All I want for Christmas...

17 December 2015

Brie, it was SO fun for the whole fam to come watch your first grade Christmas concert.  You looked beautiful and did a great job singing, especially, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth".  Your teeth cooperated in November and December so you truthfully could sing it :0) We love you sweet song bird of ours!

Our early Celebrations.

12-13 December 2015

As always we did our own family's Christmas celebrations before we left for Utah.  After our typical dinner I wanted to do some sort of nativity dress up experience (with the beautiful clothes that our Saudi friends gave us while living in St. Louis).  We ended up going around to our various nativities and singing songs.  Unfortunately I hadn't thought out the details and it felt disjointed and wasn't super meaningful.  Better luck next year.  Afterwards we watched the claymation movie about how Santa Claus came to be.  It was the most relaxed and laid back moment I'd had all holiday season and was very welcomed and enjoyed!  Once it was over you kids had a sleepover in the giant nest that Alex helped to make :0)  The next morning we did presents, had some sugar cereal while waiting for our breakfast casserole to bake and enjoyed our time together.  Alex, you gave the gingerbread people that you had helped sew for Brie, Lij and Aimee.  You kids got rolling backpacks for our travels.  Dad gave me a gift card to go get a manicure and pedicure before our trip.  That was a special treat!  I'd never had a manicure and it was nice to have some pampering in the midst of such a BUSY season  And it was fun to have nice nails during the holidays :0)  I hung up the stockings that Grauntie Elaine had given me last year.  It makes me happy to think that we'll be reminded of her each Christmas as we hang our stockings.  The best part of this Christmas was having Aimee!  I bought her some cute outfits for her presents (I couldn't resist!) and Bompa & Mémé sent you a fun popup ball toy.  (You were at a sitting-up-but-not-yet-crawling phase, so it was perfect for setting you by the tree with your presents without worrying about you pulling down the tree or getting in to potential choking hazards.)

Do you know what...?

Tonight Elijah, you were having a hard time staying at the dinner table and were getting grumpy.  You were standing over by me so you could watch as I was spooning puréed bananas into Aimee's cute little mouth.  In an effort to distract you from being grumpy and encourage a happier mood...

Mom: Do you know what your arms say?  HUG    ME (I proceeded to wrap your arms around my neck in a big hug)
Mom: Do you know what your cheeks say?  KISS   ME (I then gave each of your cheeks a big kiss)
Mom: Do you know what your hand says?   HOLD   ME (I picked up your sweet warm little hand and held it for a moment)
Mom: Do you know what your hair says?  SNUGGLE   ME (I leaned my face against your soft head and gave you a little snuggle)

You smiled and contently went along with each question and response.  It was a sweet little interchange, one that I want to remember :0)

ABC, XYZ...

Elijah, you recently potty-trained yourself....well you took the initiative and we ran with it.  We taught you to sing your ABCs while scrubbing your hands before you rinse them with water.  Tonight at 9:30 after coming out of your room for the 100th time and using the potty at least 4 times, Dad was out of patience (rare for him) so I came in to help you finish up and get your hands washed.  You leaned over the sink, pumped some soap in to your hands and sang a very quick and apparently modified version of the song, "ABC, XYZ, next time won't you sing with me? Rinse!"  Oh man.  That'll do for tonight, but we may need to review hand washing 101 tomorrow ;0)  P.S. Please STAY in bed and GO TO SLEEP little man!!

Paris Poodle Party.

Brie, I'm not sure how the scheming of this birthday theme came about, but it was fun that we were both so excited about it.  We spent many of our waiting-for-the-opthmoalagist times looking at pinterest, pinning different favorites and dreaming up your special birthday dinner.  I loved what you dreamed up for your cake! (white cake with touches of pink peppermint throughout and a light pink (candy cane) frosting.  We served it with a seasonal peppermint moose tracks, YUM!)  I thoroughly enjoyed putting all the final touches on dinner and decorations.  For dinner we had rotisserie chicken, golden potatoes, green beans, baguettes and pink lemonade.  

