Christmas Spirit

Have you ever had a moment when you glimpse the true nature of one (or all) of your children...the glorious spirits that they are? A moment where you realize how much you have to learn from them and wonder how the tables ever got turned so that you are supposed to be the one guiding, teaching and raising them through this experience called life? A moment where you just pray fervently that you will be guided by the spirit every day so that you don't make any mistakes that are too big or too stupid as you raise them? This little pile of presents did that for me tonight as Jared and I are preparing for Christmas morning.

These packages in and of themselves may look a bit messy, but to me they carry with them more love than the most beautifully wrapped gift. Several times over the last few weeks I have caught Nathan running into his room with a roll of wrapping paper, tape and safety scissors saying that he needs to "wrap something." A few minutes later he has come out with one of these and has carefully placed it under the tree. I don't know what each package holds, but I do know that the big one on the left is the ball that Nathan just got for his birthday. One that he has loved playing with. The tag says "To Jacob" (who happens to crawl around the house saying "baw, baw, baw (ball)" all day long) "From Nathan." That touches me. One that touches me even more (in fact I tear up every time I think about it) is the small red one in the front on the right. The tag says "To: Brielle From: Nathan". Inside that paper lies Nathan's favorite train, "fast train". It is the one toy that Nathan asks to put up high before friends come over because he doesn't want to share it. It is a toy that has been the source of many fights as Brielle has wanted to play with it and Nathan hasn't wanted to let her. It is his favorite toy. He told me that he knows Brielle likes it so he wants to give it to her for Christmas. It tugs at my heart strings as I see his selfless giving. When I have seen this lying under the tree I have wondered if I should pull him to the side and ask if he really wants to give it away. I have decided not to. I have decided that this is what Christmas is all about. Nathan's sacrifice helps me better understand the sacrifice made by Our Father in giving His Son...that great event that we celebrate at this time of year. It is one of those teaching moments. One where my four year old is teaching me one of the greatest lessons I will ever learn. How did I ever get the role of mother to this wonderful little boy? I pray I will fulfill my role well enough. Thank you Nathan for helping me to learn and feel the true Christmas spirit.

The Friendly Beasts

While my sisters and I were growing up, one of our favorite Christmas traditions was to open a wrapped Christmas book each night in the month of December (Wow, thanks for wrapping all those Mom. That was a lot of work!) and read it together as a family by the light of a candle. It was a wonderful way to grow family bonds and enjoy the special spirit of the season together. Jared and I have decided to carry on that tradition in our own little family and we all look forward to it each evening. We have one picture book called "The Friendly Beasts" that is an illustrated Christmas carol. We have read it every year for several years, but I have not known the carol at all. Tonight Nathan really wanted to sing it, so we got online to find the song and learn the tune. We enjoyed a couple of renditions and then found this one. It had us laughing and had me crying all in the same 6 minutes. I loved it so much I had to share this little bit of the Christmas spirit:

Christmas Stockings

Soon after Jared and I were married I decided I wanted to learn how to sew. I was lucky enough to have a boss who was an excellent quilter. When Jared was out of town for a week on business she taught me how to quilt by guiding me in making this:

I was so excited to give it to him for his birthday because I had made it.

The next year Jared designed and made this one for me:

I collect nativities and this labor of love is one of my very favorites. It makes me so happy each year as I pull it out of the box.

This year I decided to make some for the kids. Jared was out of town the first week of September, so I worked on this in the evenings to have something to look forward to:

Before he left, Jared helped me design each stocking and we made patterns for each applique. Then I made a stocking pattern from the stockings we had already made and I was off. It was so fun to be creating again. I had most of it done before he got back. It has taken me the next two months to make the other 2 stockings, but I have enjoyed having something to look forward to when I have a free evening.

Seeing them all together makes me wonder if maybe we should have made Brielle's more of a country style like the others. But we found sparkle pink, white and blue fabrics and couldn't resist making her a very girly one.

I finished them this morning. Hooray! Just in time to hang up for the Christmas season.

Which one is your favorite? I just can't decide.

Movin' and Groovin'

Tonight during dinner Jakie started doing his "Cotton-eye Joe" dance (see below). So we turned on the music. Food was abandoned and the fun began.

Brielle Turns 6!

Our darling little princess had her 6th birthday last week and we had fun celebrating it rainbow style. She decided the theme over a year ago and I believe already knows what she wants for the next couple of birthdays too. She is our little planner. It was so fun to celebrate as a family the wonderful girl that she is becoming.

