Christmas Eve day was spent leisurely. We had planned to go sledding with cousins but they weren't feeling well. So the girls and I spend the day finishing odd jobs while Husband slipped away to work for a few hours. We wrapped presents, freshened some of our decorations and did some cleaning (I told the girls we had to clean the floors before we could put presents under the tree. They were eager to help.) Eventually we made our way to Grandma's house and spend the evening there. We visited the cemetery, as we do every year, to bring a small tree, nativity, candles, and plenty of pine boughs to husband's brother's headstone. And then we had an amazing dinner with a roasted goose. The girls ate well, eager to play with cousins and their favorite "grandma house toys". We kicked off our gift exchange with the traditional Christmas crackers (L and A loved it, E burst into tears at the noise) and had a great time opening the thoughtful, fun gifts from family. The girls especially loved the barrettes Grandpa made for all the girls and their new tablet devices.
On our reluctant way home we very nearly hit a deer, which sent the girls into a frenzy exclaiming about it being Dasher lost on the road and needing to help him find Santa. But eventually we arrived home and changed into Christmas pjs. This was the first year the girls really knew what was coming and anticipated Santa's visit. So we put out milk and cookies in our new special dishes and read stories as they settled in. They fell asleep surprisingly quick and slept soundly.
I heard them bounce awake in the morning and they came to our room to announce it was Christmas. Bursting with excitement they begged to go downstairs and see if Santa came. I ran ahead to turn on the fireplace and video tape them coming down the stairs, the squealing excitement and the stunned expression as they saw their new doll house. They exclaimed over the milk and cookies being eaten and their stockings having been filled. They laughed and shouted to see their Barbies were already sitting in the dollhouse and raced upstairs to the toy room to prove that Santa had taken the dolls from their own collection to set them there. They unloaded their stockings and we took a break for breakfast eating scrambled eggs and gingerbread man shaped banana bread. Opening presents was so fun, starting with the girls proudly and excitedly passing out the gifts they had chosen to give. They opened their Santa gifts, exclaiming over the games and books and especially excited about opening and assembling furniture for their dollhouse. One of my favorite moments was when E grew tired. She was cuddled up in Daddy's lap, with her blanket tucking her in. She snuggled down further, laying across him, put his hand on top of her unopened gift and said, "Daddy you do it. I sleep."
After all the presents were opened, we piled into the car and made our way to my parent's house. We arrived just in time to talk to my kid sister over skype and watch her open her Christmas presents. Then we dressed the girls in their new Sunday dresses to match all of their cousins and had family pictures taken. Our scheduled photographer went into labor early but with use of a tripod and remote clicker, we got some great pictures. After pictures, we returned to the house for a Christmas dinner with ham and plenty of tasty sides. The kids ate well, motivated by the beautifully wrapped present waiting for each of them, sitting in the middle of the table like a centerpiece.
We gathered around the tree and there was a dash to scout out the gifts under the tree and deliver them to the right recipient. Our little kids were so excited and impatient that it turned quickly into a frenzy of gift opening with lots of laughing and sharing. The kids played with toys while the adults opened gifts more leisurely, mostly having fun at each other's reactions. When all the gifts were opened and the room settled in again, Husband and I share a short devotional using the slideshow we had created. After that, Grammy laid out a buffet of snacks and treats and desserts. The kids eagerly filled their little plates and made themselves comfortable while we watched Home Alone, thinking it was a Christmas movie that none of them had seen before and would enjoy.
The kids settled into bed surprisingly well and were soon asleep while a few of us adults stayed up to watch Iron Man 3 (it does take place on Christmas after all).
The next morning, we went hoodin', something my Grandpa introduced us to when we were kids and we've had fun introducing to our own kids. We drove out to a friend's farm to find unplowed roads still covered in snow. Husband tied his specially designed hood behind the truck (a car hood covered with couch cushions and proper towing hardware. Grammy and the kids piled onto the hood and we drove up and down the roads, sledding along the open roads. For some of the cousins, it was their first time and all around, everyone loved it.
Returning to Grammy's house we packed up and moved the party to my brother's house, running a few errands along the way. We picked up pizzas and arrived at the house. The kids ate pizza, loved their uncle's in-home soda-on-tap machine and had a blast playing with cousins. As adults, we lounged around talking, even long past we had put all the kids to bed.
