Week 52: New Year

We spent our New Year's Eve Day out at the cabin for some sledding fun with our parents. I'm not sure who had more fun on the sleds -  the kids or Grandma Marcia, but there was lots of laughing (and screaming). Miles was always gravely concerned.  We had a soup and sandwich lunch and enjoyed the beautiful winter landscape out in the woods.  Later that afternoon, we headed back to our house to start the kids' New Year's countdown.  They had a different activity each hour, including making cookies, a scavenger hunt, and decorating a gingerbread house, culminating with a balloon drop and final countdown before bedtime.  The adults stayed up a little later (none of us made it until midnight) but we enjoyed lots of great food and laughs.

One of the biggest things I'm looking forward to in the new year is to be done with the weekly photo project!  It was really hard to stay up to date on my "assignments" and after a few months it felt like homework that I needed to get done, instead of something fun.  I'm not really planning any special projects or resolutions in 2019, but look forward to the exciting events ahead, especially with the arrival of our son this spring.  Big things are ahead for our family!  Happy New Year!

Christmas Gatherings

We kicked off the first of our family Christmas gatherings with the Orys at Steve and Patti's house.  We spent a wonderful afternoon enjoying appetizers, opening presents, and playing games.  The kids were elated to see all the presents under the tree and took their time opening them.  I think my favorite family gift was a trip to Disney on Ice in Green Bay when it comes in February.  We are excited to make some memories on that trip and get a little taste of Disney World, since it will be a while before we tackle that vacation.

We continued our festivities at Debbie and Rick's house on Christmas Eve after a beautiful candlelit service at church.  The whole family gathered to celebrate the holiday, as well as Grandma Ruby's 89th Birthday.  We enjoyed good food, a gift exchange, and the kids had the chance to play with their cousins.

After a wonderful Christmas morning at home, we headed south to Durand for the gathering at Grandpa Arnie and Grandma Edie's house.  The gathering had a much different tone than last year's more somber celebration, and Nolan and Livi will elated for the opportunity to play with their cousins, Ian and Kate.

From there, we headed on to my parents' house for the final leg of our Christmas celebration.  We ate delicious food and spent the morning opening presents.  Per family tradition, the kids found the pickle on the tree and each got to pick an extra present.  Mom and Dad cancelled the adult version of the game because we got too competitive.  Not one of us is a good loser.  ;)  We stayed a couple days to play with the horses and enjoy the time together before we headed back to Rhinelander, exhausted, but joyful for all the time spent with  our wonderful families.  We are very, very blessed.

Gathered Around Her Table

My Grandma Edie is an amazing cook.  She has delighted her family and friends with her amazing dishes for decades and we've often mentioned that she should have her own cookbook.  This past year I decided to take on the project, compiling her tastiest concoctions, sweet family pictures, and favorite memories as told by her family into her very own cookbook entitled, "Gathered Around Her Table."  It took months to compile everything and even still, I'm sure I'm missing some, but her famous Caesar Salad, Poppy buns, German Potato Salad, and Cinnamon rolls are all immortalized in her book for the next generations to enjoy.  I gave her a copy of the book for her 83rd birthday this summer, and she decided to gift one to each family for Christmas.  I hope that the book captures her spirit of hospitality and the love shared among the family whenever we gather.  It was an honor to compile it and hope it is a treasured family heirloom for future generations.

Week 51: O Christmas Tree

Christmas morning was kind of a magical one this year.  Both the kids slept in until 7:30!  This is unheard of in our house, where our usual wakeup call is the raucous "playing" (see also arguing) of our children sometime around 5am.  Of course, I woke up at 5:30am, and impatiently waited those two LONG hours for my kiddos to wake up and discover the wonder under the tree.  We started the Christmas morning festivities by lighting our Christ candle and the reading of the Christmas story.  The kids then added Baby Jesus to our manger scene (complete with lots of random farm animals - mostly horses - from around the house.)  When it came time for presents, the kids were so gracious and happy - such a change from last year.  I was so proud of them.  Santa brought Nolan some knives for cooking, a Pokémon hat, and a few books, and brought Olivia some princess stamps and a Minnie Mouse Trouble game.

