The End (of the year)

Cael got invited to go with a friend to the Army vs. Marines basketball game. The other boys were so upset they weren't invited I had to promise to take them there as well. Our first seats were pretty high up and the kids kept running up and around the very top. I thought they were going to trip and fall and it just wasn't going to be any fun at all if that happened. So we moved after Cael and his friend (and his dad) found us and brought us to seats closer to the court and out of dangerous zone.

 These seats were much better for the second half of the game. Army had a good lead and it was fun to watch them hold on and win! I also got to explain most of the elements to the sport. In the picture above you can see where we were the first time. Way up to the top and in the middle! Of course a worker had to come and tell my children not to be running up there!

And this is how you spend New Years night at home with the kids! Playing computer games and letting the children observe--- they do love it, especially when they have candy to snack on.

**I didn't take any pictures, but NEW YEARS day we had 13 children in our house. We had agreed to watch the Elgan's children (6) plus the Tonelli children (3) plus my own (4) = 13. Ben was on-call for the hospital and so we needed to stay close for the day anyway. While they were all here I thought I would put away our Christmas decorations at the same time. It was a mess! But I got it all done, packed the tree away that I threaten to throw away every year, and Ben even got a call to admit a patient! So there I was with 13 kids all by myself for about 3 hours. With that many children there was always someone who was hungry, bored, or grumpy. I was pretty exhausted by the time dinner rolled around, and pretty confident that 13 children all under the age of 9 were still alive when their parents came back is an accomplishment in itself!

Christmas

The whole month really seemed to fly by- I don't know why that always happens!

Having some ipad time together and not fighting :)

I actually sent this picture to my mother on her phone and she got after me for dressing Brielle in truck pajamas. They fit her and still have a lot of life in them! She also looks about the same size as Connor in a lot of pictures too. They are only 5 lbs apart, but we will see how long that holds out.

St. Nicholaus followed us from Germany and put goodies in our shoes on Dec. 6th

 While Grandpa and Joseph were here visiting we attended the West Point Holiday Singing Concert. They had told all of the children to wear nice clothes for the concert and I really tried to help Cael get ready for the big show. We were pretty embarrassed to see the outfit he was wearing. Check out the second picture....

 Look at all those holiday sweaters and nice slacks. Then check out the snow boots. Where does that kids come from? He did sing really well, it was just hard to look past the crazy outfit!

 Brecon looked so cute up there singing with his class and looking so handsome too! They had a great song called "Snow Pants... warm and snuggly ... SNOW PANTS" We all got a pretty good kick out of that one.

Here is the entire 4th grade class for a group shot. I liked the Chanaka and Kwanzaa decorations as well as the big Christmas Tree. Cael came home with an armful of the paper chains that were all around the gym. He said kids even were taking some of the chains that he had, and he still came home with enough for us to decorate our house a little bit more with.

***On Christmas Eve we worked really hard to make goodies plates to deliver to our friends and neighbors. Carmel popcorn, cinnamon almonds, and Lemon Melting Moments. I'm sure I could have come up with a better combination, but these were just the treats I made that day. I'm glad that Ben really wanted to keep up this tradition-- but we felt funny knocking on doors and having everyone answer dressed up like shepherds or angels. Obviously they were acting out the biblical account of the Saviors birth and we were going around dropping off treats. It even snowed that night as we were driving around- A Christmas Eve miracle.

***Christmas Morning. We spend the holiday together as a family here at our little home. The morning started at 8:00 when everyone was awake and ready to check out the downstairs. The kids are so fun to watch, the excitement, squeals of delight, and cheers of an exciting gift. Brielle got some cute dress up Tinkerbelle shoes and a doll house. Also a few baby dolls! Every girl needs a few baby dolls! The funny part of the morning was when Brecon and Connor had taken Brielle's doll house and hid behind a door so they could play with it uninterrupted.