The next morning, E and I slept in to a record 10 am while Husband played with L and A and some cousins in the play room. My brother made breakfast, much to his wife's delighted surprise, a traditional Swedish dish called evilskevers that her family has every year on Christmas.
We returned to my mom's house, picking her up, planning to head south to visit Grandma Great for a few days. But after half an hour in the car, the motion had bothered my mom's recently found hernia so badly that we changed our minds and returned her home, cancelling our trip south. (Which turned out to be better on our part too since both A and E ended up sick). So instead we spent the weekend at home, slowly cleaning up the Christmas aftermath and exploring their new toys.
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Christmas parties
Husband's work party was first to celebrate. We drove south to the other facility, enjoying the long drive as we went. Life has been hectic lately so we spent most of it catching up, making plans and doing some Christmas shopping on Amazon on my phone. We arrived at the site for the new plant, admired the newly poured foundation and then the men wandered the site, explaining and dreaming while the women (and a few men) hid in the cars from the bitter cold. We went to a restaurant, gathering around a long table and catching up with friends. I had the best burger (possibly of my life) and enjoyed the "games", going around the table describing our best work moments of the year, wishes for next year and more. We lounged and talked and had a great time. After dinner the crowd dispersed and we began the drive home, stopping for a late parade in one of the local small towns and a talk to enjoy the Christmas ambiance.
My work's Christmas party was a week later, held in the same hall as our wedding reception. We packed the room and with our large staff being so diverse, I only know and regularly work with half of the employees. But we talked and greeted friends and thoroughly enjoyed the huge banquet of food that had been prepared. We ended up eating with the "zumba girls" and their spouses. I know them all fairly well and had a ton of fun talking with them through our dinner.
We hosted our mostly annual fondue and white elephant party. It's just a few couples, friends we've celebrated with for years and known forever. We did add a new couple to the group and had a blast. We had a sitter gather all the kids upstairs while we meandered through cheese fondue, cheesy potatoes and a honey baked ham. Then we gorged ourselves on a dessert fondue, with milk chocolate, white chocolate and caramel. Despite being good friends, our busy lives with jobs and ids in various locations make it hard to get together, so we enjoyed talking about recent changes or accomplishments. We had our White Elephant exchange and it was really good this year, with a variety of fun items and lots of laughing and teasing. Once we finished, we invited out kids down to enjoy the dessert fondue as well and play with them until everyone reluctantly left.
For Relief Society Enrichment, we had a Christmas brunch. I consider myself the co-chair of the committee and had met with the chair a few times to plan food and the brief musical program. I arrived Friday evening to help set up and was impressed by her vision. She went all out, decorating the hall beautifully. It was classy and elegant and inviting. Definitely more work than we needed to do but was so beautiful that it felt like a sweet luxury for our hard working sisters. I prepared three different breakfast casseroles (all with high compliments, yay!), served with fruit and french toast muffins. We ate and talked for the first half hour and then introduced our short program. As a group we sang O Little Town of Bethlehem, and then interspersed with a narrator, a couple sang Mary and Joseph (music compliments of my fantastically talented aunt), a trio sang Mary's Lullaby and as a group we sang the First Noel with a violin accompaniment. Our last number was a slideshow I had created to illustrate another one of my aunt's songs, One Small Boy with rich and beautiful meaning, perfectly highlighting the message we wanted to touch our sisters--that in celebrating His birth, we celebrate His gift and dedicate ourselves to Him. We closed with that final message as it was the perfect ending and anything else would have distracted from the Spirit.
Since then, Husband used the slideshow when he went home teaching to two families. And then we had several requests for a copy of the slideshow that sisters wanted to share with their families. So, with my aunt's permission, I had uploaded it to YouTube. The song is written and performed by Cori Connors, the artwork was borrowed primarily from LDS.org (a few pieces from other public domain sites). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPMNGKa8I8
For more Christmas festivities, we also got to help with a Secret Santa project. My mom works for a school and is a large part of the project. She had been given the names and information of several families, along with a moderate budget to help provide Christmas. So we joined her for a crazy fun shopping expedition and then spent several hours wrapping gifts before delivering them to families. This is my favorite Christmas tradition from my childhood and we've tried to make sure our girls got the opportunity to participate in it as well. L loved helping to pick out the clothes for the girls and A helped pick out Barbies and toys. E mostly ran around giggling and grabbing anything she could reach.