She helped me make rainbow cupcakes to take in to her class:

We have put in the purple, blue and green batter and the red and yellow batter is ready and waiting. She and Nathan had fun coloring the white cake mix all the different colors.

We got this fun idea from: http://birthdaycakeideas.blogspot.com/2011/04/rainbow-colored-cupcakes.html

Here is the cake all ready to take to school:

It was fun to hear the exclamations of delight as we walked into the classroom with these, "Brielle brought cupcakes!!! Hooray!" I found it interesting that Brielle turned right back around and went into the hall to be with Jacob as soon as they started cheering for her. I guess it was more comfortable out there.

Here is the side view of the rainbow cupcakes:

And our birthday girl sitting down to a birthday breakfast of french toast:

That night she opened her presents.

She got "Little House in the Big Woods" on CD as well as the whole Laura Ingalls Wilder series. She loves "Laura and Mary":

Her Granny made her a blanket with all of her favorite colors in it: purple, pink and magenta. Brielle was so excited to get this! When Granny was here in June she and Brielle went to Joanns and Brielle pulled out color after color of yarn showing Granny all the combinations she liked. This is what they settled on. Isn't it beautiful?!? (Grandad said she could open this one a couple of days early. She was pretty excited about that!)

Cuddlin' in her new blanket (which immediately replaced the one I made her at birth on her bed):

"Tangled!!! Grandma Kay and Grandpa Ken got her a Tangled coloring book with stickers and her very own Rapunel doll. She couldn't have been happier! Nathan was pretty excited too. :) He likes the "Flynn Rider movie".

Nathan is pretty excited about this gift too. A week or so before her birthday he grabbed some wrapping paper, went in his room, and came out with a wrapped gift. This is it...

Some of his favorite car building toys! What a sweetie.

"Happy Birthday to you!" Brielle loved the birthday phone calls she received throughout her birthday. Thank you!

She Skyped with Grandma Kay while opening her gifts from them. It was cool to celebrate together even though we were so far away. Isn't technology a blessing?

Birthday Brielle with her crown from school and the family rainbow Jello cake

Jakie's favorite part of the whole evening:

Enjoying Rapunzel after the festivities

Whose hair is longer?

Making crafts with her friend and neighbor Kate. She had wanted these Perler Beads that Grandma and Grandpa got her for SO long. She has already spent hours making various beautiful crafts. Her planning, patience and creativity amaze me.

That weekend Brielle and I went to see our local high school's production of Cinderella together. It was a fun girls night out.

(The boys went and bought hunting clothes, shot at the shooting gallery and drooled over boats together...the perfect boy night out.)

From "What?" to Glorious

For the most part this blog has become a place where I record our "family fun"...a piece of our family history. But occasionally I like to share some of the things that move or inspire me. In our last General Conference, Elder Scott taught about "The Power of Scripture". I loved this analogy he shared:

"Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change."

I am so grateful for good friends. They motivate, teach, love, care for and inspire me. They make my life much more happy and full. Does memorizing a scripture passage do the same?

Jared and I decided that we would like to start memorizing scriptures together and to have our children do the same. I figured that I would start with the one that Elder Scott quoted next in his sermon:

"For example, committing to memory this psalm has been for me a source of power and understanding:

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

“For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

“Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

“He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

“He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation” (Psalm 24:1–5)."

I have to admit, the first time, in fact, the first several times, I read this I thought "What? I don't get it. Why is this a 'source of power and understanding' to him?" But I began to memorize anyway. As I looked at each verse, each phrase, each word, to commit it to memory I felt my soul enlightened and began to understand. I saw power in each one. As I repeated the passage over and over, it's meaning became clearer and clearer. Now it truly has become a friend, a source of power and understanding for which I am truly grateful. And I am grateful for modern-day prophets and the guidance they give us that helps us individually draw closer to God and feel His influence in our lives.

Trick or Treating

On Halloween we got together with our friends, the Allens and the Verhoefs for some trick or treating fun and dinner. Here are the kids all dressed up (with the Allen's beautiful, newly remodled home in the background. It is even more beautiful inside!)

Little Jakes likes this candy thing!

Another shot of the kids...this time with Hermione in in it. Doesn't Kanza make a cute Harry Potter character?

Snow White, the lion and Tigger. Nathan decided he wanted to switch from fireman to Tigger for the trick or treating.

Such cute boys