Christmas Togetherness

We had a family Christmas celebration a few days before Christmas.  We had a taco dinner, read the Christmas story, sang Christmas songs and opened presents.

We were all on different schedules that night, so we had to be a bit flexible to make it all work out.  But it was fine and lots of fun.

We made an effort to act out the Christmas story along with the reading of it, thinking it would be fun for the children to be more involved.  I think they enjoyed it, even if it turned out to be a little unconventional.  Elise was going to be an angel, but it turned out her dress was a little too small, so we nixed that idea at the last minute.  Merry Grace was Mary (since they share a name, she decided she should play that role.)  My sweet  little girl who loves every baby she sees and wants to mother it, made the least tender Mary you will likely ever meet.  She ended up tossing the baby doll she was using as baby Jesus into the cradle as an afterthought.  We all chuckled a little at how unconventional the story was turning out to be.  Paige wanted to dress up, so we had her wear a white dress and be an angel.  However, she also wanted a baby doll like Merry Grace.  So our angel ended up with a second doll, who she also called baby Jesus, but insisted was a girl.  And then she fell asleep and missed almost the entirety of the program anyway. :)  So yes.  The acting out wasn't quite traditional, but I think we all enjoyed it anyway.  

We took turns reading a few verses of scripture and then singing a song.  For one part, I played a piano solo of "The First Noel".  I thought it went pretty well until I played the last note and Merry Grace said, rather loudly, "Whew!  Thank goodness that's over."  What are kids for, if not to keep you humble. :)

We also had the treat of having Elise sing a solo, my sister-in-law, Lois, sing a solo, and also have her play "What Child is This" on her saxophone.  (She is so talented!!!)

 And, of course, we loved hearing my Dad read the scriptures in Luke, about the Savior's birth.  He always brings the spirit when he reads them, because he loves them so much.

 My brother, his wife and sweet little baby, Ella.

After the program was finally (yes, Merry Grace) over, we opened presents.  My parents wrote each one of us--children, in-laws and grandchildren--a note expressing their love for us and their testimony of the gospel.  It will go down as one of my favorite gifts ever.  They were just beautiful.

We all got really nice things, including these awesome pillowcases that my brother, Ethan, gave to each of the kids.  They have been a huge hit.  

My mom also made these awesome posters for each of us.  They were beautiful and perfect. She personalized them wonderfully!

Even with things being a little crazy (when is it not with kids around!!!) we had a great Christmas.  We felt love and unity as we celebrated the birth of the Savior together.

Gingerbread Houses

We started off the gingerbread houses with one that Ian made at school.  I went and helped his class decorate them.  Ian did a great job, mostly all on his own.

The little boy who sat across from Ian piled all his candy along the ridge of the roof and squeezed all his icing on top of that.  It was hilarious.  :)  I thought Ian's looked amazing. :)

Making "gingerbread" houses (we cheat and use graham crackers) was always a tradition in my family growing up.  My kids really wanted to make them this year, but somehow they just aren't the same without Daddy making the icing.  So we had my parents and siblings (and their families) come over to our house and we all made gingerbread houses and Daddy kept us supplied with icing.

The first thing you need is lots of candy.  I think we had that covered. :)

Everyone worked really hard to make their house look awesome.

Everyone got into it, but it was definitely the girls (and I don't just mean the little girls) who stayed at the table the longest, getting all those finishing touches just right. :)

The finished products.  I cannot tell you how wonderful my house smelled with all those houses in them.  It was amazing!  And they looked so super cute. :)

We even came up with awards and voted on the different houses.  Each person won an award (but not everyone got a picture of it!!)  It was so much fun. :)

We loved having everyone over to our house for gingerbread houses.  It definitely helped get us in the Christmas Spirit. :)

Graduation Par-tay

My Dad has been working hard on a Master's Program the last year or so.  And all that hard work paid off, when he was able to graduate (with honors, no less) this December.  Since he didn't get to walk at his own graduation, we threw him a little surprise graduation party with the family.

Unbeknownst to him, we had all made shirts that had a word on them that described him or his accomplishment.

These are a few pictures of our different shirts.  The words we chose were: brilliant, terrific, super cool, top notch, phenomenal, the best, exemplary, ingenious, steady, and my hero.

We made a shirt for Daddy that said, "Masterful" (for getting his Master's degree :)).  We wrote a BIG note and hung it outside on the porch beside a banner that said "Congratulations".  We instructed him and Mama to put their shirts on and come inside.  We had "Pomp and Circumstance" blaring and gave him a standing ovation when he came through the door.  It may not have been the same as the cap and gown ceremony for his actual graduation, but it was lots of fun for us.

We wanted him to know how proud we were of him and all his hard work.  Sometimes those things go unnoticed, but we wanted him to know that we did notice and that we couldn't be prouder!