We joined Husband's family, including recently arrived cousins for a downtown adventure. We rode Trax, the public transport train, mostly just for fun, watching the girls delighted expressions. We wandered briefly at the Disney store in City Creek before crossing the street to Temple Square. We walked around the Joseph Smith building and visited the Christus while we waited for the lights to turn on. Then we had to hurry to dinner which was a birthday celebration for Grandpa at Braza Grill. The girls and I claimed a table on the end, sharing it with their cousins and their mom so our husband's could sit closer to family. The food was amazing. Husband reported that E devoured everything her gave her. At our table, A ate very little but L was eager to try everything that was brought to us. After we had our fill, we had some birthday festivities including chocolate mustaches on sticks and presenting gifts. One of Grandpa's favorite hobbies is rocks and fossils so to celebrate his 60th birthday, the theme was 60 Rocks! Each guest brought a rock or fossil, something with meaning to their relationship. L gave grandpa a fossil we found on a beach in Mexico on a trip with Grandpa, A gave him a stone from Temple Square (where Husband and I as well as Grandma and Grandpa were married) and E gave him a piece of petrified wood (he has two stumps in the front yard, one small and one large which he declared his grandpa and grandkid seats). Long ago I collected some pebbles from Normandy Beach in France and since Grandpa and I often trivia each other on historical events, I thought that was an appropriate symbol of our common interest. And Husband gave him a piece of granite from a particular location that has great significance to the family. Many other rocks were similarly presented, even some from his childhood.
And for one last party, last night we went to a neighbor's house and spent the evening with several other couples from the neighborhood. We shared snacks, got to know each other better, played a hilarious game similar to Charades and laughed our way through a White Elephant exchange.
My work's Christmas party was a week later, held in the same hall as our wedding reception. We packed the room and with our large staff being so diverse, I only know and regularly work with half of the employees. But we talked and greeted friends and thoroughly enjoyed the huge banquet of food that had been prepared. We ended up eating with the "zumba girls" and their spouses. I know them all fairly well and had a ton of fun talking with them through our dinner.
We hosted our mostly annual fondue and white elephant party. It's just a few couples, friends we've celebrated with for years and known forever. We did add a new couple to the group and had a blast. We had a sitter gather all the kids upstairs while we meandered through cheese fondue, cheesy potatoes and a honey baked ham. Then we gorged ourselves on a dessert fondue, with milk chocolate, white chocolate and caramel. Despite being good friends, our busy lives with jobs and ids in various locations make it hard to get together, so we enjoyed talking about recent changes or accomplishments. We had our White Elephant exchange and it was really good this year, with a variety of fun items and lots of laughing and teasing. Once we finished, we invited out kids down to enjoy the dessert fondue as well and play with them until everyone reluctantly left.
For Relief Society Enrichment, we had a Christmas brunch. I consider myself the co-chair of the committee and had met with the chair a few times to plan food and the brief musical program. I arrived Friday evening to help set up and was impressed by her vision. She went all out, decorating the hall beautifully. It was classy and elegant and inviting. Definitely more work than we needed to do but was so beautiful that it felt like a sweet luxury for our hard working sisters. I prepared three different breakfast casseroles (all with high compliments, yay!), served with fruit and french toast muffins. We ate and talked for the first half hour and then introduced our short program. As a group we sang O Little Town of Bethlehem, and then interspersed with a narrator, a couple sang Mary and Joseph (music compliments of my fantastically talented aunt), a trio sang Mary's Lullaby and as a group we sang the First Noel with a violin accompaniment. Our last number was a slideshow I had created to illustrate another one of my aunt's songs, One Small Boy with rich and beautiful meaning, perfectly highlighting the message we wanted to touch our sisters--that in celebrating His birth, we celebrate His gift and dedicate ourselves to Him. We closed with that final message as it was the perfect ending and anything else would have distracted from the Spirit.
