Christmases Past

My most favorite thing about Christmas is the holiday food. There are so many things that only get made and eaten in December. First on my list was divinity.  Since my mom is in Philadelphia, I had to make it myself.

I made the mistake of using some random recipe I found online and it didn't have very good directions. I did not mix it enough. Lest you think I only paint a rosy picture of my life, here is my culinary fail.  Well Henry thought it was delicious. I let the kids eat spoonfuls until they were sick then threw it out.

 I tried it again the next day using my mom's recipe and success! So many life lessons learned. Listen to your mother. When in doubt, go right to the source, etc.

I also love decorating the tree. I think I have always loved it. It was a magical time as a kid and my own kids get really excited about it. They are at the age where they fight about who gets to put the star on top. Henry got the honors this year.

 My tree is taking a beating this year but it has very little to do with this little one. She just pulls the bottom ornaments off. Henry, on the other hand, as thrown ornaments off in a fit of rage, whipped the tree with his blanket and thrown ornaments at his sister. Sheesh. This picture reminded me of another picture.

 Here's Sarah in 2009 giving Pooh kisses. Yes siblings, I have the only 2 surviving Winnie the Pooh ornaments. I also have the gigantic Pooh poster and the the little Alpine village.

Most of my pictures of Erica look like this these days. She uses her crawling powers to investigate the camera. 

 Love me some chubby baby legs.

Sarah did a presentation in her kindergarten class about holiday traditions. She talked about her Christmas ornament, going to see the lights and ebelskivers or eveeskeevees as she called them.

 I like Sarah's smile in this picture.....

 Erica whacking Henry in this picture.....

 And Erica's expression in this picture.

Love me a glowing tree and cute kids.

And then I did a very bad thing and started to look for pictures of my kids in front of the tree during the years.

 2008
2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Sarah and Henry still wear those clothes so that made me feel better. But man, kids grow too fast.

Speaking of which, Erica is already 10 months old.  

 She's still the sweetest thing but is developing a bit of an attitude. I think once babies learn to crawl,  they're sense of entitlement develops too.

Sarah and Henry always wrestle with Justin. Pretty much every day. They ask me to join in but I tell them mom only gives hugs.

 Erica isn't quite sure what to think. I give her a few months then she'll be joining right in.

 They wrestle until someone gets hurt. What else would stop them?

It's a good way to burn off all that extra energy before bed.

And that's pretty much our life upstairs. Next time I'll share what we've been doing in the basement.

Giving Thanks

I am thankful that even though Erica climbed up two steps last week, she hasn't done it since.

I am thankful for the times my kids get along great, even when it's playing a historically inaccurate game of Pilgrims and Indians.

I am thankful for the times Henry helps me in the kitchen. He'll tackle the tough jobs with enthusiasm and pride.

 I am thankful for a baby who cleans up her own mess.

I am not thankful for a crabby kid who won't come out of hiding right before Thanksgiving dinner. But I am thankful for a husband who took him for a walk to find me a rock and that made all the difference in his mood.

And I'm thankful that Erica will at least be content being held by her dad even if she likes no one else and really, really just wants mom. And that face.

 I am thankful for a daughter who creates and shares and shines.

 And Justin is grateful for bucks that wander into the yard on Thanksgiving day.

And I am also grateful for, in no particular order: The chaos and love of my big, crazy family of whom I spent a lot of time with this weekend but took no pictures. My furnace and down comforter. Good examples of wonderful people (sometimes seeing what righteous looks like is all I need to actually do what I should do.) Forks, not chopsticks. Water heaters. Pretty much every modern convenience especially as they become more modern and convenient. Modern medicine that has saved at least one of my babies' lives. That the library still lets me check out books even though I have fines. Getting my own way once in a while. Not getting my own way once in a while. My husband that works so hard and is so kind. Our marriage that we work so hard for. Temples because everything I hold most dear was sealed there and learned there. Spring, not winter. Fall, not summer. My parents whom I miss terribly but feel blessed by their service. My ability to tune out football on TV. Google. Forgiveness. Tithing. Credit card reward points. Shampoo and conditioner. When butter goes on sale. Presidential term limits. And last but foremost, the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which keeps me from sliding into the depths of guilt, despair, and anger. And keeps me from giving up and eating my worries in cake and fretting about everything. Seriously. Life makes me crazy; the Gospel makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

I was going for a list of 30 but I just realized I need to take movies back to the library so I'll just stop there.

Sometimes I do, sometimes, I don't.

I am often the subject and recipient of Sarah's writing skills. I got this little gem this morning along with some paper hearts.

"I love you mom sometimes. I love you. It might not show but it will show. I love you mom so much. Love Sarah to Mom."

I'm all about that face

 'Bout that face

He's in trouble. (See the bald spot?)

I'm all about that face

'Bout that face

No more trouble (One haircut in exchange for an ice cream cone, 2 Oreos and a package of Lifesavers) 

I'm all about that face. 

 And the base,

 and the base(ment).

See what I did there?

And I don't even like that song. 

My Girls

I took Sarah's 6-year-old pictures. She's a good sport and knows just what to do. I've trained her well.

 Erica turned 9 months old. Now that she can crawl, she's not quite so cooperative. I have to be quick.

Big brothers can be so distracting.

My Little Halloweenies

We carved pumpkins on Thursday. Sarah thought it was gross. It is.

My carving skills haven't improved since I was a kid. And I just let Henry draw a face on his pumpkin then I cut it out. Done and done.

 He's making his pumpkin's face.

 That big hole isn't a mouth but another nose. The mouth is a slit below that.

 Henry's smile cracks me up.

 Sarah is a jack-o-lantern traditionalist. Triangle nose, sharp teeth.

We lit them after we got home from our ward Halloween party.

 Oooh spooky. Unfortunately this was the only time they got lit but it was worth the $5 in pumpkins and 30 minutes in carving.

Halloween morning I thought I'd be a cute mom and make them jack-o-lantern pancakes for breakfast. I colored the batter orange and put chocolate chips in for faces. Sarah dry heaved and tossed them off her plate. Henry exchanged his too. Oh well, points for trying, right?

 Sarah got to wear her costume to school. Here's my little Red Riding Hood.

 I made her corset and cape from a tutorial online. Her skirt is actually a skirt of mine that I cinched in with a smaller elastic waistband. And she collected candy in her Easter basket instead of her Halloween one. I thought that was clever.

Henry had been saying for weeks he just wanted to be a boy for Halloween so fine. Less work for me and that's what he's been every year of his life. But then he started saying he wanted to be a robot. I tried calling his bluff by cutting out arm and head holes out of a box to prove that he wouldn't really wear a robot costume. He would wear it so I had to finish it with silver spray paint and dials and buttons. But then he wouldn't wear it at the ward party. Friday he fought and cried about wearing it to show Justin's parents on our way to go trick-or-treating. He wore it for 3 minutes then took it off and woudn't wear it for the rest of the night. He made me so mad. Next year he's making his own costume.

 But they sure are cute all dressed up.

 Sarah wore this lion costume when she was one. It's a little big but Erica is still so cute.

 Yup, this is how Henry was dressed trick-or-treating.

They had lots of fun going with all their cousins in a neighborhood busy with kids. After about a dozen houses, Henry wanted to go back to my sister's. Sarah and Allison and I continued on until it got dark (that's what I told them. I got hungry).

 A big brother, Little Red Riding Hood and Lion, oh my.

 Dads collecting their candy tax.

Oh, and this is happening. Erica is crawling everywhere. Well mostly she crawls to the stairs and tries to climb them.