O Christmas Tree

Bob went out to get our tree the weekend before we left on vacation... good thing too, because the mountains got snowed under and so the good places were no longer available by the time we returned. Still, it was kind of funny to think we had a tree before Thanksgiving....

We left it outside while we traveled and put it up December 4th.

My favorite part....

Bob is the pickiest tree hunter I know of (probably less so than some others, but he's picky enough that when he finds the tree we all agree). The last two years it's only be Bob to get the tree because he goes with a friend and his Dad in a truck.... I do admit that I miss taking the kids out with us with at least a little dusting of snow - traditions are are to change... but it's nice to know that we get our tree before it's not possible to cut your own anymore due to too much snow.

Anyway... Bob got a tree and then "fixed" the tree..... this is actually a family trait being passed down - as I understand it, Bob's grandfather would "fix" the tree every year. By "fix" I mean that he takes of branches in one place and drills holes and reaffixes the branches in other places. I've seen him drill a hole before and probably even seen him "fix" a tree before. But it's not common. So this year, having heard the story of his ancestor, I got quite the chuckle out of this procedure!


The kids were able to decorate - I was actually the lifter for the few this year. It's always been Bob... so there are actually a few pictures of me... not that I'm posting them... after all, I have a lot of catching up to do... so just a few pictures for you all.


The kids always have fun - and I love the age where the baby can enjoy the wonder of it all. Jacob would sit for long periods of time playing with the tree branches and lights. It made for some wonderful calming moments (we were dealing with some allergy issues... I'll address those in a different post).

Our Thanksgiving Adventures

So I mentioned a trip... well, my father got married over Thanksgiving break; so our whole family went out to visit. With my family being spread out, but all back that general direction, we took the whole week and visited both my Dad's family and my Mom's family. This meant a lot to me as we'd not been back since the move and I was really missing my own family. It was especially good to be able to have the whole family go, instead of just me and Jacob - which is what we had been planning for later on.


The kids were great for both flights - the way out was amazing! The way back required some reminders, but they were great! Even Jacob did really well. We flew out, rented a van for the first night to complete the first leg of the trip. After the wedding we rented another van to get us from one family to the next. We had help from friends and family with the remaining travel needs. I did not take many pictures of the actual traveling - I should have taken
pictures of the kids and their excitement at watching the airplanes come in. But I do have a few of the kids completely zonked out in the middle of the night in the van. That as interesting.....

I was just getting sick on the way out... and it, of course, hit hardest while out on our trip. Not only that, but I had not driven that particular route in a long time. So I gathered directions from my mother and tried to follow them... but there was one snag - the exit we took was one too high and we ended up on the road an extra hour...whoops!


The kids had a lot of fun outside at my Dad's. They also enjoyed watching a few movies. Since they had recently learned about Popeye (from the cartoon) I thought it would be fun to watch the actual movie! It was funny and they seemed to enjoy it. We also watched a few others with Robin William's in them that same day. The kids also discovered that they love the game LIFE.... where you get L -I -F-E cards...



It was really neat to go to the DC Temple - I'd never actually been insides it. It was huge! I only wish we'd had time to go through for a session - but time constraints being what they were (and a nursing baby waiting on the outside) prohibited such an adventure this time around. However, we're now toying around with the idea of going through each Temple in the US before our mission - but that will be many years away!



I loved being at the sealing. I loved listening to what the sealer had to say and the reminder of what convenants we made when we were married. What a great opportunity to mentally renew! And it was so good to be in the Temple with my dear husband again - it's been a long times...
nearly a year due to pregnancy and new baby!




We had a Thanksgiving meal at my Dad's the night before the wedding. And then we had another one at my Mom's on Thanksgiving day. It was nice to be with family for both those mini celebrations - normally we just stay home and do our own thing.


Gabi and Beth were each able to help Grami Cretia make pumpkin pies. They had a lot of fun doing it, and while taking turns, they also colored and cut out place markers for everyone. This was all done while waiting for my sister and her two little girls to arrive!