Since then, Husband used the slideshow when he went home teaching to two families. And then we had several requests for a copy of the slideshow that sisters wanted to share with their families. So, with my aunt's permission, I had uploaded it to YouTube. The song is written and performed by Cori Connors, the artwork was borrowed primarily from LDS.org (a few pieces from other public domain sites). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPPMNGKa8I8
For more Christmas festivities, we also got to help with a Secret Santa project. My mom works for a school and is a large part of the project. She had been given the names and information of several families, along with a moderate budget to help provide Christmas. So we joined her for a crazy fun shopping expedition and then spent several hours wrapping gifts before delivering them to families. This is my favorite Christmas tradition from my childhood and we've tried to make sure our girls got the opportunity to participate in it as well. L loved helping to pick out the clothes for the girls and A helped pick out Barbies and toys. E mostly ran around giggling and grabbing anything she could reach.
We joined Husband's family, including recently arrived cousins for a downtown adventure. We rode Trax, the public transport train, mostly just for fun, watching the girls delighted expressions. We wandered briefly at the Disney store in City Creek before crossing the street to Temple Square. We walked around the Joseph Smith building and visited the Christus while we waited for the lights to turn on. Then we had to hurry to dinner which was a birthday celebration for Grandpa at Braza Grill. The girls and I claimed a table on the end, sharing it with their cousins and their mom so our husband's could sit closer to family. The food was amazing. Husband reported that E devoured everything her gave her. At our table, A ate very little but L was eager to try everything that was brought to us. After we had our fill, we had some birthday festivities including chocolate mustaches on sticks and presenting gifts. One of Grandpa's favorite hobbies is rocks and fossils so to celebrate his 60th birthday, the theme was 60 Rocks! Each guest brought a rock or fossil, something with meaning to their relationship. L gave grandpa a fossil we found on a beach in Mexico on a trip with Grandpa, A gave him a stone from Temple Square (where Husband and I as well as Grandma and Grandpa were married) and E gave him a piece of petrified wood (he has two stumps in the front yard, one small and one large which he declared his grandpa and grandkid seats). Long ago I collected some pebbles from Normandy Beach in France and since Grandpa and I often trivia each other on historical events, I thought that was an appropriate symbol of our common interest. And Husband gave him a piece of granite from a particular location that has great significance to the family. Many other rocks were similarly presented, even some from his childhood.
And for one last party, last night we went to a neighbor's house and spent the evening with several other couples from the neighborhood. We shared snacks, got to know each other better, played a hilarious game similar to Charades and laughed our way through a White Elephant exchange.
Christmas performances
L is in two dance classes this year: one ballet and one for her Sparkles team, which is a jazz class. And for the winter performances this year, they happened to be on the same day. Which means we kicked off the day at Swiss Christmas to watch the Sparkles. The dance studio was first on the day's entertainment, her class being a few numbers in. So I helped dress her up, took pictures of her and her teammates and waited anxiously, video camera in hand. Their adorable routine started with them popping out of a bathtub, light and fun and expressive. She grinned and giggled and it was so cute.
As soon as she was done, we raced over to the other side of town where the studio's ballet classes would be preforming three shows of the Nutcracker. The pre-show entertainment was provided by the preschool classes who sang carols in the lobby. A was in the first show of the day, dressed as an adorable green and red elf. Her wonderful music teacher was by herself for some reason but managed beautifully, juggling leading and playing the piano. The kids were timid and shy, only half of them brave enough to sing even a few words. By A, knew most of them and always chimed in loudly for at least the last word of each phrase. I love her smile, she lights up the whole room.
From there, we went to the Gingerbread Festival. With Dad, Grammy, Grandma and Grandpa there, we got to team up one-on-one with the kids as they wandered the intricately decorated houses, the beautiful trees and fun booths. The girls dashed from one table to the next, proclaiming each their very favorite.
L's ballet class preformed in the second show of the Nutcracker as the Snow Angels in the second act. I hadn't gotten to see this dance yet and was thoroughly impressed. She's naturally gracefully and sweet, with perfectly pointed toes, a sincere demeanor and a surprisingly good sense of timing. She was elated with the rose we gave her, proudly displaying it in a vase that she smelled and had to touch until it was badly wilted.
They each also had a school Christmas performance. And with much regret, I admit that I mixed up my dates and forgot A's program! By the time I realized it and arrived, the program was over and everyone had already left with their parents. She was the last student, helping the teachers clean up and quick to sadly rebuke me for missing her party. Luckily, the next day when I dropped her off at preschool, her teacher said she would have A join another class for their singing and party so that I could at least come hear her sing again.
