I'm finally getting this list complied, (it's May) and I'm sure I've forgotten some things. Hopefully I'll keep better track next year!
We've Given Up the Easy Life for the Good Life
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
2014 Booklist
I'm finally getting this list complied, (it's May) and I'm sure I've forgotten some things. Hopefully I'll keep better track next year!
Christmas Break
Ahhhhh.
And when we got home, we still had a week of Christmas break left! And we came home to over a foot of snow with more to follow. Christmas Eve brought the white Christmas that everyone in both Utah and Idaho had been wishing for! It was the perfect time to have fresh snow! Dallin and the boys got to try out the new snowblower, and the kids played in the snow for hours every day. I was surprised at how much 2 year old Sullivan loved it! He wanted to be out there with the big kids, and he didn't give up and come in after 15 minutes like most 2 year olds. I'd go out there to play with him a little and pull him on the sled, but he'd turn me down to get back to the game with the other kids. The big boys made a cool slide that wound down the deck stairs, down the patio stairs, and onto the patio by the shed. It was steep and fast, but the kids loved it. Then they got really creative and made a slide down the roof of the racquetball court. That one was much steeper, and caused some mommy heart palpitations. They had fun and nobody got hurt.
We took the little kids sledding up at the church, where there is a little steep hill. It was perfect. We didn't have to do a lot of hiking and we were close to the car and it was just fun enough. Dallin took the bigger kids to the golf course later for some extreme sledding. I was happy to stay home with the littles. I've done the golf course thing with little kids before, and it just didn't seem worth it.
We were able to relax and enjoy each other, play games, watch movies, and do some long awaited home improvement projects! My dream vacation!! We got our basement cleaned and organized in a way that is so much less crowded and more user-friendly. We got a motion detector light installed in sthe ceiling of the boys' closet so we don't have to jump up and try to hit the switch on the ceiling! We cleared out the big basement room to make it more usable for exercise and organized some of the toys and dressups down there. The kids have spent so much more time enjoying that area, and I love it! We got some shelves put up to clear out some floor space in the game room which made the upstairs bedrooms less cluttered. Every bedroom got deep cleaned (except mine). That will for sure happen before the baby comes! But it was so fun working with Dallin and playing with the kids. I LOVED not having to go anywhere. It was a true break and I felt more prepared for the New Year than I ever have.
We rang in the new year with our younger kids because the big boys were invited to dances and parties. We watched movies and ate snacks. We watched the ball drop at 10:00 and pulled party poppers and threw streamers and made lots of noise and danced around. It was perfect!
We have had a truly blessed year! We have so much to be grateful for, and I loved spending the final week with my favorite people in my favorite place.
And when we got home, we still had a week of Christmas break left! And we came home to over a foot of snow with more to follow. Christmas Eve brought the white Christmas that everyone in both Utah and Idaho had been wishing for! It was the perfect time to have fresh snow! Dallin and the boys got to try out the new snowblower, and the kids played in the snow for hours every day. I was surprised at how much 2 year old Sullivan loved it! He wanted to be out there with the big kids, and he didn't give up and come in after 15 minutes like most 2 year olds. I'd go out there to play with him a little and pull him on the sled, but he'd turn me down to get back to the game with the other kids. The big boys made a cool slide that wound down the deck stairs, down the patio stairs, and onto the patio by the shed. It was steep and fast, but the kids loved it. Then they got really creative and made a slide down the roof of the racquetball court. That one was much steeper, and caused some mommy heart palpitations. They had fun and nobody got hurt.
We took the little kids sledding up at the church, where there is a little steep hill. It was perfect. We didn't have to do a lot of hiking and we were close to the car and it was just fun enough. Dallin took the bigger kids to the golf course later for some extreme sledding. I was happy to stay home with the littles. I've done the golf course thing with little kids before, and it just didn't seem worth it.
