A Tonsager Tribute: Ho Ho Holidays.... 2012

Holidays are always so busy, we have learned to pick and choose what we want to do, traditions we want to keep and time we want to spend. With Wayne coaching High School wrestling for 3 years, it was extremely difficult to fit everything in, it isn't as bad with him coaching middle school as it is over before Christmas. STILL, We have cut down on the shear amount of things we do each holiday season and have picked a few of our favorites. One thing we didn't get to this year was the annual light parades, someone was sick the night of the light parade in Spearfish and Belle went to fireworks instead, so we did miss out on that this year, but the boys caught one in Hot Springs with their grandparents.

photo of Belle Fourche fireworks from a friend

Horse drawn carraige ride in Hot Springs

Some other favorite traditions of ours are to make homemade goodies, have a cookie decorating day with family friends, make homemade Christmas ornaments for family, go to Storybook Island Light Show & visit Santa of course!! We always decorate the tree and hang lights as a family then take family Christmas photos.

Decorating.....

Setting up the Christmas Tree.....

Putting Lights Up....

We started a new tradition this year when we adopted Ellie, an elf from the North Pole. Luke absolutely loved her.( He still talks about her and it's July.) The older boys played along well too. It was fun to find positive praise, subtle reminders & mischievous curiosity as to why she may have presented the way she did. The boys would always try to guess what she was watching for if she didn't leave a note.....

looking for Ellie

where is she?

I see her!

sleeping in a bed just the right size after her long trip from the North Pole

you can't touch her or her magic leaves, so Lukie, intuitive as he is, uses tongs to move her and play with her

hmmmm, day 2, the bathroom

reading Ellie's note

oooops, busted!

the boys thought maybe Ellie was watching to see if there were any present peekers??

Ellie trying to help wrap gifts

While we were in Hot Springs, I borrowed a Facebook Friend's photo to show the boys "what Ellie was doing while we were gone".

Hiding in the blanket bench to remind to put fort blankets back.

scaling the scanner antenna for a good view

Ellie made an elaborate scene to let Zach know he was spotted doing good on the playground at school helping a daycare mom with her twins, holding one's hand, while she chased down another, so he wouldn't run away too. He wasn't even asked, just did it.

Boys kept sneaking in the pantry for food, Ellie surprised them one day to remind them she was sent by Santa to make sure they act their best and use good manners to stay on the nice list

Christmas morning they found this letter next to Santa's letter by his milk and cookies and reindeer food.

Goodie making.....

This year I let the boys do a mass Christmas Sleepover. Probably won't happen again, but it was a good time....

eating s'mores dip

S'mores Dip

mmmmmm

Sodor Island Kindergartener style....

it looped the livingroom & kitchen

Made by Zach, Isaac & Gray

We also made hand and footprint ornaments...

Mischievous Little Boys at Christmas....

Advent Calendar we used this year was one Andy made in school....

One afternoon the doorbell rang and I opened it to a police officer. The Chief of police to be exact. He asked if this were the Tonsager residence? I gingerly answered yes. Then all of a sudden out of 3 cars popped people who carried boxes upon boxes of food into my kitchen!!! It was everything imaginable for an entire Christmas dinner with all the trimmings!!! It could not have came at a better time in our lives and I could not say thank you enough. Someone had put in our names as working members of the community who had been noticed going above and beyond as citizens. Mainly they mean my husband and we are pretty sure Katie the Cop put in his name as he works with her for Driver's Ed. I will never forget how truely blessed it made us feel and the importance of paying it forward, what the Holiday Season is truly about.

There were also some pretty bells in the box. I absolutely love them!

We have been fortunate to be able to watch all of the boys' Christmas programs thus far. I fear next year when I go back to teaching, I may have to miss some of these precious moments. I hope to be able to sneak away for a few minutes to each as they will be in the same district as me, just different schools. Even if I had to divide some personal days, I would do that. My kids have always been my top priority and employers have always understood.

Waiting for Zach's Program to Start

Andy's 2nd Grade Christmas Program.....

Zach's Kindergarten Program......

I absolutely LOVE running my own preschool and planning parties and making gifts and the whole bit! Every year we do a Pajama Polar Express Party where we wear pajamas all day, make popcorn and hot cocoa and watch the Polar Express, then make a big trains out of chairs and paper punch golden tickets into names like on the movie. It's a great time and special memories!

Lil' Broncs Polar Express Pajama Party......

homemade hot chocolate

watching Polar Express

popcorn everywhere

twinadoes in my favorite twin boosters

our rendition of the polar express & golden tickets

Lil Bronc Express

where did our conductor go?

Making Parent Gifts, Homemade Hot Cocoa & Santa Hand-print Ornaments....

Santa Salt Dough Handprint ornaments

From Miss Kandi, playdough, hair kits, suckers & lip gloss

the parents received a Lil' Broncs Christmas photo shoot disk & Santa handprint ornament

Lil' Broncs Christmas Photo Shoot.....

