Traditions-Gingerbread Houses

When I was little I always wanted to make a gingerbread house.  (In an era before pre-made kits.)  When I was in 5th grade our teacher made one with every one of us in our whole class.  My dreams were fulfilled.  I made my mom keep that shack for at least three years!  I make them now with my kids but this would not be happening without the Wilton special from the grocery store.  Bless those mother's who make homemade gingerbread houses, I can barely handle the kit and every year I find one that requires less and less effort.  This one was pre-assembled!  Even the kids recognized the value and lack of swearing this would bring to the experience. I love to bake, but I do not like to assemble things that are supposed to resemble structures.  

Jara taking her designing/decorating very serious.  The other two just like sitting on the table.  My favorite part of house making is the sheer joy this little tradition brings them and the anticipation they build up for it.  

Elise letting everyone know how it feels when your house doesn't cooperate with the building plans.  She will make a good contractor.  (In case you were wondering, you are still witnessing joy, just in the form Elise likes best...bossing.)

Jack's favorite contribution is eating the candy.

My frosting skills are limited.  Jara will be good enough in a few years to take over.  

On New Year's we have big plans for the house.  We are going to blow it to shreds.  I never quite know what to do with the crusty thing. It seems cruel to just throw it away and unsanitary to eat it.  One of my cousins shared the second half of her gingerbread-house-making tradition; you take it out on New Year's and use it for target practice.  Problem solved!

Traditions-Tree Hunting

After last year's success story we opted for another year of traversing to the mountains to pick/cut our own tree.  Now knowing what to expect I was prepared.  Full winter gear and change of clothes for everyone.  No more wet soggy pants for the two hour drive home.  He who is prepared need not fear.  I think the high was 65* and there was no snow.  Hallelujah.  Of course Jed seized this golden opportunity to hike us through the wilderness, forging our path to find the perfect specimen of spruce.  It paid off we did find a beautiful tree but Elise and I did some major grumbling.  

Elise "sawing" her baby tree.  

Jara and Jack actually harvested their own trees, with their own bare hands, errrr orange hand saw.  Thankfully no ER trips were involved and they can now add that to wilderness survival skills.

Lumber Jack

Jed hauling his tree with glee

Taking a little rest. Tree looked a little smaller in the forest.

Christmas Programs

Like a warrior to battle Elise and I geared up for Winter-Musical-1st/2nd Grade-Want-To-Run-In-Front-of -the-Bus-Afterwards Spectacular.  I am valid in my feelings, last year we went in with joy and glee to discover the program was 60 painful minutes with too many low-grade songs that contain strange lyrics that happen to rhyme with Santa.  Everyone's in misery.  BUT-this year was much, much better, Elise was behaved, the program was only 30 short minutes and Santa made an appearance half-way through the program (the result of Elise being so scared she submitted to sitting by me and fearfully behaving)

Jara and her classmates.  

I love the little class she is a part of this year, they are wonderful children she gets to spend every day with.  Although in the picture I think she is glaring someone down (just some boy)  It's okay, I'm 100% positive my mom has a picture somewhere of me doing the same thing during a dance recital in 2nd grade.  

Jara refusing to shake the fake Santa's hand.  I think her exact words were "I know you're Mr. Jenkins!" growl, growl.  Talk about suffering through music.  If she weren't so well behaved I'm pretty sure she would have started a riot.  Jara loves music and singing but not music CLASS and performing.  It brings out an angry side to her.  A side that would risk guttural growling at Santa!

Now on to Kindergarten...

Kindergarten is what set the expectations for Christmas programs so high.  Jara's kinder program was adorable and led me to the false belief that all Christmas programs were wondrous.  ALL KINDERGARTEN programs are wondrous, not all MUSIC PROGRAMS.  Big difference.  

Just wanted to put that down for the record.   

The boys singing "Must Be Santa" with actions.  

Kindergarten really is an overdose of cuteness.  Every child taking a turn saying what Christmas means to them, which by-the-way, means a Nerf Air gun to somebody, (true meaning, shmeaning) they sing songs that everyone has heard of, and at one point they were holding halos over their heads, really you can't beat it.  Christmas cheer-check!

