paper craft

Behold my foray into craftiness this holiday season.

I enjoyed creating the gift, rather than purchasing it

and I like the idea of a theme-specific journal

but after 5 of them, I was glad I didn't have more to do

Crafting does not come to me naturally

thank you Kristine Mckay Designs

snow

What is it about the snow that brings out the kid in all of us?

Okay, so pretty much anything brings out the kid in Joe

Whenever I watch it softly falling and accumulating on the grass

Or awake to a world blanketed in white

I feel a familiar excitement rush the color to my cheeks and I start a silent countdown ‘til the hour that I will be able to get outside to play in it.

Maybe this giddiness is a product of nostalgia-

the childhood memories of sledding birthday parties on that dirt road behind our house that was the perfect private hill (until they gated it off).

snow fights with the neighbors, building snow forts and snowmen,

making snow angels

"I'm going to go with . . . myself." She tried it alone and was instantly hooked. 

Maybe it is a product of the season-

white Christmases and the joy of celebrating our Savior’s birth

the warmth we feel inside constrasting so sharply

with the cold that is outside.

the coziness of hot chocolate and firesides

the temporary and fleeting nature of what will soon melt away

Or is it the romance of frost-glistened trees and deep drifted snow out the windows of a cross-country train? The beauty of endless forests draped in white and the pureness that newfallen snow lends to an otherwise drab but dearly beloved Russian city? Could it be true love’s first kiss? first date? first blush of eternity all wrapped up in the cold white blanket that is snow.

Maybe it is just magic that falls down with the snowflakes, whispering for us to live with less worry, enjoy each moment, and notice the beauty around us.

I love watching my children feel the magic. I get giddy with them and from my observations this year, I don’t think I’m the only one.

ornament

I read a column the other day about how ornaments can have special meaning to individuals.

I wonder what meaning this one has for him?

"I remember you from last year"

My first Christmas 2008

happy

Her first (pre)school program:

sandwiched in between two other kids,

sooooo excited to be performing

Up up up and away in Santa’s magic sleigh!

Up up up and away, it’s a happy holiday!

and

jingle bells, jingle bells

(which we sing around the house so much that her brother is picking it up nicely - he adds another intelligible word every day.)

It was short and sweet

and oh so worth her daddy driving back from work to surprise us both.

She was so happy he came.

As was I.

pockets

When he put on these new jeans he exclaimed

Pockets!

and proceeded to saunter around the house

with one hand in his pocket

(and the other hand holding a dvd)

I think he likes pockets because of what they may hold.

witness one of our recent conversations

“gummies, mom.” he asked (stated)

“I don’t have any gummies.” was my honest reply

never easily deterred, he tried again

“gummies. you pocket. silly.” with that crooked grin that is so endearing

the one that made me wish

there were indeed gummies in my pocket

right alongside everything else he may ever want.

the tree

We may have read Merry Christmas Geraldine too many times.

Because when it came to picking a tree, she immediately ran to

THE TALLEST tree on the lot and declared “this is our tree!”

It was literally as tall as our house.

Luckily she continued to make the same statement about several other, more reasonable, picks and so after they had their fill of running with wild abandon up and down rows and rows of trees,

we finally had the perfect tree.

the decorations went up, the lights were strung and “christmastime” has officially begun.

tradition

A tradition I remember well from my own childhood is the art of homemade ornaments.

And so in the spirit of continuing that one, I was looking for something simple to make

with my sweet young children.

What I ended up with was simple for mom and dad,

challenging but attention-keeping for Laila

and just lots of tiny pieces to throw around for Max.

But with patience, love,

one brief “I love crafts” sarcastic moment

and more patience

the Westover snowmen were born

(and so far only Max’s has had to be reborn)

directions at familyfun.com

Santa

this year Santa was (and still is!) a hit

there was no hesitating or crying

only quiet excitement and, what appeared to be, comfortable camaraderie.

in fact, Max returned several times

(while Laila was getting her face painted)

just to peer up at the jolly old elf.

He seemed unable to decide which was more fascinating- the man in the beard

or the fun choo choo train.

