ROSES!

2014 got off to a fabulous start, thanks to my alma mater, Michigan State. They played in the 100th Rose Bowl on New Year's Day and beat Stanford 24-20. I totally remember the last time Michigan State played in -- and won -- the Rose Bowl. It was 1988, and I was 11 years old. Times have changed a bit since then, and it was so nice to see my team finally make it back to the Rose Bowl and win.

"On the banks of the Red Cedar..."

Spartan babies

My parents were still in town after arriving late on Christmas Day once again (and even babysat for us on New Year's Eve, so we got to have dinner out with friends! Thanks M&D!), so they put on their Spartan green and white, and came over to have dinner and watch the game. Everyone in our house got into the spirit...even Marc was rocking the green and white. Jack and Sam are well-acquainted with the Michigan State fight song, so they were ready to don their Spartan gear and sing along with Mommy. Jack can sing the entire song (with a little help), and Sam is getting his moves and claps down. They are clearly huge fans.

Spartan Pride!

Obviously, the game was a great start to the new year for me, but of course the most important things in life are the people in it, and I'm so grateful to have my wonderful family. I wish all good things to my family and friends this year, and always.

Now: There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays

This year we avoided the nightmare of holiday travel, and had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas at home. We spent Christmas Eve across the street at Marc's parents' house, and had a great time with family and friends. As always, Santa stopped by to remind the kids to get to bed early so that he could come back later. Jack and Sam loved spending time with their cousins, as well as the Rhode Island relatives that we don't get to see as often as we'd like. I just wish we could be in two places at once so that we could see EVERYONE that we'd love to see at Christmastime.

My babies

Kasey was so excited about Santa; Jack, not so much.

Baby Blue Eyes

Magic

Christmas Day was filled with magic, and I don't care if that sounds cheesy because it's true! The kids had such fun in anticipation of Christmas morning. I caved and started doing the elf on a shelf this year. I guess it was worth it, though, because both kids absolutely loved finding "Digger Dumper" each morning. Sam really got a kick out of finding him, and I think he may have been a little bummed when Digger stopped showing up. The best mornings were when Sam would see Digger before Jack, and he'd be SO excited to show his big brother where to find the elf. Between Digger and baking cookies, then putting them out for Santa (along with carrots for EACH reindeer), and the visits with Santa, the kids were really into the Christmas spirit this year. Well, Jack was, anyway. Sam knew that something exciting was happening, but he is still to young to really understand all of it. The presents were fun, but all of the excitement remains the loveliest part of the holiday season.

Santa came!

 

Opening his slinky from Santa Claus.

Love, love, love the Christmas morning mess.

Jack helps Sammy open a gift from Santa.

Marc made a DELICIOUS breakfast for the four of us.

Still Christmas morning, but note the new jammies; Jack only asked for one thing from Santa: a submarine that goes in the bathtub. When he saw that Santa brought one, he needed to take a bath IMMEDIATELY.

New hat from Auntie Pat

Sam's Auntie Pat hat

A bonus pic of Sammo in day-after-Christmas jammies

Then: Have Yourself a Michigan Little Christmas

Just as Jack celebrated his first Christmas in Michigan, so did Sam. This time, instead of travelling by plane, the four of us loaded ourselves into my Jeep Liberty and hit the road. To say it was cozy is an understatement. Marc HAD to drive...the front passenger seat was pushed up as far as it could go and he literally would not have fit. We had the teeniest bit of space in the middle backseat, in between two behemoth carseats. And lucky me; I was able to climb from cramped front seat to cramped back seat whenever the kids needed something. Which is pretty frequently when you're dealing with a not-quite 2 1/2 yr old and a 4 month old. But we made it (stopping overnight on the way there), and once we arrived, we had such a great time.

Cuddly Cousins on Christmas Eve

Decorating Cookies for Santa

Checking out the "reindeer prints" in the snow...the snow started to fall Christmas Eve evening, and  at some point, a deer must have come up to close to the house and left prints. The kids' reaction was priceless.

Jack adores spending time in Michigan, and this was Sam's very first trip there, so it really was a special time. Sam got to meet his Uncle Alan and his Great-Grandma Lenore, as well as most of his extended Michigan family. We all had fun hanging out with family, as well as some of my favorite childhood friends. It's getting more and more difficult for us to travel over the holidays, so these times with my family really are a treasure.

Santa came!

Ask and ye shall receive...tools, from Santa.

Sam tests his new bumblebee.

Jack really loved his "Blue's Clues" handy-dandy notebook.

Sam plays his new instruments from Santa Claus.

And how do YOU do?

Three of my most favorite people EVER.

Sammy meets Uncle Alan

Then & Now: Baby, You're a Firework

Then: Last year, we invited some friends and their families over for a little pre-firework get-together. It was a chilly night, but we filled up on mulled (and heavily spiked) cider and trekked over to the field for the fireworks. All of the kids had a great time, as did the grown-ups. 

Now: This year we kept it more low-key for the fireworks. The fireworks had been postponed twice due to inclement weather, so by the time they actually happened, it was after Christmas. It worked out, though, because my parents were able to join us for our annual journey to the field. The kids did great again, even Sam with his tiny toddler ears. The grown-ups still enjoyed Marc's spiked cider, and we had fun just hanging around before and after the display.

Then & Now: Christmas Cookies

Then: When Sam's first Christmas rolled around, I was too busy with an infant, a toddler, a full-time job, and an upcoming trip to Michigan to bake any cookies. I thought that I'd found the perfect solution...a gingerbread kit from Home Depot. Jack has been going to Home Depot a few times a week with his dad for ages, so I thought it'd be a cute addition to our holiday decor. Having never made a gingerbread structure, I thought we could just follow the instructions and put it together, easy-peasy. "We" being Jack and me, because toddlers are super patient while you read instructions as they sit in front of candy and frosting, right? Shockingly, we made it to about step two before we'd broken a wall, screwed up the frosting, and basically had a terrible time figuring out the instructions. And this is where I gave up because I am an AWESOME role model of perseverance. 

This is where I start to realize that I should have assembled the house, THEN let Jack help.

Truly, we have no clue what we're doing.

Anddd, done!

Now: This year, I stuck to what I know: cookies. Not just because Marc bullied me into making them, but because I really do love to bake and put my Kitchenaid mixer to use. Plus, as Marc says, it's a nice tradition to start with the kids, and they love baking with mom. Well, Jack "helps" and Sam crawls around my ankles with wooden spoons. Regardless, we made a boatload of cookies...two rounds of peanut butter with Hershey kisses for Daddy (his favorite!), Swedish Wedding Cakes (one of my grandma's specialties, we used her hand-written recipe <3), two rounds of sugar cookies for the kids to decorate, and a batch of chocolate peanut butter chip cookies (this was just me showing off my mad cookie skills). All were delicious, if I say so myself, and I hope to have started another Rapoza holiday tradition.

My cookie baking skills have improved since my first attempt at sugar cookies, but we're still using canned frosting.
Next year - homemade!

The baking brothers in deep concentration.

Sam's idea of decorating was to dip his finger in the frosting, then just eat a plain cookie.

Jack's decorating abilities have improved greatly since the gingerbread debacle of '12.