bored? no, board games

one of our advent activities is to play board games. i love board games. matty? not so much. i've been waiting patiently for jack to be able to play games that are a little more stimulating than, say, chutes and ladders. (don't get me wrong, i love the chutes and ladders, but the fun factor, for me, is definitely limited by the going up, up of the ladders and the incessant sliding down of the chutes.)

last year, santa brought several board games: "monopoly, jr.", "charades for kids," "operation" and "mouse trap." today, the stack of games jack lined up also included "harry potter and the mystery at hogwarts," and "the 'how the grinch stole Christmas' game."

since matty works on sundays, it can be a very long day for jack & i. (not to mention that it was my first day, hotel-free, in 12 days!! there were so many distractions to keep me from the games: laundry, correspondence, dishes, Christmas decorating... but we snuggled into 2 rounds of "harry potter" and a round of the "grinch." i had a moment of sitting on the sofa and thinking, "i am soooo glad we are sitting here doing this, and nothing else. these pockets of time are so important for our children."

after i stopped talking to myself, though, there were errands to be done and dinner to be made. but, by then, matty was home. now, there is one board game that matty will get into, and we are so lucky that jack is old enough to have taken an interest in it.


(this might be my favorite image of the season, so far.)




so, as i put up a few more decorations, and enjoyed a warm bowl of soup, my boys practiced the age-old intricacies of chess.

matty: check
jack: check-MATE
and a handshake between gentlemen.

happy holidays, indeed...