Christmas Day

SO MUCH FUN!!! I love Christmas day, now even more than I did when I was little. I love the excitement and the pure joy when one of our kids gets the perfect gift. Spencer and Benjamin have figured out that they can get just about anything they ask for. They just have to ask the right people. Santa will give you one big ticket item, as will Mom and Dad. After those two requests are made the rest is up to chance and luck. Spencer asked for an MP3 player from Santa and a Turtle from Mom & Dad. Benjamin's only request was a double-bladed light saber so the rest was up to us. Andrew really didn't know what to ask for until the day before we made our trip to see Santa. He was coveting the neighbors Indiana Jones Whip so that sealed it for him. Desirae is still too young, of course. However with some strong suggestions from Benjamin she finally asked for a "Big Hoppy Bunny". Why? I don't know. We eventually got her to drop the bunny thing and get excited about a doll house. The day was great. We spent a good 3 or so hours opening and playing. Then we had brunch and played some more. Gary likes to hold off on a few gifts until later in the day and this year was no exception. He held on to the marble run, a couple family games and some treats. It's always fun to open more presents when you start to get a little bored with all the new stuff. It was a nice long day and we all just lazed around. We even had a few of the kids friends stop over to play for a bit. All in all a fantastic time to spend together doing a whole lot of nothing. Perfect.

Christmas Eve

We had a truly great time this year. The Dana family invited us over for dinner and a nativity put on by the kids. It was so fun and we all really enjoyed it. We are so blessed to have this fantastic family to hang out with. Spencer and Jarron met at school last year. They were both new to the school and town and they were lucky enough to meet on the first day of school. Michelle made homemade egg rolls, stir-fry veggies, wassail, hot chocolate and lots of yummy desserts. I brought sweet and sour chicken, fried rice, and egg drop soup. It was fun to break away form the traditional Christmas dinner. We visited and the kids played then we dressed up and put on the nativity. Logan was Joseph and Desi is the only girl between both families so she was Mary. Jarron, Hayden, and Andrew were shepherds. Christian, Spencer, and Benjamin were wise men. After the nativity we visited and played a bit more then tore ourselves away from the peace of having the kids totally entertained by others and came home to finish out our own family traditions.

Every year the kids get to open a new pair of jammies and choose one gift from one of their siblings to open. I think it really does help ease a bit of the excited tension for the kids to get to go to bed with a new toy in hand. After we got everyone to bed we finally finished cleaning up and getting ready for the big day. I'm still always so excited on Christmas Eve. I was exhausted but still had a hard time falling asleep in anticipation for tomorrow's fun.

The Reasoning of a Child...

I'm sorry, I hope no one is offended, but I just couldn't resist. If you have a son you will understand. Little boys (many big boys too) have a bit on an obsession with their wienies. Okay, a little background...Andrew is potty trained but he still wears a diaper to bed. When he gets up in the morning I remind him to go take his diaper off and get his unders on. He usually takes the easy way out and just takes the diaper off and skips the unders part. Today was no different. Well, after my umpteenth request for him to do it himself I finally took him upstairs to get him dressed. I took his pants off and this is how the conversation went...Andrew, "Ahhh my wienie! Why do I have a wienie?" "That's how Heavenly Father made you." "Why don't girls have wienies?" "Because that's how Heavenly Father made them." "Heavenly Father ran out?" "What?" "It's okay girls don't have wienies 'cuz Heavenly Father ran out."

I did my best not to laugh out loud. I love the simple reasoning of children. I love how their little minds work and how you can almost see the wheels turning. I love Andrew and the fun and laughter he brings to our home.

Ward Christmas Party

This year for our ward party they wanted to get back to basics. I think it was just right. They planned a visit from Santa, ham and potatoes dinner, music by the high school choral group, and the nativity. The kids started by sitting on the stage and singing "Here Comes Santa Clause" and "You Better Watch Out". Santa came and everyone got a chance to sit on his lap, make their request and get a goodie bag. Then dinner was served. The gym was cram-packed. There were as many tables as possible lined wall-to-wall. I wish I could say the food was great but I had a migraine so I spent the dinner time in the mothers lounge trying to get some Tylenol to kick in. Luckily it started to wain by the time dinner was over. Lucky for that because I was in charge of the nativity the there was only about 15 minutes to get all the kids dressed and pulled together. The Nativity was great. It lasted about 15 minutes total. The young women sang the songs like a "Choir of Angels" throughout the program. We had a couple narrators and the kids that participated were so reverent. It began with Samuel (Gary) and his prophesy of Christ's birth. Gary was such a good sport. I had arranged for another man to portray Samuel but he called and cancelled the night before. Gary was reluctantly willing to fill-in. He did a great job and really set the tone and spirit for the entire thing. Next came Mary (Hallie S.) and Joseph (Spencer). Spencer did not want her to hold onto his arm as they entered but he eventually conformed and even offered her to sit before him. The angels were some of the 8-9 year old girls in their pretty white baptism dresses. (Rylie W., McKayla W., Chelsea D., Mariah F., Madison D.) Then came the shepherds, Benjamin, Trevor S., and Gavin S. Finally the angel (Alison W.) leading the wise men (Peter S., Joel H., and Ryan B.) concluded the production.I had the narrators contrast what was going on in both hemispheres and then talk a little about how it effects us now. The night concluded with some words for Bishop Bently and the entire room singing "Silent Night". It was perfect. I have really started feeling a part of our ward. I enjoy the opportunities I get to serve and just socialize with the other members. Benjamin waiting for Santa

