Ian Turns 5!

Ian was excited for his birthday and decided that he wanted an Angry Bird Star Wars theme.  Well, Rovio hasn't quite gotten it out in the party stores yet. 

He settled for an straight up Angry Bird theme.  We hunted images on Google and he kept picking these cakes that I didn't think I could do and the one I thought I could do he refused.  I decided to see what I could figure out.  I read a few blogs and some how-to sites (I love that I can Google just about anything and find out the answers to my questions!) and set out on this grand cake making adventure.

I started about a week early so if it failed I might have time to figure out a Plan B. 

Luckily, it really started coming together.  I made my first forays into modeling chocolate and marshmallow fondant.

I was really pleased and the boys started plotting about which birds and pigs they were going to get.

It got the Birthday Boy seal of approval

Another requirement in our family for a birthday party is the pinata.  Chris makes them and over the years has learned a few lessons about how to make them breakable but not too breakable and how to get the wire to stay in the top and how to make the tissue fringe so perfect.

We played games.

Sang Happy Birthday.

He blew out all his candles.

And had a great time with friends.

(Eating the King Pig was pretty exciting too, apparently!)

We always do the pinata last.

And then gifts.

Ian is super happy with everything he gets and they all just jumped in to help him open and play with all his new toys.

And when it was all over and the cake and guests were gone, there was still some rice krispy treats to unwrap!

Happy Birthday to our most magnificent middle child who has grown and developed so much this year, emotionally, academically, and socially.  It has been a great year and we are looking forward to many more and adventures that Ian will bring us!

I Hate Potty Training!

Of all the things involved with being a parent, I hate potty training the most.  

The MOST!!

I hoped that Sage would be easier and quicker than the boys.  In some ways she was. In other ways it was more difficult.  Situations change and demands on my time are different with the third than they were with the first (or even the second). 

There were a few indications that she might be ready and I had this one week where Chris was home from work and could help entertain the boys.  Just because it was the week between Christmas and New Year's didn't mean we shouldn't do it.  Right?  

Well, the week had it's ups and downs and there were definitely times when we wondered if we were wasting our vacation week.  (Especially Chris, since his presence was in higher demand than mine as bathroom companion.)

 There were even some lighthearted moments.  Like when I caught Sage experimenting alternate ways to use her "pantsies."

 She was happy with her reward of a couple of Skittles and really happy to get her Angry Bird Tattoos. (This pictures is from the first day.  By day three or four....let's just say her successes were lining up!)

We tried for a couple of weeks and then...well, she decided that it was too much trouble to interrupt her life to use the bathroom when nature called.  And for all her easygoing, compliant and happy nature, there is no forcing this issue.  She will be ready when she is ready. 

And I sincerely hope that when she is ready it will be quick since we have already done all the work!

Bet You Didn't Eat McDonald's for Christmas Dinner

Well, we didn't either but it wasn't for lack of trying!!

 I was kind of desperate for that week before Christmas to end and not just because I was so ready for Christmas-because I wasn't! Ready, that is.  It was a rough mix of not enough sleep, sinus infection and lots to do (as previously mentioned and recorded).  I really wanted snow days to start our vacation time early just so I wouldn't have to drive Noah to school in the morning.  It really seemed if I could just drop that one duty my whole load would lighten!  I don't know how that would be true since it was the easiest and quickest part of my morning that week, but so it seemed at the time.

But never fear, I found my Christmas spirit over the weekend and in good time for the end of our Christmas count down paper chain.

Christmas Eve we cleaned and got ready for any nocturnal wanderings that might occur.  We had an early dinner and then read and acted out the story of Jesus' birth.  Sage made a sweet Mary, Ian was convincing as Joseph and a wise man, while Noah was a faithful shepherd and weary wise man too.

We found a new tradition for our time here in Milwaukee: Candy Cane Lane.  Nearby, over a several square block area the homes are lavishly decorated with lights, lawn ornaments, and music.  And lavish does not mean tasteful...more like...really bright!  The line of cars was long and slow up and down the streets that we merrily walked, enjoying the various displays of Christmas spirit.

  (And not so merrily.  Noah told us repeatedly "This is not very interesting.  This is boring!")  Then it was off to enjoy some hot chocolate with peppermint marshmallows. HmmMmmm!

We got the kiddies off to bed and watched a movie to be sure that they were really asleep before doing the elfish deeds of the evening: a little more wrapping and stocking stuffing!