Afterwards we played pin the poof on the poodle :0) then opened gifts.  Dad & I got you a stuffed pink poodle and special "paris" fabrics for future sewing and crafting projects for the two of us to work on together.  Quelle belle soirée!

Santa's Helper.

I don't think I've fully documented our Points, Prizes and Puff balls incentive program, but in conjunction with that system we've been doing Santa's Helper points.  Basically once you've earned a prize you can "donate" your prize to a Santa's Helper chart as a tally mark and each tally mark will be counted up as currency to use for Christmas presents.  However, if one of you goes above and beyond in helping someone you instantly get a Santa's Helper tally on the chart.  In any case, this morning, without being asked, Brie got up and did each of your morning jobs--opened the curtains for Elijah, set the breakfast table for Alex and cleared out the dishwasher (and even straightened up the kitchen) as usual.  Dad and I were really touched Brie by your thoughtfulness in doing this.  We awarded you two Santa's Helper tally marks (which would be the equivalent of you earning 12 points).  Aside from points, prizes...tally marks and all, I hope you know how much we appreciate your willingness to serve others.  We love you, sweet Brie!

My brain...

Alex: We've never gone to Disney World.  Can we go sometime?
Me: That's true, we should go sometime.  What gave you that idea?
Alex: My brain.  It's really smart.

Winter Woodland Wonderland.

At the beginning of December several sisters in my ward helped to put on a baby shower for our friend, Patricia.  I volunteered to host so that I could decorate instead of make food ;0) Patricia had mentioned doing her nursery in a woodland theme and I loved the idea of doing a winter woodland wonderland for the shower.  For a month or so leading up to the shower Alex helped me with various DIY projects to make inexpensive but cute decorations.  It was fun to work on it together.  We made felt finger puppets, a pine cone garland & door hanger, salt candle holders, paper banners, a tree thumbprint sign in, cotton branches and a diaper cake.  Alex, you helped me hold all the diapers while I tied each tier, couldn't have done it without you :0)  The morning of I was running around like a crazy lady trying to get the final details in place and the house in order.  Dad saved the day by doing various things for me while I got ready.  Thanks to him we were done just in the nick of time. AND THEN he took you 3 oldest on an outing so that I could play hostess.  That man of mine!  Allie Ross, Stacee Madsen, Marilyn Mapes, Jessica Hirschi and Patricia's Mom brought soups salads, rolls, hot chocolate and cake!!  Guiselle, Patricia's sister some fun games and prizes.  It was SO nice to have everyone pitch in to put together a lovely baby shower.

Aimee woke up during the shower and was a little celebrity :0)

Aimee's Crèche.

It's been tradition to give each of you kids your own special crèche to have and display each year at Christmas time.  At Christmastime when I was expecting Aimee, we bought this beautiful little white crèche with angel wings surrounding Mary & Joseph and Baby Jesus.  This last year at Christmas I presented it to you.  You made sure to take a nibble and check the quality ;0)

Christmas treasures.

The weekend of Thanksgiving we pulled out all of our Christmas bins and boxes, put on our "Noël" CD and decorated the house.  Grauntie Elaine had labeled a beautiful musical snowglobe for Brie, which you were so excited to open and put in your room!  And the beloved mountain train music box was still the favorite of Alex & Lij.  Each night we'd wind up the music boxes at bed time and you three would listen to them as you went to bed.  Christmas treasures for sure.  AND can't forget to mention that it was fun to have Aimee with us this year as we kicked of the Christmas season.

Much reason for Thanksgiving.

This year we couldn't decide what to do for Thanksgiving.  We considered driving somewhere to spend Thanksgiving with friends or just doing a very simple Thanksgiving with just our family, but I'm so glad we decided on having the Nowland's over.  They are the nicest family!  And so gracious with the lack of table manners we were experiencing during dinner :0/  Yuling made a perfect-looking and delicious-tasting turkey, first time ever!  And the most beautiful rose-shaped apple tartlets.  She's so talented.  We passed out the Turkey Tickets a few days before Thanksgiving so we could each come up with a list of some of our blessings.  We indeed have MUCH to be grateful for.

