Birthday re-do

Since Jason was gone for my birthday in Utah he promised me a birthday re-do.  I picked the day after Christmas.  It was glorious and I might do that every year.  Christmas is like putting on a performance for moms.  We prep and plan for 2 months or more, putting in lots of hours, and then Christmas Day we are "on".  I love it.  But it is exhausting.  It was so nice to take the next day off and have all the meals cooked for me (and my favorites) and all the dishes done.  Jason always does a great job on days like this.  December was a tough month, and it was a much needed break.  (little did I know January would get harder).

I didn't mention this in my Christmas post, but Jason and the kids really spoiled me for gifts.  Especially my Christus statue.  They got me the giant Christus statue.  I absolutely love it.  

 

Sugar cookie re-do

While I was capable of using natural consequences to ensure we didn't frost cookies on Christmas Eve, I gave in and made sugar cookies the week after Christmas.  If it were still just the older kids I probably wouldn't have.  But Dane had never frosted cookies before and I had been telling him about it, and I didn't want to rob it from him.

So one night we cut out, and then next night we frosted while Jason read Narnia to us.

 

Merry Christmas

I didn't send a card this year.  We ended up spending some extra money on our siblings this year and sacrificed some things in the budget to do that.  On Sunday the 26th, Brian Weister came over and took some pictures for me.   I love my sweet family and can't believe how big they are all getting.

 

Christmas Day

Christmas morning was great.  It is a lot going on with 6 kids.  But it is nice to sit back and enjoy watching my kids discover things I know they will love.  The babies were adorable as they slowly went through their stockings.  I am a more experienced mother now and I don't rush anything.  They can take as long as they want on each thing, each experience.  It was lovely.

Eve surrounded by her gifts.

And Dane with his.  alsmot all the stuff the babies got are old toys of the OG.

Aren't these 2 the best?

Madison was the only one that wanted a picture with her stuff.  Madison didn't know what she wanted for Christmas, so I surprised her with a whittling kit.  

Noah was very generous this year and bought everyone a Christmas present.  They also drew names.  Many of their gifts were very thoughtful and much appreciated.

I spent the rest of Christmas morning in the kitchen making brunch.  I felt the need to document my "upgrade" in my kitchening.  For my birthday/Christmas my mom got me many things I needed in my kitchen to easily and effectively feed my large family.  I got a 10 qt pot, a 18 inch skillet, a second Ebelskiver pan, a larger than 9x13 pan (I don't know the measurements).  I still need a giant bowl, I didn't have one, so I used my new 10 qt pot to put my QUADRUPLED recipie of Ebelskivers.

After wards I was supposed to make a wonderful Christmas dinner, but after some thought and urgings from Jason I took the rest of the day off and we ate leftovers.  I ended up making our Christmas dinner on Sunday.  We enjoyed another dessert buffet, and this time the babies got to enjoy it!

 

We got some fun new board games for Christmas and have been playing 1 or two a week since then.  And this year after I took down all our Christmas decorations I didn't put up my old decorations.  I am hoping it will inspire me to know how I want house to look and actually do it.  It's not really working - it is just a reminder of all the things I need to do and don't have time to do.

Christmas Eve

We went to the Zoo Christmas Eve morning.  That is very untraditional for us.  But you have to make reservations for the zoo now and I was making one for he week between Christmas and New Years and I saw that there were a lot of empty reservations for Christmas Eve and the weather was going to be great - so I booked it.  Most of the family was hesitant to do something like that on Christmas Eve, but we all went and had a nice morning together.

Jason has his own little entourage in our family.  He is the most popular one by far.  Everyone wants to walk and talk with him, everyone wants to sit by him.  They all clamor for his attention by coming up with an fascinating observation that he will agree with or find interesting, or the winner is the one who can ask a good question that will get him teaching something.  None of this is overt, they don't know they are doing it, but as the mom I see the competition for his attention and admiration. 

We hadn't done things for about 2 weeks becasue Dane was still hobbling around in his cast.  But we put a giant sock on it to keep his toes warm and hoped he would be ok to sit in the stroller most of the time.  

