the children are nestled...

...all snug in their beds, while visions of waking up Mom and Dad before the sun comes up are dancing in their heads. 
We've read the Christmas Story out of the Bible, read Davey and the First Christmas, sung carols around our candle windmill, wrapped all the presents, and readied everything for the morning.  Just have to finish the traditional midnight baking of the cardamom bread and then I can snuggle myself into my own bed.  (I think we could scrap most of the other traditions, but my kids look forward to the bread the most.)

Hope you have a fabulous and very merry Christmas!

December's Performances

Aspen plays the flute in the school band. They had their winter concert a couple weeks ago.  She did really well.

Aspen also participated in her school's one act play competition. They did a modernized version of the Jungle Book.

The troupe performed for the school and then performed at the district competition. The did a great job

  Aspen put a lot of time into the play and really enjoyed it.

Hazel's preschool did a cute retelling of the Christmas story.  Hazel was the narrator.  Instead of a costume, she was just supposed to wear her prettiest dress and look cute.  Which, of course, is pretty easy.  She insisted on curling her hair.  It likes to just be straight.  I put it up in pink spongy curlers the night before.  It went straight in 3 minutes.  So I put in tons of product and curled it with the curling iron and sprayed it with a ton of hairspray.  All that spray glue worked I guess.  It was still curly for the program.  At least Hazel was happy.

On vacation

We are enjoying our staying at home vacation.  We sleep late, eat whatever, whenever, visit with friends, play, watch movies, play games, hang out.  It has been very relaxing and much needed...for everyone.  Tonight we enjoyed some rockband.  (Isaac had to sit out because he only has one hand and doesn't like to sing.)

 

 

Hazel loves to play the drums and sing, even though she doesn't know the words.  She is so intense and she is a creative drummer!

Hope ya'll are enjoying your holiday! 

Christmas at the Homestead

One year (1984) for Christmas my parents took us to the Homestead for Christmas Eve.  (At least I remember it  this way.  I'm a little fuzzy on timing for some things).  But I remember going on a horse drawn sleigh ride in the evening.  We spent the next day sledding and playing in the snow.  We went swimming in the hotel's indoor pool.  There were big windows that opened onto the snow outside the pool.  Some of us went out into the snow in our swimsuits, and then jumped back in the pool.  There were outdoor hot tubs with fog billowing off them.  I always thought it so exciting to be in the pool outside in the snow in the middle of winter.  It was a fun Christmas.  Maybe one day I can do that for my kids.

Mr. Gardner

When I was little there was the "apple man".  He owned an orchard nearby and would fill up his truck with apples and bring them to our neighborhood in the fall.  Mom bought a bunch of bushell basket-fulls and we would can applesauce and apple pie filling for our food storage.  Somehow, through the "apple man", we knew a man named Mr. Gardener.  He was an older man who lived by himself inSalt Lake City.  Every year our family would put together baskets of fruit and deliver them to people my parents knew.  One of these baskets always went to Mr. Gardener. I don't think that he had many visitors.  I don't think that he had family that visited often either. We would drive to his house and knock on his back door.  I'm sure we were a slight to behold with all ten of us bunched up on his back porch.  Then we would sing carols and visit with him a bit.  We went every year for much of my childhood.  I'm grateful my parents gave us these opportunities to serve at Christmas time.

Christmas Caroling at the Cemetery

December 1986

One of my favorite Christmas memories from my childhood was going to the cemetery to visit family graves.  We would bring a wreath to lay on Grandma's grave.  Typically it was snowing, cold, and nearing dark (apparently not these two years pictured).  Dad had Erika and I play our flute and violin while the rest of the family sang carols.  The cold silver flute made my lips and fingers so cold.  I would only be able to play a couple songs before they became too numb to keep up with the carolers.  Our toes would be freezing because we were standing in 8 inches of snow (usually wearing dress shoes because we were on our way to a party in our fancy Christmas clothes.)
 

December 199?  not sure of the exact year...anyone?

But I am glad that Dad insisted that we keep up this tradition. We've only been in Utah a few times at Christmas since moving away 14 years ago and I miss being able to visit Grandma and Grandpa at the cemetery at this time of year.