The Bowdens' Seasonal Superlatives: 2017
Favorite Christmas Song: "I Want a Hippopotamus for
Christmas"
Miller's class did a
performance to that song at school, and every time it comes on in the car, he
announces excitedly: "It's my song, Mama!". If you ask him what a
hippo says, he replies, "Christmas!" And when I left the kids in the car
with Dustin for a quick last-minute grocery run, I came back to learn they had
listened to that song three times in a row. A family record.
Most Sought-After
Gifts: Beanie Boos, Barbies,
Baby Alive, Superheros
Fin's list was 98%
Beanie Boos, and all three of the big girls asked for Barbies (specifically
mermaid Barbies...plus a Barbie car, and pool). All four of the girls got Baby
Alives (I'm hoping to parlay those diapering skills into more help with the
little kids). And Miller just wanted anything with Spiderman or "Hulk
Smash" on it. (Fin had a Spiderman pillow on her list, but after also
getting a Spiderman cup in her stocking, announced she didn't like "boy
things" and she is done with superheros. I hid my heartbreak and am still
hoping she doesn't trade that quirk for all things pink just yet.)
I was catching up with
an out-of-town friend the other day, and when she described a tradition her
in-laws do, I immediately decided I needed to co-opt it for our family. It's a
ritual originally from Poland and the basic gist is that everyone goes around
the table sharing a wish they have for each person for the following year
(while sharing a piece of unleavened bread/wafer with each other). We had to
make a few adjustments- doing an hour+ long event before Christmas eve
dinner just wasn't going to work for our toddler-plentiful crew, and finding
real Oplatek on December 23rd wasn't going to happen no matter how many
Columbus-based international grocery stores I called. (and I called ALL of
them. And then some). So I picked up pizzelles (close enough...?) and
group-texted my family the idea. We gathered all the adults (and the teens, and
my adorably invested first grade nephew) after Christmas dinner (while all the
kids were occupied with their new presents) and gave it a whirl. I wasn't sure
what to expect...but it was such a sweet, and surprisingly hilarious time
together. It was such a gift to hear kind words and thoughtful hopes and
prayers from each person in my family...and a great opportunity to tell them
how I feel about them too. Such a sweet memory- I'm already looking forward to introducing
the tradition to others, and making it a part of our family's celebrations in
the future.
Best Old
Tradition: Cutting down our
Christmas tree
We don't always do
this, but man I love when we do. This year we went
back to the same farm we went to last year, and we had about the most fun you
can have doing anything with five (very) small children. The kids were
basically in it for the sled rides (though the goats and the hot chocolate
didn't disappoint), and I was basically in it for the animal-eared hats. We
were super sad to find out the owner had passed away, and his family was
carrying on for just one last season to honor his wishes. I tried (unsuccessfully)
to use that as an opportunity for my step-dad and I to pick up a seasonal
business. (Side-note: My brother's family has a tradition where they rotate who
gets to choose the tree each year. The kids look forward to their
year...basically all year, and it's adorable to watch them pose in front of
their pick when it's their turn.)
Activity Most Likely to
End in Tears: Opening
the Paw Patrol Advent Calendar
Whose turn is it?! She
got TWO turns!! I want to hold it!! Pass it to me, FIN! Give it BACK!... Every dang day. We're counting down to the birth
of our LORD AND SAVIOR, children. Would it kill you to share the small puppy
figurine in an orderly and fair manner?
Easiest Tradition: #AdventJokes
I skipped the
activities this time around (primarily as a self-preservation
effort), and just looked up 25 jokes on Pinterest to get us through the season.
My kids are hilariously bad at guessing the punchlines (Miller, for no
understandable reason, just yells "Motorcycle!" whenever I open the
floor for ideas) and the rest of them complain that they don't get it...or that
I'm not funny. Our five year old is the best though, because without fail,
after I pause, allow guesses, give hints, and then finnnnnnally announce
the answer, she says, "Hey! I was going to guess that!" Sure,
kiddo.
(p.s. in case you're not as great a guesser as she is...the answer to the one above is: Merry Kissmas!)
