To: Earth

Last Sunday we were singing hymns during our Christmas program at church. We were working on the second verse of Once In Royal David's City. I wasn't thinking particularly deeply about the words until Aiden tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the first line. "Mom," he whispered. "It says 'To earth from heaven'. Like a gift!"

To: Earth
From: Heaven

What a perfect observation, and how I wish I might have been the one to notice it! Because Christ was heaven's gift to the earth on that night so many years ago, the gift that still gives today and will give eternally. This is the message of Christmas and the reason we have cause to rejoice.

And with that, here's how Caleb's advanced percussion class showed their Christmas spirit. If you can't find Caleb based on height, your second clue is tent.

Merry Christmas!

July dump

I soooo want to be a valiant blogger. Kind of like how I want to have a clean, organized house. And keep up on my correspondence. And have an updated photo album. And . . .

But since I don't really want to burden you with all of the things I'm not doing, I will instead delight you with some of our July DOings!

We painted.

I will pause for a moment to let the momentousness of this sink in.

This may not seem terribly noteworthy, especially when our color choice has a name like "rye," but since painting normally sits up there with all the things I would like to do but don't, it's actually very significant. Plus, we had to move the piano. We've lived in our house for 10 years now, and the front room and kitchen have remained builder "apple peel," minus one red wall in the kitchen. Please don't judge me. Painting also gave me a chance to do the spring cleaning I didn't get around to this year, or even possibly last year. Did I already ask you to not judge me? I haven't taken pictures of the finished product, but you can check me out cleaning atop the plant shelf [or whatever you call a useless 3/4 wall].

We celebrated Morgan's 6th birthday. Jeremy and I actually ditched her for half of the day to attend the temple sealing of our good friends to their adopted baby daughter. After we came home, we took the family to see Despicable Me: 2 and to dinner -- at an actual restaurant. As gifts she received additional modes of escape, I mean transportation, in the form of a scooter and a new-to-her bike.

Six!

Somewhere in there I made a cake. Morgan first requested a unicorn, which eventually evolved into baby Princess Celestia from My Little Pony. Aargh! I gave it a good effort. She looks a little freaky with her too big Japanese anime eyes and strange tumor wings on her back. Oh well. I guess I should stick to blue pigs.

It looks a little better if you squint.

We went camping in American Fork Canyon with Jeremy's side of the family. We stayed at Timpooneke, which is the most fun campground name to say pretty much ever. It was truly beautiful up there, and I'm ashamed we don't spend more time in our lovely mountains. Not only did it take a mere 45 minutes to reach the campsite, but the temperature was about 20 degrees less than in the valley. Jeremy took the kids fishing, we played lots of games, splashed in a creek, went on a hike, and lazed around. 

Am I standing in a hole?

Praying to the campfire gods

Marissa and I wearing our girls camp sweatshirts, just in case we get lost in the forest.

I think that pretty well covers it. And I think I've made a record number of appearances here. Now on to August!

How'd they do that?

I was exercising the other day when Morgan popped in and exclaimed, "TWINS!" Her friend from across the street then peeked around the corner, and this is what I saw:

I would like to know how it is possible to duplicate such a unique and spectacularly mismatched means of self-expression. It's a mystery to me, but they succeeded triumphantly. This outfit represents Morgan's daily clothing choices fairly well. We have mean fights on Sunday mornings in which I insist you can NOT wear purple and pink striped leggings with a black and yellow flowered dress to church. Well, okay. I suppose you can. But only if you let me do something pretty with your hair. And since that's not going to happen ... Point mom!

I had to get a close up of their twinner grins. Morgan lost her top tooth a little prematurely thanks to getting elbowed in the mouth while playing on a neighbor's slip-n-slide. Oh, the hazards of summer!

 

Write on

I admit, I harbor a selfish wish that one of my children will actually like writing and reading. I know I'm supposed to embrace the individuality and unique talents of each child -- and I really do -- but once in a while I wonder why my kids are so not like me. [That is until I have a completely eerie jinks with my 5-year-old.] Now believe me, in most ways it's a good thing they're not like me. But it would be kind of nice if, for example, I didn't have to assign reading as a summer chore just so I can have an excuse to gobble up the pile of books I've picked up from the library.

Maybe it's still too soon to tell. There's a chance Aiden might have a knack for words. He brought home a story he wrote at school that was gobs and gobs of pages long and which I have yet to read through since it was all out of order and completely confusing. Here's a sample from the first page:

If I were a butterfly, I would go to South America, and grow some facial hair, and then I will travel to New York and make the biggest smile, and then put it on Lady liberty and take a picture...

That's an intriguing and entirely random beginning, and I see some creative promise [or something?]. I'll let you know how it ends -- if I ever figure out which page is the end.