We were able to relax and enjoy each other, play games, watch movies, and do some long awaited home improvement projects! My dream vacation!! We got our basement cleaned and organized in a way that is so much less crowded and more user-friendly. We got a motion detector light installed in sthe ceiling of the boys' closet so we don't have to jump up and try to hit the switch on the ceiling! We cleared out the big basement room to make it more usable for exercise and organized some of the toys and dressups down there. The kids have spent so much more time enjoying that area, and I love it! We got some shelves put up to clear out some floor space in the game room which made the upstairs bedrooms less cluttered. Every bedroom got deep cleaned (except mine). That will for sure happen before the baby comes! But it was so fun working with Dallin and playing with the kids. I LOVED not having to go anywhere. It was a true break and I felt more prepared for the New Year than I ever have.
We rang in the new year with our younger kids because the big boys were invited to dances and parties. We watched movies and ate snacks. We watched the ball drop at 10:00 and pulled party poppers and threw streamers and made lots of noise and danced around. It was perfect!
We have had a truly blessed year! We have so much to be grateful for, and I loved spending the final week with my favorite people in my favorite place.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Christmas Vacation
We have preferred for many past years to have Christmas Eve and Day at our home with our immediate family. It has made the day more meaningful and special and a better reward for us as parents after all the preparation. Last year we slipped out of tradition so I could be with my family while Dallin and the boys were in Mexico, so we were hoping for a Christmas at home this year. As we learned about the plans of family members over the holidays, we realized we were going to have to let that go. And the kids were all begging to have Christmas at Grandma's anyway.
When it was looking like we'd be spending over a week there, we were feeling a bit nervous about the crowd. As more of my siblings move away from our hometown, there is less space at my parent's house for people to stay. We had an idea to try something new, and it was really great! I asked my sister who lives near my parents if we could stay with them. They have a big family in a small house, but I thought it would be fun since our kids match up in age so well, and it would give us some space from the big crowd at my parents'. We appreciated so much their hospitality. They gave us a bedroom where we could sleep with our youngest kids and the other kids slept on the floor with their cousins. The adults could stay up and visit and play games without feeling like we were letting the little ones stay up too late. I hope it took some of the pressure off of my mom for feeding a huge crowd 3 times a day, though we still ate at her house plenty! Staying at Amy's eased the pressure of the big family gathering just enough that we could really relax and enjoy one another.
We arrived the Friday before Christmas, late. In the morning we had a baptism to attend for my niece. It was fun for her that so many cousins were there. They live in Kansas now, so it was great to see them.
Then we had a few days to play and rest and do last-minute things for Christmas. Christmas morning, we decided to open stockings at Amy's and presents at my mom's. It was great! The kids were so excited to be with cousins and my nephew Tanner skyped in from his mission in Brazil, so there was still a pile of unopened presents that were somewhat forgotten. I felt so grateful that everybody got their Christmas wishes and there were fun surprises too. I was especially glad to fill Dallin's wish list as he is not one to buy things for himself, and I was excited to get things without him knowing. I bought him some shoes to play racquetball in, and I bought 2 sizes because I have had bad luck choosing the right size for him in shoes. I knew I'd be covered if I just bought both shoes and let him take back the one that didn't fit as well. I didn't realize that they were 2 different styles of shoes, and he ended up loving them both and not being able to choose! Oh well, they will get used and I won't have to buy more for a long time! I was able to find a couple of inexpensive things so the big boys would have something to open, and Grandma and Grandpa took pity on them (their gift was a ski trip at Thanksgiving), and gave them some fun money in a card. The lifelike dolls I got the little girls are so beautiful! We are having so much fun with them! Sarajoy especially treats hers like a real baby and takes care of it all day long. I love to see my girls practice nurturing. Ruby wanted Hawaiian sandals and moccasins. I ended up getting all of the younger kids moccasins because they've had so much fun with our Indian studies this year. Simon wanted a remote control airplane, and my mom just happened to have one she bought on clearance years ago. She also had a wooden car carrier for Sullivan, and I got him a playmobil guy with a motorcycle. He keeps all of his little gifts in his treasure box and gets it out every day. I really, really love giving gifts at Christmas!
