Katy's B-day Party

We let Katy have a slumber party this year.  I was always nervous about this since we don't have a finished basement to send the girls too.  I wanted Jared, the kids, and I to get some sleep.  Taking the lead of a few parents of Katy's friends, I set a 12:30 lights out rule.  It helped and a little after 1am they were all asleep.
The evening was filled with lots of pizza and junk food, nail painting, and girl movies.  I helped them make eye masks.  We had a nail polish/ carpet accident (even though I had laid plastic all over the carpet to prevent this exact scenario.  they somehow managed to get it on the carpet).  One little girl got sick and that ended up on my carpet also.  Needless to say, I spent a fair portion of the night on my hands and knees scrubbing the carpet.  But, overall the girls had a blast and it wasn't so bad. Katy wanted an icecream cake. I was tempted to be lazy and just buy one, but Linsday helped remind me how much cheaper it is to make and not very hard at all. In the end, I was a good mommy and made her cake.  Katy was great at including her siblings.  She originally asked that they sleep in their rooms, but when Jacob and Bella fell asleep during the movie she let Xandy stay down stairs with them.

The gang

The hat triplets: Lauren, Katy, and Jaydi

Katy and Jaydi

Delaney Reed and Katy

Jacob, Raechel, and Katy.  Poor Raechel is the one who ended up sick 

Grace and Katy

Sledding

Our Christmas snow stayed long enough to get some sledding in over the week break.  I will definately miss being able to just walk to the end of the street to sled.  Its perfect and there all always friends around to sled with.

New Year's Eve

We spent New Year's Eve at the Ryan's house.  The Westons, Pearsons, and Fousts were there also.  In honor of Grandpa, I provided noisemakers and fireworks for the kids to use at midnight.  Not sure all the parents appreciated the gesture but hey, I'm my grandfather's granddaughter and I thought it was a blast!  The Fousts brought Sparkling Cider for us all to ring in the New Year.  Although, we were having so much fun playing games we almost forgot to turn on the TV to see the ball drop.  (Lindsay- I stole some of your pictures again!  Thanks for always remembering to take photos since I always seem to forget)

The boys and Brynlee watching a movie.  Not sure where the girls were

Kenny Weston, Jared, and Joseph Pearson

Lindsay Weston, Lorren Ryan, Kaylene Foust, and Me

Earlier in the week we went to the Porter's for Pizza and Bunco.  The older girls got to play due to some cancellations.  It was fun to get to play and relax with friends and the kids were really enjoying the late nights.

On new Year's day we "camped" in the family room by the tree.  The kids LOVE it when we all sleep together.  Since church is now at 11:30 maybe we'll have more opportunities to campout this year.  The extra few hours to sleep and get ready help.

Zoo Lights

Over the Christmas break, I took the kids to Zoo Lights. This ended up being a fun night even though it had a rocky start.  Jared ended up missing it due to work but the kids and I had fun and were glad the rain stopped!
Only part of the zoo has open, but it was covered in lights and decorations.  There were 2 puppet shows in the Bug building.  Storytellers (who had to move from their fire pit due to the earlier rain), and crafts were enjoyed in the cafe.  The carolers took requests and the kids enjoyed picking songs for them to sing. 
(I am not a very good photographer and I have not figured out how to take pictures of lights at night so the quality is not very good!)

Xandy ended up getting picked to play the part of the dog in this story.  She was pretty excited at first but then reality set in and I think she was mortified she had to crawl around the "stage" barking. LOL!

Christmas Day

Our Christmas Card door

My pretend fire since Jared won't let us use the fireplace here

This was supposed to be a plate year, but being as we forgot about decorating them until after the kids were in bed, Santa had to fill the stockings hanging from the mantle instead.  Santa left those silly zhu zhu pets in their stockings.  Within the first few minutes of them being unwrapped two of them had run behind the refrigerator.  We had to use a broom to get them out.  Seriously!!!  They're so similar to real rodents it freaks me out!!!!!  Santa made up for it by bringing some items for our 72 hour kits in the stockings.

Jacob asked for "How to train your dragon thingys" for Christmas.  No specifics, he just kept repeating that phrase every time someone asked him.  Santa brought him a helmet and sword.  Although he was very excited, he kept waiting for the shield which unfortunately, was not under the tree.  Guess he needs to be more specific with his wish list next year

After unwrapping the sword, he immediately started swinging it at me.  I quickly reminded him that swords were for killing dragons not people.  Without skipping a beat he said, "okay mommy, you're a dragon, daddy's a dragon and the girls are dragons". 
The big present from Santa

Kid snuggies

Bella and Xandy were thrilled to get boots from Santa

Katy must have been a quick unwrapper cause I don't seem to have any pictures of her unwrapping presents. Santa brought her some new clothes.