And coming in at an extremely close second were Santa’s lucky reindeer.

Max would go right up to the fence with

a friendly “hi reindeer” and the animal would immediately turn away, looking for some escape,

only to find Max had followed him around the fence corner with another bright “hi reindeer.”

We’ve fielded many a santa-related question like

Where does Santa keep his sleigh?

Where does Santa live?

Does Santa want me to say sorry?

Do his reindeer make toys?

Are you Santa, daddy?

and enjoyed frequent role-plays where she is

Santa bringing me gifts in festive gift bags.

Or when Max runs around the house

with a home-fashioned trumpet through which he shouts “HO HO HO”

Yes. I think Santa is now a friend.

Babushka

You never know what you might find at library storytime.

Of all the Christmas books she shared, this wasn’t one of them.

She only mentioned Babushka as one of Russia’s gift givers.

My curiosity was piqued.

I spent a good two years living in the heart of that great country,

associating with her good people and I did not remember

ever hearing of this Christmas figure.

Nor in all my academic studies had I run across her.

So when I found the book on the shelf I couldn’t wait

to take it home and discover something new.

What I found was a beautiful, tender message that

touches my heart each time I read it to my daughter.

(Once at naptime, once at bedtime. daily)

And while the story and the lovely illustrations may be new to me,

the message is truth that I have known;

remembering it in such a sweet tale was a wonderful

welcome to the Spirit of the Season.

A unanimous pick for our 2009 Christmas book.

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Matthew 25:40

festive toes

In the spirit of creating a festive moment each day

(and while waiting for lunch to cook)

we decided to decorate ourselves.

I was surprised to realize we had never before

painted her nails and gratified at her delight.

She couldn’t stop talking about a woman she’d seen

who grew red nails and not gray ones.

“Maybe she painted them, like we’re doing now,” I suggested.

“No, mom. She grew them,” was her firm reply.

Nor was she content with merely being the paintee.

So after I finished Max’s toes

(of course we HAD to include him.

Oh the amusement of watching him curl in his little piggies

and say “tickles” with nearly every brushstroke)

she tried her hand at mine.

And I must say I was impressed with her first effort.

My artistry being only slightly more precise than hers.

bounty

I harvested some broccoli today from my garden.

After rain, after freezing temps, after snow,

I was surprised to find so much perfect for the picking

we steamed it up for dinner, licking our lips for more

thankfully we haven’t yet pulled up the garden

and so partook again of nature’s bounty

Family Home Evening

I'm still not sure what building a cup castle had to do with the theme of reverence that we were attempting to teach.

Especially as Max couldn't resist "bamming" it down just as soon as we got any height to it. I mean he LITERALLY couldn't resist. I'd catch that gleam in his eye and I'd know, so I'd warn him "don't . . ." but before I was finished speaking his little arms had just gone crazy knocking cups everywhere. And we'd pick them up and start again.

Our family time lasted longer this way, though, and  once he'd gotten it out of his system and gained some self-control we had quite a castle. Just in time for Laila to catch the fun of destruction and together they bammed with abandon.

(I was sad we never got to use every single cup, though ;-()

G is for Grandparents

for whom we are very thankful. We love you all so much!

Grandma & Grandpa Westover

Grandma Beth

Grandpa Tom

Halloween

We ended up as an eclectic group for our halloween attire. Laila chose witch over fairy princess and she wanted me to be a witch with her. Dad scored with the "magic man" wizard and Max chose a "horsey" that turned out to be a giraffe. But he didn't mind.

The Pre-Party

seemed to last several days as the hype at preschool came home in the form of "do we go trick-or-treating tonight?" and "is today Halloween?" There was dress-up for preschool and then dress-up for Grandma & Grandpa Westover's ward Halloween bash; complete with a chili contest, donuts, balloons and a costume parade. But my favorite was the try-on-everyone-else's-costume-hour prior to the big event.