This year I went to a Woman's Gala with my mother-in-law, Gayle, at her church. It was really neat and very beautiful. Each table had a table hostess who brought tableware and decor and a little present for reach table guest. Many tables were themed. They were all amazing. Gayle was a table hostess. There was catering and singing and a little skit. Gayle was also the head in the skit. It was a great time.....

Cookie Decorating & Ornament making with the Foote's......

One special night per holiday season we get Egg Nog Shakes from McDonalds and drive around looking at Christmas lights. Spearfish has some pretty extravagant ones. My phone went dead and I forgot my good camera so I only got a couple of pictures.

Snow Day Fun....

Photo Ornament gifts for the family.....

We also made a photo collage strip one that I cannot find a picture of :( Every year we do a photo ornament to give to family members. We also get The boys one from us for our tree and then this year I wanted to craft the snowman one as well while their hands were all small enough.

Storybook Island Lights.....

Santa, Mrs. Clause & Reindeer.....

High School's Ugly Sweater Day....

We hosted the "teacher" Christmas Party this year & it was on 12-21-12....doomsday!!!! What better a theme than an "End of the World Party".....

We SURVIVED toast at midnight

let's all be safe now

It always interesting scheduling travel plans for Christmas with school schedules, coaching schedules and weather. We also no longer spend the 24th and 25th anywhere but home as it came down to the gifts or the kids fitting. Sometimes its hard enough fitting presents just from grandparents and aunts and uncles in for the rides back home. This year we went down to Hot Springs before Christmas for a few days, then back up to Belle for Christmas eve and day, then our long trip down to NE for 6 days. It was originally going to be 4 days but Tiff and Shawn didn't get the originally planned days off, or they were switched, or something, so we had to go down a couple days earlier.

Hot Springs Tonsager Christmas.....

Everyone wrestles before presents right?

Grandpa reads the Christmas Story from the Bible first.....

Thanks Kochies!

playing with our toys

Everyone except grandma on their iPods

These two look mischievous

Wayne's toys

White Christmas!

cousins

dancing with the girls

they fight over who gets to dance, not enough girls to go around

Megan & Zach getting down

Luke will not be kept indoors

too much Christmas

Baby's 1st Christmas.....

A few years ago, my first year teaching in Belle, I went a bit overboard on the gifts for the boys. I was overcompensating for the difficult change in lifestyle, town, home, friends, everything. Our entire world was turned upside-down that year and I took it out on shopping. I had picked up stuff on clearance all year and went a little hog wild on Black Friday that year too plus did a big LTD order. It was nuts. Spent too much money and the boys actually got tired of unwrapping presents and left!!! It took me aback and opened my eyes. After that I adopted the 4 present rule.....

Mine is slightly different and it's 4 presents Christmas Eve from Mom and Dad and 4 presents Christmas Day from Santa. On Christmas Eve they get...

Something they WANT, Something they NEED, Something ELECTRONIC, and Something HOMEMADE.

Usually what they need has something to do with storage and organization or something to do with night lights and lamps. We set out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots and reindeer food for the reindeer. Sometimes we leave a key for him.Santa usually leaves his toy sack behind. And we lay our big stockings out on the couch.

Christmas Eve.....

Something they need this year was bean bag shells to keep stuffed animals in...

I think every kid should have a cabbage patch kid no matter if they are a boy or a girl. Jake loved it.

Something they Want: Andy got Batman Imaginext, Zach got a Batman Imaginext, and Magic Beans set with track, Luke got Lightning McQueen playsets, Jake got the Cabbage patch.

Something Electronic: Andy got a PS2 & Guitar Hero from eBay for cheap as he kept asking for us to fix our old PS2 & for a guitar- 2 birds with 1 stone! Zach & Luke both got gameboys for wrestling tournament entertainment & Jake got a Tag Jr Set but last minute I switched it to his stocking and put his baby's 1st Christmas rattle set out for xmas eve.

I am STILL working on their Jeans Quilts for their something homemade. Here all all the squares cut and ready to go. Andy gets Scooby, Zach bone dinosaurs, Luke Captain America and Jake frog,s turtles and lizards. As of now we all fight over my Cowboy Jeans Quilt I bought at the Trails and Rails Museum in Kearney, NE a couple years ago.

My gift from Wayne wrapped in tin foil. I once bought myself pearls from him as he doesn't go shopping. I told him he had to wrap them though, so he wadded up a massive amount of tin foil, possibly off dinner leftovers, around my pearl box. Such a romantic that one. So this year he made a point to keep the "tradition" alive.

Tom & Jerry's from the neighbor's goodie basket...

Santa brings Something to WEAR, Something to READ, the one thing they ASKED FOR and Something to PLAY or MAKE. He also fills their small embroidered stockings with new toothpaste (Grandma T gets the toothbrushes), underwear and socks (something to wear), nuts to crack and fruit to eat.

Christmas Day.....

CHRISTMAS DINNER

We left the 26th for Holdrege this year in snowy weather.
Road Trip to Nebraska.....

When we drove through Rapid, the clouds were very low around the hills and it was quite foggy, making the smog from industrial park very stinky trapped under it all. Lukie noticed and didn't like our explanation and instead decided that God had farted and these were his stinky fart clouds.