The next day we did our Porter family party. We had dinner and talents and a gift exchange. In between talents, we do "minute to win-it" games, which is great! I was super excited for the grown-ups portion. We are on a rotation for which adult couple we give gifts to, and after the kids are done with their exchange, we send them off to play and watch the adults open gifts. My sister Melissa is the funnest person in the world to get gifts for. Since I only get her name every 8 years, I had quite a little collection of things for her. Some vintage paper cutout villages I got on Ebay that reminded me of one she had growing up, some "teeny-tiny littlest pet shops" because she loves miniatures, the children's book "A Time To Keep" by Tasha Tudor, which is old-fashioned celebration of holidays, some chocolates, and a necklace locket that is glass and you put little tiny charms in it. It was fun to pick charms that reminded me of things she loves. She is as fun to shop for as a kid! Russ got a meat tray from Costco cause he's a sausage kind of guy, and some essential oil for his sauna. I got him some fireworks and a little game since he's always saying how boring practical gifts are!
My brother Steven and his wife drove through a blizzard from Spokane to surprise everybody. We thought since they'd just moved there they wouldn't have enough time off to make the trip worth it. We are so glad they did! It was a really fun surprise. They had our name and got us a nice speaker for our ipod that we can use in the house or in the car. (Our van has the worst possible sound system)
It was a wonderful holiday vacation, and the week flew by quickly. The kids were in heaven getting to be with cousins around the clock, and there was very little grouchiness at that. We are grateful to be a part of such a wonderful and loving family. For sure a very essential part of celebrating Christmas!
When it was looking like we'd be spending over a week there, we were feeling a bit nervous about the crowd. As more of my siblings move away from our hometown, there is less space at my parent's house for people to stay. We had an idea to try something new, and it was really great! I asked my sister who lives near my parents if we could stay with them. They have a big family in a small house, but I thought it would be fun since our kids match up in age so well, and it would give us some space from the big crowd at my parents'. We appreciated so much their hospitality. They gave us a bedroom where we could sleep with our youngest kids and the other kids slept on the floor with their cousins. The adults could stay up and visit and play games without feeling like we were letting the little ones stay up too late. I hope it took some of the pressure off of my mom for feeding a huge crowd 3 times a day, though we still ate at her house plenty! Staying at Amy's eased the pressure of the big family gathering just enough that we could really relax and enjoy one another.
We arrived the Friday before Christmas, late. In the morning we had a baptism to attend for my niece. It was fun for her that so many cousins were there. They live in Kansas now, so it was great to see them.
Then we had a few days to play and rest and do last-minute things for Christmas. Christmas morning, we decided to open stockings at Amy's and presents at my mom's. It was great! The kids were so excited to be with cousins and my nephew Tanner skyped in from his mission in Brazil, so there was still a pile of unopened presents that were somewhat forgotten. I felt so grateful that everybody got their Christmas wishes and there were fun surprises too. I was especially glad to fill Dallin's wish list as he is not one to buy things for himself, and I was excited to get things without him knowing. I bought him some shoes to play racquetball in, and I bought 2 sizes because I have had bad luck choosing the right size for him in shoes. I knew I'd be covered if I just bought both shoes and let him take back the one that didn't fit as well. I didn't realize that they were 2 different styles of shoes, and he ended up loving them both and not being able to choose! Oh well, they will get used and I won't have to buy more for a long time! I was able to find a couple of inexpensive things so the big boys would have something to open, and Grandma and Grandpa took pity on them (their gift was a ski trip at Thanksgiving), and gave them some fun money in a card. The lifelike dolls I got the little girls are so beautiful! We are having so much fun with them! Sarajoy especially treats hers like a real baby and takes care of it all day long. I love to see my girls practice nurturing. Ruby wanted Hawaiian sandals and moccasins. I ended up getting all of the younger kids moccasins because they've had so much fun with our Indian studies this year. Simon wanted a remote control airplane, and my mom just happened to have one she bought on clearance years ago. She also had a wooden car carrier for Sullivan, and I got him a playmobil guy with a motorcycle. He keeps all of his little gifts in his treasure box and gets it out every day. I really, really love giving gifts at Christmas!