Congratulations! :)

Reasons #475 and #476 Why Kids are Awesome

#475

Yesterday, I was just starting to curl my hair.  I had a couple of rollers in and the rest was a mess.  I hadn't even begun to put make-up on.  Paige was watching me and after a minute said, "Oh, Mommy!  You are so beautiful, Mommy!"  Made. My. Day.  I smiled and gave her a hug and told her "Thank You" a million times over.  Then she asked, "Mommy, are you a Princess?"  I looked at her very seriously and said "Yes, Paigie.  I am."  (Because I am, you know. :)) And then she responded, "Ooooohhhhhh.  But we can't tell anybody, can we?"  And even though we really can tell other people, she's really into secrets right now.  So I told her it could just be our little secret.  I'm pretty sure if most people had seen me right then, they wouldn't have believed anyway. :)  But I'm so thankful for children who can see past the outward appearance and can look right into your heart.

#476

They're creative.

'Nuff Said. :)

(I'm pretty sure this was Ian's work.  And I'm pretty sure he's going to have to fix it when he gets home from school.  But it gave me a good laugh this morning. :))

Thanksgiving

We spent much of our Thanksgiving holiday driving from one side of the state to the other.  And while the driving and packing and unpacking and all that comes with it can be exhausting, this year I felt so much gratitude for living close enough to see both Cory's family and my family for these big holidays.

We spent Wednesday evening and Thursday with Cory's family.  I'm pretty sure the universe stood still for a minute when everyone arrived early, the food was ready early, and we even said the blessing on the food 5 minutes early.  That has never happened.  Ever.  We had a wonderful meal with food cooked to perfection.  Cory's mom's turkey was so delicious I wanted to cry.  There were so many good things to eat.  I can be thankful without good food, but I'm infinitely happier with it.  We spent a day filled with deliciousness, friendships and peace.  What a perfect holiday it was!

We left there and headed to another Thanksgiving with my family.  My Dad was amazing to help Cory with a car repair that took some time and we were so appreciative of his talents and service.  We had a delicious dinner with some of our favorite holiday foods.  Elise got to go shooting with Papa, which is something she's been wanting to do for a while.  We took some time to again go through some of my Grandma's things and placed Christmas flowers at her grave.  They looked beautiful and my mom and I decided they were the prettiest ones in the cemetery.  Which is fitting for the prettiest girl there. :)  Boy, do I miss her.

I haven't been a great photographer this fall.  But I finally broke out the camera this weekend and took some pictures at my parents' house.

The tire swing is always a huge hit.  The kids were so sweet to take turns pushing each other on the swing.

They also loved running around the driveway.  They had fun and burned off some of the energy they'd been storing up. :)

 

They also love my parents' sweet dog, Rufus.  Even Paige decided she wasn't scared of him anymore. :)

Papa showed the kids some winter blooming flowers.

 

 Adam was fun entertainment for the kids. :)

 Cuteness.  I love these kids.

It was a lovely Thanksgiving, one we were grateful to share with our loved ones.  We kept in our thoughts Cory's dad, who we miss as much this third Thanksgiving as we ever did, my Grandma, who's absence we felt for the first time this year, and my brother, Logan, who is busy serving the Lord as one of His missionaries.  Those separations have made us keenly aware of the joy and gratitude we feel for those with whom we get to spend time and appreciate those relationships all the more.  Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. :)

Hidden Gems

When you have children, sometimes things happen that surprise you.  There was the famous "fork" incident, for one.  Today I experienced another.  I went in Ian's room to gather laundry and noticed an odd smell.  I racked my brain trying to figure out what the smell reminded me of.  The close I could come to was urine, although that wasn't quite it.  Ian hasn't wet the bed in years, but he does sleepwalk sometimes and has occasionally used the bathroom in his sleep in an unusual place, thinking it was the toilet (the toy box, for starters).  And so, I wondered if something like that had happened.  That's when I noticed something on the hardwood floor.  It looked sort of like something wet, so I got some cleaner and paper towel and started cleaning.  It was right by the edge of his bed, and the more I cleaned up the worse the smell got.  I wondered if whatever it was had leaked under his bed.  So I picked up the corner of his bedskirt and saw a rotten pumpkin.  Yes.  It had rotted and the pumpkin "juice" and leaked out from under the bed onto the floor.  And it did not smell good.  A little heavy duty cleaning later, the pumpkin was removed, the floor was scrubbed and life went back to normal, and I was left just shaking my head.  So count "rotten pumpkin" on the list of things I don't expect to find under my kids' beds. :)

BEING a Mother

A blog I love really got me thinking about how I view Motherhood.  Sometimes I revel in being a Mother.  I love the things I can do to make my home and family happy.  And other times I feel bogged down by the daily demands.  Sometimes my tasks seem mundane.  There's an endless to-do list that never really gets finished.  Before one day's to-do list even gets completely checked off, another day's list has already begun.  There just don't seem to be enough hours in a day to do everything I need to do.  But maybe its not so much about doing, but about being.  Instead of thinking about all the things I need to do, I want to think about those tasks as steps toward being the kind of person and Mother want to be.   Its not just doing the tasks of Motherhood, but being a Mother.

