Christmas '09

The big toys this year for our kids were:

Bakugans (all three kids wanted this present)

Transformers

Nascars

Buzz and Woody

Hot wheels

Zhu zhu pets

pillow pets

roller skates

December 25th

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from all of us!

December 24th

Christmas Eve Party

We go to my parent's house for Christmas Eve. We eat a big turkey dinner, then open presents, play and visit. Sawyer and Hayden finally got their beloved Bakugans they've been asking for, and McKinley got some Pet Shops. We all (except Kent) got Christmas pajamas that we put on and wore to bed. We quickly made some cookies for Santa when we got home and jumped into bed. Sawyer had to be reminded often to go to sleep and stop playing with his blasted Bakugans (an hour later I finally had to take them out of his room).

December 23rd

Read the Christmas story from the Bible and the Book of Mormon.

Sometimes I forget how old my kids are. But we did this anyway. No, it was not a quiet and contemplative moment like I pictured it would be...but we did it. And maybe if we do it every year, one day it will be.





Oh, and I got a Merry Christmas present from the giant FedEx van.

December 22nd

Lights at Temple Square

pic from Kent's phone

We were downtown last night so we did that last night. oops!

It was lovely, and we had a couple of good 4 year-old conversations about Jesus.

I love this yearly tradition.

December 21st

Dance recital!

McKinley had her annual Christmas dance recital. She loves dance. She decided this year she just wanted to do jazz, so we only had one dance to see. It was also the very first one, so we were done after being there for about 5 minutes. :)



Then we headed downtown to go to the Christmas sing-a-long at the Energy Solutions Arena. We went there last year and got some awesome coupons. Well, this year people were lined up outside to get in. When we got there at 6:45 all the coupon packs were gone. So we went to Temple Square instead.

December 20th

Make a snowman....



...didn't happen.

We only have crappy week old crusty snow. Maybe later this week.

Sledding

Last week's neighborhood playgroup was sledding. We were the only one's there, but it was a blast. I had a lot of fun, just me and the boys. Hayden liked being pulled up the hill on the sled more than going down, so he would push Sawyer and I down the hill, then run after us so he could hitch a ride back up the hill. Sawyer loved going fast down the hill.

We had a great time!

December 19th

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Tonight we tried a rich recipe from Williams-Sonoma.com for this homemade hot cocoa. It's supposed to be mint hot chocolate, but I excluded the peppermint extract because I don't care for it. This was a veerrry rich hot cocoa. I liked it, Kent didn't, the kids did until the whipped cream ran out. I would have liked a little more whipped cream in it to temper the semi-sweet chocolate into more of a milk chocolate taste. Here's the recipe though if you want to try it!

picture from Williams-Sonoma.com

Whole milk makes a wonderfully rich drink, but low-fat milk produces a satisfying concoction as well. This elixir guarantees sweet dreams.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chilled heavy cream
4 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. Dutch process cocoa powder
4 cups milk
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped, plus 1/2
oz., shaved
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
Directions:
In a bowl, beat the cream and 1 Tbs. of the sugar until soft peaks form. Cover the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a small, heavy saucepan, combine the remaining 3 Tbs. sugar and the cocoa. Gradually whisk in the milk. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, whisking frequently. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract.

Divide the hot chocolate among warmed mugs. Top each with a dollop of the whipped cream. Sprinkle with the shaved chocolate and serve immediately.
Serves 4.

December 18th

PJ party sleepover!

We watched the Polar Express and all slept downstairs together. Not very good sleep, but fun!

December 17th

Drive around to look at the Christmas lights

December 16th

Deliver little friend gifts.

Sawyer and McKinley picked out a little gift to give their friends. They were so excited to give their friends something for Christmas.

December 15th

Deliver treats to someone....

We delivered some of the fondant we made yesterday to my sister.

We both love fondant!

No pictures :( use your imagination.

December 14th

Make Fondant!

Mmmm!

It's like fudge minus the cocoa.

December 13th

Movie Night with Grandma and Grandpa!I didn't get a picture with Grandpa and Grandma, but they did bring this poinsettia over for us, so this will have to do.

