Christmas '08

Wayne and I were up late wrapping gifts and laying them under the tree.

Santa brought Grace and Caroline an art easel and I felt the need to make smocks for the girls. {thanks Christensen cousins for the groovy shades!} So, at 3am Wayne went to bed and I got out some fabric and the iron-on vinyl I bought, and set out making 2 smocks. 2 1/2 hours later I was finishing up the FIRST smock and Christina woke up...then Thomas. I was cracking up..."Go back to bed, I'm working on a surprise!" I was sharing this story with my older sister on the phone and she said, "That's so mom." I wouldn't be surprised. All I can say is that projects take a lot longer to finish when you're sleep deprived. I finished Grace's smock (I *heart* iron-on vinyl), and told Christina, Thomas, Wesley, and Grace...."I'm just going to lay down for a minute on the couch while we wait for daddy and Caroline to wake up." I was OUT like light, and woke up at 7am when the whole family emerged to open presents. The kids were so good to wait and let me get a little sleep. I'm sure they studied the gifts out a bit, but if so, it didn't matter.

We started with the stockings. Everyone got their mini box of cold cereal, & went in the kitchen for Christmas breakfast. Sorry, Ama, no strada here. Wayne always liked the cereal better, and I'm fine with not cooking Christmas morning.

A few highlights on the gift giving that took place:

Santa brought a "new" piano! I was thrilled when Christina ran to the garage and quickly found the bin with the piano music, brought it all upstairs and put it all in the piano bench. She sat down at the piano and was rusty for a little bit, but quickly picked up where she left off after a 4 year hiatus. She's good!

The family gift exchange was a highlight for sure. Wayne found an unfinished box for Caroline and gave it to her along with some paint so they could work on that project together while he's on vacation. There's a little wooden "C" to go on the box too. Caroline loves to paint and she loved this gift. I made a little pendant necklace for Grace. One side has her baby photo and the other has a letter "g." Christina made Wesley a stuffed frog which Wesley quickly took to. Thomas made Christina a notebook for her to keep her voice lesson sheet music organized. I love the note he put inside..."I love the way you sing! Your voice is 'asume'! I love it! With love, Thomas." Grace made me a little pin cushion that actually sharpens the pins. Wayne helped her sew. Caroline's gift was brilliant. She painted a picture for Wayne of her and him walking together along the banks of a river. She even signed it. We were all impressed and the kids said they all want to paint for their secret pal next year...hmmm. We hung Caroline's masterpiece in our hallway next to our thankful heart. Finally Wesley gave Thomas glow in the dark stars to stick to the ceiling of their room....ok, not so homemade, but Thomas loved them and Wes doesn't get this whole thing yet.

More memorable gifts....I made Thomas a jedi robe out of brown fleece. The sleeves ended up being a good 6 inches too long, but he LOVED it.

The blankets were a huge hit. The fleece is so soft and cozy. The kids are snuggled in them as I type.

I found inexpensive journals at Borders for Christina, Thomas, & Grace and included a note on top that read, "This is a scripture journal. Each morning when you read your scriptures, record your favorite verse and what it means to you...this will warm your heart. Next, go enjoy a mug of hot cocoa which will warm your tummy." So far each of the kids have used their scripture journal and enjoyed at least 3 cups of cocoa. I'm hoping that the cocoa incentive will fade and they will find worth in personal scripture study {although, I'm willing to continue a simple incentive as long as their under our roof!}.

Mid-day, Wayne told the kids that Santa had left one more thing, and to their delight, there was a Wii wrapped and hidden behind the piano. It's been crazy fun, and will be nice active play during the cold winter. The mom in me is glad that our kids will be able to hold their own against their friends and cousins who have Wii's too. Wii notables: Thomas bowled a 218! Caroline has a hilarious "spare" bowling dance. Grace strikes a modeling pose after she bowls. Christina likes creating Wii Mii's {we've got Chewbacca, Fat Albert, Ama, Dude, & Junie B. Jones}. Wayne and I have had a few good tennis matches that have required a dose of Advil.

CHRISTMAS DINNER: I think we're on to something this year. When I was deciding on a menu, I wanted to make this dinner a family affair, so I asked the kids what they wanted more than anything for Christmas dinner. The result? Ham, mashed potatoes & gravy, and corn. Done. Wayne made some of his insanely good artisan bread, but we forgot it, and munched on it later. The kicker was that whatever the kids chose to include in our Christmas dinner, they helped prepare. Wayne put the ham in the oven {from Trader Joe's...it was delish!}, and then helped Christina with the mashed potatoes, and helped Thomas make a rue followed by gravy. It was good! I was so impressed with our kids' cooking. Wayne said the best part was when they could see the food turning into the end product, like when Thomas was whisking the gravy, and all of a sudden it thickened and darkened, and he gasped, "Hey, it's looking like gravy!" Christina did the same with the mashed potatoes. It was nice having the help in the kitchen while I set the table with Grace and Caroline. I love that Wayne is talented in the kitchen. My tummy loves it too.