I was grateful that good ol' Aldi was selling padded folding chairs that week.  They worked out perfectly.  And Dad was such a great sport to help me strategically move our large dining room table into the family room because I thought it'd look nicer there.  Everything looked and tasted lovely.

a leaner week.

Social Media can be so powerful for good or for bad.  There are times when I feel inspired to post something and hope that it will inspire others in a positive way.  I figure it's like tossing a little rock into a pond.  The subsequent ripples may be countless.  I posted this on Facebook today...

"I have felt so conflicted this week while preparing for Thanksgiving and thinking about all of the horrible things that are currently going on in the world. Our little family has SO much and can't even fathom the reality of so many others in the world. I had the thought that this week at the grocery store, instead of buying all the extras like I normally do (treats, fun snacks, etc.) to donate that (via LDS fast offerings) to help those who are suffering. The kids agreed to a "leaner" week and I hope that it will help prick our hearts a little, help us to better recognize ALL that we have and hopefully help someone else. I share this here just in case it sparks an idea for any of you. Little by little we all do great things!"

10 January 2016

I just want to add a belated update.  After I posted this, I started looking through our pantry and freezer and quickly realized that we had so much food on hand that just going without the "extras" really wouldn't be a sacrifice at all. We decided to only buy a few items for Thanksgiving dinner (with the Nowland Family) and coast on the food in our house for the rest of the week.  We were amazed at how well we ate that week and honestly felt that it was in large part God blessing us (in part with inspired ideas of how to use the food to make meals).  It reminded us of the scripture in Isaiah about tithing and the Lord pouring out a blessing that we don't have room enough to receive it.  We had more than enough food and to spare.  God is so good.

GNO, Chicago Style.

10-11 November 2015

One day I got a promotional email from Frontier Airlines about a BIG special they had going.  I emailed it to both sides of the family in hopes that it would facilitate someone coming out to visit.  Within a few hours Rach and Starla had bought tickets!  We kept it on the down low so that it would be a surprise for you kids.  Dad had plans of visiting Utah and attending the Provo Temple while there, but this would be my one chance to attend the temple for November.  We decided it could be a dual purpose road trip so Rach, Star, Bry and I started scheming.  We decided that Brie would enjoy coming along and that sweet little Miss Aimee needed to come along (to be with her M.O.M. = Maker of Milk), so I got a babysitter for Tuesday afternoon to watch the boys til Dad got finished with lectures, and Dad said that he'd take care of the rest.  I had the car packed with overnight bags, snacks and even (the top portion of) Aimee's bassinet then picked you, Brie, up from school with an excited grin on my face.  When you climbed in the van and spotted the stuff you wondered what was going on.  I handed back a snack bag with a clue in it, it mentioned something about "the snacks for our GNO road trip to Chicago"!  I had to be pretty tricky to not let on that we'd just happen to be meeting up with two surprise visitors as well :0)  The drive up was great and I tried to be sneaky when Aunt Rach called to give me updates of their location. We made a side stop at McDonald's to pick up a little food and do a Pit stop AND so that the timing of "our pickup" would be spot on.  After our stop we got back in the van and I had you cover your eyes so that "the next stop" would be a surprise.  We drove the 5 minutes to the O'Hare Airport, slowed down and pulled alongside the curb Just as I was opening the van door and you uncovered your eyes, they stepped over to your seat and said surprise!  You were so surprised and excited.  It was the best!  I LOVE when surprises work out :0)  Anyway, we went to Portillo's for dinner then drove over to a courtyard Marriott for the night.  Aimee was beyond tired so I was especially grateful that her little bassinet fit perfectly in the closet.  She slept while we had fun.  I pulled out little "Chicago GNO" popcorn snack boxes I'd put together, Aunt Rachie pulled out some really fun coloring books and colored pencils and we colored, snacked and watched the Food Network.  