Biggest Surprise: Dustin's Fantasy Football season
This was going to be
"biggest disappointment" but then in literally the last second of the
championship series, Dustin's defense recovered a fumble to win the game- and
win him the league. (Don't ask me how my team did.)
Best Christmas
Special: Olaf's Frozen Adventure
We saw this as a
"short" before Coco (it's a half hour long...so not super short when
you're dealing with pre-K attention spans) and it is adorable.
Until about a week ago, I had never actually seen Frozen (right?! how?! I
know!) so I didn't have the benefit of backstory or character loyalty. But
regardless, I instantly fell in love. It's hilarious, and the songs have been
on repeat in our house for a month (you know, when we're not singing about a
hippo).
Most Generous: Sooooo many people.
Our family, our small
group, our coworkers, our case workers, our church, the kids' schools, the
county foster care office....they've all brought meals, bought gifts, dropped
off diapers, offered babysitting...We've been loved and supported in such tangible
and overwhelming ways.
Best Pick Me Up When it
All Gets to be Too Much: Matching Jammies
Guaranteed to make me 1%
less frustrated with their incessant antics. (and to Dustin's immense
gratitude, I draw the line at adult jammies. No offense if that's your thing.)
Naughtiest Bowden: 5 way tie.
Well...actually 4. Piper
is 98% angelic. The rest...need some work.
Least Appreciated
Activity: Christmas
tree waffles
It's like my kids have
never heard of Pinterest!
Favorite Christmas
book: Pinkalicious Christmas
I have suffered through
this book at least 18 times this season. And that was all in the week after
Thanksgiving before I "lost" it for the rest of the month.
Funniest Quote: EW! It's Reindeer Slobber!
...when they found the
frozen bowls of carrots and "reindeer food" (oatmeal + glitter)
we left outside for Santa's crew.
Most overambitious
craft: Knit
garland
I'm about 10,000 man
hours in. And I have about 10ft (~10,000 hours) left to go.
Best Dressed: Tie- Miller/Fin.
Miller had a strong showing in his Elf jammies. But Fin is pretty irresistible in reindeer antlers. But they both brought their A-game on Christmas eve (alright as the designated family shopper I'll take 98% credit). Fin sported a new velvet jumpsuit (she's been asking for a jumpsuit for months so when I saw this at Target, I had no problems stripping it right off of the child mannequin). And Miller pretty much went in costume as Marty McFly.
Best Dressed: Tie- Miller/Fin.
Miller had a strong showing in his Elf jammies. But Fin is pretty irresistible in reindeer antlers. But they both brought their A-game on Christmas eve (alright as the designated family shopper I'll take 98% credit). Fin sported a new velvet jumpsuit (she's been asking for a jumpsuit for months so when I saw this at Target, I had no problems stripping it right off of the child mannequin). And Miller pretty much went in costume as Marty McFly.
Best School Event: Candy Cane Lane
This was a tough call,
because there were about 119 events this month (you feel me, working
parents?!) but we especially love Candy Cane Lane- a shopping day the girls'
school runs for the kids. They get a ton of gifts, and set up a full
"store" for the kids to go through. Every student brings their list
of people they're shopping for (and their my money), and gets
to pick out special items for everyone. They use little shopping carts, and
even get to wrap them. Our kids are always thrilled with their purchases, and
beg us to open them immediately. This year we let Piper and Fin shop for
grandparents and their little siblings, while our foster daughter shopped for her
bio parents. It's a sweet tradition, and I love how it teaches them how fun it
is to give to others.
Some of us love it (me,
Miller) some of us tolerate it (Dustin, Piper) and some of us can't SEEEEEEE
and are COLLLLD, and don't want your feet TOUCHING MEEEEEEE (Fin). We hit up a
few fav houses, and made friends with another car who seemed to be on the same
circuit (after passing them at two houses in a row we rolled down our windows to
swap tips. Now I have a couple more locations bookmarked for next year!)
