Programs....

The entire 2nd grade put on a Christmas performance. Or, rather, a Holiday performance, which is currently the politically correct terminology. Either way, it was fabulous. I'm still in awe at the music teacher for being able to convince 100 or so 8 year olds that it is cool to sing in public. All of them used hand motions and their best singing voices. I was impressed. There were speaking parts and even a little boy Elvis swinging his hips on his own stage. What a fun program to see.

Weighty games.....

When Shawn and I were first married, I liked to play this game with him. I'd pick a random woman out of a crowd and say "Is my butt as big as hers?" Or, "Am I as big as her?" Sometimes, "Am I the same size as her, or am I bigger?". As we all know, this was a lose-lose situation for the innocent man I married. Shawn always answered honestly, thinking I was asking a question I actually wanted answered. Sometimes this got him in a lot of hot water. After 2 1/2 years of answering incorrectly, he got fed up and started answering his own way. "Oh, no, your butt is WAY bigger than hers." Or, "Two of her could fit in one pair of your pants." Mind you, I was choosing rather large women, so it was obviously sarcasm at play. (I think). I tired of his sarcasm and quit playing the game. I couldn't train him to answer the way I wanted him too, so I gave up. I'm sure he was elated. However, this past few months he's started a game of his own. It happened while we were watching the "Real World" together.
Shawn: Do you think that girl is big or small?
Me: Kind of big. I think the other one has a cuter figure.
Shawn: Well, you are shaped like that one girl, but you have smaller proportions.
I brushed this off and called it casual conversation. But, this happened a few more times during a variety of television shows. It all became clear to me this morning as we were lying in bed watching the Today show. A lady was on talking about holiday pet safety.
Shawn: Do you think that lady is big or small?
Me: She is small. She is a cute size.
Shawn: You guys have the same shape and size. Only your chest is bigger.
Me: I'm not her size. Right. What do you want?
Shawn: For you to know that you are her size. That's all.
I've come to the conclusion that it is possible to actually train men to say what we want to hear, and to say it at a time when it comes across as sincere. It just takes close to 13 years, and a lot of patience. Shawn's game will now have to come to end I'm afraid. Even though it's an innocent-husband-trying-to-tell-his-wife-she's-hot game, it is now faulty. I've caught on. Now whenever we watch TV I'll somehow turn it into the game I played years ago where I'm asking the questions and every answer he gives will somehow be wrong. The circle has begun again. Maybe in 26 years he'll be able to once again win at this game. Too bad my winning streak lasts longer than his. I'd really prefer him to win.

Winter Wonderland at it's finest.......

We have been covered in ice for the past 2 days. It is such a beautiful sight I wish I could put it into words. It truly is a winter wonderland. I snapped a few pictures by leaning out of my back door, but didn't want to bundle up to snap the beauty up close. For the close up I just stole a shot from Heidi's blog---without her knowledge. (Is this where Jackson's honesty issues come into play?)


(for close-ups just click on the picture to enlarge. It's unbelievable how an inch of ice can freeze over everything.)

Early presents...

Shawn's parents came out for Ethan's baptism, as mentioned earlier. Because they are never actually around to see the thoughtful presents they send for Christmas, we decided it would be okay to open them early. The kids were thrilled and Grandma & Grandpa got to see the excitement caused by the money they spent. Everyone is happy.

We sure enjoyed your visit. You are welcome in our home anytime. Drive home safe, despite the icy conditions.

Christmas Time.....

I finally convinced Shawn to pull the tree down from high up in the garage so we could cover it in lights and decorations. This was going to be the year I made beautiful bows (directions courtesy of Abby) and did away with all the school-homemade-cheap ornaments. I wanted a glorious tree that defined the beauty of Christmas. After the tree was up, and the lights were wrapped around the branches, the kids found the plastic tub containing all the ornaments I was to do away with. Before I could stop them, the lid was off and conversation was taking place that caused me to change my mind entirely.

Ethan: "I remember when I made this angel! I think I was only 3."

Kennedy:"Oh, remember when we made these for the primary activity? I love this one!"

Jackson: "Ethan look how little you used to be in this picture! You look like Landon!"

Kennedy:"This one is my MOST favorite out of all the ornaments! Don't worry mom, I won't hide it in my room this year like I did last year. Remember how you looked all over for it because you thought it was lost and I really just hid it under my dresser?"

How could I deny my children the satisfaction of hanging these treasures for the world to see? (really just people that come to our house). I admit that I too got caught up in the memories. Turns out I do have a tree that defines the beauty of Christmas.

(Ethan chose a chair to load ornaments on high branches, Jackson chose the unconventional method of his car)

(You can't hear the sound on this video even if you turn off the music. Kennedy was just talking too quietly to be picked up by my camera mic.)