But first, I had to hurry over to L's school where I had signed up to help in the class room. They played a few games and I brought sugar cookie trees for them to decorate. After their party, we went to the cafetorium for the school sing a long and I got to watch her sing with her class. They sang a song in both Spanish and English, followed by Auld Lang Syng. E accompanied me through it all. She hid by my legs as I prepared plates of cookies, watched wide-eyed as they played games and finally warmed up enough to sit with some of the students and eat a ridiculous amount of frosting meant for decorating. During the singing, she crawled and climbed all over me during the brief interludes but attentively listened to the songs.
As soon as L's class was finished, E and I raced back to A's school, arriving just in time to find that her whole class had joined the other class, deciding to repeat the performance and party. I got to video it for Daddy, everything from her enthusiastic singing and ringing bells during Jingle Bells to pretending to sleep during the 12 Days of Christmas. Santa came to visit and each student got to sit on his lap for a photo and receive a candy cane. She asked Santa for a Twilight Sparkle pony and an extra candy cane for her sister. E was invited to sit on her lap as well but she burst into tears and hid under my chair.
Maybe next year.
As soon as she was done, we raced over to the other side of town where the studio's ballet classes would be preforming three shows of the Nutcracker. The pre-show entertainment was provided by the preschool classes who sang carols in the lobby. A was in the first show of the day, dressed as an adorable green and red elf. Her wonderful music teacher was by herself for some reason but managed beautifully, juggling leading and playing the piano. The kids were timid and shy, only half of them brave enough to sing even a few words. By A, knew most of them and always chimed in loudly for at least the last word of each phrase. I love her smile, she lights up the whole room.
From there, we went to the Gingerbread Festival. With Dad, Grammy, Grandma and Grandpa there, we got to team up one-on-one with the kids as they wandered the intricately decorated houses, the beautiful trees and fun booths. The girls dashed from one table to the next, proclaiming each their very favorite.
L's ballet class preformed in the second show of the Nutcracker as the Snow Angels in the second act. I hadn't gotten to see this dance yet and was thoroughly impressed. She's naturally gracefully and sweet, with perfectly pointed toes, a sincere demeanor and a surprisingly good sense of timing. She was elated with the rose we gave her, proudly displaying it in a vase that she smelled and had to touch until it was badly wilted.
They each also had a school Christmas performance. And with much regret, I admit that I mixed up my dates and forgot A's program! By the time I realized it and arrived, the program was over and everyone had already left with their parents. She was the last student, helping the teachers clean up and quick to sadly rebuke me for missing her party. Luckily, the next day when I dropped her off at preschool, her teacher said she would have A join another class for their singing and party so that I could at least come hear her sing again.
But first, I had to hurry over to L's school where I had signed up to help in the class room. They played a few games and I brought sugar cookie trees for them to decorate. After their party, we went to the cafetorium for the school sing a long and I got to watch her sing with her class. They sang a song in both Spanish and English, followed by Auld Lang Syng. E accompanied me through it all. She hid by my legs as I prepared plates of cookies, watched wide-eyed as they played games and finally warmed up enough to sit with some of the students and eat a ridiculous amount of frosting meant for decorating. During the singing, she crawled and climbed all over me during the brief interludes but attentively listened to the songs.
As soon as L's class was finished, E and I raced back to A's school, arriving just in time to find that her whole class had joined the other class, deciding to repeat the performance and party. I got to video it for Daddy, everything from her enthusiastic singing and ringing bells during Jingle Bells to pretending to sleep during the 12 Days of Christmas. Santa came to visit and each student got to sit on his lap for a photo and receive a candy cane. She asked Santa for a Twilight Sparkle pony and an extra candy cane for her sister. E was invited to sit on her lap as well but she burst into tears and hid under my chair.
Maybe next year.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
also recently...
November only had 5 posts. That's an all time new low for me. Whoops.
My house looks amazing! Not only because of all the beautiful Christmas cheer, but husband has been working hard. We've hung stuff on the walls, did some patching and repair and he custom-designed and built coat hooks for our entry hall. We couldn't find anything we liked in a store so he fashioned one from baseboards, trim pieces and hooks, creating two rows along a very crooked wall. It looks amazing.