The next day we did our Porter family party. We had dinner and talents and a gift exchange. In between talents, we do "minute to win-it" games, which is great! I was super excited for the grown-ups portion. We are on a rotation for which adult couple we give gifts to, and after the kids are done with their exchange, we send them off to play and watch the adults open gifts. My sister Melissa is the funnest person in the world to get gifts for. Since I only get her name every 8 years, I had quite a little collection of things for her. Some vintage paper cutout villages I got on Ebay that reminded me of one she had growing up, some "teeny-tiny littlest pet shops" because she loves miniatures, the children's book "A Time To Keep" by Tasha Tudor, which is old-fashioned celebration of holidays, some chocolates, and a necklace locket that is glass and you put little tiny charms in it. It was fun to pick charms that reminded me of things she loves. She is as fun to shop for as a kid! Russ got a meat tray from Costco cause he's a sausage kind of guy, and some essential oil for his sauna. I got him some fireworks and a little game since he's always saying how boring practical gifts are!
My brother Steven and his wife drove through a blizzard from Spokane to surprise everybody. We thought since they'd just moved there they wouldn't have enough time off to make the trip worth it. We are so glad they did! It was a really fun surprise. They had our name and got us a nice speaker for our ipod that we can use in the house or in the car. (Our van has the worst possible sound system)
It was a wonderful holiday vacation, and the week flew by quickly. The kids were in heaven getting to be with cousins around the clock, and there was very little grouchiness at that. We are grateful to be a part of such a wonderful and loving family. For sure a very essential part of celebrating Christmas!
Friday, December 26, 2014
Holiday Season
I'm glad I felt so ready for Christmas early this year. The season flew by so quickly! I was ready in November so I actually put up my Christmas decorations a week before Thanksgiving. The kids were so excited. I just love the spirit it creates in the home. With a late Thanksgiving, we needed that extra week!
We also spent Thanksgiving at my mom's house, which we have never done. I kind of like it that we don't have a certain tradition at Thanksgiving. It is always fun to see how it works out. The past 2 times it was my family's year, we've hosted Thanksgiving. I was completely willing to do so again, but was relieved when my mom volunteered. We realized she has never really hosted it because they've always traveled, even when we were growing up.
Our stay was very refreshing. It was happy and peaceful for the kids and us to have some quiet time with Grandma and Grandpa in the mornings before the cousins arrived, and then it was lots of fun to get to visit and play.
Our big family dinner was delicious and relaxing and so enjoyable! Dallin and I both wished it could have lasted longer, that period of enjoying the food and the conversation at the table.
I got to do a lot of my Christmas shopping online while I was there, so I had very little of that to worry about when I got home. Plus it is so fun to get the packages and get to open them myself before I wrap them up for the kids! My sister Kim helped me find some great deals on stuff for the boys cause she knew which stores were having sales and she shared some coupons with me as well. I haven't been "shopping" with her for a long time, so that was super fun. The 3 big kids went with aunt Amy to some evening sales on Thanksgiving and were so thrilled to get some new shirts for like $2 because of the great deals!
Nathan and Brandon got invited on a ski trip with cousins. Even with lots of discounts, it was pretty expensive, but they agreed it would be their Christmas. They still got new jammies and a few stocking stuffers, but they were fine with having that fun experience be their presents. And they had a really great time.
And when we got home, December was upon us. I told the kids to only do what homework was absolutely necessary so we could have time for Christmas projects. I wish there was a way to slow down the season, but it went especially fast because I had to rest so much. It was a fun and happy December, though. I love the music and the lights and the projects and the parties and the anticipation.