We put our morning plan into action when the boys woke up at 5:20 and wanted to dig right in to the presents under the tree.

Wait until 7:00. (We decided that was as early as we were willing to wake up Sage and that yes, she was old enough to feel left out if we started without her.)

When they came back at 6 something we enforced our plan.

Wait until 7:00.

Finally, it was 7:00 and we woke up Sage and headed down to find our gifts under the tree.

Christmas (and birthdays to a slightly lesser extent) is actually kind of stressful for me all leading up to the actual day.  I worry and stress and strain for weeks leading up to Christmas, trying to find exactly what my kids have asked for that fits in our budget and will still help deliver the magic of the holiday. Now, I don't know about other kids but expectation is everything to ours.  The boys make a Christmas list at my request (how else would I ever have even a chance of getting it right?) and it is usually short and sweet and specific. Christmas morning hangs by that thread of specificity.  Unrequested items or the wrong thing would send us falling into a pit of disappointment and gloom. 

I could take a hard line and when Christmas morning came and they opened their gifts and were disappointed tell them "you get what you get and you are happy with it!" But I love them and respect the many facets of their personalities. I want them to be happy.  I draw a hard line about other things but gifts (for Christmas or birthdays) is something that they get just for themselves.  All house rules of sharing don't apply for at least a month! They only ever get a few and I want them to be just right.

So we wait with bated breath right up till the moment they open their presents and we can see their reaction.  This year I didn't try to record it with pictures but I can report there were many happy yells and lots of jumping around! Success!    

We spent a pleasant morning making legos and playing with our new toys.  Then we packed hurriedly, while Sage was napping, for a short trip to the Dells.

(The boys really wanted to travel this year.  TN or TX or NC.  Chris and I were adamant that we didn't want to travel and especially not that far.  We compromised and planned an overnight trip to the Dells. Due to procrastination, the dates I had originally planned jumped in price by $150 so we went Christmas Day ate dinner, swam, spent the night, swam in the morning and got home just in time for Sage's nap.

I didn't take a single picture the whole time.  Sad. But we had a good time and went to two different indoor water parks.  We went down slides and floated on the lazy river.  Noah jumped right into things and had a blast while Ian and Sage took some time to warm up to things before finding somethings that they really enjoyed too.)

But we got on the road and knew we would get there right about dinner.  Chris and I are not really big on Christmas dinner so not being home for it was not a big deal to either of us.  And while I would have preferred something other than McDonald's, we knew it would be a big deal to kids to get Happy Meals.

We tried two McDonald's at two different exits and passed a third on the way to our resort and they were all closed!! On the one hand I thought "Yay, McDonald's! Way to treat your employees!"  And on the other I thought "Gosh darn it!  I just want some dinner for my kids!"

So we had Dominos instead. 

Oh, December, December, How Tired You Made Me

December made me kinda crazy.  It was busy: Ian was sick and then I was sick, there was a visitor, a sealing, a trip to TX, Christmas concerts, goodie making, caroling, teacher gifts, potty training and all the regular stuff mixed together. You'll see.  You might even wish that I had split it up into multiple posts!

First, there was Christmas decorating. The kids were super excited to get the tree up.  They also found the New Year's stuff we had stored in the Christmas bin.

Noah did the honors with the star. It seems to always be a bit of a trick actually getting it on. 

 

 The boys made themselves "tails" with the greenery I use to wrap the banister.

 We had some dear friends who were able to go the the temple to be sealed as a family the first weekend in December.  Several families put a lot of effort and love into making it the special occasion is was meant to be. 

 I was in charge of the food, which was a much bigger job than I had anticipated. But it was all delicious, if I do say so myself!

The sealing was touching and precious.  Families are so important and making covenants that can make them last forever is an amazing blessing.

To make the day even better and more and less stressful was the fact that due to cheap tickets it was decided to fly up Elise to take their wedding/family pictures.  I had to pick her up bright and early in Chicago. We had a wonderful breakfast and got caught up on our news.  We went to the sealing and then, with a friend, got some lunch and then went to the chapel where the reception was to be and started in on the food.  Thank goodness for Elise's and Carrie's hands-I really needed extra sets!

We got home late and went to bed for a well deserved, if very short, rest. Then, bright and early (again only earlier) we got up to get her to the airport for her 7:00 am flight. By the time I got home I was about dead on my feet.  I was so tired I was afraid to drive to church and endanger my children.  I ended up sleeping all morning!