We also spent two weekends at work in our basement. We painted the cold storage room, installed shelves and sorted and organized mounds of boxes. Now the storage room is neatly organized and easily accessible. Plus, we got the makeshift guest room set up and useable.
November's Relief Society Enrichment night was a ton of fun. We had a PJs party, dressing up with snacks and goodies. But then we broke it into workshops on prayer, journal and scripture study, with a special emphasis on preparing ourselves and our families for missionary work. My assignment was J and I learned a lot. Need to work harder at applying it.
We spent an afternoon at a nicklecade for our nephew's birthday party and the girls had a blast! E's favorite was the little motion rides, especially the carousel. The big girls started on those too but soon learned they could earn tickets on things like whack-a-mole.
My girls are so cute and growing fast. E talks more and more and I can't get enough of her innocent chatter. I love when they play their version of "house", which they call "mom and dad and the darlings". Except E says "darwings". A has been more and more cuddly lately and eager to help ("mom, can I do a job for you?"). She's genuinely helpful and a good worker. L is learning so much and I struggling to wrap my head around her new reading skills! She regularly points out works she recognizes but my favorite is when she tries to write a new word, just sounding it out.
We spoke in church recently. Actually, the week of Thanksgiving. Our topics were tithing and gratitude (which husband immediately claimed, and joked about being the low hanging fruit, especially considering the holiday season). I was more nervous than I expected to be but felt good about the message. I found some beautiful, inspiring quotes I really wanted to use and got to share a story from my own family. In the end, I was much shorter on time than planned though. Husband's talk was amazing and so beautifully said.
And now for this week, we get a few days of down time (and a blizzard) before we launch into our crazy weekend. More to come.
My house looks amazing! Not only because of all the beautiful Christmas cheer, but husband has been working hard. We've hung stuff on the walls, did some patching and repair and he custom-designed and built coat hooks for our entry hall. We couldn't find anything we liked in a store so he fashioned one from baseboards, trim pieces and hooks, creating two rows along a very crooked wall. It looks amazing.
We also spent two weekends at work in our basement. We painted the cold storage room, installed shelves and sorted and organized mounds of boxes. Now the storage room is neatly organized and easily accessible. Plus, we got the makeshift guest room set up and useable.
November's Relief Society Enrichment night was a ton of fun. We had a PJs party, dressing up with snacks and goodies. But then we broke it into workshops on prayer, journal and scripture study, with a special emphasis on preparing ourselves and our families for missionary work. My assignment was J and I learned a lot. Need to work harder at applying it.
We spent an afternoon at a nicklecade for our nephew's birthday party and the girls had a blast! E's favorite was the little motion rides, especially the carousel. The big girls started on those too but soon learned they could earn tickets on things like whack-a-mole.
My girls are so cute and growing fast. E talks more and more and I can't get enough of her innocent chatter. I love when they play their version of "house", which they call "mom and dad and the darlings". Except E says "darwings". A has been more and more cuddly lately and eager to help ("mom, can I do a job for you?"). She's genuinely helpful and a good worker. L is learning so much and I struggling to wrap my head around her new reading skills! She regularly points out works she recognizes but my favorite is when she tries to write a new word, just sounding it out.
We spoke in church recently. Actually, the week of Thanksgiving. Our topics were tithing and gratitude (which husband immediately claimed, and joked about being the low hanging fruit, especially considering the holiday season). I was more nervous than I expected to be but felt good about the message. I found some beautiful, inspiring quotes I really wanted to use and got to share a story from my own family. In the end, I was much shorter on time than planned though. Husband's talk was amazing and so beautifully said.
And now for this week, we get a few days of down time (and a blizzard) before we launch into our crazy weekend. More to come.
Thanksgiving/quote of the day
Thanksgiving was wonderful as always. This year a little more laid back and quiet, but time well spent.
We try to alternate years, spending Thanksgiving with my parents and his parents. This year, his parents were gone doing humanitarian work and my siblings were scattered, either with their "other" families or having to work. So we invited my parents to spend the holiday with us at our new home. So we hosted our first Thanksgiving, my little family, plus my parents, plus a few nieces who's parents were working. It's all kind of a happy blur, with toddlers outnumbering the adults, crafts, little projects, time to relax, plentiful food and shopping. But here's the highlights (otherwise known as a random list of things I remember):
I tried a new recipe, making a pumpkin french toast bake with buttermilk vanilla syrup for breakfast. It was divine and likely, a new tradition.