One highlight was riding the train into Salt Lake to hear Nathan's choir perform. It was fun to make the train just in time and have the little ones experience the excitement of public transit! Sarajoy got a really bad sick headache, though, and spent the rest of the time in the stroller. Simon and Sullivan were completely naughty in the Assembly Hall where the concert was, so I missed all but a bit of the dress rehearsal. But Sullivan was amazed when we came out of the Assembly hall because they had turned on the lights and it was so beautiful! We didn't get to enjoy a lot of the temple square stuff because it was just so packed with people! We walked over by the Nativity, but couldn't get close and we saw the Christus from afar, but the line was too long. The food court where we were trying to get hamburgers was completely packed with people. It was a 20 minute wait to order food and a 20 minute wait to get your food after you ordered. But we found a fun place at City Creek where the kids could climb on rocks and eat their hamburgers. The whole experience did not turn out at all like I had hoped, but it was an adventure. And I know the kids will never forget it.
Another highlight was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert the following Saturday. We were picked from the lottery to have 4 tickets. The boys graciously let the girls have the 2 extras since the special guest this year was the Sesame Street Muppets. But Sarajoy really, really wanted to go! I was hesitant after our fiasco the previous week, but they lowered the age for the concert this year as it was geared especially for her age group. We decided to take her and hope for an extra ticket in standby or something. We learned our lesson last week and ate before we left, bringing lots of snacks to eat on the way home. We hit some bad traffic that got us into town later than we had hoped, but we were still 2.5 hours before the concert was to start. But the standby line was already ridiculously long. Bummer. Dallin got in line and I headed over to the conference center, hoping to beg a spare ticket off of somebody there. We knew there was a good chance Dallin would end up watching from the tabernacle, and that was really sad! I sheepishly began asking people if they had a spare ticket, to no avail. I think the girls were a bit embarrassed at my boldness. When one couple showed up with only one kid, they said they had just given their extra ticket to someone up at the street. So we went up to the street corner and asked everyone as they came across if they had a spare ticket. A party of 3 came by (they only issued tickets in groups of 4) so I hopefully asked them. They said no and hurried on, but a few steps later the wife said, "Wait, didn't they send us 4?" They double checked and came back with their extra ticket! I called Dallin and we all went in and got our seats. We had really good seats and 2 hours to kill. We rested, talked, played games on my phone, toys in my purse, took bathroom breaks, etc. Finally the lights were dimmed and the concert started. It was really fun and so full of the Christmas Spirit! Sarajoy for sure got tired, but she was a really good sport. The only mishap was that Dallin sneaked some oranges in and was passing wedges to the kids. Sarajoy knew she had to be sneaky for her little snack, so she would duck down by our feet and quickly eat a few bites. A little too quickly on an orange wedge, though, and she choked. I didn't realize she'd been given one and I thought she was throwing up! I thought that nothing could be worse than having a child throw up around all of these people in such a setting! Thankfully, she coughed it up without too much notice and I wrapped it in a diaper and we were fine for the rest of the evening! It is always one of my favorite parts of the season to be at those concerts.
...
We also spent Thanksgiving at my mom's house, which we have never done. I kind of like it that we don't have a certain tradition at Thanksgiving. It is always fun to see how it works out. The past 2 times it was my family's year, we've hosted Thanksgiving. I was completely willing to do so again, but was relieved when my mom volunteered. We realized she has never really hosted it because they've always traveled, even when we were growing up.
Our stay was very refreshing. It was happy and peaceful for the kids and us to have some quiet time with Grandma and Grandpa in the mornings before the cousins arrived, and then it was lots of fun to get to visit and play.
Our big family dinner was delicious and relaxing and so enjoyable! Dallin and I both wished it could have lasted longer, that period of enjoying the food and the conversation at the table.
I got to do a lot of my Christmas shopping online while I was there, so I had very little of that to worry about when I got home. Plus it is so fun to get the packages and get to open them myself before I wrap them up for the kids! My sister Kim helped me find some great deals on stuff for the boys cause she knew which stores were having sales and she shared some coupons with me as well. I haven't been "shopping" with her for a long time, so that was super fun. The 3 big kids went with aunt Amy to some evening sales on Thanksgiving and were so thrilled to get some new shirts for like $2 because of the great deals!
Nathan and Brandon got invited on a ski trip with cousins. Even with lots of discounts, it was pretty expensive, but they agreed it would be their Christmas. They still got new jammies and a few stocking stuffers, but they were fine with having that fun experience be their presents. And they had a really great time.