Ethan's Special Day....

Yesterday Ethan was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. At 8 years old Ethan is able to decipher right from wrong, and is now old enough to be responsible for his actions. Funny because he just told me yesterday he's known right from wrong for at least a year. He likes to let me know he's well above average for his age. It was a special day for him. Shawn's parents made the 1200 mile trek to be here for him. We're all glad they were able to come for a visit. Before the baptism we thought it would be a great idea to get a family picture since we were all dressed up at the same time and in the same place. It was a great idea----in theory. Because Shawn is usually the photographer it makes it pretty tricky for him to be in the shot. He likes to organize us all, then hand the camera off. Once we are ready to go someone else takes the picture. Landon wanted his pacifier, pencil, sippy cup, and coat to join us in the photo. Jackson was cold and refused to pull his arms out of his sleeves. Lovely. That's my family.

After Ethan and Shawn got changed into their white attire we took another photo to document the occasion. I've seen a lot of baptism pictures that resemble this one. Only this time it was all about Ethan.Shawn performed the baptism, and then he and Ethan went into the dressing room to change back into their dry clothes. Ethan was cold from being wet and made the comment to Shawn, "I'm sooo cold on the outside, but I feel really warm on the inside." Priceless. This morning Ethan came out of his room all ready for church. This is pretty typical of him. The atypical thing about this particular morning was his attire. He refuses to wear a tie due to the choking factor. Shirt tucking in is also forbidden due to lack of comfort. This morning both things occurred. He mentioned something about how now that he's 8 he's got to start looking the part. Shawn grabbed a camera to record such a handsome little man. That's what I realize he's becoming. A little man.

Let it Snow...

This afternoon we were blessed with blankets of snow to cover our landscape. It was coming down pretty hard around 3 o'clock when my children arrived off the bus. I figured it was too cold and windy to venture out to play. We spent time in the basement doing usual winter activities. Around 5 I made my way upstairs to start dinner. Before I began cooking I looked out our sliding glass door onto the deck and it looked so serene. Snow was a few inches in depth and the winds were calm. I decided even though the sky was nearly dark, outside is where we needed to be. I quickly blended up some puffed oven pancakes (AKA: hoot-a-nannies, or German Pancakes) and started gathering winter apparel. Dressing 4 kids to play in the snow is no small feat. That's 8 mittens, 8 boots, 4 snowsuits, 4 hats, 4 coats, 3 trips to the bathroom, and various velcro straps, buttons, and zippers. That doesn't include my own winter attire. After everyone was bundled (including myself), and the oven was pre-heated, I popped in the pancakes and set the timer so we could play while dinner was baking.

This was Landon's first real experience with snow, so I was guessing 5 minutes would be how long he would last. Wrong. He loved the white powder. He ate a lot of it, and even plopped down to make a snow angel. At one point I caught him next to the porch on his hands and knees using his body like a steam shovel.

We ran around throwing snow at each other for quite awhile before Ethan figured out a method to actually make a snowball. Snow in the Midwest isn't packing snow like snow out west. It's very powdery. It's hard to make it stick to itself. Ethan found a way and we all started using his method before pelting each other.

The neighbors were out with their shovels, so Jack grabbed one and headed off to work. It didn't seem to phase him that he was the lucky recipient of Kennedy's hand-me-down snow clothes. Pink suit, pink hat, and mittens to match. Lovely.

Shawn pulled in a few minutes after the fun began and helped Jack clear the driveway. With a push broom they finished the job in record time.

Kennedy with a devilish smile holding a snow-weapon.

Ethan being a good sport after being pelted with said weapon.

I ran inside after 30 minutes to turn off the oven, but then headed back out for more adventure. The kids were having such a good time. Landon decided to take off his gloves at some point to play. Shortly thereafter his left boot got stuck in a snow drift and was also removed. At this point calling it a night was an obvious decision. Removal of 7 snow boots, 6 mittens, 4 soggy coats, 4 soaked snowsuits, 4 hats, and 8 wet socks. Into the kitchen to eat warm breakfast-for-dinner covered in syrup. Sounds easy enough, right? At this point in the evening Kennedy was in hysterical tears because Landon ruined her snow-cake covered in raisins that she worked so hard to build, and Landon somehow managed to get a bloody lip. Jackson disappeared and I found him under his bed eating an entire box of candy canes he managed to pilfer from the candy cupboard high above the stove. Ethan doesn't like these kind of pancakes and was foraging in the fridge. Shawn's pager went off and he escaped the chaos. Even though my evening ended differently than the warm-dinner-hot-chocolate-reminiscing-of-our-fun-spontaneous-snow-expedition-adventure that I had envisioned, I'm still glad we were able to experience the wonder of it together as a family.