The kids made a handful of crafts including a cereal turkey, waffle cone cornucopias, thankful turkeys and coloring pages. And we played a letters game.
I also made this for my mantle. It's beautiful and elegant and I love it. and I want to make this next year, if anyone is feeling crafty and wants to join.
Our Thanksgiving feast was fabulous with so much food, including the cutest veggie tray ever, sweet potato casserole , tender turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello, stuffing and infamous family roll recipe, which my daughters elected to stuff with jello, instead of jam.
quote of the day: When L asked if we got the turkey yet. I replied yes. She said, "Wait! you bought one?! Daddy has to take me to go kill it!" ...my dear sensitive (and hilarious) child. I admire your enthusiasm. and bravery. but I know you. and you could no more kill a turkey than I could. Thank heaven for the grocery store.
We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving story and played with cousins and perused sale ads.
We had some fabulous Black Friday finds. Husband and I did an early morning dash down the canyon for places like Home Depot and Big 5 and Michaels. Locally, we shopped Kings, WalMart and Walgreens. We were joined by more cousins for brunch and a long afternoon at the park. We tried to go see Frozen but it was sold out so we took the girls girls shopping instead. They each drew a name of one of their cousins and had so much fun shopping and choosing the perfect toy for each of them.
In the evening, we left the girls with a sitter and had an amazing evening. Nate, myself and my parents had a quick dinner at Zupa's (my current favorite place to eat) and then attended a Christmas Concert featuring one of the most talents musician and storytellers ever. I know her music and have every cd, but listening to her concerts is a whole different experience, when the story she weaves becomes strong, all encompassing, with memories and melodies so rich and vivid that you could touch them. This year, among the story telling between each song, she shared the "sweet spot", the line with the most meaning or poignancy for each song. With this added purposefulness, the emotions became even more real. I'm so grateful she shares her gifts with us. And as an added bonus, we got to see more cousins and family.
On Saturday, it was just our little family again. Husband had to work a few hours in the morning while we played and began packing away the Thanksgiving decorations. Husband came home in time for lunch and a family date to see Frozen. We got there early to make sure we could get seats and I was glad because I loved the Mickey short at the beginning and was so excited by some of the previews. The movie itself was incredible! I loved the music and vocal talents. I loved the message and the characters and spent the next hour texting my even-more-than-me-Disney-crazy kid sister to rave about it over and over.
We drove up the canyon for our annual tree hunt. Instead of hiking, we did most of our tree viewing from the truck (it was cold and the baby was asleep). We found a great spot to pile out of the truck and the girls played in the snow as we made our final selection and Daddy set to work putting it into the truck.
Worn out from our holiday festivities, we didn't accomplish much after that. The girls went to bed early and we got the tree set up and strung with lights.
So Sunday morning was wonderful. We got ready quickly, had a visit from our home teachers and went to tithing settlement. Then we got to spend the rest of the morning decorating the tree and the mantle. The whole room is beautiful, boasting with Christmas tree and charm and elegance. I love this season!
After church we drove north to my parents house and spent the evening decorating their tree as well. Lucky girls, they had such a blast. We feasted again on turkey, cooked in my dad's smoker and watched a movie before sending kids to bed. Husband left for the airport, headed for a work conference, while the girls and I lounged at my parents house for a few nights. We wrapped presents, decorated and played with Grammy Papa.
Until finally, we are home again. Worn out but happy.
We try to alternate years, spending Thanksgiving with my parents and his parents. This year, his parents were gone doing humanitarian work and my siblings were scattered, either with their "other" families or having to work. So we invited my parents to spend the holiday with us at our new home. So we hosted our first Thanksgiving, my little family, plus my parents, plus a few nieces who's parents were working. It's all kind of a happy blur, with toddlers outnumbering the adults, crafts, little projects, time to relax, plentiful food and shopping. But here's the highlights (otherwise known as a random list of things I remember):
I tried a new recipe, making a pumpkin french toast bake with buttermilk vanilla syrup for breakfast. It was divine and likely, a new tradition.
The kids made a handful of crafts including a cereal turkey, waffle cone cornucopias, thankful turkeys and coloring pages. And we played a letters game.