And when we got home, December was upon us. I told the kids to only do what homework was absolutely necessary so we could have time for Christmas projects. I wish there was a way to slow down the season, but it went especially fast because I had to rest so much. It was a fun and happy December, though. I love the music and the lights and the projects and the parties and the anticipation.
One highlight was riding the train into Salt Lake to hear Nathan's choir perform. It was fun to make the train just in time and have the little ones experience the excitement of public transit! Sarajoy got a really bad sick headache, though, and spent the rest of the time in the stroller. Simon and Sullivan were completely naughty in the Assembly Hall where the concert was, so I missed all but a bit of the dress rehearsal. But Sullivan was amazed when we came out of the Assembly hall because they had turned on the lights and it was so beautiful! We didn't get to enjoy a lot of the temple square stuff because it was just so packed with people! We walked over by the Nativity, but couldn't get close and we saw the Christus from afar, but the line was too long. The food court where we were trying to get hamburgers was completely packed with people. It was a 20 minute wait to order food and a 20 minute wait to get your food after you ordered. But we found a fun place at City Creek where the kids could climb on rocks and eat their hamburgers. The whole experience did not turn out at all like I had hoped, but it was an adventure. And I know the kids will never forget it.
Another highlight was the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert the following Saturday. We were picked from the lottery to have 4 tickets. The boys graciously let the girls have the 2 extras since the special guest this year was the Sesame Street Muppets. But Sarajoy really, really wanted to go! I was hesitant after our fiasco the previous week, but they lowered the age for the concert this year as it was geared especially for her age group. We decided to take her and hope for an extra ticket in standby or something. We learned our lesson last week and ate before we left, bringing lots of snacks to eat on the way home. We hit some bad traffic that got us into town later than we had hoped, but we were still 2.5 hours before the concert was to start. But the standby line was already ridiculously long. Bummer. Dallin got in line and I headed over to the conference center, hoping to beg a spare ticket off of somebody there. We knew there was a good chance Dallin would end up watching from the tabernacle, and that was really sad! I sheepishly began asking people if they had a spare ticket, to no avail. I think the girls were a bit embarrassed at my boldness. When one couple showed up with only one kid, they said they had just given their extra ticket to someone up at the street. So we went up to the street corner and asked everyone as they came across if they had a spare ticket. A party of 3 came by (they only issued tickets in groups of 4) so I hopefully asked them. They said no and hurried on, but a few steps later the wife said, "Wait, didn't they send us 4?" They double checked and came back with their extra ticket! I called Dallin and we all went in and got our seats. We had really good seats and 2 hours to kill. We rested, talked, played games on my phone, toys in my purse, took bathroom breaks, etc. Finally the lights were dimmed and the concert started. It was really fun and so full of the Christmas Spirit! Sarajoy for sure got tired, but she was a really good sport. The only mishap was that Dallin sneaked some oranges in and was passing wedges to the kids. Sarajoy knew she had to be sneaky for her little snack, so she would duck down by our feet and quickly eat a few bites. A little too quickly on an orange wedge, though, and she choked. I didn't realize she'd been given one and I thought she was throwing up! I thought that nothing could be worse than having a child throw up around all of these people in such a setting! Thankfully, she coughed it up without too much notice and I wrapped it in a diaper and we were fine for the rest of the evening! It is always one of my favorite parts of the season to be at those concerts.
...
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Giving Day
My favorite celebration at Christmas time is always our immediate family party known as Giving Day. It is always a big deal to help each child make each family member a gift, but it is "real Christmas" as far as Dallin and I are concerned.
I knew we would not be home this year for our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner, so I wanted to have a special dinner as a part of the evening festivities. The only problem is, it was Wednesday, and I knew we would be gone for most of the day until dinnertime.
Thankfully, the previous Saturday, Dallin had planned a short-notice family party with his side of the family that all of the Utah people were actually able to make it to. It was a wonderful evening with delicious snacks and treats, talents and visiting. And his parents gave us an electric multi-cooker/pressure cooker thingy.
