OUR 2013 Christmas...

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas.  We love it.  However, we didn't watch NEARLY as many Christmas movies as we should have and I got super lazy with my advent calendar as December went on and I didn't even make a pumpkin roll.   On top of that, we didn't hang any lights outside or watch the movie 'Elf' which we have watched every Christmas since being married.  I bought my own Christmas present from Clark and he received his present almost a month in advance.  Furthermore, our kids still don't like Santa.  Yeeesh.  From an outside perspective, it would seem that our Christmas spirit was faltering and our holiday was doomed to failure.

HOWEVER,

...although this Christmas seemed a little different, I'll highlight the many things we did that made it special and made it ours.

**Matching our outfits on Christmas Sunday.  Clark even had a matching red tie but it didn't get pictured.  Leah was over the moon about it.  SOOO excited to match.  I'll have to purchase some sparkly silver leggings for next year to match her.

**Reading 'Elf on a Shelf', naming our Elf Clarence, and enjoying each morning as the kids' faces lit up when they finally located him.  He hung from lights, laid in the wreath, and visited each child's room which subsequently became that child's special day (that child got to pray, be the first to get in the car, decide what we were doing, decide what to eat, help cook, etc...).  Clarence played with Heman, guarded the presents, and added a little Christmas magic to our holiday. 

**Watching 'It's a Wonderful Life.'  We vowed to only watch 20 minutes of the movie because we were exhausted that night but ended up watching the whole 2 1/2 hours and shedding many tears.  What an awesome movie.  It can never be redone....it is a true classic.  I also learned that's where our Elf's name came from (Clark named him).

**Pulling out activity ideas from the advent calendar each day.  Activities included, but not limited to,  a Christmas tea party, watching Frosty, making paper snowmen, having a paper snowball fight, eating candy canes, reading Christmas books, making rice krispie treats, choosing toys to give away to other children, taking Christmas gifts to the post office, having a 'sleepover' in the living room, driving to see Christmas lights, and coloring Christmas pages.  Like I mentioned, I fizzled out on the activities as Christmas got near but it was fun to have the advent tree out this year for the first time especially because my mom helped me make it and so I'm reminded of her when I look at it.

**Letting the kids sleep with Christmas lights in their room.  That was really magical for them and certainly was a nice bargaining tool when we wanted them to go to bed!

**Celebrating Clark's birthday.  His birthday just confirms that Christmas is indeed near and our excitement starts to grow.  This year we presented him with presents dedicated to his car.  Treats, gum, new rims, gatorade, floss, back heat pads, and a few other things to meet his every need as he drives to and from work everyday, sometimes spending way more time than anticipated in there.  He also got a rice krispie treat in the shape of a 'D' for Dad although I think deep down he really wanted the 'C' so I'll stick with that next year.

**Planning and preparing a Christmas work party for the newer BYU employees at the firm.  We had a lot of fun things planned and a big crowd coming.  THEN the ice storm came.  Or as others have called it 'icepocalypse' or 'icemageddon.'  We've lived here over four years and haven't experienced anything like it.  Freezing rain and below zero temps for days so everything was covered in ice and nothing was melting.  School, work, AND church were cancelled (which is unheard of) because driving was too dangerous.  We rescheduled our party for the following day and moved it to the middle of the afternoon so the roads would at least be slushy and visible.  Everyone agreed to the new time but as the party got closer, person after person cancelled and said they didn't want to drive.  Unfortunately we had already prepped and cooked all our food so we couldn't really move it to the next weekend.  As a result, we improvised and invited two couples over that we'd prefer to spend time with anyway and were willing to brave the roads.  We had a GREAT time because no one had anywhere to be and we just enjoyed each other's company.  And even though we weren't going to be having our ugly sweater contest, Clark and I wore ours anyway and took a picture in our photo area.  The sweaters can't be beat....especially Clark's.

**Driving to see the Christmas lights with the kids and our friend Marisol.  This neighborhood we go see each year is awesome.  It has carriage rides and offers limo services to see the lights.  It's pretty fun.  We had a good time but still had one more house to see on our way home.  It was just a small detour but it was worth it.  What kid wouldn't want to see Santa in a hot air balloon??  The kids jumped out of the car and ran around the yard in their slippers enjoying all the decorations and the music playing (it's a yard you walk through an entrance to see the decor).  Then the owner of the home came out and spoke with us for a bit and later invited us in to see what the inside of his house looked like!!  It was as if from a magazine.  Every nook and cranny filled with decor, it smelled amazing, and he explained how he has 17 Christmas trees.  It was unreal.  He sent us away with cake for the kids and we drove away in awe.  I love when people are just totally, incredibly kind to those they don't even know.  It warms my heart.