The next morning we stopped by Mariano's (an AMAZING grocery store that Sharon Sagers recommended) to get pastries for breakfast.  Oh my goodness, the selection blew us away!  We definitely got our fill of sweets as we passed around our {group selected} sampler of donuts, pastries and such.  Afterwards I got dropped off at the Chicago Temple to take part in initiatories.  I came out to the sun streaming and a gorgeous fall day and felt so much love from Heavenly Father.  I was so grateful for Aunt Rach and Starla making time in the day and watching you girls so I could attend the temple.  The rest of the day we spent in downtown Chicago: walking Michigan Avenue, doing an architecture boat cruise, eating more hot dogs :0), going to Dylan's Candy Bar and visiting the American Girl Doll Store!  And can I just add that those two were SO sweet (and stubborn ;0)) and wouldn't let me pay for anything??  THANK YOU, GIRLS!!

In order to not get home too too late we decided that we get dinner on the way home.  We found a pizza place that was about an hour in the direction of home.  We ordered a Chicago deep dish pizza with tomatoes and sausage, we were really excited about it, but none of us really liked it.  Maybe if we had gone with different toppings?  It was fun to at least try.  Aunt Rachie was such a good sport to drive us home in the crazy CRAZY weather!  It was a complete deluge of rain with lighting and almost constant wind.  We were so grateful to pull up to the house safe and sound.  And I was so thankful for Dad working from home on Wednesday AND watching you boys so that us girls could enjoy our day in the city.  Thank you, honey!!

visiting CAT.

We loved having Aunt Rach and Starla come visit.  Some of the highlights included: Reading stories * Making Grandma Opal's Apple Pie (DELICIOUS!) * visiting the CAT visitors center in Peoria as well as Bass Pro Shops (so cool!) * working on Gingerbread aprons * Starla teaching me how to make bread * going to the NCHS craft fair * having a crêpe night * visiting Dad's office and having a picnic * Going to the ISU bookstore (very small and no dressing rooms, but still fun to peruse) *

According to Motorola, 11 (November).

Using the highchair now at 6+ months

Cute as ever.

Aimee LOVES to bounce!

Dad playing the piano, probably to destress and have some time doing something he loves.  I love listening to him play.  He has such a way with music.

Our Halloween fridge

Sweetie pie.

Oh how I love to snuggle up to this sweet girl.

Designing a baby shower invitation for my sister-in-law, Erin.

Tea Party Tuesday with Aimee looking on.

Since October Brie had an unusually red eye.  The school nurse worried it was pink eye.  Nope.  Finally after a few appointments with the pediatrician and trying out several types of drops, we went to see an opthalmologist, Dr. Crockett.  She determined that it was almost like eczema in her eye.  It's been an ongoing saga with several different drops, ointments and such and visits to Dr. Crockett.

Alex fell in love with this reindeer at Target

Dad randomly brought me a bouquet...love that man.

A November box that I sent Em for her monthly subscription.

Thanksgiving mantle.

Roo playing airplane while Alex was at preschool

Little GNO with Brie while Dad was out of town in Utah for the BYU Accounting Symposium

Playing the socking matching game.  How in the world do SO many of the kids' socks get separated from their match??

Love this view of the lake just outside our neighborhood on Raab Rd

Surprise cookies from Marilyn Mapes

Hot cocoa party with kids while Dad's still out of town

We went on a walk, collected pine cones and put together this little wreath for the fall.

My 4 cuties, all still and in the same place at the same time?? ;0)

Alex headed to church with Cashes since the other kids and I had bad coughs

Kids meal for our last meal together before Dad got home

Shepard Park with piles of new wood chips

FHE on giving

Em's adorable November box to me

Making gingerbread aprons for my siblings

Dad, my envelope maker :0)

All ready for PJ day

Dinner date to Moe's...closest thing to Cafe Rio

First real snow of the season calls for a SNOW day, snowman pancakes and all :0)

Attending the Festival of Trees, thanks to Marilyn Mapes

With Bishop Eames after Tithing Settlement.  I feel blessed to be able to contribute to the Lord's kingdom through tithing and offerings.  We receive MUCH more from the Lord than we give.

Lij my little fabric shopping companion

Alex helped me to make these cotton branches from an egg carton, paint and cotton balls

Projects for Patricia Seader's winter woodland baby shower

Family stroll

Thanksgiving night

Fall bucket list

Decorating for Christmas

Family Home Evening with Stacee and Courtnee Madsen.  Alex was in Heaven, pretty sure he has a crush ;0)