We typically frost sugar cookies in the afternoon/during naps while Jason reads "The best Christmas Pageant Ever", but I had kids sign up for desserts/treats to make so it wasn't all on me and the child who signed up for cookies didn't make them.  I knew that and the night before was tempted to just make them (reminders were given) and I ended up going the "natural consequences" route.  So we didn't have cookies to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve.  

But I did make our traditional sea food buffet.  I put Megan in charge of table decorations. 

After dinner I put out a treat buffet while we watched... I don't remember, some sort of Christmas movie. 

 

Nativity

We held our annual neighborhood nativity this year.  In my opinion our shepherd and angel were the hit of the show.

This year we had a small crowd.  For several reasons.  Some have grown out of it, some were in covid quarantine, and others... I am not sure.  I think I am going to do better marketing next year.  Either way we ended up with only 2 shepherds (Dane and Noah). A hand  full of Angels and 2 wise men.  

Megan was Mary with Josiah as Joseph

Dane had his broken leg and Noah was so sweet and tender with him, they were like 2 humble shepherds.   Noah held Dane's hand the whole time and tenderly watched over him, with Dane looking up at Noah often for direction, and when it was time to go find the Christ child, Noah picked up Dane and carried him.

Brock made his debut as the head angel.  The head angel is the only one with the part.  The angel says the 3 or 4 verses saying "fear not, for behold.... Find the babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."  This part has almost always been exclusively Madison's with Noah and Megan doing it one time.  It is a scriptural passage I had them all memorize when they were about 2.  But almost every December the head angel usually doesn't remember it and we have to practice it.  I obviously hadn't practiced it with Brock for a decade or so, and when he asked to be the head angel 15 minutes before it started I swiftly said, "you don't know the part" - and then he busted out the whole thing right there!  I have to say, I was immensely proud.  He wanted to wear a white shirt and a white tie, and gave his part with great authority, including pointing and voice inflection.  14 year old boys can surprise you sometimes.

I asked the missionaries to come sing.  They did a great job.  Although this is non-denominational and I just desire to bring the spirit of Christmas to my neighbors and teach the children the true meaning of Christmas.  I hope that they (all the neighbor kids, not just mine) will have memories of doing this every year, that is the base line.  But beyond that I hope that they can all feel the spirit and recognize it later in their life when they are struggling.  I bring all the kids into our home and watch the nativity story before we practice, I bear my testimony of Jesus Christ, I explain who He is, then when I welcome everyone I, again, bear testimony of Jesus Christ and why I love Him, we pray together as a neighborhood (different people have offered the prayer), and I love that some years I can get the missionaries to come sing.  

Cute kids.

Mr. Fancy Pants

Jason likes to tell people he's from West Virginia (even though he moved when he was eleven).  Sometimes I here him say that he's a redneck.  He likes the idea of fixing things himself and he doesn't mind jerry rigging things, but he also likes to stay clean and often pays out for work because he doesn't think he's good enough to get the job done.  Also, he likes buying new, so I'm not so sure about his redneck label.

He does like simple things and too fancy can sometimes get him upset about things.  But every once in a while, for reasons I don't get, he likes to go all out.  Especially on little things were "all out" can't even be super extra fancy from the basic version.  Case in point:

Jason often gets up on a Saturday or Sunday morning and makes the whole family pancakes or waffles.  It's a recipe and a thing that his father did for him.  Usually the pancakes are plain, but sometimes there are blueberries.  Most times the waffles are plain, and sometimes there is this thing.  That's four whole squares by itself.  There is syrup, and strawberries, and ice cream in between every layer.  And instead of taking the oldest waffle (which he usually does, because Jason) he takes these right off the maker for himself so they are hot enough to melt the ice cream.  He later said this stack was a little off because he didn't put enough ice cream on it.  "The picture should have had some white on the left side"  Oh brother.

Jason doesn't take pictures of his food.  Jason doesn't take pictures.  He took these though, so you can tell he was pretty proud of it.