Her little ones are really very cute - and since our family rotates names for presents at Christmas time, we had them this year. The little ones opened their gift before they left so my kids could see them. They loved it.. especially the flower clips! (Even Braeden, my nephew, wanted one for his own hair, until he actually was wearing it and decided it wasn't all that exciting after all).


My brother and his family and my other sister and her boyfriend also came - but that was on Thanksgiving day. It was nearly, but not quite, complete as there was one sister who was unable to make it out... so almost all my family in one trip!


The girls were tickled to have nails painted - a combination of Tia, Grami and Mommy working on their nails and even doing a little nail art. Kind of fun to do - although it takes an amazingly steady hand and someone who is really good at doing tiny little figures on tiny little nails! It was a special thing that the girls don't get to do very often.



Before we left my mom's house, we got a few pictures of her with my kids - okay... with my kids and Braeden. I suppose if we'd been on top of things we would have done those pictures the day my sister and her kids were there so my mother would have had a copy of a picture of all "her" grandchildren (not including her's by marriage). Oh well... it was still nice. In addition to that, we also got a picture of my and my mother together - it will eventually go on my wall. (I so have to get organized there).

We spent one day with my grandparents (thanks, of course, to Uncle Bill and Aunt Carolyn). They live right beside my grandparents - so we spent the night with them, spent the day with grandparents - my cousins coming over to play and watch movies and eat dinner too. I stayed up way too late talk with Aunt Carolyn - but it had been so long and we were waiting for Uncle to return from work (which we all were disappointed that he had had to do that).


The time there was much to short... much to short every where - and yet we were grateful to return home! Because regardless of where you live and where your family is, your home is the place where there is routine... and it was good to return to that routine. And though the kids were very happy to be able to see Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen again, they were also missing Grami Cretia - I love the bonds that connect our children to their grandparents.

I have felt much more at peace and much more calm about being here again. It's so good to know that visiting is an option - that it is possible. Maybe not as often as we might like or even for as long, but it was good to know it is indeed possible. Sometimes I feel I leave things behind never to be able to return to them. This was a healing trip for me. A huge blessing. One I will always treasure (even though I was sick).

Thanksgiving Feast

Every year the kids at school have a little thanksgiving feast. Grades K-2 are the Natives, while the 3rd grade are the Pilgrams. Gabi, being in 3rd grade, was having her last feast - and that meant she was able to help prepare the meal.


Peter and I went down and helped out. I taught several students how to peel potatoes - Peter quickly became the finished potato dropper - meaning he took them when they were peeled and put them in the pot. Jacob sat happily watching the other kids put together a pumpkin cake and then promptly went to sleep.


This was the day before we were to leaving... the meal was prepared, and then the day we left, the feast was held. The kids lucked out and we actually didn't leave until right after the feast.

Autumn / Halloween Enjoyment

I'm behind... but thought you might still enjoy seeing a bit of our holiday fun!

The kids had a field trip out to the Pumpkin Patch. This was Gabi's last year for this field trip and she's already asked me to take her out next year anyway. They had fun and I was able to take Peter and Jacob along too. The kids got to go on the wagon ride, check out the old tractors, see the animals, listen to Halloween stories, get a snack, race through the hay maze, and get a pumpkin. Since Peter was not part of the school group, he did not get a pumpkin there - but he had a nice one grown right in the garden.

The next week was Trunker Treat - and seeing that Halloween was on Sunday and we weren't going to go Trick or Treating this year, we decided it was worth the crowd to go. The kids were so excited!