I've been getting a kick out of Morgan's budding efforts to express herself with the written word. It's trial and a whole lot of error at this point, but it is highly entertaining.
This morning while I was fixing breakfast, Morgan slapped the following sticky note on my back:

 Care to take a stab at the translation?

Give up?

"I don't like oatmeal." I guess this was her protestation of her cereal options. It also reminded me of another early morning note she wrote a little while ago. This one was actually a conversation which went something like this:

Me: What do you want for breakfast?

Morgan:

nothing

Me: How come?

Morgan:

I am tired

Morgan:

am super tired

Morgan:

and I have to go pee

At this point she left to address the issue. When she returned, I asked if she was ready to eat now, to which she responded:

am still tired.

Fair enough.

All this reminded me of one last thing. For Aiden's 3rd grade spelling, each week he had to take a pretest at home. Then whoever gave him the test was supposed to sign it. Well, one week -- I think this was when I was in Oregon for Spencer's wedding -- everyone was scattered in different directions. Jeremy came home and offered to help Aiden do his pretest. This proved unnecessary, however, as Morgan had already given him the test.

In Spanish.

And signed it.

Complete with a curlicue G.

Yes, we let him turn this in. And yes, his handwriting is barely decipherable. And yes again, those are food and grease spots all over his paper. I think I may owe educators everywhere an apology.

Oh, my ganache!

Today's topic: culinary hurdles met and conquered.

When I asked Marissa what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday, she requested a blue or green pig. I turned to the ever-trusty internet and saw the best pig cake ever. I couldn't resist and had to try it. But it required some things I've never made or used before.

a) ganache
b) fondant

Don't you think just the sound of both of those is intimidating? But I decided to press forward undeterred. I found a recipe for ganache which looked simple enough and turned out divine. I don't think I can go back to regular frosting. Then, because I'm cheap, I didn't want to go out and buy fondant, so I tried a recipe for homemade marshmallow fondant. And it worked! The next step -- the fun part! -- was molding and assembly. The end result brought me great joy. Marissa was pretty happy with it, too.

Pigs in the mud

My pretty [and one of a kind] 12-year-old

This was a major milestone birthday for sure. Marissa graduated from elementary school, entered young women's, had a sweet birthday party, went to girls camp [which I also attended as assistant director], and got her ears pierced. In the same time frame she has played soccer as one of the team's top scorers, went to basketball and volleyball camps, participated in a piano recital, danced in the end-of-school La Fiesta, and I've-lost-track-of-who-knows-what-else. It's fair to say she's been hopping. And she's still nice. Phew!

Don't try the dinner special

I'm nursing a bit of a cold, and apparently it has affected my ears. I was fixing dinner when Aiden asked, "Did you season the food?"

"Yep," I said.

Aiden looked puzzled and somewhat disgusted. Then he asked again, "Did you season it?"

Not sure why he felt the need to ask twice, I responded, "Of course! I always season the food."

At this point Jeremy felt compelled to intervene.

"He asked if you sneezed in the food."

Well, now. That's one seasoning I'd rather avoid.   

Potty talk

I re-enter the blogging world with a little bathroom humor. I took the kids fishing during spring break last week. We decided to try out a community pond we'd never visited before. On the way, Morgan inevitably felt nature's call. We were getting close, so I made her hold it. We arrived at the pond, and I hurried her out to the restroom. She spied the nice, modern facility and said, "Oh, good. I'm glad it's not a portapoopy."

Warning: contains images that may be disturbing to some viewers

There's some nut loose in my house. I leave the kitchen for a minute, and this is what I come back to...?

Just plain fun

I just finished reading Austenland by Shannon Hale, and as I set it down I did so with a smile on my face. Maybe more like a silly grin. I enjoyed it immensely in a guilty pleasure sort of way. I knew it had captured me upon opening to the dedication page:

For Colin Firth

You're a really great guy, but I'm married,

so I think we should just be friends.

Win! I was already a Hale fan, having read The Goose Girl and Princess Academy several years ago. In comparison, this book is geared toward a more adult crowd. [Read: lots of making out and, in the words of main character Jane, "Zings". Not really offensive, but not a kid book either.] Austenland assumes of its readers a fairly adequate knowledge of Jane Austen's [and other writers'] literary works. I must shamefacedly admit I was sub par in that regard, and at times it went over my head. And, of course, if you haven't watched the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, do that first or you'll really be lost. This book also lacks some of the lovely prose that won me in Hale's other books. In the end, however, I giggled a lot and read late into the night, happily tucked in my covers with this very recommend-able book that was such great fun.

