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