I also made this for my mantle. It's beautiful and elegant and I love it. and I want to make this next year, if anyone is feeling crafty and wants to join.
Our Thanksgiving feast was fabulous with so much food, including the cutest veggie tray ever, sweet potato casserole , tender turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, jello, stuffing and infamous family roll recipe, which my daughters elected to stuff with jello, instead of jam.
quote of the day: When L asked if we got the turkey yet. I replied yes. She said, "Wait! you bought one?! Daddy has to take me to go kill it!" ...my dear sensitive (and hilarious) child. I admire your enthusiasm. and bravery. but I know you. and you could no more kill a turkey than I could. Thank heaven for the grocery store.
We watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving story and played with cousins and perused sale ads.
We had some fabulous Black Friday finds. Husband and I did an early morning dash down the canyon for places like Home Depot and Big 5 and Michaels. Locally, we shopped Kings, WalMart and Walgreens. We were joined by more cousins for brunch and a long afternoon at the park. We tried to go see Frozen but it was sold out so we took the girls girls shopping instead. They each drew a name of one of their cousins and had so much fun shopping and choosing the perfect toy for each of them.
In the evening, we left the girls with a sitter and had an amazing evening. Nate, myself and my parents had a quick dinner at Zupa's (my current favorite place to eat) and then attended a Christmas Concert featuring one of the most talents musician and storytellers ever. I know her music and have every cd, but listening to her concerts is a whole different experience, when the story she weaves becomes strong, all encompassing, with memories and melodies so rich and vivid that you could touch them. This year, among the story telling between each song, she shared the "sweet spot", the line with the most meaning or poignancy for each song. With this added purposefulness, the emotions became even more real. I'm so grateful she shares her gifts with us. And as an added bonus, we got to see more cousins and family.
On Saturday, it was just our little family again. Husband had to work a few hours in the morning while we played and began packing away the Thanksgiving decorations. Husband came home in time for lunch and a family date to see Frozen. We got there early to make sure we could get seats and I was glad because I loved the Mickey short at the beginning and was so excited by some of the previews. The movie itself was incredible! I loved the music and vocal talents. I loved the message and the characters and spent the next hour texting my even-more-than-me-Disney-crazy kid sister to rave about it over and over.
We drove up the canyon for our annual tree hunt. Instead of hiking, we did most of our tree viewing from the truck (it was cold and the baby was asleep). We found a great spot to pile out of the truck and the girls played in the snow as we made our final selection and Daddy set to work putting it into the truck.
Worn out from our holiday festivities, we didn't accomplish much after that. The girls went to bed early and we got the tree set up and strung with lights.
So Sunday morning was wonderful. We got ready quickly, had a visit from our home teachers and went to tithing settlement. Then we got to spend the rest of the morning decorating the tree and the mantle. The whole room is beautiful, boasting with Christmas tree and charm and elegance. I love this season!
After church we drove north to my parents house and spent the evening decorating their tree as well. Lucky girls, they had such a blast. We feasted again on turkey, cooked in my dad's smoker and watched a movie before sending kids to bed. Husband left for the airport, headed for a work conference, while the girls and I lounged at my parents house for a few nights. We wrapped presents, decorated and played with Grammy Papa.
Until finally, we are home again. Worn out but happy.
quote of the day/tithing settlement
We took our little family to tithing settlement, our little end-of-year one-on-one with our bishop. We chatted for awhile about family updates, the ward, the holidays and finally tithing. My sweet sweet L, eagerly filled out her tithing card and impatiently waited until she got to hand it over. So generous and giving, she was happy and excited to do it. I try to phrase my words carefully so she doesn't feel obligated but as I explained that we were going to a tithing meeting, she jumped right in. She talked about how the bishop would use her money to build new churches and buy food for families in need. My sweet girl, you make me so proud.
And as for the quote of the day moment, the bishop sincerely asked if there was anything he could do to help us. A stood up, looked at him seriously and said, "well, you can come clean my room." we burst out laughing as she looked around unruffled and defended herself, "I need help putting the toys away."
And as for the quote of the day moment, the bishop sincerely asked if there was anything he could do to help us. A stood up, looked at him seriously and said, "well, you can come clean my room." we burst out laughing as she looked around unruffled and defended herself, "I need help putting the toys away."
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