New Year's Eve 2011

One of the fun traditions that we have in our family is on New Year's Eve. When Mary and I sat down a number of years ago to decide on some traditions for our family, we felt like this one was something that little kids often don't get to enjoy... unless you keep them up at night... but then the adults don't enjoy it :) So we decided to do a pinata on New Years Eve with the kids.





I think we've been doing this for 5-6 years and the kids really enjoy it. They anticipate it and enjoy the candy that they get. Plus, it's always fun to hit something hard with a bat and break it and then get candy for it. That doesn't happen very often! This was the first year (I think) that Jane didn't really need any assistance and it was also Molly's first year of being involved in the candy aspect of it. She was pretty funny because she would pick up a piece and run with it, like it was something that she wasn't supposed to have or get. She often put them in her mouth quickly too so that they couldn't be taken... wrapper and all. It was fun to watch and I'm glad that we have this tradition!

And here is a picture of the mad dash once they were set loose!

Apple & Pumpkin Picking 2011

This year for our Halloween pumpkins, we went to Gordon Skagit Farms just west of Mt Vernon. They have a great little place. They have a corn maze (which we skipped due to the wet and blustery weather) as well as a U-Pick apple orchard with apples that were amazingly delicious!

There was no entry cost for any of the stuff and the pumpkins seemed cheaper than others around and the apples were a great price. Plus, the kids enjoyed picking the apples themselves and being able to eat them immediately. Admittedly, we bought too many apples, but we were able to make and preserve some good applesauce out of those that were getting a little soft a couple of months later.


The kids enjoyed picking out their pumpkins, though some of them agonized a little much over which one was "just right". They also enjoyed seeing some of their "giant pumpkins". Overall, they had fun and were grateful to have some "warm" cocoa when they got home. We plan on making this a family tradition each year.

A Poem for Christmas: From Sarah to Daddy

I received the below poem from Sarah this Christmas. It was her gift to me. She told me many times leading up to Christmas: "Daddy, you're just going to love my present to you!" Mary obviously helped her write it and I'm sure Mary helped her come up with different rhyming words and put things together. But I LOVE IT! It is sitting on a bulletin board of mine at work in my office. It means a lot to me. She drew little pictures of some of the things in the side margins on the one that she gave me. I'm grateful for a daughter that is VERY thoughtful and finds written words and drawn pictures to be very meaningful in her relationships. One of her favorite things to do is to make or write cards for people - all kinds of cards to all kinds of people that she has met. She also loves to draw pictures for other people, something that those who are close to her have probably experienced or witnessed. She has a special, giving heart about her. For example, she has begun fasting with us the last two months on Fast Sunday (she skips one meal - last month she went from dinner Saturday until lunch Sunday... I was impressed!)and both times she has fasted for other people that she has been concerned about or worried about. She is so great. This poem to me represents so much of who I see her to be. I'm glad she's mine and that when she says "Daddy", she talking about me!



MY DADDY

My daddy is the best daddy I know,
He helps me learn as I grow.
He cares about people and animals too,
But sometimes he sneaks up on me and hollers “boo.”
He tickle wrestles me down to the ground.
He doesn’t agree with mommy that we should get a hound.
He wants a smaller dog that will still run around and play.
I bet we can find a perfect one; if we make him out of clay.
Daddy makes moose and dog shadows on the wall.
He hurt his knee playing basketball.
He taught us how to play baseball during the summer.
And he once hit himself in the head with a hammer.
I used to pretend to do it too.
It did make me look a little silly and cuckoo.
I just wanted to be like him,
But he asked me to never do it again.
My nose gets itchy and my eyes water
When I’m around cats, just like my father.
He reads me lots of good books like Nancy and Plum,
And sometimes I catch him chewing gum.
He fixes things up around the house
And he makes me pancakes that look like Mickey Mouse.
He wants a boat to water-ski,
And catch crabs that scare me.
He loves to take vacations in McCall,
And takes me to horse lessons with Brother Hall.
Sometimes he gives me a piggyback ride to bed.
He looks cool with hats on his head.
We like to ride bikes around the cul-de-sac,
And daddy’s really good at scratching my back.
He called mommy from work one day,
And said “hurry, quick, killer whales are coming your way.”
We enjoy taking walks before it gets dark.
We’ve seen a bald eagle and even a baby shark.
My daddy’s really fun, but what I like most about him,
Is that he helps me follow my Father in Heaven.
He teaches me to love and to give,
And he serves wherever we live.
Every Sunday he puts on a white shirt and a tie,
And whispers “be reverent” as the sacrament goes by.
He shares with us his testimony,
And shows us to have courage and honesty.
He takes mommy to the temple and he never forgets to pray.
I sure hope I can be like my daddy some day.

Love,
Sarah

Halloween 2011

One of the books that we read this year as a family was the Wizard of Oz. The kids really enjoyed it and the book was great. I had never read it and I enjoyed following the storyline and seeing how the things that characters thought they were lacking they actually demonstrated throughout the story. I was impressed that some of the kids caught on to this. Anyway, one of the things we want to different as a family is to be the characters from a book that we have read together for Halloween. So we were the characters from the Wizard of Oz. Sarah was Dorothy, Nathan was the Lion, Jane was Glinda (the "good witch" as she liked to be called), Molly was a Flying Monkey, Mary was the Wicked Witch of the West, and Jeff was the Scarecrow.


A family from church was having a little early Halloween party and the kids enjoyed going to that and seeing a lot of their friends in their Halloween costumes and doing some little activities.




We participated in our towns trick or treating event which consisted of all the shops along the downtown area staying open and handing out candy. There were also bouncy houses and some free food as well. There was also a community trunk or treat. It was great but a little crazy with the amount of people that were there. We have typically participated in a trunk or treat through our church, but we enjoyed participating with the local community since our ward here wasn't doing one this year.

The kids had a great time and Oma joined us for the Halloween festivities, though she didn't dress up. The kids got plenty of candy and enjoyed having their Oma with them.