We have an adults only Christmas party with Kent's paternal side of the family every year on a Sunday evening. So I take this opportunity to spin it into a special evening for the kids with Grandma and Grandpa. They got to watch a Christmas Movie with them and baked cookies. Then off to bed by the time I got home *sigh* how lovely.

December12th

Draw family names for a gift exchange We used to do this in my family when I was little. We do it now with the kid's cousins, but I wanted to start it in our little family. The limit is $5 this year, but it makes them think about each other and let's them share in the giving spirit.

December 11th

Elves Scavenger Hunt at Gardner Village

eeew, the mistletoe!

Sawyer thought he was hilarious trying to eat the candy decorations!

They have a fun scavenger hunt list you can print off at home which made it a lot more fun for us out there in the cold. The kids had a lot of fun spotting the one's on our list. Then we got to turn it in for a candy stick at the candy store.

December 10th

Make snowflakes

Everyday (that I have time or remember) we put up a snowflake with the child's name and something they did nice that day.

December 9th

Make (and mail) our Christmas Cards!

I had to add the "and mail" part or I never send them out on time.

December 8th

Get a new Christmas book and read it together.

I got a short and sweet board book that would hold a two year-old attention span. I think it would be a cute Primary talk too!

"The best day ever!"

McKinley has been waiting "FOREVER" for this moment and it is finally here. On Sunday at Grandma T's her first tooth fell out! Hooray!

Personally, I will miss those tiny teeth and am dreading the big awkward one's that are bound to follow.

December 7th

Make a Christmas wreath

We made this cute wreath all together. The kids loved helping,
and I am really happy with how it turned out.
For instructions to make your own look here.
Now I just need to get some ribbon to tie it up top with.

December 6th

Christmas Caroling

We had fun going to Grandma Taggart's with a lot of the cousins to sing her some Christmas songs since she can't get around anywhere. The Mom's all got a little teary-eyed when we sang "Silent Night". It was a good experience. Then we ate some cookies and hot chocolate.

December 5th

Dutch Christmas Eve!

Sawyer's chocolate "S". The only morsel of the morning left for me to take a picture of.

Tonight is the night the Sinterklaas and his helper Zwierte Pete make a visit. We had a nice little dinner of Dutch pancakes with Nutella inside (yum). The kids put out their shoes and fill them with hay and carrots (for the white horse that Sinterklaas rides). In the morning, if they are bad they get coal, and if they are good they get treats. Luckily our kids squeaked by and got treats. It is tradition to get your initial in chocolate, and they also got some chocolate coins. Our whole family got some other traditional treats of honey waffle cookies, spekulaase, and chocolate sprinkles.

December 4th

Make Christmas Cookies

mmmm...my favorite sugar cookie recipe ever!
We kept some to eat and some to share with cousins and aunts and uncles at Grandma Betty's.

December 3rd

Decorate the Christmas tree.

McKinley was a great helper (a little grabby with excitement, but good), Sawyer only wanted to put the balls on, and Hayden spent the whole time battling to get two snowmen on the tree. I only had to move around a few ornaments after they were done.

December 2nd

Make a Christmas Countdown chain

December 1st

Our Christmas advent activities have begun. Today was "pick an angel from the angel tree". I let each of the kids choose their own. After I told McKinley that the "mother" angel on the tree she chose didn't mean she was buying a present for me, she decided to pick a girl. Sawyer insisted on a boy, and Hayden was adamant about taking a gradma angel. He loves grandmas.

This next part of the day didn't officially make it on the Advent Calendar (I had to make some cuts) we did it on the first day anyway. Last year on Christmas Eve we got the Elf on the Shelf book and doll. It is about the elf who comes to live at your house to watch if you've been good or bad that day. Every night he reports back to Santa and every morning he is hiding in a new spot in your house to keep an eye on things. We were supposed to name it together, but McKinley wanted to call him Edward (no coaching from me!), Sawyer likes Lizzy, and Hayden wants Woody. So we call him whatever we want, but officially it's Eddie. I had to promise it would not hide in bedrooms after McKinley was in hysterics worrying over the creepy little face hiding in her room watching her.