Christmas cramming means there will be Christmas napping.....or at least an attempt. I have to say, as much as I wanted some zzzzz's, I'll take this kind of nap ANY day. The perfect picture of contentment would be if Wayne were in this photo too, but this is the next best thing.

xo!

love forever,

mom

Christmas Eve at home

Our Christmas Eve family time was short and sweet. At about 7pm all of our kids were exhausted and asked to go to bed! Wayne and I were stunned, bewildered, and a tad delighted.  Before the kids went to bed a few non-negotiable family traditions had to happen. {sorry for the minimal photos}

First, We sprinkled the reindeer food our friends, the Chipmans gave us. Here's a recipe. The kids left peppermint Joe Joe's and hot cocoa for Santa...lucky man!

Second, we opened one gift...the Christmas pj's. Flannels for Christina, princess nightgowns for the little girls, dino pj's for Bub, and Wes had the coolest pair of USC striped pj's. Mom and dad's were of course from Cotsco:)  This was a favorite tradition for both Wayne and I growing up.  Wayne's favorite pj gift was his Pat Haden  nightshirt (he was #11 for the LA Rams & USC quarterback-I'm dictating:)).

Third, we read from Luke 2. We skipped acting, our scripture/hymn program, puppets, and costumes this year due to the sleepy children, and simply opened up the Bible and read of Christ's birth. Without fail, every year this tradition brings the Spirit of Christ into our humble home. 

Finally, we ended our Christmas Eve gathering with a new tradition that MADE my Christmas...we sang "Stille Nacht." My grandfather served his mission in Germany, then my dad served his mission in Frankfurt, his brother served in Hamburg, and finally my grandpa served as a mission president of the Frankfurt Germany mission. Growing up we lived close to my grandparents, and we would visit them on Christmas Day and/or Christmas Eve. I have vivid memories of my grandpa reading Luke 2 as we all quietly listened (a Christmas miracle considering there were 10 kids spanning 16 years). We then sang "Stille Nacht." I can hear my grandpa's deep voice and our family's chorus in my mind. What a JOY it was to teach my children "Stille Nacht" this year! They picked it up quickly at the beginning of the month, so throughout December "Stille Nacht" could be heard at random times day and night in our home. One child would start and by "...heilige nacht" everyone joined in, and this mom was in heaven feeling a link between past and present take place. This is a perfect example of the worth of traditions in my opinion. Traditions don't need to cost a penny, but they should strengthen the family, past and present.
***I rounded up the family {a week later} to sing "Stille Nacht" for all of you, missed notes & all...Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

With love,

The Menzie Family

Stille Nacht - Menzie style from Rebecca Menzie on Vimeo.

Our Christmas Top 4 choices

With four kids old enough to have opinions on celebrating Christmas, but with no money tree, we asked each of our kids to pick ONE thing they absolutely wanted to do to celebrate this Christmas. At the very least we could grant them their number one wish. Here's what they came up with....

• Christina asked for the Trader Joe's chocolate advent calendar. The kids all agreed and come to find out, part of that tradition involves finding a good hiding spot for your calendar, away from certain little hands. The calendars were bought, handed out, and devoured in a flash. There is definitely room for improvement with that tradition! I've got a project up my sleeve for next year's advent. It omits chocolate, but there is more than enough of that going around in December, so I hope that aspect isn't missed.

• Thomas chose an outing to Hebert's Candy Mansion.

• Grace wanted to decorate the house! I asked what she meant by decorate the whole house, and Grace said, "Cover every single wall with a picture!" We certainly fell short, but we did all right....
  

• Caroline asked to bake gingerbread cookies. 

This tradition stemmed from another family tradition...growing up in CA, we used to get together with my Dad's side of the family for Thanksgiving and my mom's side of the family for Christmas. It was at a gathering with my mom's family that my cousin, Sharlene brought her delightful soft gingerbread cookies, and was kind enough to share her recipe. This is a family favorite!

