle's Halloween Parade was on Tuesday at their preschool. It was a weird thing to do when I was a teacher...walking through the ocean of gawking parents all saddled with every type of event-recording mechanism possible, kind of making eye contact, but kind of not. It's funny to watch from the parent side, especially with kids this young. The oldest group (the Grizzly Bears - Wyatt's group) are pretty o.k. with it all, but still a little unsure. The youngest group (the Little Bears - Annabelle's group) mostly look terrified! You can see the tears welling up in some of their little eyeballs! I'm sure they have no idea what they are doing and what is going on. Each group (there are 4 in all) sing a song and then it's over.

"Parading" out to the playground.

Wyatt (Jango-Fet) and his good friend Chloe.
The teachers are singing the song...Annabelle's just trying to keep her tiara on!

The Grizzly Bears singing "5 Little Pumpkins"

Halloween was great. The kids had a ton of fun trick-or-treating! Annabelle would go back and forth between wanting to be with the big group of cousins and wanting to go back to the house and "take a little break". She also had a hard time putting the candy in her bag. She just wanted to hold it in her hands!!! Wyatt could have kept going and going...he was loving every minute of it! Grandma and Grandpa are here to enjoy in the festivities!

Jack-O-Lanterns

We carved pumpkins last night. We didn't grow as many BIG pumpkins this year (I must have bought the wrong seeds!), but we did find one or two decent sized ones at the pumpkin patch. We have lots of little ones, though.

True to form, Wyatt was very focused on the task...we had to start before Matthew even got home from work! He really wanted to help with the carving, and I think Matthew did let him do a little bit...and then he really wanted to use the lighter to light the candles...hmmm...he's such a boy! He did a great job of cleaning out the pumpkin, too!

Annabelle, as you will notice, wasn't that interested...she liked the crayon to draw on the pumpkin, she thought the little saws and knives were neat, but when it came time to clean out the gooey stuff, she got distracted. I think she scooped out 4 seeds with the little scooper, and then was done. You also might notice the costume changes. She went inside, was gone for a while, and then reappeared with a different 'gown' on! Then she was very happy stacking the candles, etc. She wasn't interested, but she can entertain herself really well!!!

Snacking on some peanuts while waiting for Papa to get home!

Gettin' in there and gettin' it done!

Notice how she's making sure to not really touch anything with her flesh!

Cotume change!

First one is done!


Papa carving Wyatt's scary pumpkin!


Of course, I chose a challenging design to carve...this is me pretty much being over it!

Stacking the candles (I can't get them in the right order, but you get it...)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

The Blue Angels!

Given that Wyatt now wants to be an astronaut, and Matthew told him he'd have to learn to be a "jet fighter" pilot first, I thought it would be appropriate to take him to see the amazing Blue Angels that were here for Fleet Week (this was a couple of weeks ago).


The kids enjoyed and the weather was beautiful!


It's LOUD!!!


Cool Airplanes


The view was even better from up high!


Gettin' a little bored with it all...