The most wonderful time of the year

January is rough. I'm sitting here watching a nasty snow storm brewing outside. This after several days of rain and mud that got tracked all through the house. And this after some of the coldest temperatures I've ever experienced. I know, some Arctic dwellers are saying, "Waaahhh," but weeks of single digit degrees and me just don't get along. So I wish to take a mental departure and reflect on a few of my favorite Christmas things. Just a few. Humor me, please.

Now I know this is completely contradictory, but one thing I really enjoyed this year was our white Christmas. It snowed on Christmas Eve, so we woke to a winter wonderland. Of course, then I was done with it. But for the morning's ambiance, it was lovely. And moving on...

Ever since the kids were itty bitty, we have opened pajamas on Christmas Eve. I know this is a fairly typical tradition, but for me this hearkens back to my childhood when my grandma would make pajamas for all of her grandchildren under 12 years of age. I came closer to appreciating this feat -- she had 50-something grandkids -- when I saw a sale on fleece and decided to make p.j. bottoms for our family. Here was the final result:

Bonuses:
1) I could accommodate Caleb's freakishly long legs. Honestly, I don't think he'll ever be able to buy a pair of p.j.'s and have them fit properly.
2) Notice Aiden's shorts. He is always hot and won't wear pants to bed. So shorts it was.
3) Doesn't every grown man want dinosaur pajamas?
4) Oh, man, they're toasty. It's like wearing a blanket, without the embarrassment of being seen in a Snuggie.

A few years ago we decided to try something new for our Christmas Eve dinner. We picked a country, did some research, and planned a menu to represent that country. We also talked about how people celebrate Christmas there. I think we did Brazil that first year. Since then we've done Italy and Australia [I think that's it, but I may have forgotten one]. This year we did Argentina. That's where Jeremy went on his mission, and I was a little intimidated to try things he knew should taste a certain way. But I think we were pretty successful. The menu looked like this:

Appetizer: Empanadas
Main dish: Milanesas
Side dish: Ensalada Rusa
Dessert: Alfajores
Beverage: Ginger ale [cultural fail, I know, but oh well]

Here we are making our alfajores. They are basically cornstarch shortbread sandwich cookies spread with dulce de leche and rolled in coconut. Yum!

[I know I need practice taking food pictures. Not so pretty, but tasty.]

You can see in the background of one of the above pictures another of my favorite Christmas things. It's this:

My wall o' Christmas cards! Okay, I know it's January 27th, but the cards are still hanging. They keep me happy in the midst of wailing winds and blistering cold and post-Christmas doldrums. I have immense guilt for not reciprocating Christmas cards this year. SORRY!!! I hope my prolonged enjoyment of everyone's cards makes up for my neglect.

After Christmas my parents and brother came to visit. They were heading to Idaho to take Spencer to college and stopped here for about a week. It was the first time I'd seen Spencer since his mission, so it was good to have them here and spend some time. Extra bonus: my mom and I finished a 1000 piece puzzle in record time. We stayed up way too late a few times, but we got it done.

Every year I think about making gingerbread houses, and every year I don't quite get around to it. This year we did it. Not real gingerbread. I'm not that ambitious. Graham crackers did the trick, and I tried out boiling sugar for the glue. It was like magic. Those puppies weren't going anywhere. Cleaning up the aftermath was not one of my favorite things, but the process was still worth it. I doubt it will become a tradition, but I would do it again.

So there you have it. A few of my favorite Christmas things...and then I don't feel so bad!

Books read in 2012

For my own record, here we go again. Just solidifying my reputation as a bookworm. I believe my favorites this year were These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner, Vienna Prelude by Bodie and Brock Thoene, and Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax. I surprised myself that two of these are historical fiction. I never thought of myself as much of a history buff, but I guess if you cloak it in right story? It was also a privilege to read Little Sun, the first draft of the first novel written by my sister-in-law. She's currently looking for an agent, and I'm rooting for her. I also had a good experience last school year helping Marissa prepare for the battle of the books. She is very much not like me when it comes to books, so the only way I could get her to read what she needed to was to get up early every morning before school and take turns reading out loud. As a confirmed night-owl, this wasn't always my favorite thing, but very positive for both of us. Read on, now, if you care to. 

• The Book of Mormon
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
• These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
• No Apology by Mitt Romney
• All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• A Light in the Window (The Mitford Years #2) by Jan Karon
• With Child by Laurie R. King
• Partials by Dan Wells
• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
• The Final Warning (Maximum Ride #4) by Jamaes Patterson
• All But My Life by Gerda Weissman Klein
• Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride #3) by James Patterson
• Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders #2) by Brandon Mull
• School's Out--Forever (Maximum Ride #2) by James Patterson
• Little Sun by Ashley S.
• Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
• The Scorcerer of the North (Ranger's Apprentice #5) by John Flanagan
• Vienna Prelude (Zion Covenant #1) by Bodie and Brock Thoene
• The Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice #4) by John Flanagan
• The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice #3) by John Flanagan
• Strangely Normal by J Kevin Morris
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2) by John Flanagan
• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
• The White Mountains by John Christopher
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
• Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan
• Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
• Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax
• Villette by Charlotte Bronte

He might be on to something

Aiden asked the other day if I had to get fingerprinted in order to become a mom.