(we each took a turn in the mask)

The Main Event

the two were die-hards. After filling their bags halfway at the trunk-or-treat we continued around the neighborhood, which traditionally must not get many revelers, judging by the handfuls of goodies being doled out at each stop. They caught on to "thank-you" more readily than "trick-or-treat," but who could resist those big liquid brown eyes and that grin as he politely requested "more" or "a lot"?

The After-Party

thankfully there is a trick to pixie sticks or we would have been there all night, waiting for that "only one tonight" treat to be finished. But that did change it to "only two tonight," leading to the double fisting of suckers at which I could not stop laughing.

And finally after a happy and sticky storytime we said goodbye to Halloween for this year and tucked them into bed. With the promise of more sugar to be consumed one treat at a time, one day at a time. And so the after-party continues . . .

Love is . . .

Hide and Seek at 6:30 a.m.

Pick'n Punkins

All the little (BIG) pumpkins standing in a row,

picked from Grandpa's garden, waiting to be chose

but first they must be counted 1 . . 2 . . 3 . .to seventeen

no, wait! I got excited, back up 2 more, that makes fifteen

now Max has found the one he wants, and Laila's got hers too.

no, wait! she found another; mom it's special just for you

3 little jack-0-lanterns sitting in a row

happy to have faces with witch to watch the trick-or-treat show!

(thanks for your help, daddy ;-)

Bugged

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: this post was meant to be humorous and sarcastic. Please read accordingly)

I had forgotten the abundance of fire bugs/box elder bugs that adorned the entrance of this house when we acquired it one year ago. I was undoubtedly occupied with more important matters at the time (ie cleaning, painting, re-carpeting, selling our old home and moving) and only noticed them in passing.

Their season returned abruptly. On the way out to run errands, the door was clean. Upon my return it was spotted with their little black &  red bodies, poised to come in with me and make themselves right at home. Somehow they manage to be everywhere: the threshold, those "anything but that" split entry stairs, windowsills, the kitchen counter, the bowl I just pulled out of the cupboard, the bathroom!? I even caught one taunting me from atop the refrigerator. What was it doing up there?

There is something inherently wrong with these bugs too -- they don't fly away. They CAN fly, they just prefer to let you flick them out of your way before making any effort at using those wings. (and sometimes they don’t even try that) Maybe they don't understand about humans. Normal bugs see us coming and immediately run away, frantically scurrying to find some sort of shelter. Normal flying bugs don't even give you a chance to zero in on them before zooming or buzzing or flittering off. Not box elder bugs; they just DAWDLE.

However, before I could get too frustrated by their ever-present nuisance, I noticed that their numbers and their temperaments were a perfect combination to keep the children entertained and occupied for hours at a time. The frequent "buggy" spottings were allowing me to get the dinner ready, or the laundry going, or the floor vacuumed without any interruptions. (okay, okay and novel reading too)

So I will not make war on the fire bugs this year either. This house has grown into our home and I suppose we can share it for a few short weeks each Autumn. But I've seen what happens to those lucky enough to be my kids' playmates. And unless they evolve into normal, human-fearing bugs, they probably won't be coming back next year.

a child's perspective

This was the scene after today’s baking expedition.

Which was surprisingly successful considering

my two young and curious helpers. Who taught me

two important lessons.

First that assigning them each their own bowl prevents

wrangling and any inadvertent spills

that may be caused by such behavior

However, I must then be doubly vigilant

for any errant extras that are sometimes thrown in

while my back is turned

(luckily this time it was only a little extra flour

-- later tossed out with his enthusiastic stirring)

As soon as the zucchini bread was safely in the oven,

I hurried them off to naps, ignoring the mess for the moment.

It was then that I received the more important lesson

when she told me with certainty, “the cleaning fairy will come

while we are sleeping and wipe it up the rest of the way.”

Cleaning Fairy!

I never knew she existed.

But now that I do I will most heartily believe,

for how wonderful and magical she must be!

So I sit here blogging away, continuing to ignore

our baking mess (not to mention the other messes around my house.

who says she only does kitchens?)

I better run and take a nap, though, since we all know

these fairies never show themselves when we’re awake

and I’ll need it cleaned up before dinnertime.