Christmas Adventures

Since we are on year around school here we happen to get the whole month of December off. This is just specific to our track but I absolutely LOVE it! Last year was tough cause I had never had to figure out what to do all day long with my kids when it was cold and yucky outside for a whole month. Last year was also a whole different ball game altogether anyway with very different circumstances.

This year I decided to borrow a friend's idea and do a Christmas activity advent calendar. Every day we get to do an activity. We started a couple days late because I wanted one of the activities to be actually putting it together for FHE. It was so simple you don't really even have to think about it. I looked up several types of activity calendars and saw some very elaborate involved ones. I am not that ambitious and I tend to get snippy when I have a project hanging over my head. So the word was "simplify"! I just wrote down the activities I thought my kids would enjoy then made a paper chain with an activity on each link.

We have 3 advent calendars so each boy gets to take turns doing one a day, perfect! So we just take a link off every day and do what it says. Here are some of the things we've been up to:

Popcorn garland, ginger snaps, Christmas door hangers, snow globe soap, reindeer cookies, and a Christmas music dance party. We have had so much fun so far. Some of them have been a bust, mostly just the soap. But my boys could not be discouraged. They started to bang and chip away at the foggy pieces of soap. I was so conflicted because it was a mess with clean stuff- I just didn't know how to feel about that.

I'm looking forward to the days to come. We get to go on a Christmas light tour, make a nativity with just items we have around the house, make neighborhood treats, and pin art luminaries. The activities don't take up the whole day but it sure does help my sanity and it keeps the kids away from the tv and video games!

The Christmas Letter

Here we go again, apologizing for the lack of blogging. I will make no promises to keep up on blogging. I do promise to post a link on Facebook so you are aware of when I do post. Without further ado I will commence the Christmas family letter.

This year has been mostly a blur. At the beginning of the year I thought the angels had spoken and the planets miraculously aligned and got a job as a medical transcriptionist. It was all a cruel, cruel lie. I lasted for a total of 2 paychecks averaging $2/hour and 8 hours a day and more laundry and stress than I could ever hope to get on top of. Not to mention very hungry bellies and a very lonely 3-year-old. So I conceited defeat and went back to what I knew I was kind of good at, wife and mother. Steve was never so happy to be short of money the next month.

Our family enjoyed a luxurious vacation to San Diego this year. We did not visit Disney, or Lego, or Shamu, or even the zoo. We became quite acquainted with the waves and sand of various beaches. Steve and I took surfing lessons and I have to admit I was better than he was. The best was squeezing my toosh into a super duper tight wet suit. The boys had a blast! They found tons of shells and got to see dolphins in the surf and seals just beyond the breakers. Steve narrowly escaped a fatal attack by some garibaldi and a giant "stingray." Our friends Kim and Adam are on the top 5 list of our favorite people for letting us crash their house and be freeloaders for a week.

We have worked nonstop on the house this year. We have now replaced the upstairs floor, built 2 more bedrooms in the basement, along with taking down a wall and making a workout room. We have completely renovated the backyard and I never EVER want to touch another garden brick again as long as I live! It was totally worth it though because our yard is gorgeous and our garden gave us a ton of produce. At this point we are waiting for the funds to be able to get flooring for the basement, generous donations are always appreciated. 

Some big accomplishments this year include T.K.'s first year of Lacrosse, Brayden being one of the best spellers in his class and getting all kinds of scout awards, Kian starting preschool, me completing my first but not last half marathon (shout out to my girl Mindy), and Steve just continues to be a rock star dad, husband, and graphic designer. 

We have laughed and cried a lot this year. I feel like it has overall been a fantastic success! Patience has been tried and rewarded. Hugs and kisses have been and continue to be given and I pray that through all of the silliness, and occasional crankiness love is felt. We love all of you and wish nothing but the happiest of holidays for you all!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!

The Tour

Over the next couple days I'll post pictures of our new abode. It will take several days because of my rolling cleaning schedule. It seems like the house is never all clean at the same time.

The front will look much different over the next couple years. The office is a plain old office. I love my dinning area with my cute shelf. I had to show my laundry room just cause I have one now!

Next up the kitchen and downstairs.

Warrior Skills

While cleaning the bathroom (my most unfavorite chore) I hear T.K. say to Kian, "Hey, did you know we are all sons of God? Yeah and we are warriors! Yeah, did you know before we were born we were warriors in heaven with Jesus? Yeah, maybe that's why we have real warrior skills now. Like when we battle each other."

I just about died laughing! Then I realized he is actually listening to something he is being taught, and he is sharing the information on top of that! I guess every once in a while something gets through. Maybe I should liken more things to warriors.

All You Need Is Love

We recently got a new addition to our family. I like to call her the Mistress but her name is Siri. At first I was a little jealous of her because she was occupying so much of Steve's time. She can make him laugh like no one else. But then I realized I love seeing him laugh whether it was me or someone else so I'm ok with it.