Christmas ideas

Well, tomorrow is December 1st (can you believe it?!) Last year I did the advent activity calendar with my kids. I'm going to do it again this year because it was so much fun for me and the kids! So in case anyone else wants to jump on the bandwagon here are some of the ideas I am narrowing down to put on this year's calendar:

Make a Christmas chain

decorate the Christmas tree

pick an angel from the angel tree

see the Elves at Gardner Village

Dutch Christmas

make snowflakes

Service snowflakes activity/lesson

Temple Square lights

make Christmas sugar cookies

Deliver Christmas cookies to others

visit the reindeer at Thanksgiving Point

Wheeler Farm's Lights

Open and read a new Christmas book

Drive around and look at Christmas lights

Live nativity at Gardner Village

Watch "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer"

make a snowman

go sledding

read the Christmas story from the Bible and Book of Mormon

donate canned goods

make and put up a wreath

make Christmas cards and mail them

Hot Chocolate and s'mores night

p.j. party sleepover

Movie night with Grandma and Grandpa

Deliver kids friend gifts

Draw family names for gift exchange

make fondant

Christmas Eve party at Grandpa and Grandma's

Christmas!

That's 30 ideas. What else is simple and fun?

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was at my parent's house this year. My assignment this year was cranberry sauce and a little treat to share. I made some turkey cards with each kid's name on it, then hid them around the yard (what nice weather we had!). When each child found their four turkeys they got to come and get these little turkey treats. They are cake pops decorated like turkeys. Aren't they fun? And they're actually tasty!

The Mayflower

by McKinley

The new and improved Mayflower includes:

• a mermaid carving at the front of the ship
  
• pirate flags (she says "they are happy pirates")


• and man #3 at the back of the boat had a rough crossing...he's losing his lunch, again!

Left to tell

Summary: the retelling of this woman's life in Rwanda and the 1994 genocide that wiped out a million people (the Tutsis) in 91 days, as she and 6 others hid in a secret bathroom. Mostly it is how she found God amidst it all and her great ability to forgive!

My thoughts: It is an incredible story! There are so many amazing parts to this book. The fact that this hateful thing happened (aren't we over this crazy ignorance yet?), that she survives, but not only survives, she lives! She was definitely watched over, then blessed with the power to forgive. What a great example to everyone to forgive. If she can then I can forgive anything!

It was a good book for the Thanksgiving month because I have felt so blessed and overwelmingly grateful after reading this book.

My other Grandma

I don't journal well, but I blog much better.

Hopefully I'll print my blog out this year and it will count.

Grandma Betty is sick.

So technically she's Kent's Grandma. But I've taken her over and she's mine now...he can still visit her though.

She came home from the hospital last Thursday to be more comfortable. I took the kids over to see Grandma Betty on Friday. Sawyer keeps saying in his prayers to please bless Grandma Betty will get better. So I wanted them to be able to visit. They love her so much!

She's had an amazing life. She had 11 kids and says she would have had more if they'd only slept well at night! Her husband died decades ago and she's been on her own (with the love and support of 11 kids, lots of grandkids, and bunches of great-grandkids). She tries to make it to every event she can in the lives of her family (blessings, soccer games, birthday parties, baptisms, and on and on). She sends out a b-day card with a rhyme and a dollar to each grandchild and great-grandchild. She makes these sweet baby booties for each new baby in the family. She makes sure to bake little bread loaves and homemade jam for everyone for Christmas. She's the best!

We love you Grandma Betty!

Sassafras Shoppe

is now officially open...

I am trying to hurry like crazy to get things done for the OhSweetSadie show coming up NEXT WEEK!

Playgroup

We have such a fun little playgroup in our neighborhood every Monday.

This week we headed over to Gardner village to run around,

take pictures, and have a little treat.

With D-track off track still, we had three girls to add to the mix. Apparently we had a few years of boy babies because most of the time it is all boys.

O' Christmas tree

This weekend we went on our annual Christmas tree hunt in the mountains. It is a tradition we used to do when I was little, and my parents started it up again when McKinley was a baby and we've been going ever since. I think we missed a year when Sawyer was a new baby, but I missed my kids having that experience so we haven't missed since. We all meet up in Nephi for breakfast and follow each other up to the mountains to find and cut down our trees. Then we eat a little lunch up there complete with cookies and hot chocolate.

Don't worry, I don't believe in putting it up until after Thanksgiving.