Having the kids pick one activity each made this Christmas fun for them and for Wayne and I. It was nice to know that we each contributed to our month of celebration, and the ideas weren't all mine. The other benefit was that it helped keep cost under control since there was a mutual understanding of limited choices, and there was no pressure to do more or spend more than the choices the kids made. We added the kids' choices to a few non-negotiable family traditions, and everyone was happy. We'll make it our "Christmas Top 5" tradition next year since Wesley will be able to speak his mind and offer a request as well. This year he simply enjoyed the festivities with the rest of us.

I've got a couple more Christmas posts to come, I've simply been enjoying Wayne's vacation time & lots of family time {OK, there was a little Christmas cramming & napping too}. Seriously though, it's been wonderful!

Best Wishes to YOU!

New Years Resolutions...for real!

I've never put weight into New Years' Resolutions, although I've always tried to improve in one way or another, whether it's learning a new skill, racing in a Sprint triathlon, or designing and keeping this family journal of a blog (ok, so I'm a week behind right now, but it's progress from the backlog of photos and scrapbooking I've had for YEARS).

Last year I lost my pregnancy weight with a Biggest Losers group...the weekly introduction of a new element of dieting (which I generally don't do) was key.  That was then.  Getting in shape and improving time management with my priorities in mind would top my '09 list if I had one.

So, what to do for 2009?  As usual I hadn't given resolutions much thought...that is until I found the Resolutionary Challenge on my friend, Whitney's blog, Dare to Dream.  I read the challenge and mulled it over; not wanting to sign up unless I was really committed, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like this was a good fit.  Parts of the challenge are things that I've "been meaning to do," but haven't made the leap of commitment yet.  I've been "meaning to" jog consistently, but it's freezing outside & I haven't signed up at the Y.  I've been "meaning to" be habitual and sincere with my scripture study, but I'm exhausted in the early morning hours, and exhausted at the end of a full day.  "Meaning to" hasn't been working for me, and change will only come by committing to make changes, and DOing.  I know that strengthening my core, physically & spiritually will help me serve in the roles I hold dear, and help me feel more true to who I know am.  That's my main motivation for the Resolutionary Challenge.  That friends are part of this challenge makes it all the more fun.  I love the support.

So, if you're reading this and would like a fresh approach to reaching your personal goals and/or goals for the New Year, head on over to Whitney's blog and see if the Resolutionary Challenge is for you.  

I hope you join us....the more the merrier! 

All best,

The Making of a Gingerbread Village

The Saturday before Christmas we set out making a gingerbread village.

I covered the kitchen table in butcher paper, and we all filled dishes with a plethora of candy while Wayne made a perfect batch of royal icing.  Everyone got a plate and were told....

The rules: 

1. Be creative  

2.  Eat only YOUR house

3. Eat YOUR house whenever you want

4. Have FUN!  

Wesley heard "candy" and was totally on board!

Wesley is sure that the set up is taking too long...bring on the candy and crackers!
So far Wesley has kept Rules 1, 2 & 3...Bravo!!!
Trouble is brewing as Wesley eyes Caroline waving her candy as she explains her design plans.

Caroline defends her house well, but Wesley moves over to Grace who's house is in a more advanced stage of completion.  Grace is quick to note that Wesley is clearly in violation of Rule 2....

So, Wesley was banished to his highchair with his tee-pee to munch on while the rest of the crew constructed a delicious gingerbread village...

Successful gingerbread house construction is dependent on strong royal icing.  We found that Alton Brown's recipe worked perfectly, so the recipe is now in our family cookbook.

Five faces of sweet success....

Let's do this again next Christmas, OK?

Dear Thomas,

I just couldn't go to sleep without recording our conversation from earlier this evening....

You were misbehaving a bit today. I don't recall the particulars; I wasn't there, but dad got after you and apparently said something to the effect that "Christmas would be cancelled." I know what he meant, but you weren't quite sure. Later on we had the following conversation:

Thomas: Mom, can dad really cancel Christmas?

Mom: He can't cancel the holiday, "Christmas," no, but he can make it so that there are no presents under the tree on Christmas morning.

Thomas:  Mom, doesn't he know that I'm old enough to understand what Christmas is all about?  The presents aren't what's important at all.  I'd be happy with just a candy cane.

Mom:  Me too.

Your heart is in the right place, Thomas.  I'm thankful that you have figured out while in your youth that Christmas is about Christ, not so much the gift giving, although that can be wonderful in many ways.  We will have several gifts under our tree this year, but I know that even if all we did Christmas morning was sing carols around our tree, and sip hot cocoa with peppermint stirring sticks, we'd be full of joy.  We might have some explaining to do to your sisters though:)

I love you more, son, and always will.