Holiday Mornings

This week has been sprinkled with Christmas activities. Sunday was filled with Christmas lessons and Sunday School nativity re-enactments. Monday morning we made a mountain of paper snowflakes while listening to Christmas music. That night we attended a Christmas party, thrown by one of our homeschool groups, complete with crafts, food, cookie decorating, games, The Grinch, and hot cocoa. Tuesday we had an all day baking day with friends. The end result was 5 containers filled with goodies, ready to go to friends and neighbors, and still more left over for us to munch on.
This morning there’s been a Christmas movie and, thanks to Taproot, a paper doll farm family helped fuel imaginations. Chocolate covered hands walked little paper animals to and fro as the mama (complete with baby in sling), papa (who even took turns carrying said slinged baby), and sister tended them. Little voices changed pitch as each character spoke.





Meanwhile, scissors were snipping away as Kassy prepared a shoe pattern for sewing. Maya’s Christmas present is in the works! That girl of mine can do anything she puts her mind to. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

Milk is heating on the stove as the beginning of a batch of yogurt is in the works. It’s my second batch, actually. The first was lost when I neglected it to capture everything else that was going on around here. The temperature got a little too high. I’m thinking of trying to concoct a cherry apple flavor for this batch. We’ll see how that turns out.

In the mean time, I’m loving these mornings full of imagination, relaxation, and the holiday spirit.

Tonight at Our House

Tonight at our house…
A warm fire blazed in the fireplace.
Christmas cards were created and ordered.
Brief contact was made with several old friends and family as I searched out new addresses for our impending cards, each one feeling like a refreshing visit.
“Elf, the Broadway Musical” soundtrack made its household debut in the background.
Games of Checkers and Candy Land were played on the rug, even by the oldest.
A chalkboard Christmas collage was drawn and even Mama enjoyed getting in on the fun and ending up with colorful, chalky hands.
Homemade sugar cookies with cream cheese frosting were created by our in-house baker, Bella.
Pink gingerbread boys and girls, Christmas trees, and candy canes were decorated.
Sprinkles were sprinkled and eaten by the jar full. Luckily, it was only half of our stash.
Mom was shocked when all children asked if they could just save the second cookie for tomorrow.
Top secret gift plans were made.
Messes were cleaned up by all. Many messes.
Scriptures were read.
Stories were read by big sister, Bella, to little sisters.
Bed time protests were acknowledged and then ignored.
Payers were said, lotion put on dry skin, kisses and hugs given.
One child got tucked in several times.
Two, giggling oldest sisters raced down the stairs to see who could get the bathroom first, lending their elephant-like tromping to the silence that was falling on the rest of the house.
Mom and Dad listened with a smile to figure out who won.
True silence finally fell, and a proud, and very tired mama, relaxed as she could only at this time of day, and reminisced on what a blessed scene her house had been that evening.

Easter Celebration

Everyone's ready for church in their Easter best. It was a beautiful Easter Sunday at church with talks given by a family each sharing the impact of the atonement on their lives. How grateful we are for this day to celebrate the miracle that ransomed all mankind.

After church we gathered at our house for Easter dinner with Nana, Papa, Adam, Jackson, Charlotte, and the Shutes: Creig, Jenn, Lily, and Maddie. 

The kids ate on the back deck while the grown ups (and Kassy) took the dining room table. The weather was gorgeous, so it was really a shame not to be outside.

It's an Easter miracle! JT managed to get Maya to wear a bib AND sit in her high chair. 

We broke out the lawn chairs and outside games to enjoy our low 70 degree weather. Adam and Bella played a little ladder ball.

Maya and Maddie loved the little chairs. 

The Hunt, Boatwright, and Shute kids teamed up with the neighbors and spent over an hour giving each other wild rides in the wagon. There was a near mishap involving a curb, but I saw disaster coming, raced to the scene, and caught a child before he landed on his head. After a brief safety lecture, the wagon was back in business, just a little slower this time. 

Maya loves "Meena," also known as Nana. 

"Let me fix that for you."

Maya's best friend, Maddie, who she actually calls "Manny." 

My growing-up-way-to-fast girl. Gorgeous, modeling her flower plucked from one of our blooming bushes. 

Bella and Charlotte were lizard sitting for the neighbor while she took a wagon ride.

Easter 2012 exceeded my expectations. It's so amazing how much love and warmth that family and good friends (who we should really just call family as well) bring with them to your home. I'm so grateful for those the Lord has blessed me with. It was a day to celebrate, and we did so in all the right ways. 

Thank You, Easter Bunny

As you can see, the Easter Bunny was very kind to us all. He even tracked down Nana and Papa who were here all the way from Pensacola. I appreciate is educationally minded gift of books. We've enjoyed several good reading sessions thanks to the new additions to our library.

We might have managed to get a little breakfast into them before church. Unfortunately, no matter how fast we made breakfast, the candy feast took place much quicker. 

Happy Easter Egg

April 7, 2012

It's the day before Easter, the traditional day for Easter Egg hunts in our family. This year we joined our friends, the Shutes, for the hunt at their apartment complex. 

The Easter Bunny made an appearance, so we came a little early just in case, maybe, possibly one of my girls would sit in his lap and let me take a picture. As usual, no go. Screams emanated from their little mouths if we even walked in his direction. So, we hung back by the snack table where the kids munched on goodies and enjoyed gazing at E. Bunny from a distance, a good, safe distance. 

In a flash the hunt began with little kids heading for the closest eggs and the big kids directed to those further away. I led Aria and Ava through the crowd and Kassy was Maya's assistant. 

The Hunt Girls plus one. Bella's friend Lizzie slept over the night before and came along with us. When you already have six, what's one more girl?

Time to break into the loot. There was no shortage of the sugar. In fact, we had so much candy that after we got home I gathered a dozen eggs and smuggled them next door to our neighbor to include in her egg hunt. 

 The whole Hunt gang.