Christmas 2016

I'm a few days late in posting, but I figure since it's because I was spending time with family enjoying the holiday that I should be forgiven. :)

We had an awesome Christmas Eve this year. It was our time to just be together as a family of 7 and it was a blast! We started off our morning with our own little tradition...we always have Toaster Strudel for Christmas breakfast. I'm not exactly sure how this one got started, but everyone looks forward to them. Besides, who doesn't like a pastry hot out of the toaster smothered in frosting?

Christmas Eve service was at 3 so we changed out of our jammies mere minutes before leaving and enjoyed a packed service. Pastor Nate made the story come alive by involving the audience and it's amazing to see how the kids have retold it over and over. What a great way to get kids into it and engaged.

After the service, we spent the next 2.5 hours making all the appetizers. Every year I think "Next year...we need to make something different...because this takes forever to make all these things!!" BUT the kids love it so much that I always cave and go through the craziness all over again the next year. And now...well...now we can't depart from tradition so I guess it's here to stay.

Appetizer Menu 2016:

Sesame crackers with goat cheese

Pickle dogs

Buffalo chicken ring

shrimp cocktail

Fruit with marshmallow dip (pineapple, strawberries, and bananas)

Veggie pizza

Cheese curds

Artichoke dip with wheat thins

Mixed Olives

Antipasto skewers (salami, fresh mozzarella, and grape tomato)

Bruschetta

Curried chicken salad

Sparkling cider

Following supper and clean-up, we got out the advent calendar and finished it up. This year Ella had a lego advent calendar so we did our traditional one as well as the lego one. Everyone had so much fun with them. And Hattie even got to put Baby Jesus in the manger this year. It was Ben's turn, but with a wave of sweetness, he offered it up to Hattie.

Here is a little sampling of the kids. We (I mean "me")  *may* have lost our minds and bought Hattie a giant teddy bear. I'm certain I will regret this for many years to come.

Everyone seems to like it. It gets hauled all over the house.

 This is a hat handmade by Lily for Hattie. Lily was super proud of her accomplishment, Hattie loved it, and I was blown away at how much she resembles Jason's preschool age pics.

Christmas Day morning was spent at Nana's house. We arrived to a brunch ready to be eaten, lots of presents, and Christmas cookies. Christmas mornings are always so rushed and never seem to last long enough before it's time to go.

We Three Spies

The kids are in kids choir at church this year...and are loving it. They sing in church one Sunday a month and let me tell you, there are two parents in the audience beaming with pride. It is so fun to experience the joy of watching your children up in front, either praising Jesus or being part of a Christmas musical.

The musical this year was called We Three Spies. Both Ben and Ella had speaking parts and Lily and Cora each had choreography to a special song. We invited the grandparents and sat and enjoyed watching the show. Ella was Special Agent Z, Ben was a narrator, and Lily and Cora helped boost up the choir power.

We are already looking forward to January when practice starts for the spring musical!!

Five on Friday (Dec 23)

1. We had a quick visit up north this past weekend. Without Mom and Dad living up there anymore, it's getting harder and harder to make the trip. I love not having to be in the car for 5+ hours as that was pretty much pure misery with 5 kids, but I really miss my extended family. As families grow and get busier with their kids (us included), it's harder to steal away and go off visiting. I knew I needed to see Amma before Christmas and my heart ached to see everyone else as well. We set out on Thursday right after Ben got out of school. I had the van packed and movies at-the-ready. A quick stop at Mom's to pick her up and we were on our way. We stayed at Whit's house which is becoming a fast favorite. All the kids play so well together and I can't imagine a place that feels any more homey than hers. It's a welcoming home for sure.

2. This week is getting the better of me...I have once again disappointed the planner in me and am scrambling to get all the presents and food prepped for Christmas Eve. We are spending it at home with the kids, enjoying some family time together. Christmas Day will be at Nana's and then Grammie and Papa will be hosting Christmas on December 30 since Jamie and Jordan will both be home for the holidays. Some day I hope Christmas will slow down, but at least this year we get Christmas Eve...and I'm so thankful for that.