Gingerbread Houses

On the 9th we had a Christmas party with our homeschool group. It was titled "Winterland of Gingerbread." Each of the families brought a house or houses to make a little village. I figued each of the kids would want their own so I made a double batch of gingerbread but it only made enough for 1 house. I didn't want Desirae and Andrew to feel left out either so off to the store I went. For only $7.00, candy and frosting included, why not save the fight. Benjamin chose the homemade elf house, Spencer chose a pre-made one and the younger two kids shared one. Desi and Andrew were just interested in eating so it worked out just fine. We all had a great time making them. Benjamin and Spencer did most of the work themselves. I just manned the frosting bag. They told me where to put it and I just followed their requests. Gary has a great job with a very flixible schedule (it helps to be the boss) and he was able to come home for a long lunch to watch Desi and Andrew while I took Spencer and Benjamin to the party. They were so excited to go. They played bingo, made cards for soldiers, made up skits to Christmas songs, read a couple gingerbread stories and each of the kids got to tell about their house and what they liked best about making it. We had a great time and it was nice to get out with just the two older kids and let them do something that focused on them. It also forced me to make gingerbread houses. I'm not sure I would have gotten around to it otherwise. All in all a great success.

Homeschool?!?!?!?!

Many of you know that we started homeschooling the first of December. Gary and I had such a hard time coming to this decision. I have felt like doing it for years but never really made it a serious consideration, until now. First of all, our new house is in a different school's boundaries than the one we went to last year. However, the new school is twice as far from our house as the old one. Huh??? We seriously considered having the boys go to the old school but they really wanted to ride the bus to school. I have always been an anti-busite. I didn't like riding the bus when I was in school. There is the whole "cool kids" thing and the language, and especially the fact that they are on the bus for 45 minutes each way. That's an hour and a half bus trip for what takes me 20 minutes to drive. Well, we finally caved and let them take the bus. That only lasted a month before Spencer came home with some foul rhymes. So Gary started driving them to school every morning and I picked them up. It only took a few days for the boys to realize this was a much better arrangement. They could relax more in the morning and they got home a good 30 minutes before their friends. They could get their chores or other stuff done before anyone else got home. It was definitely an inconvenience but it was best for our kids.
Okay, so your thinking, "That is not a reason for home school." Here is the rest of our reasoning...Spencer would come home from school so grumpy. He was tired and he would complain that he was bored and not learning anything. But then, the bells really went off when I was talking to Benji's teacher. I would go and help her every Wednesday morning. The kids would go to computers or dance while I was there and we would talk a bit. She said that Benjamin and a few others in the class were ready to read but she couldn't go there yet because the rest of the class wasn't ready. I guess that's what did it for me. I'm not saying my kids are geniuses or anything but I think they should be challenged and given the opportunity to learn something new each day. So Gary and I listed the pros and cons and started investigating different programs. We talked to a number of families that home school and got their input. We asked their kids about what they do and don't like about being homeschooled and asked the Mom's about what was good and bad about it. We finally came to the decision to use the K12 program. It is a public school you teach at home. All of the curriculum is provided to you, along with any incidentals that are required for the course. We are assigned a teacher that helps answer any questions and keep us on schedule. Both boys were really excited when we presented the idea to them. They were so anxious to start and they loved the idea of being done with school by 2:00 everyday. So far, a month into it we are still working out the kinks. We have good and bad days. There has definitely been an adjustment and all of us are still learning how to work with each other. Right now it takes up all of my time. It is getting better. We are slowly figuring out the courses and how to best complete them. The boys still like it, Benjamin more than Spencer. We will finish out the year and then give each of them the choice next year. I think Benjamin will stick with it, but I think Spencer will want more social interaction. It is quite an adventure right now. One that is terribly inconvenient, but worth it in the long run. Wish us luck.

Basketball

Spencer loves basketball. I think it is just in his blood. Gary loves it too, and it is easy to say that Spencer has just been brain washed by his Father's love of the game, but that's not it. Spencer has an innate understanding and an inner drive for it. If you ask him what he is going to be when he grows up he'll tell you he will play for the NBA and then be an astronaut. (in that order) He often asks in casual conversation, "What team do you think will draft me?" We always reply, "The one with the first pick that year." Spencer has a small but strong and solid build. That can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. He is able to dribble really well because he is closer to the ground. He is super quick and being shorter than the others he was able to get at least 6 steals a game this season. He is a great shooter too but has to work really hard to get the ball over all the longer arms. He loved playing basketball. He especially liked meeting and befriending the kids on his team. He is a great team player. He was the first one there to help them up any time someone fell. He gave five every time a shot was made. He would always want to take the ball down the court and he seemed a little lost when he didn't. He likes to be in control and he was always yelling orders and reminding this teammates where they should be and what they should be doing. He also liked having Principal Leyba be his coach. Now that the season is over and there is snow on the ground he isn't practicing as much but his love is still there. Just like his Dad, Spencer gets all worked up over every Jazz game. He has even discovered that you can see the current time and scores on line. He'll just sit and watch the score boards for league and keep us all updated on who's winning who. We love his spirit and love of all things sports. He is so competitive and that can make me a little crazy at times but it is a great attribute to have as you get older. Hopefully we will be able to help him make it a useful skill. Anyway, basketball is a great sport that we all enjoy watching ans playing so bring it on... Spencer is the shortest kid on his team but it doesn't slow him down at all.Not a great picture but I love Spencer's "form" as he dribbles around the other player.