I forgot (a lot)

Every month my family has a conference call so we can catch up with each other at once. It seems that every month, my mind leaks, and I can't remember the list of things I wanted to share. So here are some of the things about December that I forgot to share, in way more detail than anyone but I would care about.



*We had Christmas School for the four days before Christmas. Each day started with a song, a short game, and story. On Monday, we made reindeer (see photo below), as well as "reindeer chow" (Chex mix) which we shared with some of our neighbors. On Tuesday, we made snowflakes and little snowmen out of marshmallows and chocolate. Our service project fell through because the Christian Care Center was closed (!) until January, and I didn't have the energy to think of something else. On Wednesday we talked about gifts, because it was Joseph Smith's birthday. We got some of those packs of crackers, sausage, and mustard and took them over to our local police station and fire station, to say thanks for all they do for us. We also decorated little boxes, and the kids told me what they wanted to give to Jesus for Christmas during this next year. I wrote it down and we put it in the box, and will open them next year to see if they were able to do their goals. On Thursday we finished the boxes (there was glitter and glue involved--lots of drying time), and we made sugar cookies to eat and share with Santa. It was so much fun, and really easy, since I used only things we already had at home. I think we will do it again next year.



*On Friday (Christmas) I got hives. I seem to get them after periods of stress. This may or may not have to do with the crafts for Christmas School (paint, bits of snowflake paper, glitter, sprinkles for cookies...) which was a lot to clean up. (Just as I was about to clear all the glitter away one day, Gracie said, "This is the best day ever." I let them finish the project.)



*We have a family in our neighborhood who puts on an incredible light display. You tune your car radio to a station, and their lights are synchronized with the songs. We stopped by several times to watch the show.


*Tessa got to try solid food for the first time. You can see her reaction: (Well, I guess you can't. I deleted the picture by mistake, and can't get it in the right place now. So someday, I might put the picture of her crying with disgust, bewildered at why we would place such an awful thing as rice cereal in her mouth.)



*Ben and I went to see Mannheim Steamroller with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on the day after Christmas. It was SO good! And...we went babyless! This was our first major outing without my little monkey. Our neighbor and her friend babysat, and everyone was asleep and the house was still standing when we got home, which is my criteria for a successful night out. And bonus--they cleaned the playroom!



*Scott's question for the season: Why does the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" include the lyrics "There'll be scary ghost stories And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago"? What do scary ghost stories have to do with Christmas?



*Gracie got a little tent for Christmas, and has since moved in. The rule at first was that she could only sleep in it on non-school nights, but she sleeps so well there, and was so sad on the first night before preschool began again, that we let her stay. It's set up in her room, and I don't anticipate it coming down any time soon.



*I had my birthday, and for some reason, I was thinking I was turning 35. It was making me sad, because that sounds too close to 40 than I am ready for. Then I remembered that I was only turning 34. That was the best birthday present!



*In an effort to "keep it real" I'll tell about Christmas Eve. Ben read the kids the Christmas story out of Luke. They were playing around, not paying attention at all. I tried to get them quiet, and was attempting to get them to retell the story to me. Gracie was sitting right next to me, and would not stop talking to Emma. After a couple of warnings, I spanked her. On Christmas Eve. During the Nativity Story. I felt horrible, especially after she went off crying. I went and apologized to her, and we all got back together to finish the night. Presents have a way of brightening anyone's mood. I have high hopes for a merrier Christmas Eve next year.



Congratulations if you made it this far. (I probably should put all these in separate posts...) I think I've filled my quota of blog entries for a while. Like maybe a week. :)

The circle of life...

A few days ago, all the kids and I were on our way to a store when I saw about six large birds on the side of the road, in a dip near a little stream, just before a housing development. We weren't quite to them, so I told all of them to look out the windows so they could see them as we passed. I could tell they were pretty big and unusual --and we were all surprised when we saw that the birds looked like vultures! (We later looked them up in my bird book--they were officially Black Vultures.) They were gathered around, eating on something grey. I drove by as slowly as I could so we could get a good look, and then I turned the car around and drove by again, so those on the other side of the car could see them, too.

When we would drive by, the birds would flap their wings out and hop around a little, but whatever they were eating was more important to them than flying away.

After our second pass, we were talking about how neat it was to see them, and Gracie pipes up from the back seat--"Mom, and I saw a racoon sleeping in the middle of all the birds!"

We had a life cycle lesson there on the way to Walmart. Fortunately, everyone took it well.

I love where I live!