3. Mom invited me to the Ladies Christmas Brunch at River of Life a few weeks back. It is becoming a tradition (our second annual one) and one that I look forward to each year. Last year Jill was there too, but since Willow was born just a week before, we are giving her a pass this year. The brunch is so fun and relaxing. The men of the church serve the meal and wait on you. Dad was our personal waiter, bringing us tea and anything else we would ask for. They also have vendor tables set up all around the perimeter of the room so there is even a little shopping to be had. It was lovely and I really enjoyed getting my mom all to myself for a morning. Disclaimer: don't mind the hair sticking up off the top of my head. It was like that all morning and I've had to just get over it...so you will too. :)

4. When you have been diagnosed with CVS (cyclic vomiting syndrome) and are forced to carry throw-up bags in your vehicle...at least your little one can make the best of the situation. Apparently these bags also make great foot warmers. Just thinking now that I better make sure that she didn't put a hole in the bag, or we are going to be in for a fantastic surprise when we really need it for it's intended purpose.

5. This weekend was bitter cold. No...frigid cold. Hmmmm.....nasty cold? Sigh. It was ridiculous. No...it was beyond ridiculous. We bottomed out at -22 degrees and that was just the actual temperature. With the wind chill figured in, it was a balmy -40+. You couldn't even get out to pump gas without your skin literally hurting and your nose freezing up. I know this because I was forced to stop for gas. Honestly, if our weather were normally like this, I would be packing our house up and looking for a new destination. I hate winter. Did I just say "hate"??!!? Yep....sure did. I don't even like it when it's 20 degrees outside...but -40 just makes me plain ol' cranky. I long for summer already.

Hairdo Trend: The Ocean Wave

Lily started laughing at Daddy's hair the other day...said it looked like an ocean wave...I sort of have to agree. :)

Preschool Days with Ella

Preschool Days with Ella.

They rock.

Hattie looks forward to them every day.

She loves school and Ella makes it a lot of fun. I had a mom-friend tell me that I should put Ella in charge of Hattie's school this year. So I did what any good homeschooling teacher would do and adopted the idea.

I know, I know...at first glance you may thing I'm being completely lazy and shoving my teaching duties onto my 12 year old...at least that's what I thought I would be doing. Until I thought about all the benefits Ella would get out of putting lessons plans together, being creative, honing in on her teaching skills, learning patience, and above all fostering her relationship with her littlest sister.

Although we don't do preschool everyday, they both look forward to it every chance they get.

Today, in celebration of surviving frigid temps over the weekend (we were colder than the north pole, I kid you not...-40+ wind chills and -22 plain ol' temperature), the girls made snowmen...

...and maybe sampling some too....

Throwback: Halloween 2016

Halloween was sort of a bust this year. Cold, wet, damp, drizzly...you get the picture. Not exactly prime, walking-around-the-neighborhood, stuffing your bag with candy kind of weather.

We typically order a jack-o-lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's and I bring it home and bake it up. But, alas, I have lost the love for a mediocre pizza that costs me an arm and a leg. We got wind that Chipotle was the primo spot to be on Halloween instead, so we all dressed up and headed out.

It took a bit (or rather, a LOT) of work to face-paint 5 children, myself, and my husband. But when a "boo-rito" is up for grabs at a mere $3 each, you do what you gotta do.

 Hattie was a butterfly princess for Downtown Elk River Trick or Treating, Lily was a princess.

 

 Ella was a deer for both Downtown Trick of Treating and Halloween night.

Ben was a lizard (and yes, it took forever to get all that green cleaned off his face) for both events. 

Cora was my little owl. That costume took over 100 "feathers" glued to a t-shirt.

Candy Math the day after Halloween...enjoying the "spoils".

We ended up donating 7 pounds of candy to Operation Smile. The local dentist office pays $1 per pound of candy, so each kiddo got a buck that they put in the offering plate at Awana. The candy gets shipped overseas to our troops.

**We went Downtown Elk River Trick or Treating the Friday before Halloween. It was amazing. The sun was shining, the weather topped out around 70 degrees. It was heavenly. If Halloween was like that every year, I might get a bit more excited for this holiday.

Student of the Month Goes To....

I'm so proud of my boy. He was voted as Student of the Month by his classmates for the month of November.

At the start of every month, Pact Charter puts on an awards ceremony to recognize the kids who either won the Character Award that they have been working on (gratitude for November) or the Student of the Month Award. We were notified Ben won the latter.

Daddy, Grammie, and myself all got up bright and early so we could be sitting in the gym at 8:10am. He's been doing really well at Pact and it made me feel so happy to see his peers recognize what a great kid he is too.

Way to go Ben! Mom and Dad are super proud of you!!!