"To make sure you'll be okay? Like you have to if you work at the school?"

Well, no, but maybe that's not such a bad idea. I've been watching some friends going through the adoption process and am wowed by the extensive work they've done and the scrutiny they've undergone. What if every potential parent had to prove their capability? I'm quite convinced my home studies wouldn't turn out exactly stellar. Just give me a half a day warning. I'll have it spit spot in no time, right? Mmm, maybe not.

Then he wanted to know how "they" decide you get to be a mom. That, I think, is a conversation for another day. 

Delish

Morgan opened the freezer and spied a pair of really old, brown bananas I had stashed for future use.

"Ewww! Mom, there are rotten bananas!"

"I know," I replied.

"How do you know?"

"I put them there."

"Why?"

"So I could make muffins."

"Ohhhhh!" Clarity is a wonderful thing. "Rotten banana muffins."

'Cause, you know, that wouldn't be gross at all!

If a Christmas letter I did write...

...it would have looked a little something like this.

2012 by the numbers

 1. New pet added this year. Aiden so badly wanted a tortoise he was willing to do hours of research and save up lots of money to get one. Finally, we decided to give him one for his birthday, and Rico the tortoise joined our household. Aiden also loves and excels at pretty much all sports and is doing well in school and at the piano. Now if I could just get him to fix his hair in some way other than a comb-over! 

2. Years I have now taught the gospel doctrine Sunday school class. I can’t say it’s been easy for me, but it has been a huge learning opportunity and has stretched me by making me do something hard. I also continue to teach piano lessons, volunteer at the elementary school when I can, love my book club, and sort of keep the house clean and food in the fridge. 

3. Days spent at Bear Lake for the S family reunion. We made some great memories swimming at the beach, eating raspberry shakes, and playing with cousins. Bear Lake has definitely become one of our family’s favorite vacations.
 
4. Kids in school. Morgan started Kindergarten, Aiden is a 3rd grader, Marissa is a 6th grader, and Caleb is in 8th grade. It’s a new thing having a quiet house for a few hours every day, and while it’s very nice I still enjoy when everyone is home during the holidays.
 
5. Number of breakdowns we’ve had this year. The car has been in the shop multiple times and we’ve needed to repair/replace the dishwasher, oven, vacuum, water softener, computer, garage door... uh, oh, I’m way past five. Oh well, I guess you can see it’s been one of those years where we’re really looking forward to our next tax return.
 
6. Caleb’s height, in feet. I really look up to him, literally. Not bad for a 13-year-old! He grew nearly six inches this year. Good thing he likes basketball. He’s playing his second season on a Bantam basketball team this winter and loves it. He also continues to play the piano, serves as his Deacon Quorum president, stays involved in Boy Scouts, and enjoys his percussion and science classes at the middle school.
 
7. Months Jeremy (and the rest of us) has survived his calling as 1st counselor in the bishopric. It has required some adjustments, but he does a wonderful job working with people in the ward and balancing his time between work, church responsibilities, and family.
 
8. Basketball games played in Marissa’s season. In each of those she was her team’s top scorer (and sometimes only scorer). The best was when a parent on the opposing team asked if she is our daughter and then said, “Boy, she’s got game!” She also showed her creative side by entering a story into the Reflections contest and having a solo part in the 6th grade Christmas program.
 
9. Date in August on which Jeremy and I celebrated our 16th anniversary. It’s so funny how that would have seemed like such a looooong time when we first got married, but it has passed in a flash. We count our blessings to be together every day.
 
10. Years we will soon have lived in S. S. in our little “starter” home. While the house isn’t quite where we want to stay for much longer if we don’t have to, we still love the community and the people here. It’s a great place to call home.
 
11. Time in hours Morgan is NOT heard singing, and that’s just because she is sleeping. The rest of the time her music fills the house. She is becoming a good little reader, loves her dance class and has started showing a real interest in the piano. I may have to start lessons for her soon, if only so I can hear some songs other than Peter Pumpkin Eater and her own rendition of Joy to the World.
 
12. Hours spent driving to California for a stay at the B family cabin. The drive was totally worth the chance to spend time with my parents, take in the refreshing sights and sounds of nature, relax on the deck overlooking the lake, and catch a record number of fish.

And by the random assortment of pictures