Best Intentions Award: Sleepover by the tree
It sounded like fun
until I remembered sleepovers are completely crazy, and it effectively banned
me from my own living room for 12 hours. But the girls seemed to like
it...minus the fact that the tree was "too bright" for them to
sleep.
Most Adorable Craft: Fin's homemade snowglobe ornament
Amazeballs.
Worst Performance in a
Christmas Show: Miller,
twice.
Miller prepped for his
school and church shows for WEEKS, learning song lyrics and motions...and then
when it was showtime? Nothin'. He stood, frozen, refusing to participate in any way. In the church show, he actually just turned his back to the crowd, and watched Fin do the whole thing. (in his defense...she was great.)
Best Item on a Christmas
List: Piper's
"collection":
"lost and found
things that people don't really need"
A gift from a coworker(/friend) for
our team. A yummy, yummy gift.
Best Date: Trip to Cleveland
One year we did 12 dates of
Christmas, but that's clearly not in the cards this time
around...But we still managed to sneak away for a day (thanks to my parents,
and some other foster parents for watching the kiddos!) to visit some friends
up in NE Ohio. We got to meet a new baby and see a new house, and spend some
time catching up with some people I love and miss a ton. (And Dustin and I got
a two hour car ride- each way!- of uninterrupted time together. Yes!
Least Missed: Making Christmas cookies
You can't do
everything...and by that, I mean I don't want to do everything. We've had fun
doing Gingerbread houses and cookies in the past, but it's a horrific mess and
I was just as happy to skip it this time around. (Fear not for my children...I
assure you they've had plenty of sugar this month. And people who love them
even more I do- G'mi, their teachers- bit the bullet and allowed them to pour
sprinkles with wild abandon.)
I was neck-deep in
toddlers, lollipops, markers, and nonsense, so I didn't exactly absorb a lot
from the message...But it all looked stunning, and the battery operated candles
prevented my crew from burning the whole place down, so that's a win.
---------
And some personal
opinions:
Courtney...
Favorite: Ummm...everything? Am I allowed to say that?
It's my game. I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to say that. (ok...but if I was
forced to pick one thing, I'd say reading books with the kids at bedtime. It
was filled with more arguing/complaining/spot switching/water spilling than I'd
like, but every once in a while there was a moment of snuggly magic.
Least favorite: Deciding not to get each other presents. I mean
I know Christmas is for the kids, but c'mon! Who's silly idea was this? (Mine.
It seemed smart at the time...but then when I'm up late stuffing my own
stocking, and I started to doubt the system).
Dustin...
Favorite: Cutting down our Christmas tree (*Editor's note:
I am legit shocked he chose this. Normally he's not into the
pomp and circumstance of it all, but I think my festive enthusiasm is rubbing
off on him).
Least favorite: The reindeer car kit I installed on the van. (Although, when one antler blew off the other day, he did pull over and let me retrieve
it...He must love me.)
Piper...
Favorite: "Spending time with each other"
(I didn't even coach her!)
Least favorite: "When we found out we didn't have that
great of Christmas lights." (She was jealous of the inflatable menageries
we toured, and doesn't think our wreaths are quite getting the job done).
Fin...
Favorite: "Giving presents!" (specifically the
disgusting jelly bean game to her cousin).
Least favorite: That I won't let her wear her velvet jumpsuit every single day.
Miller...
Favorite: Turning his tree on and off with a foot switch
Well...actually his
favorite is turning alllllll the trees on and off with the foot
switches. I've created a monster.
Least favorite: Singing in public
Stand there and look
scared/a little bit dumb, buddy. Nailed it.
Our oldest foster
child...
Favorite Activity: "Dessert" (food is her love language).
Least favorite: Well...she really wants her OWN room, with her OWN tree...Sorry, kiddo!
Our youngest foster
child...
Favorite Activity: Hanging ornaments on the tree
She would grab a plastic
ball, run over the tree, jump (why?) and drop it near the
tree, and run back for another one, signing "more" emphatically every
time.
Least favorite: Sitting on Santa's lap. NO thank you.
---------
Most Worth It: Everything. Every. Single. Thing.
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