This year as a family we decided that we are going to make gifts for each other from now on for Christmas. I think that starting earlier in the month will relieve some of the stress that comes from trying to get everything finished on time. I helped Brecon make cardboard swords and weapons to give to Cael and Connor. He even made a magic fairy wand for Brielle and we did MODGE PODGE with pink, purple, and black paper on the handle to make it more colorful. I made reverent books for each of the boys with pictures of the Savior and also temples in it. For Ben I made a memory book of all the emails we wrote to each other while he was in Afghanistan. Plus pictures he took while he was down there.  Ben made secret books for the boys (regular books with a cut out section to hide treasures in) and the whole family made me vanilla candles in tea cups. In addition, we've started the tradition of a MOM and DAD book. A place when the kids can draw, write, color, and make an entry in a book that we will keep for Christmas, birthdays, and other holidays. There is something special about that first picture your child draws for you! Or when they write their name for the first time or spell out 'mom' in those first letters. I'm excited for this tradition as I watch the kids and my relationship with them longitudinally through their entries over the years.

We played with our toys, read stories and books, and spent the day -- and the whole break-- taking it easy and enjoying our time together. Plenty of messes all the time but that was okay!

Day trip to NYC

Grandpa Eugene and Uncle Joseph came to visit! We wanted to show them a good time and the cool stuff around our area. It was only obvious that they would spend the day in NYC to see the cool sites. It was a bitter cold and snowy day so Becky volunteered to watch the children at home (Brielle wasn't feel well) so they could have a good time marching around the city.

 They parked close to the Juliard School  of Performing Arts, which is right next to the Manhattan LDS temple. Purchased and ate a street vendor hotdog and continued on their journey. Central Park and the 9/11 memorial, followed by the Statue of Liberty, Chinatown, Times Square, and a Broadway show. They really packed in an a full day of sightseeing, and didn't get home until late.

  They just walked up to the window right before the show was about to start to ask if there were any tickets available. They got an "amazing" deal and had great seats for the show. Dead Center and only 8 rows back. Regularly the tickets would have cost $215--- so I am glad they didn't pay that much!

Thanksgiving

We had planned to spend this holiday by ourselves, nothing too big or fancy, just all the regular side dishes to make the meal different from any other. But by surprise our friends Matt and Mandy Ellett invited us over to spend the day with them. They really are so thoughtful to invite us even though they had their own family in town. The great part is Ben actually knew Mandy's family when they lived in Evanston for about 6 years when they were younger. It sure makes being friends easy and fast when you are from the same town :)
I made yummy green beans and creamed corn for sides to share and a couple of apple pies to enjoy! I thought the whole dinner was delicious and so wonderful to have the kids running around and playing chase with "cousins" during the day. We have so much to be grateful for! So many blessing we enjoy in our lives right now. Our family, home, and the gospel brings such joy in our lives!

On top of it all, the missionaries came over for dinner as well. We ate and played a famous people guessing game. It was pretty tricky when there were names I couldn't even pronounce, let alone guess! Stick with Jabba the Hut and Mickey Mouse, will you?  I didn't take any other pictures besides the dessert and getting ready to watch a movie. It was so great and wonderful be enjoy our Thanksgiving with good friends and family.

Lean to the left! Lean to the right! Stand up! Sit down and ENJOY THE SHOW!

Sunday Thoughts

“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done,” taught Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”<sup>11

--Everyday a little better, in the process of becoming... these thoughts are such a wonderful reminder--</sup>

Brielle 18 months

She is the baby so I guess it is okay she has a post with only her pictures on it.... Just a few shots of the crazy smile lady, nutella mess making, little rockin cheezer in the family!

(this one is blurry, but I still loved her "I've been having a great time" face)

Today I was just laughing at her little walk/stomp. If you are in a different room she will come stomping over to you, jabber some nonsense, turn around and stomp out. She is busy, silly, and makes a lot of noise. She loves to read books and insists upon in every afternoon and evening before she will even consider lying down to bed. She loves to swing, and is especially thrilled when the push is from her brother Cael. We are letting the wild mullet shine in all its glory, although at times I am almost embarrassed for her and the lack of length from the top. Her smile is sweet, her giggles are great, and she is tough! We love our little mama, sweetums and Belly girl!