Christmas Eve

Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner (On a side note: This year I went to Alexandra's class to talk about Ukrainian Christmas during their Holidays Around the World day.  It was interesting since so many of our Ukrainian traditions are centered around Christian beliefs. But, I didn't worry too much since there was a Hanukkah station I figured it all balanced out.  I probably murdered the pronunciation of the Ukrainian phrases I tried to teach them.  Jenny tried to help me but I think I was a lost cause.  I also told the legends behind Saint Nicholas and the 3 gold coins, and the widow and the spider.  The kids got to take home 3 chocolate coins and a homemade spider ornament)

 The annual acting out of the Nativity story:

Mary, Joseph and the Donkey

The Angel

 Our darling shepherdess

 Gathered at the stable

Later while watching the Joy to the World, Jacob expressed his extreme disappoint that we did not have a real donkey like in the movie.  After he finished huffing in unfair disbelief, he requested we get one for next year.  That request was quickly followed by a request for a real baby to play baby Jesus next year as well.  Jared told him he had a better chance of getting the donkey.  Bella and Xandy both wanted to play Mary.  When I offered the baptism dress to Xandy as an angel costume she happily relinquished the role of Mary to Bella.  She was very proud to be wearing the baptism dress and made an excellent angel!

Carriage Rides and Carols

My favorite neighborhood activity is the annual carriage and carols.  Everyone interested in participating pitches in $10 and we rent a horse and carriage.  The carriage has 4-5 benches so we can smash a lot of people on each ride.  The horses pull us through the neighborhood while we sing. 

My friend, Liz, spearheads the event so the boarding point is in our cul-de-sac.  There is a table set up with hot chocolate and cookies and a patio fire pit.  This year Liz even got a group of choir students from either the college or the HS (don't remember which) to stand in the cul-de-sac and sing to us. 

Last year, we had some issues with remembering words to songs so this year Rita and her family made song sheets for everyone.  The kids and I have a blast!  Jared tolerates the activity for our sakes.  I think Bella went 3 times this year.  She couldn't get enough. The first time we all rode as a family.  When we got off the carriage and walked to the hot chocolate table, Jacob was already missing.  As we looked around trying to find him before he got trampled by a horse I found this scene

I should've realized if Murphy was out, that's where Jacob would be.  Jacob LOVES Murphy! 

More December Activities

The girls and I made 27 dozen cookies in a 48 hour period this December.  That's what happens when you keep telling people "Sure I can bring a few dozen cookies" to this and that.  When I sat down and added up how many dozen I had committed to bake for events, I was floored.  Add into that what I needed for the neighborhood cookie exchange, and the platter I always send to work with Jared, and there you go...27 dozen.  It was a lot of fun though.  I got some good bonding time in with the girls. We even recruited Dad and Jacob to help with some of the decorating.

We were gone for Thanksgiving, and Jon and Elise were leaving for Christmas and New Year's so we had a Holiday meal with them mid- December.  We went to their house this year.  Elise made a wonderful beef brisket with a blue cheese sauce, and homemade rolls.  I made a my favorite cranberry, orange, candied pecan and feta salad with poppy seed dressing. I also made an orange cake my friends had coerced me into trying a few days earlier.  Its is so moist and yummy its evil.  Elise and I must've been on the same wavelength that day, cause we were dressed the same. Katy and Paul are missing from the picture.

Goshen (Xandy and Bella's school) went caroling at a nursing home nearby. I thought it was a worthwhile cause so I took the kids (even the reluctant ones). I was so glad we had gone when I saw how happy the elderly people there were to have the little children singing to them. Jacob though one "grandpa" (to use his words) was hilarious cause he kept laughing and cheering during the songs. Katy was a good sport for helping them sing even though it wasn't her school. (The nice thing about the way this city divides the school district up is that everything is so close to you. The school and 90% of the kids attending it are within 2 miles of us and the nursing home was half a mile away)

Christmas Eve we got a nice surprise.  It started snowing and snowed just enough to give us a white Christmas.  The kids and I went sledding on Monday after Dad had to go back to work.  We sled down the rentention basin behind our cul-de-sac.  Its convenient to not have to drive somewhere.