**Seeing our kids bring life to our nativity set.  We have a couple nativity sets and they loved to play and pretend with them although Zachary kept wanting the wisemen to fight.  It's hard for him to understand that not all stories have bad guys.  :)  Clark often found pieces of one set in his work shoes and one day I found the figures of the Nativity gathered around some spare change.  the baby Jesus was totally on the outside of the circle and Mary was no where to be found.  Maybe we're not quite relaying the proper message of Christmas to the kids.  :)  We read and talked about the nativity so many times in December I think the kids were glad to have Christmas come and go so they didn't have to recite those scriptures again.

**Teaching the kids the song 'Christmas Bells are Ringing' for the first time and listening to them sing it all month.  It's amazing how fast they learn songs and no matter what Zachary says and even though he refuses to sing most of the time, he always knows the words perfectly.  I know this because he sings when he plays by himself and I go and listen outside his door.  I took the kids into Primary this last week to check it out and luckily the chorister chose to have everyone sing 'Christmas Bells.'  The kids were excited they knew the song although I'm not sure they were thrilled about the prospect of primary (no toys or snacks).

**Planning, prepping, coordinating, and organizing from the ground up the program for our Ward Christmas party.  Unfortunately the party got rescheduled because of the ice storm and became a luncheon instead of a dinner but the turnout was still great and the program went off without a hitch (considering there were no practices).  I wanted to avoid any run throughs because I didn't want to hassle with people's schedules so I tried to make the program very clear and the order of the parts/performances very easy to understand.  We did a slide show of Christmas pictures, some which included ward members, that were projected during each performance.  In between performances, there was a script and story being told of a family sitting a talking about the meaning of Christmas.  I was so fortunate to have a member of our ward who is a lighting and sound expert and agreed to help me.  I could not have done it without him. I was definitely bummed when the party got rescheduled because I just wanted it to be done.  When it did finally come, I was relieved all the stress and worry were overwith.  I have a feeling it won't be my last program I plan...  I might need to hold on to that script.

**Driving down to the Dallas temple with the kids for the first time.  We looked at the nativity set  on the temple grounds and hurried to take pictures because it was freezing cold that day.  The kids were excited to see the temple and the Angel Moroni up close.

**Making Clark's favorite chocolate pudding pie for Christmas Eve.  Since I wasn't making the pumpkin roll, I consulted Clark's mom about how to make the pie.  She graciously agreed to divulge her secret and Leah assisted me in making our first one.  As always, Leah was so proud afterward but wouldn't even come near it when it was time for tasting and eating.  No chocolate/sugar/sweets for that girl.  She gags it up.  So weird.

**Reading our favorite Christmas book.  We purchased 'A Christmas Dress for Ellen' (a book retold my President Monson) several years ago because it is one of the most touching stories we've ever heard. Clark and I cannot get through it without crying.  It's going to become one of those books that our kids dread each year because Mom and Dad just cry through it.  We love it though.  Makes you really think about the meaning of Christmas.

**Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city to go spend Christmas in Southern Oklahoma.  The five of us drove three hours north to a beautiful log cabin hidden in the trees.  The cabin was awesome!  It had everything we needed including robes, a hot tub, a jungle gym and playhouse for the kids, DirectTV, and king sized beds.  We brought our own Christmas tree to set up and decorate although there was already a tree set up at the cabin.  The kids received new ornaments this year (Superman, Batman, and Cinderella) and both superheroes broke after being dropped on the wooden floor.  Thank goodness for Superglue!  I loved the staircase and just wanted to sing Christmas songs from it every time I went up or down.  We played Dominoes, pool, Chutes and Ladders, Connect 4, and completed a puzzle.  Seriously, the cabin had everything.  In the mornings we played in the hot tub and the kids LOVED it.  We went for walks, make more rice krispies, and watched a ton of Christmas movies.  Hallmark channel anyone?  Clark and I watched two movies on Christmas Eve and started a third but had to call it quits because we knew our Christmas morning would be early.  The kids barely made it through one story on Christmas Eve before collapsing into bed......at 5:30pm.  However, that made for a very peaceful evening complete with homemade Cafe Rio, sparkling cider, and chocolate pudding pie.  Add some Hallmark movies in and it's pretty much a perfect Christmas Eve.  

**Watching Polar Express for the first time with the kids.  Then watching it SIX more times....in a week!  Ha!  They just loved it so much and I knew we wouldn't watch it after Christmas so I threw all judgement and caution out the window and happily agreed to let them watch it if they asked.  Of course it was usually broken up into three or four separate segments and we always fast forwarded through a big section in the middle that's kind of dark and scary.  I tell you, that sure is a magical movie though.  We even went out one afternoon to the dollar store and bought our own bells.  The kids loved ringing them and IClark and I claimed we couldn't hear them which made the bells all the more special.  Although Christmas is over, they are all still sleeping with their bells.