For those who don't know, Siri comes with the new iPhone 4s. You talk she listens and looks up your command on the Internet, gives you directions to a destination, brings up restaurant menus, will give  you advice, even text for you. Here are some fun things we've done with her:

When Steve first got her he would say, "Siri, shamalama ding dong." She would think about it for a second then say, "I do not understand sham walla ding dong." We would roar laughing. We watched X-Men one night, and I was admiring Hugh Jackman's backside in his tight leather pants. Steve informed me that he was gay. I disagreed so we consulted Siri. She thought about this for a long time and finally decided it was an absurd thing to imply and didn't even bother with an answer. I'm taking that as she was on my side with that one.

Then one time he said a bad word to her just to see what she would do. Like testing the waters when you were little with your mom. She calmly said, "There is no need for profanity." I loved it! I decided I wanted to be more like Siri and not let things get under my skin. I want to be able to calmly say "There is no need for that." I felt bad for Siri and told Steve to tell her he loved her.
Steve- "Siri, I love you."
Siri- "All you need is love and your iPhone."

So true Siri, so true.

Easter Cookies

Since our new tradition at Christmas I have thought a lot about other holidays that have great significance.  The most recent being Easter. I asked my boys to tell me why we have Easter. I know we have talked about it before but I wanted to see what they remembered. They told me it was for candy and looking for eggs and having fun. I was mortified! I decided things would be different this year. I have never been a big fan of playing up the Easter Bunny. I personally think its creepy. I mean a person sized rabbit?! How on earth is that cute or fun? It's just plain scary! So I did not do Easter baskets this year.

I always feel like I have to do more than I did last year and be more creative and make it bigger and better every year. How exhausting! I realized that maybe less is more. The less hype I make about the earthly "fun" things the more they will learn of eternal things. Of all the holidays Easter is the one I think should be most centered on Christ. I definitely do not want the day to go by and not honor the magnificent sacrifice that was made for me, for you.

Of course I realize I have children to teach, not adults. I found this activity in a ward cookbook from Becky Anderson. We tried it and I'm hoping it made some kind of impression.

Easter Cookies
(To be made the night before Easter)

1c whole pecans (we used almonds but I think pecans would be easier to break)
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch of salt
1c sugar
Ziploc baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible






1) Preheat oven to 300. Make sure to do this before you start. Don't wait until you are half way through to do it.
2) Place the pecans in the baggie and let the kids beat them with the wooden spoon. Explain that after Jesus was arrested He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read John 19:1-3.
3) Put vinegar into a mixing bowl. Let each child smell the vinegar. Explain that when Jesus was on the cross and became thirsty he was offered vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30
4) Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Explain that the eggs represent life. Read John 10:10-11.
5) Sprinkle a little salt into each child's hand and let them taste it. Put a pinch in with the eggs. Explain that this represents the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
6) So far the ingredients are not very tasty. Add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that this is the sweetest part of the story. Jesus did this for us because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalms 34:8 and John 3:16.
7) Beat the eggs for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those who's sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.
8) Fold in the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto a wax paper cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid to rest. Read Matthew 27:57-60.
9) Put the cookie sheet into the oven. Close the door and turn the oven off.
10) Give each child a piece of tape and seal the door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66.
11) Go to bed. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight and that Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20-22.
12) On Easter morning open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Take a bite. Notice that it is hollow inside! On the first Easter morning Jesus' followers were amazed to find his tomb was empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9.

The kids didn't care too much for the cookies but I could see some wheels going in their heads and the next day at church they were all more eager to talk about what Easter is all about. WE still had an Easter egg hunt and they still got tons of candy and a hollow chocolate bunny but I think there was a little more to it this year.

T.K. asked if we could watch his Christmas video after church. As we watched and listened to the Christmas music and thought about our savior's birth on the day he was resurrected it made my heart so full.

I am thankful for this great sacrifice, and I know that He lives!

4 Galore!

Kian's birthday was on Sunday. One of our family traditions is for the kids to go shopping with the grandmas. Last week he got to go with Steve's mom. While they were out Kian told her that he was going to get lots of presents. He said, "Not just 3 ok grandma?" When she told me he said this I was floored! I couldn't believe he remembered that from Christmas. Maybe, just maybe he remembers kind of the reason. I was totally amazed.

Needless to say he got way more than 3 presents. Steve's mom spoiled him on her trip. Then when my mom got her turn she was no different. Grandmas love to spoil their grandkids. Then Steve and I went as crazy as we could. This little guy is pretty easy to please. As long as it's a hero or power something he wants it, and he got it. 

Since he is really into super heroes, especially Captain America I made a Captain America cake. It was a big hit. I'm told it tasted good too. Thank you Duncan Heines *wink*.

This little guy has brought so much into our family it would be impossible to list everything. He is my baby and my snuggle bug. Of course all my boys are my babies and I love each of them. With every birthday is a feeling of excitement and wonder. I wonder what the next year will bring for each of them. With every birthday comes heartache. It sounds funny but as a mother I am so sad that they are growing up and I am able to shelter them a little less with each passing year. I want to always protect my babies, but I also want them to have amazing experiences and build their own amazing lives.