And I found a frozen pork roast in the freezer. And we had carrots and potatoes and onions. It has been awhile since we had a hearty meat and taters kind of dinner. I whipped up some Jello, which we also rarely have, threw the ingredients in the cooker, and hoped for the best. We came home to a delicious smelling house and prepared a lovely candle-lit feast. It was cozy and relaxing and delicious! We took our time enjoying the food and the atmosphere, though a couple of kids disappeared to finish last-minute gifts.
Then the excitement grew as people awaited their chance to give. We got out the Santa hat and drew names and shared what we love about each person.
Daisy stitched loving words into a handkerchief for Dad and decorated a T-shirt for Nathan. She gave me her no-bake cookies that she got at a white elephant party because she knows I love them. She printed some colorful pictures of wild animals for Brandon to use for his drawings. She learned to crochet and made Ruby a cute headband with a flower. She sewed a sleeping bag for Simon's little bear and sewed a candy cane applique on a white shirt for Sarajoy to match her Christmas skirt. And for Sullivan she made a little Santa hat just his size.
Brandon had a lot of fun with his gifts, and is getting pretty self-reliant. He made Sullivan an easy-on belt with a loop for a sword. I remembered a couple of hand me down swords I'd stashed away from my sister and got them out for him to give to the little boys along with his gifts for them. That belt and sword was such a hit for little Sulley! Brandon made Simon a drawstring bag to keep his violin rosin and cloth in. He made Sarajoy and Daisy doll blankets with matching diapers. He designed a nail polish holder for Ruby from a hanger that fits all of the different sizes of polish. He made two bowties (the kind you have to tie!) for Nathan. He made a pillow for me and an ipad bag with a pocket for the speaker for Dallin.
Ruby helped me get the portraits taken and printed and cut for the annual photo ornaments. She decided who got which ornament (I found a great deal on them this year so we just had to add photos) and got them all ready and wrapped.
Simon had a great idea to make a little fluff ball with a face on it for Sullivan. He kept getting creative and it ended up with a Santa hat. We also made Sullivan a cape, which he immediately put on and has worn it with his sword belt at least once a day since then. For everyone else in the family, he chose unique fabric and made a pair of miniature corn bags to use as hand warmers.
Sarajoy made doll stockings for the play house for Ruby, Daisy, and Simon. Daddy and Sullivan got soft fleece pillowcases with a heart she hand stitched on. Nathan and Brandon got little pillows scented with essential oils to freshen their bedroom. For me she drew some sweet pictures of birds.
Nathan baked his famous snowball cookies for the family treat, and Sullivan made everyone a bag of homemade Chex party mix. The two of us had a fun time mixing ingredients and shooing everyone else out of the kitchen while we worked on our "secret project".
Dallin made a personalized book mark for each person with pictures of animals and scripture quotes that remind him of each child and tie in to the animal. I got elephants, my favorite. "power, love, and a sound mind". Nathan got Oxen: "Take my yoke upon you", Brandon Eagle: "Those who wait upon the Lord will mount up as with eagles' wings", Ruby Hummingbird: "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass", Daisy Horses: "chariots of fire..those that be with us are more than those that be with them" , Simon Fish: "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men:, Sarajoy Wild Cats: "The lion shall lie down with the lamb and a little child shall lead them.", and Sullivan Snakes: "If a serpent had bitten any man and he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." and "Look and live and be healed".
I made Nathan and Brandon crocheted snow hats. I made Ruby a nail polish organizer. I made Daisy and Sarajoy diaper bags for their doll things. I embroidered Simon's name and a violin on a flannel cloth for him to use to clean his violin. For Sullivan, I crocheted 10 little monsters that fit into a little bed so he can play "10 in the bed".
We spent some time enjoying one another and our gifts before tucking happily into bed for sweet dreams of giving.
I knew we would not be home this year for our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner, so I wanted to have a special dinner as a part of the evening festivities. The only problem is, it was Wednesday, and I knew we would be gone for most of the day until dinnertime.
