Christmas Video 2014

Slow Mo of Master Foo.  Mat took a Furr Real Friends box and put Master Foo in it.  The kids were in shock--they didn't know what to believe.

Mat Harris Bought A Dog

I know you think I'm kidding because you would never hear Mat-bought-dog in the same sentence, but it is true.  Somehow his sister suggested that he go and check out these miniature shih tzus and he ended up really liking the boy. Pretty soon I get a picture saying, "I just bought a dog and my heart has grown three sizes today."  Christmas miracle? Maybe.  Our kids are going to be very excited for Christmas morning.



Yes he's quite tiny, quite social, and very mellow. Operation get dog from sister Heidi's house happens tomorrow night.

Family Christmas Party

I loved that our friend Colleen could join us this year for our family Christmas party.  She just makes the party delightful! She is one of those that you have to listen real close because everything she says is utterly hilarious.

She even prepared a talent "Boy named Sue" for our traditional talent show that evening.



Can you please come to Christmas, and New Years, and Martin Luther King Day, and Groundhog Day.... life just is better with you there.



Andrea is the expert on the way she welcomes everyone and makes everyone comfy in her home. She just has the knack!   Thank you awesome O great one.





Eric and his daughter Amber dominated leg wrestling this year. I will personally pay anyone who can beat Amber $20 bucks to shut her down. I don't have a picture of her because she was so intimidating.



Some horseshoe action



uh, I don't mess around with horseshoes.  I secretly want to play around the world in horseshoe tournaments.



Listening to my nieces and nephews sing around the piano while I work on a puzzle is a real treat. Oh! There's Amber sitting by the piano. Yup, the girl dominates in singing too.




My oldest nephew just got engaged to this darling soulmate and look how they spend their time.



Mat and the girls performed Radioactive by Imagine Dragons, while Becket showed his artwork.



Job well done



Kjars stole the show with their warm up to Juanito Banditio.



We later left to the Jaundito Bandito Christmas Show shortly after we snapped a picture of all of the grandkids.

School Parties

Cub Chorus Performance:

Micah was able to nail her dance performance part that she desperately sought after.







Don't feel like you have to watch the whole thing --I'm doing it for posterity.



Afterwards we met some friends for ice cream at Macey's afterwards.





Micah had the big 2nd grade Store Day on Thursday.  She worked so hard with her sister constructing the perfect candy store in the basement.  When I went downstairs this is what I found.



They had estimated what would have been the height of her desk and then constructed from there.



Cute little price list



and cute little check list



Unfortunately, I barely got my kids off to the bus without losing my cookies and glued myself to the couch all day with an empty big gulp cup. I was sad to miss blessed store day, but I believe her store was a success.

The 19th of December was filled with hyper kids and parties.  I wasn't able to attend all my kid's parties, but I was able to watch from afar.  The school started off with a sing-a-long where I was able to snap a few candid photos.





I did manage to grab Gretchen's little performance only because 4th grade went first. They were excused to their pioneer Christmas (part of their 4th grade curriculum) which I was involved in and they left shortly after their performance so they would have enough time.  Don't feel like you have to watch the video--I decided I need to put more videos up on the blog for posterity purposes. Gretchen is in the Spanish line in the middle.



With these three women we were able to pull off the bread making portion of the 4th Grade Pioneer Christmas.  They were able to churn butter, sample some bread and learn about the rough times of pioneer life.



the second to last group was my Gretchen.



She stayed in her pioneer outfit the whole day because she was so darn excited about an old fashioned Christmas.  Those teachers really did a great job incorporating curriculum and Christmas fun.  I have to say, I really think I missed my time period.  I don't think I would have minded the pioneer life. It was simple, hard work, and I like skirts and aprons with big pockets.

I just found her throughout the day doing regular stuff, yet in her pioneer costume which always made me chuckle.



Becket had to give the magic bonnet a try. He plays this part so well, it's scary how good he is.  Crack up.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thank you Mat!  I love that you thought of every little detail, the chair, the side table, and the books.





You even topped it off with waffles.

Hark! I mean Hawk!

It's not everyday you get to see a hawk on your walk.





It was mystical.

Kids with my unsupervised phone

Bring on Christmas break!

Oh! Mr. Postman!

Mr. Postman, I know you don't like any of us on the street with our untrimmed tree branches and our dirty snow packed curbs, but we did put some new numbers on our mailbox for you.  I'm sure you care. I know you do. It's in there.









Actually, Mr. Postman is nice.  I try to remember him at Christmas time and leave him a little something in the mailbox.  It is not an easy time of year---but it's the only time of year I will check my mailbox everyday to see what Christmas cards have come.  In the summer, I can go weeks without checking my mail.

Level of Respectability

Micah called me up to a private meeting in her room to tell me that she didn't feel like people were giving her the level of respect she deserved.  Micah "They just laugh at me mom, well everyone, except you."  I only post this to make myself look good because there are few days I rarely do.  We resolved it, but I kept the graph.  Mat wanted to chime in and say his bar was wider.

Neighborhood Cookbook

This neighbor is a tool.  I was flipping through our new neighborhood cookbook and found this one submitted by Marie.

Family Christmas Cheer

Every Monday night in December we fill the house with friends and neighbors to sing in the holidays.  The Bruderhof Religion in West Virginia gave us the idea when we were invited to one of their Christmas traditions.  Here is a little snippet about them:

Founded in 1920 in Germany, the Bruderhof is an international communal movement of families and single men and women who seek to put into action Christ’s command to love God and neighbor.

Like the first Christians described in Acts 2 and 4, we feel called to a way of life in which all are of one heart and soul, no one possesses anything, and everything is shared in common. We also draw inspiration from the Anabaptists of the Reformation era who revived the early Christian example of discipleship in full community.

More can be found about them here:
http://www.bruderhof.com/


At Christmastime, they invite families in to sing songs about Christmas and make Christmas wishes by lighting a candle on the tree.  It brings a great feeling into the home that you get to share with just those people.  Being in a newly renovated house, I altered the candles on the tree to votive candle holders.  Here are some pictures I snapped last week.

Mat playing the guitar and Micah sitting with her primary teacher from church.







It gets a little crowded, but we squish and make room.  If you're ever up this way on a Monday night, feel free to stop by.

Magic Nativity

Every year on the first Friday of December, Mr. Severts sets up a live nativity in his neighboring pasture.  There is music, heaters, hot soup, hot chocolate, fire pits for roasting marshmallows, and most importantly, the live animals for the stable.






I guess  everyone calls him Mike...geico ruined every chance to name a camel.