**Presenting the kids with fun, new toys on Christmas.  The only presents we brought to the cabin were some Citiblocks.  The blocks are great but do require some imagination and patience.  The kids were interested for a short time then wanted to do something else.  Clark sure has enjoyed them though!  The kids will appreciate them soon enough.  Along with presents from friends and grandparents opened later in the day, we felt very blessed and fortunate...and tired.  We had woken up at 5am, cooked german pancakes, played with toys, played in the hot tub, packed, drove three hours, unpacked, skyped with lots of family members, opened gifts, and still had to put the kids to bed.  They got cereal for dinner and we couldn't get them in bed fast enough.  It was a WONDERFUL day.



Even though it seems as if we were busy with many fun and exciting things, it really was just a normal month with the normal fighting, time outs, and bedtime struggles.  It really didn't feel busy at all.  In fact, it felt like it moved incredibly slow because I was just anxious to get away to our Christmas cabin.  But there is just something about Christmas.  And even though our kids kind of understand Santa and all that stuff, they do understand who Jesus is.  They understand showing love and giving.  They understand good feelings, spending time with family, and learning to be patient.  We don't have the best decorations or movies and we are not always the best gift-givers, but we love Christmas because it makes our home feel different and really focuses our discussions, scripture reading, prayers, and hearts on what is most important.  Now the challenge is to keep that focus all year round.  A good new-years resolution I suppose.  ;)

Our family pictures are included in this post.  These were taken by our friends on a very cold and windy morning.  I'm forever grateful they came and did these for us.

2013 sure was a good one.

All the Little Stuff of November...

This time of year in Texas is funny because one day it's 80 degrees and the next you are scrambling to find your coats and gloves.  Up until last week I still had their summer clothes out because I never knew when I'd need a short sleeve shirt or shorts.  I think we've finally fallen into winter though which is good because we are hosting a Christmas party at our house this weekend and I'm also in charge of the program at our ward Christmas party the day after.  So the cold weather just makes everything feel right.  I didn't take many pictures this month because I was focusing on a video project for Christmas but there is still plenty to say about the pictures I did take.

We have a little responsibility chart hanging on our wall with big cards you can move as you complete the responsibility.  Responsibilities include making bed, brushing teeth, reading scriptures, showing love, helping mom, and doing homework.  I usually make up the homework everyday but it can range from tracing lines, number sequencing, writing names, etc...  The kids always ask to do homework and I laugh because I know one day that will not be the case anymore.  Each child's abilities are different right now and they progress at different paces.  But Leah has mastered writing her name and Clark thinks it's the coolest thing ever.  This is one of MANY pictures he's taken of her name being written.  It's really funny.  Pretty good though I'd say!

The trio have been taking a couple classes through the recreation center these past six weeks.  Since my disappointing first class, I've decided to only put them in physical or sport classes from now on and worry about education stuff at home (or in upcoming preschool classes).  One class we've all enjoyed has been a kidokinetics class which covers different sports every week.  They did Lacrosse, Soccer, Frisbee, golf, and a couple others I can't remember.  It was a 45 minute class which I was originally bummed about because I thought that wasn't long enough but it turns out that they were EXHAUSTED after 45 minutes.  They ran, stretched, learned muscles, tried new body movements, practiced balancing, ab work, and so much more.  Add in some exercises with a ball, Frisbee, cones, hula hoops, etc... and I could barely get them out to the car.  The class was small and the day I took this picture we were the only ones there.  Good thing there are three of them so it still feels like a big class!  :)

 

The other class we took was a Tumble Tykes class. I wasn't nearly as impressed with that class as far as activity goes but I viewed it as more of a 'learning how to listen, sit quietly, take turns, and obey your teacher' kind of class. All the other moms sat with their kids and held their hands during the activities which was fine but I wanted to sit on the sidelines and let the kids do things by themselves and let the teacher take control when they were being disobedient. The only problem was that the teacher talked as loud as a butterfly and was not engaging at all so I couldn't always fault the kids for being bored or not listening. So by the end of the six week course I was able to sit on the bench the whole class while the kids did their thing and waved to me every so often. There was another boy in the class who was really unruly and my boys could never take their eyes off him when he was acting up. Often it really concerned them so they'd yell things to me like, "He's not obeying his mama! He's not being kind!" Although I felt bad for the other mom when my kids yelled those awkward comments, I was glad for them to see and recognize the behavior and be able to talk about it afterwards. The other funny thing of the class was that the teacher would ask them to do a skill, then they would try, and then we'd all clap and say good job. But several times Caleb was NOT attempting the skill she asked but she would still say good job and send him on his way. It bugged me because she wasn't showing him the correct way or correcting him if he was confused. So I started doing it! So one day he was supposed to be doing jumping jacks on the trampoline and he was doing some random clapping move so I stood up and showed him what he should do and the teacher said, "Oh I think he's doing a fine job. Good job Caleb, you did it!" I was like what??? So when he went back to his seat I went over to him and explained what he was supposed to try and then he did it right there on his spot. Seriously. Just a testament of how our society overpraises kids (and although this situation is silly and small) and fails to correct and guide them just so we don't hurt their feelings or damage their pride. 

