Las Posadas

Tonight we celebrated Las Posadas with the Vadis girls.  This was another fun celebration we continued from last year's Holidays around the World Unit.  Tati and Nolan were Mary and Joseph who were led by the angel (Olivia) to knock on different doors looking for shelter.  Elsa and Pastor Kari were the innkeepers who kept turning them away until they got to the final door.  It is supposed to remind us of the story of Mary and Joseph looking for shelter in Bethlehem, but there being no room for them at the inn.  In Mexico, this festival lasts for 9 days, culminating on Christmas Eve night.  When Mary and Joseph finally find shelter, they come inside and a party awaits.  We had a delicious Mexican feast including a stunning tres leches cake made by Eric.  We ate our meal by candlelight (the kids request) and it was a beautiful, magical evening with our friends.

Lights of the Northwoods

It was a brisk but beautiful walk around Hodag Park this year for the Lights of the Northwoods.  The kids loved seeing all the lights, and this year the library added the Story Stroll of "The Night Before Christmas."  Simon was a wild man - taking off in every direction, but the adults teamed up to keep him from getting too far away.  When he wasn't running away, he was cold and insisted on being held.  Thank goodness we had Grandma Patti's extra arms, because the path is long!  We enjoyed this Northwoods tradition again this year, and look forward to seeing it again next time!
 

Ory Christmas

We had a Christmas present opening gathering on Saturday, and once again, it didn't look like we thought it would.  Unfortunately Uncle Tom tested positive for covid, which meant that he and Sara would not be able to join us.  If we've learned anything over the past year and a half, it's that being flexible is important, so we decided to carry on and meet up with Tom and Sara on New Year's, assuming they were healthy.  

We had a lovely time and the gifts were awesome.  Olivia was thrilled to get her much anticipated Barbie camper, Nolan got a new video game and an awesome beanbag chair, and Simon got some cool new blocks and a dumptruck.  Eric was like a little kid on Christmas, receiving his much anticipated Play Station 5 and I had many beautiful and useful gifts, including some warm and cozy new boots.  We had lots of yummy appetizers and had a really relaxing, cozy evening together.  

While we with Tom and Sara could have joined us, it was a nice afternoon spent with our loved ones and we were grateful for the time together and beautiful presents!

Rhinelander Area Food Pantry

 Today we went to the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry to learn how food for homebound clients gets packaged and delivered.  The Vadis girls went with us and we worked together to load the bags and boxes of meats, dairy, bread, produce, and pantry staples and label them to make sure the right items got to the right people.  The items are weighed and documented.  One delivery of food is about 50 pounds and should last the client about two weeks.  The regular volunteers were so kind and patient in incorporating the kids and letting them help.  Once the boxes were full, we loaded them in our vans and delivered to some of the homebound clients around town.  It was such a fantastic learning experience and my kids really enjoyed it.  We are very grateful to the wonderful volunteers who make this service happen for people in our community.  We're so glad we got to be part of it!

First Doses, Boosters, and Omicron

 Today was a day we've been waiting for for a very long time.  Today Nolan and Olivia were able to get their first vaccine against covid-19.  We have been waiting and hoping for this day for such a long time, and then, just as the FDA approved vaccines for kids, we got sick with covid.  Though it was disappointing to get sick before we got the vaccine, we are thankful the kids didn't get very sick and now will have both natural immunity and vaccines to help keep them safe going forward.  Eric and I also got our boosters.  Those packed a punch, most likely because we were so close to our covid infection, but I had a fever and Eric felt really fluish for a couple of days.  Regardless we are grateful for additional protection.

There is a new variant of concern on the horizon called omicron.  It is looking to be considerably more contagious than any other strain so far, though at this time it doesn't appear to be more dangerous.  However, it is looking like it is more likely to infect vaccinated people than the previous versions were.  Because of this, there is a part of me that is grateful to have both natural immunity from our recent infection as well as the vaccination/booster protection.  Hopefully, that will help to keep our family safe through the omicron wave which is anticipated in January.  

This constant strategizing and worrying about covid is exhausting and disheartening.  When will things start to look more normal?!  I have a feeling it could be a long time, and that is very discouraging sometimes.  We'll keep doing our best to make smart decisions and protect people around us.  Let's hope the omicron surge will be less overwhelming than predicted and we can go back to a more normal existence soon!

Holiday Treats

 This past weekend, Grandma and Grandpa were supposed to come visit to help us making our Christmas cookies.  However, we happened to get a big snowstorm which made traveling ill-advised, so we had to change our plans.  We decided to make a couple of our favorite treats anyway.  We made Peanut Butter Blossoms, Buckeye Balls, and Peanut Butter sandwiches.  Simon definitely approved because the next morning we found him happily munching down on treats that had been stored up high in Tupperware well out of his reach. He found his stool and got the job done! Buckeye Balls have been a family favorite for generations.  Here is the recipe:

Buckeye Balls

3 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup softened butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4-5 cups powdered sugar

1 package chocolate almond bark

Mix peanut butter, butter, and vanilla together.  Add powdered sugar.

Roll into bite-sized balls and chill in the fridge.  

Melt almond bark in microwavable dish in 30 second intervals. Use a toothpick to dip the peanut butter balls into the melted chocolate.  Cool on wax or parchment paper until chocolate is fully hardened.