Normally I make costumes for the kids - although last year I did buy a couple of them. This year, well, I've been swamped with other projects in addition to having the new baby, so I opted for easy. Thanks to a couple of friends, my four older kids were outfitted in costumes they just loved! I made a couple of adjustments to Gabi's angel wings and made a crown of ribbon for Beth's princess costume. Jeremy required nothing - Stitch came complete! And Peter, the Pirate, just needed something warm underneath. And Jacob was able to be Little Mr. Roo - you know, Roo of the Winnie-the-Pooh crowd - which I did make.... just not this year. It was the costume I'd made for Jeremy when he was a baby five years ago! The costume was a little big - as you can see with the hood!



They had a great time doing the "cake walk" and winning cupcakes. And, of course, going around and around and around trick or treating from car trunk to car trunk. Bob and I also dressed up - I have a picture, somewhere, of Bob as the "ever prepared Boy Scout" but once again, there is not picture of me... I was a pioneer woman.


The next night was the annual "Have Dad Carve My Pumpkin Face" night. The kids get there pumpkins out, sit down beside them with paper and pencil and draw the face they really want. Then Bob goes from kid to kid and cuts out their design (sometime talking them through alternations such as ultra thin hair that just won't work). Anyway, this is what they came up with this year!

Music

After dinner at grandma and grandpa's, Peter comes home and pleasantly begins singing "Keep the commandments".....

And now he's rapping it.

Soccer Season

Soccer season is over.... and I never blogged about it! Life with a new baby (and four other children) has certainly kept us busy. I'm sure I have better (more active) pictures - but I wanted to get this up soon... so there's just one of each kid.

Interestingly enough, though we had two teams to deal with, all three kids were the same colors - and they went in number 2,3,4. I kept thinking I would get a picture of them all together, but that just never happened.

Due to Jacob getting his first two big colds during the season, I was only able to see a few of the games. And I took the camera to even fewer - one active preschooler and one little baby didn't leave much space for hands on a camera.

Bob coached Beth and Jeremy this year - he's thinking about coaching their team again next year and adding Gabi's team to his plate. We'd work together if that happens... but we'll see. He really enjoys coaching and the kids (and parents) all really seem to enjoy his methods.


Gabi bumped up to the next level this year - and she really picked up her game too! She's always enjoyed the sport, but she's not always been completely aware and good with positioning... that changed this year. She was very good at that. She even found that she (most of the time) really enjoys being goalie too - I think she must have played goalie for at least half the season.


Jeremy was just so excited to be playing on a team this year! Like his picture? Note he's not in a traditional soccer stance... but rather a FOOTBALL one....shhhhh, don't say anything.... he likes soccer enough and I'm not ready to think about concussions and tackling.... but if he decides (some day) to go that direction, well, I guess it's just in him. (He has no idea that this position looks anything like Football). He was a speedy little guy - and learned how to get to the ball and get it out of there.


Beth was less of a dancer on the field this year. She was much more interested in the ball - that is, getting to it to get it out of there, not just to get to it with the others. I think, having played last year and having had a year's growth, that she understands better the "game" of soccer and not just the "joy" of soccer. She was still happy to out there and happy to play. - The picture of her is not active... because (with the little thumb nails) I couldn't guarantee I'd be uploading one of her otherwise.... but I do like to take pictures of them not just on the field.


As for Peter... well, he had a hard time being on the side lines - he can't wait until it's his turn. But for all that, he did really well. We learned to take snacks for him, and his workbook, and to let him have space to run and be silly. He was a huge help in running water bottles to our kids when I'd end up carrying them to the field instead of kids. And he LOVED to make me nervous by running down the stairs to the parking lot and then stopping very suddenly right at the bottom before running out! I'd always end up yelling for him to stop - and he'd always turn around laughing with that huge grin of his.

Jacob was great... most of the time he slept in the sling. Then he learned to sleep with friends holding him. He was completely okay with that since he just loves to interact - and he was able to sleep any where. The picture I choose of him was actually on my lap - his stomach muscles are really strong, he's pulling himself up towards me..... now if he'd only realize he had that much strength while on his tummy, maybe he'd learn to be happy there and to roll from place to place... then again, maybe I like him just enjoying people and not being so mobile yet!