Category: Family Time

Christmas details

The greeting

cards have all been sent,

The Christmas rush is through…

(Are you singing that Carpenters song yet?)

We’ve spent the past few days finishing up Christmas details.

We even made some goodies for the neighbors, despite my plans to skip it.

When you hear the call to bake, you’ve got to bake; homemade toffee is always a good idea.

I entered the world of cellophane wrapping and I’m never going back. It’s the lovely detail I’ve been missing.

Each year we make a list of things we want to do to celebrate Christmas. Here’s an excerpt from our list:

Go caroling

View Christmas lights

Watch It’s A Wonderful Life

Decorate small gingerbread houses

Finish reading The Book of Mormon by Dec 31st.

Watch Scrooge with Alastair Sim, hiding from scary parts.

Make the Annual Christmas Video; record piano performances & dances.

Watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Kings Singers concert (especially Oh Holy Night)

eggnog

eggnog

chocolate

 

A few snapshots of an unforgettable evening

 


Surrounded by friends, we watched Paige’s dance studio perform The Nutcracker this weekend. I decided that it’s better to watch her when I’m not looking through a camera, so I don’t have many photos, and I have no photos of three of her numbers. I lived the experience instead of trying to preserve it and share it, because ballet is very emotional and best enjoyed live.

 

 

We loved the snowflakes.

Paige closed the first act with this pose and snow falling all around her. The show could have ended there because it was so beautiful.

Richard and Daniel were on the technical crew this year. Daniel manned the spotlight and Richard filmed the performance.

Sarah and Bryan were able to come. It’s nice to have family to cheer you on.

Making up for lost opportunities

In 2010, we went on FOUR vacations. This year we have had ONE vacation.

Timothy’s last Wolf requirement was to visit someplace historical or important in the community. I couldn’t believe it. Since he turned 8, we haven’t taken part in ONE of a series of ubiquitous opportunities in every child’s life to visit a police or fire station, town hall, or historical site.

So at the end of 2011, we’re trying to make up for it. Here are some photos of our trip to Golf -n- Stuff.

Daniel was on a winter camp out with the Scouts and Paige decided she’d rather stay home and do chemistry and math homework.

Sigh. Childhood ends too soon.

Who is more excited, Richard or Mark?

Watch out for my son. I’ve decided to rename him Butch because he’s so tough.

A water fight in 40 degree temperatures?

Oh, why not?!

We like to take our guests here

We try to take our guests to the Sonoran Desert Museum when they visit us. It’s gorgeous weather right now, so our outing with Joe was really a lot of fun.

On the drive to the museum, we travel on a rollicky up and down road through a saguaro forest. We raise our arms high in the van and feel our stomachs drop as we dip and turn.

Mark really gets into it.

At the museum, we learn about animals and plants. This was an American Kestrel we saw along the path. A docent patiently explained the life history and habits to each group that passed.

Buddy

The desert museum has an ice cream shop along the trail. Since it was lunch time, we decided to call our ice cream cones “lunch” because that’s what you do when cousins come to town.

Dear world, this is my family who loves me even when my hair looks like this.

Timothy the ham.

Cousins

Cave explorers

Joe and 3 of his kids

Excavation team

What is Richard so anxious about? A charging javelina? A desert tortoise in the path? You never know what you might encounter in the desert.

It was a good day and we were so glad to have family visit us.

Quotes from Mark

Mark’s friend: Here’s a candy apple for you!

Mark: Is it poisonous?

10-24-11

 

“Mom, just so you know, you’re carrying a 40-pound boy on your back.”

10-25-11

 

To Dad with messy hair at the breakfast table: “Wow, and I thought MY hair was funky. You look like a rock star!”

11-1-11

 

“I love you, Mom. I don’t think you even understand how much I love you.”

Baking with the kids

Daniel decided to take a photo of our cookie baking adventures last week. The kids cut out maple leaves, pumpkins, acorns, and ghost shapes.

The kids really enjoy decorating with royal icing. They came up with some beautiful designs.

The end.

Daniel’s birthday party

I thought we were going to have an easy birthday party for Daniel. We planned to meet his friends at the pizza restaurant up the street and we would stuff ourselves, sing, and go home. We had to change plans when the restaurant told us that “buffet night” is not the best time to try to get seating for a party at their restaurant. In normal towns with more than one boy-friendly restaurant, you could just go somewhere else. It is not so easy in Sahuarita.

We decided to do takeout and hold the party on the back patio. I spent the afternoon on the ladder, hanging lights and festive things. This is what I really enjoy doing, though, so I didn’t feel too sorry for myself.

There was no time to make up creative party games, so we pulled out Twister. It was a hit.

B. always seemed to get trapped.

We ate dinner under the lanterns. Richard is rolling his eyes that I didn’t adjust the settings on the camera before taking this. This is why people hire photographers when they are trying to host a party.

Who needs fancy party games when you can jump on the trampoline?

It’s not recommended that you let 5 boys jump on the trampoline in the dark all at once, but when they’re holding glow sticks, it’s pretty spectacular to watch. We let them do this for about 2 minutes.

Red velvet cake and cheesecake. Yum!