Christmas Eve

Christmas eve started at church this year.  It was a beautiful way to begin our celebration of our Savior's birth.

We came home and cooked a lot that afternoon- I didn't want to spend any time in the kitchen on Christmas Day.

The day went by quickly with all of our preparations, 

along with a few hours in the snow - we got a beautiful white Christmas!

 These two had so much fun out there together.  

 Emma put a snowball in the  freezer for July.

By dinnertime we were ready for a Jesus-era feast- meat pies, olives, naan, berries, pistachios and grape juice, all by candlelight.

 The elders joined us for the evening and made great wise men with Emma. 

 Mary and Joseph- 

 King Herod- 

 And a shepherd with a cute little sheep-

 After the elders left we sprinkled reindeer food on the porch,  

set out treats for Santa and Rudolph (Emma wrote the letter- it said, "Santa, I believe in you.  From Emma." and I loved it.)

 And then it was finally- finally!- time to open sibling gifts.  The big kids had each other and the little kids had each other this year.  Noah got his beloved Bingo and Rolly (not a box of crackers, although he would have loved that, too) and Emma got perler beads and earrings.

 Adam got Mario Kart Monopoly and Leah got socks!  Harry Potter socks, that is, and a shirt, too.

The sibling gift exchange is always my favorite.

 And then it was off to bed for the highly anticipated, most favorite night of all.  I didn't hear a peep from any of the kids all night long, although they promise me they couldn't sleep and heard the jingling of Santa's sleigh and the prancing and pawing of reindeer hoofs on the roof in the night. 

More Christmas Merriment

A drive-thru live nativity!  Nothing will ever compare to the amazing Night In Bethlehem that we used to enjoy in Indiana, but this was an acceptable alternative.  The kids probably enjoyed seeing Buddy the Elf and the Abominable Snowman just as much as we enjoyed seeing the Wise Men, Shepherds, Joseph, Mary and the sweet baby Jesus, and all in all, we'd do it again.

 Our ward Christmas party- The Polar Express.  The snowflakes were amazing.

The conductor was spot-on and so captivating.

All of the kids made it on the nice list, which was about 25 feet long. 

 A few of the beautiful snowflakes made their way home with us.  

 I adore these intricate nativities.

We hit up the Jolly Holiday lights this year- grabbed a pizza and a few winks too!  We woke Noah up once we started driving through.  He would have been so sad to miss out.

And any time we are in the car at night, we have to drive by "The Santa House".  There is a projection of either Santa busy at work or the Grinch making mischief in the upstairs window, and the kids love checking in to see who it is each night.  I think the homeowners probably recognize our car by now.

And of course, there are piles of cookies and plates of goodies going in and out daily, Christmas songs morning, noon, and night, and movies and stories whenever we can find the time.  Just a few more days to go!

Classic

I was hearing my name non-stop from multiple children at once one day.  

I said, "Stop!  Can I please have two seconds of quiet without hearing Mommy?"

One second went by before someone tentatively said, "Mom?".

And that's motherhood in a nutshell. 

They liken it being slowly pecked to death by ducks. 

Adorable little ducks, that is.

Star Student

Emma was the star student in her class last week. 

 I love learning more about her as she is becoming a more confident writer.

 Jellyfish and lobsters!  Why not?

The school day is long and the work can be hard, but she always comes home with pride twinkling in her eyes and plenty of stories to tell.  She's a star indeed!

The Giving Mother

I give glasses of milk 

and goodnight kisses,

Prayers for sweet dreams

and glimpses about future wishes.

Hairstyles and haircuts 

and fingernail clippings,

A quick move to clean up 

When spilled milk is dripping.

I give a lending ear 

and encouragement 

And helpful reminders 

about where lost things went.  

I give baths every week

(showers come at my insistence)

I give piano lessons and recorder tolerance,

Clarinet and violin assistance.

I give spelling practice quizzes and

math homework nudgings,

Project reminders and stern warnings

when slow bodies aren't budging.

I give cookies and snacks 

and lunchbox notes

Riddles to solve 

Or jokes that I wrote. 

I give breakfasts and lunches 

and so many dinners.

After games- hugs for the losers,

High fives for the winners.

I give consequences when bad choices are made

I give groceries after groceries after groceries

So the pantry stands stocked 

and ready for the raid.

I give boots every year 

because they keep growing up.

Encouragement with homework 

when they think they are stuck.

I give smiles and winks 

and reassuring hugs

I'm in charge of finding lost mittens

and killing scary bugs.

I give them rides to everywhere-

band, church, scouts, orchestra.

I'm always there to drop them off,

and there to pick them up.

I give up my sleep 

to calm their fears.

I give a piece of my heart 

when I wipe away their tears.

I give comfort and love,

Routine and familiar

When Daddy goes out of town,

I stay behind, so our days remain similar.

I give up my patience,

when the days are running long

and then I give up my pride,

when I tell them I was wrong.

I gave up control of my body,

so they had a place to grow.

And when they finished using it,

I was given a new, different body to show.

I gave up some old dreams,

that don't matter anymore.

The dream that I am living now

is the one of which I've always been sure.

I realize that someday 

I'll have to give them up

when they've grown and they're ready to 

give their childhood up.

They leave me every day,

but for now they still come home

Some day they'll leave for good,

They'll be off and ready to roam.

And I'll wonder if I gave enough,

just like I wonder that today.

If they'll remember that I yelled at them,

or that I tried to love and play and pray.

That I gave them all that I could

And that I never gave up.

That motherhood is so much more than I thought it would be

And that their love always refills- and overflows- my cup.

Noah-Isms

  Noah is so, so funny lately.  He had us all rolling at scripture study tonight- pretending to be a blind Harry Potter without his glasses on.  Whenever we laughed he would say, "Silence!"  I wish there were time in the day to record all of the hilarious observations and adorable comments he makes.

I had a rest and a nap... at the same time!

*****

M- Who is your big sister?

N- Leah. 

M- And who is your other big sister?

N- I don't have one!

M- Then what is Emma?

N- She's my little sister!

We're still playing games every day!  Noah has gotten especially good at Guess Who!

*****

Eyeing the giant carcass in the fridge- That's a real turkey?  Like an animal turkey?  I hope you're joking right now...

*****

M- I'm so cold!  

N- (stops to give me a big hug.)  Oh!  Your hands are cold too!  

Wraps his hands around mine to warm them up, my heart melts.  

*****

Who can I sit with?  Daddy! Yes!  You're the best snuggle ever!  

(Sees my sad face) Oh!  Except for Mommy... you're the same temperature!

*****

N- How does snow come out of the clouds?

M- Well, the clouds are made of water, and when the water gets cold enough, it turns into snow and falls down to the ground.

N- Yeah, the clouds are made out of water... and fluffy stuff!  Like cotton balls!

*****

In a prayer- Please bless us to not get into Mommy's bed tonight, even though it's the coziest bed ever.

*****

M- Why did you get in my bed last night?

N- Because it was so dark and I couldn't see anything!

*****

D- Let's find some presents.  The first one is in something that takes us places (they were wrapping presents and one was hidden in his car.)

N- I know where it is!

D- Where?

N- The laundry basket!  It takes us places!

It was snowing in our house one day when Noah decided to go "digging" through some styrofoam.

*****

In a conversation with Emma

E- Jesus loves us all of the time.

N- Yeah, even when we're bad.

E- Even when we're really naughty.

N- And have to sit on the naughty step!  He still loves us!

E- Yep, he even loves the bad guys.

N- And all the robbers, too!

Detective of the Week

 

I love this boy!