Thankfully, the previous Saturday, Dallin had planned a short-notice family party with his side of the family that all of the Utah people were actually able to make it to. It was a wonderful evening with delicious snacks and treats, talents and visiting. And his parents gave us an electric multi-cooker/pressure cooker thingy.
And I found a frozen pork roast in the freezer. And we had carrots and potatoes and onions. It has been awhile since we had a hearty meat and taters kind of dinner. I whipped up some Jello, which we also rarely have, threw the ingredients in the cooker, and hoped for the best. We came home to a delicious smelling house and prepared a lovely candle-lit feast. It was cozy and relaxing and delicious! We took our time enjoying the food and the atmosphere, though a couple of kids disappeared to finish last-minute gifts.
Then the excitement grew as people awaited their chance to give. We got out the Santa hat and drew names and shared what we love about each person.
Daisy stitched loving words into a handkerchief for Dad and decorated a T-shirt for Nathan. She gave me her no-bake cookies that she got at a white elephant party because she knows I love them. She printed some colorful pictures of wild animals for Brandon to use for his drawings. She learned to crochet and made Ruby a cute headband with a flower. She sewed a sleeping bag for Simon's little bear and sewed a candy cane applique on a white shirt for Sarajoy to match her Christmas skirt. And for Sullivan she made a little Santa hat just his size.
Brandon had a lot of fun with his gifts, and is getting pretty self-reliant. He made Sullivan an easy-on belt with a loop for a sword. I remembered a couple of hand me down swords I'd stashed away from my sister and got them out for him to give to the little boys along with his gifts for them. That belt and sword was such a hit for little Sulley! Brandon made Simon a drawstring bag to keep his violin rosin and cloth in. He made Sarajoy and Daisy doll blankets with matching diapers. He designed a nail polish holder for Ruby from a hanger that fits all of the different sizes of polish. He made two bowties (the kind you have to tie!) for Nathan. He made a pillow for me and an ipad bag with a pocket for the speaker for Dallin.
Ruby helped me get the portraits taken and printed and cut for the annual photo ornaments. She decided who got which ornament (I found a great deal on them this year so we just had to add photos) and got them all ready and wrapped.
Simon had a great idea to make a little fluff ball with a face on it for Sullivan. He kept getting creative and it ended up with a Santa hat. We also made Sullivan a cape, which he immediately put on and has worn it with his sword belt at least once a day since then. For everyone else in the family, he chose unique fabric and made a pair of miniature corn bags to use as hand warmers.
Sarajoy made doll stockings for the play house for Ruby, Daisy, and Simon. Daddy and Sullivan got soft fleece pillowcases with a heart she hand stitched on. Nathan and Brandon got little pillows scented with essential oils to freshen their bedroom. For me she drew some sweet pictures of birds.
Nathan baked his famous snowball cookies for the family treat, and Sullivan made everyone a bag of homemade Chex party mix. The two of us had a fun time mixing ingredients and shooing everyone else out of the kitchen while we worked on our "secret project".
Dallin made a personalized book mark for each person with pictures of animals and scripture quotes that remind him of each child and tie in to the animal. I got elephants, my favorite. "power, love, and a sound mind". Nathan got Oxen: "Take my yoke upon you", Brandon Eagle: "Those who wait upon the Lord will mount up as with eagles' wings", Ruby Hummingbird: "By small and simple things are great things brought to pass", Daisy Horses: "chariots of fire..those that be with us are more than those that be with them" , Simon Fish: "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men:, Sarajoy Wild Cats: "The lion shall lie down with the lamb and a little child shall lead them.", and Sullivan Snakes: "If a serpent had bitten any man and he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." and "Look and live and be healed".
I made Nathan and Brandon crocheted snow hats. I made Ruby a nail polish organizer. I made Daisy and Sarajoy diaper bags for their doll things. I embroidered Simon's name and a violin on a flannel cloth for him to use to clean his violin. For Sullivan, I crocheted 10 little monsters that fit into a little bed so he can play "10 in the bed".
We spent some time enjoying one another and our gifts before tucking happily into bed for sweet dreams of giving.
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