We made plans to make our goodie plates and do some caroling the following Wednesday.  I spent the whole day in the kitchen.  It was fun to draw on favorites from my own family, some friends and from Chris.

We were so proud of ourselves for getting 5 stops done in one hour.  The others were delivered the following evening. We really enjoyed it, except apparently for Noah, who thought it was "boring."

When we were done for the evening making the peppermint flavored, candy cane shaped sugar cookies, I had a heart in my fridge.  At least, it looked that way to me and it scared me every time I opened the door and saw it.

I don't know if it is just here or if I just don't know what I don't know about other places, but Christmas concerts are a big thing here.  Every school, all the grades, have a concert. Noah's was first. He is in the back row, in the brown sweater with a yellow stripe. 

Ian had a Playschool concert.

 

Sage really enjoyed getting to ring a bell along with the school kids!

Ian also had a 4K concert.

 

 We had our turn doing date night babysitting. Sage wanted to hold the baby and then they all wanted to cuddle under the baby's blanket. 

That was the night right before I had to drive down to Chicago to catch my own early flight down to TX for a quick weekend with the girls.  I was super excited to go until I got sick a day or so before.  By the time I arrived in TX my ears were completely plugged making me deaf and I felt like I was talking in a bucket.

I tried everything I could to make it all drain.  I prayed and asked for a blessing from my father. When I woke up after the first night one ear was unplugged.  I took medicine and kept praying and went to bed.  I woke up very early for my flight home the next morning and my second ear had unplugged.  I flew home with relative ease and then proceeded to spend the next week and a half with partially plugged ears and nothing to do but wait it out!

But I get ahead of myself.  I had a lovely couple of days with with my sisters and mom. They are kind and thoughtful and I love them.  We had breakfast and then went shopping at all the thrift stores.  (If you haven't heard me rave about the thrift stores down there in TX you might have to consider yourself lucky! But really, I haven't found any like them anywhere else!)

 

 I mean really, where else could you find a couch like this for $13?  And no, I didn't leave off a 0!  Sadly, this was the only picture I took the whole weekend! Oh, no wait!  I took two others! This one of Dan and Elise all ready for their "ugly Christmas sweater" party.

 

While they were at their party we went to dinner and then drove around and looked at Christmas lights.  The coolest, by far, was this tree out in the middle of a horse field that have had every single branch wrapped in lights. The picture is horrible but it was amazing.

 

Sunday was Sunday and after church we hung out, played a game and ate yummy roast for dinner. We talked about life and religion and worries and faith.  We cried a little and laughed some too.  Seems to always be the way with us when we are together. And it is one of my most favorite things.

Also mixed in there somewhere was the teacher's gifts for Christmas.  I really appreciate the teachers that my children have.  They have all been wonderful and worked so hard to make the school experience a good one.  I think they totally deserve a Christmas gift. 

But I still hate having to do it. Maybe because I have such a hard time getting it done in a timely manner.

This year I was so proud of myself for coming up with an idea that I didn't think was too generic. Homemade air fresheners, done in red and green....pretty cute, huh?  Well, they didn't turn out.  Grrr.

 

So, new idea.  In TX I had this delicious caramel buttermilk sauce.  Perfect.  I did get it done and was mostly timely about it.

 

 Some where in there, not too long before Christmas, we finally got some snow.  Not a lot, but enough for a white Christmas.  Sage was very happy about it and wanted to play in it right away.

The Saturday before Christmas was the ward Christmas party.  The Bishopric was planning it. This hasn't been done in years and I am very proud to report that Chris didn't ask me to do anything! But when we arrived I had to step in and help make some things happen. Apparently planning didn't include organizing and execution the night of.

The primary kids capped our evening of giving (we did a service project for a local shelter) by playing out the Nativity. Ian was Joseph.  (The back, right.)

Noah was a wise man. (Standing on the right.)

And the whole cast.  (And yes, that is about our whole active primary.

The Sunday before Christmas, I finally thought the time was right for Sage's Christmas dress.  I loved it! It was beautiful (and who can resist that sweet girl wearing it!) but what made it just perfect was the $2.50 price tag at a resale. (And yes, the picture is awful but we were in too much hurry to try and do better.)

And that pretty much bring us to Christmas!  Stay tuned, that post is next!