January Tea Time

For Elsie's birthday this year she wanted to celebrate it with cousins.  I asked my mom a month or so in advance if she wouldn't mind holding a little tea party for Elsie and her cousins for her birthday.  My mom, ever so nonchalantly, agreed.  As the day grew closer for the tea party, my mom kept mentioning little things over the phone like, "Oh hey, I just found these frozen macrons and picked them up," and "I ordered some cute hats for the party," as well as, "I just put a little cake in the freezer for the big day."  I slowly gathered this wasn't going to be a little tea party.  I told my mom I'd bring a bouquet of "garden" flowers down.  Elsie has a cousin whose birthday is about 10 days before her own, so we decided to make it a party for two.
I had stayed up way too late a couple nights sewing some aprons for Elsie and her cousin, Eden.  I'm not much of a seamstress, so it took longer than it should have, but they turned out really cute.  I had let Elsie pick out the material for her apron, and being the animal lover she is, she found one with deer on it.  It was nothing close to what I would have picked out for her, but it ended up turning out and really reflected her personality.
The tea party was drawing nearer, and Mike and I and the family drove down the night before and stayed at his brother's home.  From there we picked up another of Elsie's cousins and headed down to Nonny and Poppy's.  While we were headed down, we found out Eden had just come down with strep throat.  It was a devastating blow.  She took the party favors from Nonny's house and headed home, missing her own birthday party.  I think that is about the saddest thing for a little girl.
When we arrived, the spread was beautiful!  We all ate on beautiful china tea cups and enjoyed our choice of teas and hot chocolate, crustless sandwiches, pudding, cake, cookies, and mints (all of which were miniature bite-sized).  The girl's all donned on their cute hats from Nonny (complete with flowers and ribbons), and set their dolls they had brought in a miniature seat next to them.  We sat around the table and talked about general points of interest and said things like, "Thank you, but I shall have no tea," when we were full.  It was so fun, and Elsie was so impressed.  Afterwards she confided in me with a big smile, that she had no idea Nonny would give her such a fancy tea party. 
Elsie got some really thoughful presents also.  She is really into American Girl books and the mini-dolls.  My mom gave her a new mini-doll and Eden had given her a mini-doll as well that had been given to her.  I was so impressed by my sweet niece's dear heart.  Elsie loved them both.  Aunt Michelle gave her a miniature tea set that came with a set of paints (which we had so much fun with!), and I gave the aprons.  It was such a hit.
 Later, for our family birthday, Mike and I made a couch and two beds for her doll house and American Girl dolls, and her other grandma took her shopping and bought her a kitchen set for her doll house as well.  Elsie was really spoiled by both of her grandmas.  Each of them really went out of their way to make her feel grown-up and special.  Thanks again Nonny!
I can't find any pictures, so sorry!

The Living Christ

Several months before Christmas I was inspired by this talk given in a woman's conference.  During the talk, Sister Marriott expressed her desire to memorize The Living Christ by Christmas.  I have had a 12 week program to memorize The Living Christ on my computer desktop for several years, waiting for the right time to try to memorize it with my children.  It's always seemed like such an insurmountable goal to do with my children.  However, this time, this year, the timing was right, and I took a leap of faith as I started with Day 1, "As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ....".  Day 1 lead to Day 2 and so forth, until after many days and lots of prayers, my two oldest and I memorized the document.  Through the process, all of our testimonies were strengthened as we  reflected on Jesus Christ, "the firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world."  This was our gift to our Savior this Christmas, because ultimately, He is The Gift.

History Fair

About a month ago Peter and Elsie participated in a history fair.  Elsie is currently in an American Girls club and they were just finishing up Kaya, a Nez Perce Indian in the 1760s.  I was amazed at how much Elsie learned about the Nez Perce.  Since I read the books out-loud, my other children learned lots as well.  In the club, she made a parflech, an abalone necklace, corn-husk dolls, an herbal medicinal spray. and a weaving project. 
I mentioned to the kids I thought it would be fun to create dioramas of something they were learning about.  Elsie immediately thought of the Nez Perce Indians.  She built a teepee, a horse out of clay along with a travois, a fire, salmon, baskets, and every detail she could think of.  She even had me hard-at-work making these little toothpick worry dolls I remembered making when I was a young girl.  It's a group effort keeping-up with this girl sometimes!

 Peter did his history project on Hideyoshi, the Japanese leader previous to all the shew-guns.  He was really intrigued by the ships the Japanese had and the ships the Koreans had when Japan attacked Korea.  He built models of those.  Originally, he had big plans to build little stick people hanging out of the boats and drowning in the water, but the logistics were much easier said than done, and he simplified his design.  He learned a lot not only about Japan's history, but also about good engineering.

 This was everyone's first history fair.  I think we all learned a lot.  I have a better idea of what a presentation could look like, and know better how to help my children as well.  The kids learned about planning, presenting, researching, and creating.