One of my favorite things we did this year was take the kids to the Dollar Store and let them pick out presents for the rest of the family.  They were so proud to give the gifts that they picked out especially for each of us.  Livi announced loudly in the store each time she found something...."MOOOOOMMMM, I got you some nail polish!" Nolan was much sneakier, telling us to "act stupid" if the other parent came by so as to not give anything away.

The favorite gifts this year were Nolan's Pokémon Go game for the Nintendo Switch and Olivia's stable and play horses (that were mine when I was a child).  Both were all smiles, both in giving and receiving.  It was the perfect Christmas morning and it made me so happy to see their joy and gratitude.  Merry Christmas!

Santa Storytime

Our library has some amazing family programs that we try to frequent as often as possible.  The Storytime before Christmas, we had a special visitor!  Livi was definitely skeptical and wanted to keep her distance, but right before Santa left to head back to the North Pole, she decided she wanted a picture with him to show to Daddy and Nolan.  She didn't want to sit on his lap, but agreed to have one standing by the Christmas tree.  She made the most sour expression and when I asked her about it later, she told me that she was mad because she didn't want Santa to touch her shoulders.  This girl keeps us on our toes!

Reader's Theater

Nolan's teacher invited us to his classroom to watch their Reader's Theater presentation of The Gingerbread Boy on the last day before Christmas break.  Nolan played the part of the Narrator and was so focused, articulate, and clear with his reading.  He amazes me constantly with his reading ability.  We are all so proud of him!

After the performance, we were invited to stay and make a gingerbread house with the kids.  Liv and Nolan diligently applied the candy decorations for quite a lengthly period of time, with only one or two squabbles between them.  It was fun to reconnect with many of his classmates that I knew from volunteering in the past.  It was also fun to see Nolan at home in his classroom and the wonderful, kind and popular leader that he is. The kids did a great job and it was a great way to kick off the start of holiday break!

Nolan's Winter Concert

Nolan's Winter Concert was this week and he did such a great job.  The Kindergarten class sang 3 songs - A Hat for my Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and Winter Wonderland.  Nolan was very focused with his singing and actions and the class really sounded nice.  Unfortunately, right at the start of the last song, one of his classmates got sick and threw up all over Nolan's buddy, Graham.  It was one of those moments where I was really glad to not be the music teacher, trying to figure out how to handle that on stage.  Yuck!  Overall they did a wonderful job, and I was really proud of Nolan (who said he was very nervous) for once again  beating those fears and doing his best!

Week 50: 'Tis the Season

These are not my photos, but my lovely friend, Katie, took these beautiful pictures for our family's Christmas card.  They were too cute not to share!

Week 49: Traditions

One of our family's Christmas traditions is making cookies with my parents, usually the same weekend we celebrate my dad's birthday.  This year we made several of our favorites: Buckeye Balls, Chocolate Peanut Butter Patties, Chocolate M&M Pretzels, and Shortbread with a chocolate center.  The kids were good helpers, especially when it came to the sprinkles.  I think my favorite out of all of them are the Peanut Butter Patties.  They are SO easy to make and taste amazing.  Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Patties

You will need:  Ritz Crackers

                         Smooth Peanut Butter

                        Chocolate Almond Bark

                        Sprinkles

1.  Spread peanut butter all over the top of a Ritz cracker.  

2. Add a second cracker to the top to create a sandwich.  

3. Melt the chocolate almond bark in the microwave for 90 seconds.  Stir, and microwave for 15 seconds at a time until it is smooth and completely melted.  

4. Dip Ritz cracker sandwiches in the melted chocolate.

5. Decorate with festive sprinkles!

Each year gets a little easier with all the helping hands in the kitchen.  I love these special traditions that help us feel ready for Christmas!