When the tasks that keep our family running seem tiresome or overwhelming, I want to think of them as opportunities to be patient, to be creative, to be frugal, to be cheerful, to be obedient, be fun, to be prepared, to be nurturing.  I think of how different my attitude could be when thinking of who I want to be, not just what I want to do.

The reasons I want to BE! :)

It's Fall Y'all!!!

With cooler temperatures in the air, we've enjoyed some outdoor fun!  One Monday evening, we decided to have a weenie roast in the backyard.

Elise drove Paige around in the jeep while they waited for the fire to get ready.  (I'm pretty sure the jeep was one of the best purchases ever.  8 years later, its still running strong!)

 Merry Grace got a little cooking help from her Dad.

Elise loves red hot dogs.  She's a southern girl, through and through!!!

 Ian and Paige joined in on the fun, too.  (Although, as soon as I took this picture, I took Paige's cooking utensil away from her and did it myself.  I don't think what she's doing there is quite safe enough! ;))

I'm not sure this is the typical way of eating a hot dog....

 But apparently, its just as delicious! :)

And after dinner we made s'mores.  Which were pretty near perfect!

The fall weather is wonderful.  I'm pretty sure this is Cory's favorite time of year.  He loves the crisp air.  And actually, I think we all do.  Its such a nice change.  And I think we're all ready for another bonfire! :)

Its Great to be Eight!!!

Last month, Ian celebrated a BIG birthday.  Maybe the biggest one yet.  He turned EIGHT years old.  And that means a baptism!  

 We were so proud of Ian's desire to be baptized, and so grateful to so many family and friends who helped us make this a day to remember.

Ian was able to be baptized on his birthday.  He had two of his uncles speak, his sister and aunt and papa sing a special musical number, and his grammy and uncle say prayers.  Cory baptized and confirmed him and we had many, many people who helped keep the little girls' quiet during the service, who cooked and brought food for refreshments, and friends who came to share in the joy of this special day.

We love that Ian has taken this important step on the path that leads back to his Father in Heaven.

I love this message.  We don't know everything, but we know enough.  Enough to be baptized.  Enough to choose the right.  Enough to follow the Savior.  

Awesomeness

How awesome is it to open your cabinet and find this?

 And this note in Paige's dresser?

 And this note in the copy of Jane Eyre I was reading?

Well, the answer is "Totally Awesome!"  Elise left these notes (and several others) tucked around in different places around the house.   And guess how awesome I think she is for making me smile and giving me a huge dose of love?  You guessed it!  "Totally Awesome."

Let them eat Cake!

Only not this cake.

For Ian's baptism, I decided to make THIS vertical layer cake with THESE beautiful roses on top.  Of course, its something I've never done before, but since when has that ever stopped me. ;)  I had it planned out and most everything went pretty well.  As with any new recipe, I learned a few things along the way that will make things easier the next time, but all it all, I was quite pleased with how things went.  I had one cake iced and was working on the second one.  The first one had white icing (baptism, purity--you know) so I decided to to the next one in Carolina blue, knowing Ian would love that.  I had just finished it.  It looked lovely.  When have I ever made two pretty cakes, back to back?  Ask anyone who has every celebrated a birthday with our family and they will tell you the answer.  Never.

And what a nice, tidy little story it would be, if that were the end.   Unfortunately, I had to move the cake from one counter to the other, and that was my downfall.  Or the cake's.  Literally.

I can't even be sure exactly how it happened.  One minute I was holding the cake, the next minute it was falling to the ground.

Heroically, I was able to prevent it from falling on the floor by slamming it into the side of my cabinet. :)

And if you were only to look at it at eye level from this one side, you might think it still looked okay.  Sort of.

But really, is anyone actually going to do that?  So if you're a normal person, this is what you'd see.

I stood and stared for a few stunned minutes in silence, thinking that if maybe I just blinked a few more times, my cake would still be intact.  Alas, that was not the case.  And so I had a good laugh over the whole thing and texted the sad pictures to Cory.  :)

All I can say is, thank goodness I made two cakes, because the first one was delicious. :)

Loving Yourself

This morning, Paige asked me to make some lemonade.  I was just finishing stirring it, when she asked, "Is it ready, Mommy?"  I replied, "Yeah, buddy!"  She just grinned at me and said, "I am not a buddy.  I am Paige.  Logan Paige."  I laughed and said, "I know.  And I love Logan Paige."  Then she laughed and said, "I love Logan Paige, too.  And you love Logan Paige.  I just love myself."

When you're this adorable, even when you're being silly, its easy to see why you love yourself. :)

I hope as she grows up, she can always remember to love herself.  Not the too much kind of love.  The just right kind of love that helps you be patient, forgiving and kind to yourself.  If she'll just try to see herself the way I do, it shouldn't be any problem. :)