Kimball's Birthday

Kimball turned 5 at the end of October.  I thought I would include some photos here and write a little update on the new five-year-old in the house.  Kimball wanted a Lego Birthday Party this year.  He was ready to say "good-bye" to his once precious Duplos and be on even ground with his older siblings with Legos:  building, creating, trading, and playing.  He invited a few friends over and they were master builders as they hammered away on old crayons to make their own Lego crayons.  They played some Lego games, including "pin-the-head on the Lego guy", and ate cake and ice cream.  I just love all the grins in the picture below.

 Kimball's smile melts my heart - his whole face lights up.  I love this picture because his eyes tell you how big his smile is without even seeing his lips. 

 The picture below is a finished product from a combined group effort.

I have a funny story about Kimball's birthday.  I always forget to order things early when I shop online.  Hence, Kimball's presents were days late in coming.  We had one present for him (which his dad bought) to open on his birthday, and Grandma and Grandpa came through (Thank you!!) and brought over a present on his birthday as well.  He was very happy and excited about his presents.  The next day was his party, but the packages still hadn't arrived at the post office.  They also included all the birthday party favors and such.  I had no plan B.  Lucky for me, but very unlucky for Kimball, he was throwing up the day of his party.  I called all the moms and rescheduled the party for several days later.  It turned out to be perfect.  Everyone was happy and healthy and everyone (including mom and dad) was able to give him a present at his party. 
I thought I would make a list of some of my favorite things I love about Kimball:
~ His smile
~ His hugs
~ His laugh
~ The love he has for his siblings
~ His energy (when it's not overwhelming me. :))
~ He is quick to forgive
~ He can find happiness in less than ideal circumstances
I am so lucky to be a mom to this spirited boy.  He has taught me and continues to teach me so much.  Here is to a great year Kimball!

Giving Thanks

Wow, the holiday seasons are here, and life definitely does pick-up, as if things weren't fast-paced enough already.  However, I've been pondering the value of gratitude this month, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. 
It all began when I listened to President Uchtdorf's talk about gratitude, which you can find here.  He talks about being grateful regardless of the quantity of our blessings, but rather, to find gratitude in our circumstances.  He declared, "Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues."  Ahhh.  My heart needs to grow in gratitude as I ponder the beautiful plan of salvation Christ has made available to all.  That alone should be enough to fill my heart with deep gratitude.  Christ has broken the bonds of death and I can choose to return to live with him some day.  What a gift He has given me, and each of His children.  
I was also talking to a friend about Job.  She pointed out that after he had suffered so much, he knelt down and praised the Lord, and then said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return … : the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.^"
This tied right into President Uchtdorf's talk, about finding gratitude in every circumstance we find ourselves.  I thought of the need to strip myself of any sense of entitlement, and praise God throughout any trial.  Thank goodness for Job, because no matter how hard that seems, I know it can be done.
I have also been learning more about the pilgrims with my kids.  Up until this year,  I've heard the story of the pilgrims and it's sounded so trite and cliche to me.  This year, however, I've internalized their bravery and courage so they could teach their children in their religious and cultural preferance.  This was more important than any indulgence and even more important than their lives.  Many of this brave group of 50 did end up giving their lives to this cause, but they also made American history - laying the foundation for what this great nation would be built upon.  I am grateful for them, and I am grateful for the sacrifices of so many others who have given me freedoms and instilled in me character and virtue.  Most of all, I am thankful for my Savior who made it possible for me to repent and return to live again with him some day. 
Indeed, I am grateful in my circumstance, and working on being even more so.  I have been so abundantly blessed that I know it is easier for me to be grateful than others.  I also know there will be days when it will be harder for me to be grateful than it is right now, because that is life.  I hope I always remember the words of President Uchtdorf, of the example of Job, and other brave heroes who have proved to be grateful in their circumstances.

Adam David Meets Uncle Dave

This is a bad, fuzzy picture, but it was a fun weekend.  Mike's brother came to visit us and Adam got to meet his namesake.  We got together with family and .......pressed cider!  It was fun to be with everyone.

Cider, Doughnuts, and Neighbors!

My hubby grew up in a home on a couple acres of land filled with fruit trees.  He has many happy and mischievous memories of apple/pear picking with his six brothers and two sisters.  One of his favorite memories was pressing cider from their apple trees.  To continue this tradition, last year he found out a way to make one's own cider in any old backyard.  It involves a clean garbage disposal and an apple press. 
This Monday we invited some neighbors over and they all helped in the process and took home their own cider.  We munched on homemade doughnuts to keep us going.  It was the perfect festivity to welcome in the lovely fall.  I have the greatest neighbors ever! 

Here is Peter taking a load down to those hard at work.

Another lovely helping with doughnuts.

My lovely neighbor holding Adam while I flipped doughnuts.

Everyone working hard on the cider....

while the kids played and ate doughnuts.