Brecon's Art

 

 

In my efforts to keep better record and journaling, I thought I would scan these amazing drawing from Brecon's art folder. I have put them in his binder as well, but I always want to see his beautiful rainbows and flowers and smiling boy standing on the ground. He has really made such great improvements with his compositions--- I do miss the round body/face with stick arms and legs sticking out!

Dates and Fun

BLUE MAN GROUP

 Ben and I went on a date and got our first babysitter in a long time to watch the boys. We had dinner with friends at a BBQ restaurant and had to really hurry to try to get there on time.  It is pretty great to have all these events be so close to us and the tickets are a great price as well. The performance was fun-- interesting-- gross and we even got to SHAKE our BOOTY while giant glowing balls bounced out into the audience. When we got home the boys were snuggled in bed and Brielle was sound asleep. The boys have been asking us to go on a date so they can have a babysitter again!

 These crazy kiddos were hiding from me and screaming with delight when I found them. We sure have fun together while the big boys are at school.

 Cael got a rainbow loom and has been working like crazy to create all the different kinds of bracelets for his collection. He will watch a tutorial on you-tube and get to work. At first he would forget to loop at certain times and become quite frustrated when his bracelet wouldn't work out. I was impress to watch him take a minute to be upset, then start right back again.

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

 I was ready to start decorating the middle of November, but Ben made me wait until the week before Thanksgiving. This way we could enjoy our festive décor a little bit longer and not have to stress about doing it later. We all helped out... most of the kids wanted to get right in there and decorate. Cael loved doing the lights, Brecon and Connor were professional bulb placers, and Brielle was generally there for the good time. Ben was flipping and rocking her back over his legs and she was squealing with excitement! He would then bring her close and give a snuggle right into her neck, which she loved again and again! It is amazing how easy and fun a baby can have with a throw and snuggle!

Cael reading and our finished tree. It was silver, gold, white, and cream with snowflakes and beads. It was a pretty tree this year and I liked when the kids were turning on the lights every night so we had that glow in our living room to enjoy.

Hike at Storm King

ARMY football games

As a family we have enjoyed almost all of the home Army football games. The pre-game festivities are something the boys would look forward to every time we would get ready to go. We were given loads of free stuff like Frisbees, footballs, key chains, candy, and seat cushions. The team didn't do so well this season, but we had a great time experiencing the events together 

 

The first home game was under the lights. Before the game the west point parachute team dropped out of a helicopter and landed midfield to deliver the game ball. It was so exciting to watch the entire descent and their landing. I really was glad that they didn't mess up on that one. The mules were right to the left of us in the picture and every time the team would score they would run around on the field, sometimes the animals ran into each other as they trotted/galloped around. Plus the cadets would run out of the stands and do their traditional pushups  on the sidelines. I love how they are all wearing the white tops and their military hats. They spin them during kick-off and it really does look neat from the other side.

Nothing like getting some army face paint before the game. Cael looks like he is ready for a special forces mission.

Meeting Miss USA was a treat. She seemed super excited to meet us, especially since all the other people in line in front of us were "excited" pre-pubescent junior high boys. Cael wanted to ask her what state she was from but when we got right up to her and we asked if he had a question he said "no". I later asked him what happened and he said he got nervous. We have an autograph picture but it is a little to fancy, I'm embarrassed to show it. She is a very pretty lady!

"Cael why are you so mad? What did I do? Stop looking at me like that!" Gotta love that crazy face paint.

The game before Veterans day had a special program complete with the field-size flag and "I'm proud to be an American" and "God Bless America". Of course I get teary-eyed and loved the tribute to all those who have and do serve in the military.

Holding a baby in style- Brielle fell asleep during this chilly cold game- I didn't notice this but look at the screen in the background. One of the cute baby pictures of a Senior and Ben-- they match!

Our last game was a disappointing one. The team was ahead until the last quarter when the opponents stomped two touchdowns, and recovered a fumble...  we had a chance and then lost it. It was terrible to watch.