A family affair.

Flag Football

Welcome to the world of kiddie sports.  Flag football is just as much fun as T-Ball, although much colder.  Jack wanted to play and so we signed him up.  Did I mention it was really cold?  No snow, but bone chilling cold at 6:30 at night in the arid, December desert.  

Jack was the first player on his team to score a touchdown!  It became vital to him to get a touchdown every game. The Jed (can we say competitive nature) in him came out when he didn't score.  We gave him the talk about being part of a team.  Not sure how well that went.  The best part about this age is the crazy things you will witness:  kids running the opposite direction only to realize it, switch gears and then run all the way back down the field to score a touchdown, kids trying to pull a flag in flying leaps, kids zoning out and then realizing their team is done with the play (Jack-he snapped back fast), kids dancing (Jack has a dance probably to ward off the cold), kids lying down in the grass and refusing to move.  Jed and I laughed so hard every game.  They are adorable at this age and down-right crazy too!  

Jack and his team, the RAPTORS!

A Little Gratitude

Jara planned and executed FHE the beginning of November.  I told her I wanted to talk about being grateful and she came up with the idea of hand turkeys and gathered her supplies.

Here is what made the feathers...

Elise: Jack, Jara, Daddy, turkey (I can't compete with "turkey vultures")

Jack:  Love, Santa, family, Ruby (Ruby-the dog!?)

Jara:  Family, Santa, home, Jesus, ME

It surprised me that they were already thinking of Santa/Christmas and I love that they all prioritized family.  They are grateful little turkeys!

In Sunday School a few weeks past we were speaking of gratitude and I remember the teacher saying something to the effect that gratitude was the base/noblest of all virtues.  There are many virtues and I'm sure the noblest is a debatable concept, but I believe in the results of being truly grateful.  It is not always easy to find gratitude in our daily dealings or in trials but I believe we are blessed, happier and enriched when we do.  I don't mean we should be unrealistic, "wow, I'm so glad I have this miserable cold" but thankful everyday what we are inherently privilege to:  life, the atonement of Jesus Christ, the beauty of nature and the ability to feel joy.  I am grateful for these things and so many more. I have a family that loves me, my husband has a job, we have a home that has electricity and running, hot water, we have safety and our kids are easily entertained!  

What more in life can one ask for? 

 (I really don't need another pair of pretty boots.)

Take a Hike

Let me give you the top two reasons we hike...

#1

#2

Dogs and boys have lots of energy, this is a good outlet.  Once the weather cooled off, and we have since had a brief respite from the blazing inferno of the desert, our hiking has commenced!  One beautiful, rainy morning, after we dropped Jara off at school, Jack and Elise were marveling at the low position of the clouds along the mesa, so we decided to drive into the clouds.  It was a little eerie.  Lord of the Ring's eerie.  I kept alert, just in case of Orks.  The most amazing part was the silence.  We do not live in a loud place but up in the hills with a blanket of clouds surrounding us it was so very quiet.  Peaceful.  

Driving into the clouds.

A few days later hiking to the Native American village.  I marvel that signs of civilization have survived so many years.  My children are very interested in these rock villages and get a little social studies every time we go.  I might have read Island of the Blue Dolphins and Indian in the Cupboard one too many times as a child.

My mountain goat.  Climbing every hill.

Cat Problems

I went to the bathroom one night and to my surprise, I found a cat glued to my toilet!  Quite alarming in the middle of the night.  All I could think of was our Elf on the Shelf really was Chucky.  Once I came to my senses the next morning, I realized my 8-year-old has perfected her scissor skills and has a wicked sense of humor.  I have no idea what gave her this idea but I'm still laughing at creepy cat stuck to the toilet, it never gets old.

Then our evil, black cat went on a killing (kinda) spree.  She wounded this helpless little bird, left feathers all over the garage and then disdainfully went back to sleeping.  So...

Jed had to extract the birdie from the garage.  The squeaks.  I'm still hearing them.  I tried to get him to raise it in captivity until it was strong but he has no mercy for wounded creatures he might have to splint with popsicle sticks and feed with a dropper.