The 12 Days of Christmas

Every year Alan and I fill 12 nesting boxes with family activities the kids get to take turns opening every night until Christmas Eve.  It is usually a fun activity and the kids really look forward to it.  This  year has been somewhat difficult because we officially have a teenager in the house that is not only unimpressed with just about everything we do but equally busy with his own life.  You are supposed to raise your children to be independent and self sufficient but it makes us old parents feel so good when they gush a little bit about the things you do for them.
So far the boxes have been pretty basic.  We read Christmas stories and drank hot chocolate.  Only Daniel and Sarah and I got to do this one because Alan and Jacob were busy with their stuff.  We had a fun time curled up on the couch reading from our collection of Christmas stories.  We only get these  books out at Christmas time and I always find the kids huddled by them throughout the Christmas Season reading through them all and reliving their younger years.  Even the big one still likes them!
We always make a new ornament for our tree but it didn't go over very big this year.  They really weren't interested because the paint wasn't good enough.  Funny thing, we left it on the school table and they keep coming back to their ornaments each day to work on them.  I guess they really did like the activity.

We took the neighbors gifts and yesterday went to Temple Square to see the lights.  Alan and I thought it would be fun to take the high speed train down and it was fun.  The kids thought using the bathroom on the train was the funnest part!  What is it about bathrooms and kids?  They always want to see the bathrooms.  The trip was mostly fun.  In between cries of "I'm tired", and "I'm hungry".  Riding the train is always fun and when we got there and saw how packed it was, we were glad we didn't drive and have to try and find a parking space.

 

We all got a kick out of standing between cars on the TRAX trolleys because the circle moved when we turned corners.  It was a fun ride.  When we got off the train riding the TRAX system was included with our train tickets within the Temple Square district.  So it made getting around really easy.  From suburbia to the urban jungle! 

 

Daniel was playing with some of the big toys at the Children's Museum.  They have some pretty fun things to manipulate there. 

We walked around the Gateway outdoor mall area and took the kids to the planetarium.  There was a group of people standing on one corner giving out free hugs for Christmas.  People were kind of ignoring them so Alan hugged one of them.  It was a good effort to try and spread some love for the holidays.  Don't you love how thrilled they look?  My headband is really doing nothing for me either.  It is 20 years old, perhaps I should retire it now.  The planetarium is playing Tron on the IMAX in 3D.  The kids wanted to see it so bad!  Maybe another day.  

 

We headed off to temple square after the mall and walked around after getting a yummy treat at the Cafe inside the Joseph Smith Memorial building.  The kids wanted to get pictures with Joseph and Hyrum.  

 Walking around.....

Walking around some more.  

The reason for our trip.  It was beautiful!  We were sitting outside in a courtyard waiting for the lights to come on and then wow, they all came on at once.  It was magical.  And there are millions of them.  It was amazing!

We took a break in the tabernacle before heading home.  The kids were done with pictures by this time and the thrill of the trip had worn off.  We stopped to see the guy playing bagpipes before loading ourselves on the train to come home.  There should always be a guy playing bagpipes at any community event.  It just makes the trip worth it!

 

Going home.  

I suppose this will be one of those things the kids talk about later and remember as being fun.  Alan and I had fun anyway! 

Technology doesn't make our lives easier!

I completely skipped November and I have no pictures to post for anything that may have happened last month.  I am officially a full time teacher and it just takes up any speck of spare time I may have had before I began this home schooling adventure.  It has been entirely worth it to have Daniel learning at home and getting a much better education than the public schools could ever offer.  They are just too overcrowded and too committed to politics rather than teaching children. 
Alan and I got a new video camera and are excited to be able to use it.  We have learned that with new technology comes new ways to manipulate it and more time needed to further edit and crop to turn every memory into a Hollywood production.  I have fallen so far behind on my blog scrapbook I don't know when I will come up with the time to finish last years let alone this years book.  Oh well, what I do accomplish is wonderful and fun to look at.  I figure when I am in my 70's and my grandchildren are getting married, I will finally get around to finishing all of the scrapbooks I have planned.  Perhaps by then, I will be able to simply plug into my brain and it will all happen instantly. 
Daniel just asked me what booty is.  He is reading "The Swiss Family Robinson" for literature.  He has a bad habit of asking me what things are without qualifying the source.  It makes for a startled mom wondering what on earth he has learned now.
The annual Christmas letter is hanging over my head and I can't think of anything interesting to say.  In our day of instant messaging and all access, what could I possibly say that everyone doesn't already know?  I'll think of something. 

Jacob was recently inducted formally into the Junior National Honor Society.  He is doing so well in school.  We are so proud of him.  He has also joined a wrestling club at school to learn all about wrestling.  I don't know if he is going to stay with it but he seems to be enjoying himself currently.  He reports each week that he got his butt kicked less tonight than last time so he feels he is improving rapidly.  He really wants to participate in a match but we are trying to convince him to get a little bit better before embarking on that challenge. 

 

Daniel has been doing very well in school.  This week there was a school wide gingerbread house contest so he decided to enter.  We planned out his design, created a template, made dough and proceeded to create.  It was great fun to make!

 

Daniel got a little bit tired of standing there holding the walls so they would dry.  It is the hardest part of the gingerbread house project.  

We made a castle.  It is filled with little minions celebrating and creepy little soldiers guarding their party.  Sarah was very helpful putting all the candy on too and their efforts were rewarded at the competition.  Daniel placed in the Peppermint category and was thrilled to have won a  new hot chocolate mug.  Sarah was denied a mug because she wasn't there to accept the award and so we got her one too.  It was a fun event and we now have a gingerbread castle adorning our table for Christmas!

Sarah was in her school's Christmas play and played the part of "Glitzy the Snowflake".  It was a parody of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and she did a wonderful job singing her part with the other snowflakes.  It was so much fun to see her perform and she really loved participating in the play. 

It was required to get ice cream following the play but by this time, Sarah was pretty tired and done with all of the adoration.  I love my little snowflake!
Thanksgiving was wonderful this year.  We had Nick and Andrea and Kent and Bekka and their families up for the day.  The food turned out better than I could have imagined.  I made a maple butter with marjoram roasted turkey stuffed with stuffing created from home baked bread and my own homemade stock.  I was able to create a meal without opening one can or using any pre-made foods from the grocery store.  It was very satisfying and I look forward to creating an equally yummy Christmas dinner.