As you can tell I wasn't as thrilled with that class although we did learn some valuable lessons it it. The kids got to play on apparatuses like the bars, balance beam, and tramp. 

 

 

Our Thanksgiving holiday was really enjoyable.  Clark had the week off so we got all our 'productive' stuff done on Monday and Tuesday so we could just play and relax the rest of the time.  We went to the temple, did some shopping, repaired the garbage disposal, got some doctor visits out of the way, etc...  The kids were busy too.  They spent time exploring the back yard and investigating bugs and grass.  They each had their investigator vests on equipped with glasses, a 'treasure' map, bugs, binoculars, and a bug guide.

We raked the leaves in our front yard and the kids had a blast with those.  Jumping on, hiding in, throwing around, and raking up all over again.  The fun never ended.  Clark and I even let the kids bury us and they thought that was the best thing ever.

Of course, like many other people, we did a gratitude tree this year.  The whole process was fun and educational for the kids as we talked about the word gratitude and what it means.  We read scriptures and stories from The Friend magazine to illustrate things we can be grateful for.  Every day I filled out a leaf for the kids of something they said they were grateful for and they taped it on the tree.  The first few days were mostly toy related but then I said they couldn't say toys anymore and had to think of something else.  Although now I know they are incredibly grateful for their toys.  By the end of the month, they could literally think of nothing else so I had to give ideas but for the most part they did pretty good with coming up with things.  I kept their leaves and want to list some of what they said:

Leah:  Jesus loves me, books, bubble baths, Mom and Dad, Samuel talked about Jesus, blankets and sheets, cousins, prayer, nursery, bed, food, whales, tea set, Christmas tree, toys, Grandmas and Grandpas, Michael and Marisol

Zachary:  Samuel's bravery, Jesus Christ gave me a house, Gram to make cookies, Uncle Bobby, dolphins, gratitude tree, Joseph Smith said a prayer, Grandmas and Grandpas, bed, tramp, Spiderman blanket, Mom, food, Christmas tree, friends, Michael and Marisol

Caleb:  Costumes, giraffes, Grandmas and Grandpas, scriptures, Samuel, Mom and Dad, sharing, body, Jesus shows love, food, music, toys, birthday parties, superman blanket, medicine to make me feel better, Michael and Marisol

I'm incredibly grateful this year for so many things.  Employment, health, working cars, family, forgiveness, the gospel, the list goes on and on.  I'm grateful for all the things we are blessed with that make living everyday possible and enjoyable.  I'm especially grateful for Clark.  I know it's hard for him to walk out that door everyday when really he just wants to stay and wrestle with the kids.  I have a hard time switching from mom mode to wife mode so I'm grateful he's patient with me as I improve on that each day.  I'm so grateful when I hear that garage door open knowing my team mate is back and safe.   We loved having him around for so long over the holidays.  We spent Thanksgiving day at Michael and Marisol's house and had such an enjoyable afternoon.  Mainly because there are buckets of toys there and the kids didn't hardly bother us for five hours!  We had a smoked turkey which was the MOST delicious turkey I have ever had.  Combined with wassail, pumpkin roll, rolls, stuffing, and salad, we were full to the brim.  Unfortunately I didn't catch any pictures of the Thanksgiving crew but I caught one of the kids playing after dinner was over.

The kids actually spent the night at Michael and Marisol's the weekend before Thanksgiving.  I don't think I could've prepped the kids any more for all the possible scenarios that could've happened because I didn't want them to freak out if they hurt themselves, or couldn't find their underwear, or were scared to go to the bathroom, or hungry for a snack.  They had a delicious dinner, visited the store, watched Planes, stayed up late, made ornaments, played with Play Doh, played with toys, and had a big pancake breakfast.  Unfortunately they were all coming off a stomach virus so their appetites weren't great but apparently they were very well behaved and had no problems going to bed or wanting mom and dad.  Clark and I went to Hunger Games that night and slept in clear to 8:30am!!  It was a miracle.  We'll definitely have to do it again soon.  :)

We are enjoying all the spoils of the Christmas season at our house right now which includes teaching the kids all about the North Pole.  They seem to like the idea although I'm not sure Santa is welcome down our chimney yet.  We still have a couple weeks to convince them.