Mackrory Family Fun

Friday, February 17, 2012

Hinton Reunion 2011

We got an extra special Christmas treat this year! We got to fly to St. George on December 17th where we joined my parents and both of my sisters and their families for a family reunion. It was SO wonderful to be together, especially at such a meaningful time of year. Here are just a few of the wonderful memories:

Our adventure actually started in Las Vegas. Jared was called into the bishopric a few days before we left for our trip. While the member of the stake presidency was extending the call and giving him instruction, Jared really struggled focusing on what was being said because his mind immediately jumped to wondering who would ordain him to the office of a high priest. He really cared about that. Little did we know that we would be blessed to have both our fathers there for the occasion. Jared's dad rearranged some business and personal travel plans in order to fly into Vegas a couple of hours before us. He booked a hotel room for the night where we met him and my father (who drove down to Vegas on little sleep after a very busy week) for the ordination to take place. I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with how blessed we are to have such wonderful fathers who would make so many sacrifices in order to do this for Jared. Just seeing these pictures brings tears to my eyes again. What wonderful men I have in my life!

Grandpas and grand kids (who happen to be a bit squirrel y and tired after a long day of travel)!

Jared and his father at Olive Garden where we enjoyed dinner together after the ordination.

We went to the St. George temple to see the nativity, the Christmas lights and to touch the temple. Little Caleb led the way in climbing the stairs so he could touch the place that he loves so much. The rest of the cousins followed:

Grandpa Ken, Brielle and Baby Lily - Bre loved having a couple of baby cousins to dote on and "help" with.

All the cousins! Not to bad of a picture huh?!?

Grandpa is helping Nathan get his shoes on.

Feeding the ducks was a favorite spontaneous activity

Possibly my favorite Christmas tradition is the Hinton Family Nativity Play.

Here is the camera crew:

Our Mexican-style wise man

Our shepherd, Mary and Joseph

The sheep visits the newborn child

Mary and Joseph sing him to sleep

Brielle discovered a pioneer "Laura" dress in Grandma's dress-up...and wore it more than one day in a row.

Aunt Kristen and Gabbi make a Christmas ornament together...after some wonderful child beauticians had worked their magic on Kristen's hair.

Aunt Shonna helps Nathan and Brielle

The grandkids love playing the piano with grandma Kay

Pajama time!

I think they like them. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa

Princess cousins--Brielle and Gabbi model the crowns they got in their Christmas crackers

Can you see it Nathan?

The Princes (well, at least one form of them)

This is probably my favorite picture from the whole reunion. I love seeing our wonderful men chatting and cleaning together in the kitchen. We are blessed to have these wonderful priesthood holders leading our families.

Ready for "Christmas morning"

The boys are exploring their new pj's together. They found fire engines, police cars...the whole works!

Jakie helping Grandpa out..."that's me and Caleb and..."

Loves for Grandpa Ken after a very happy Christmas morning

BUBBLE MACHINE! Grandma and Grandpa have the funnest bubble machine. We all loved it.

Jakie and Grandpa

Get it Gabbi!

We had a game night for the parents one evening after all the kids were in bed. It was fun to laugh and enjoy each others company...as well as a little friendly competition.

The marshmallow relay

The "performer" cousins have a blast dancing together. These two both love to sing and dance.

All ready for our family Christmas hike.

Off on the walk on that beautiful autumn-like day.

Michelle and Gabbi

Gabbi, Bre and Caleb. Aren't they cute?!?

As a ploy to get Brielle out of the Laura dress, we let her try on my wedding dress. Honestly, it was a little too real for me. I hope that day stays far, far away. I loved this picture of Bre and Grandma though!

The bride and her future groom...if they get it their way. Someday we will need to explain that it doesn't work that way, but for now I am okay with their plans for a brother/sister wedding.

Our last evening there we went to Tuacahn to see their Christmas lights and Nativity play. The wind was absolutely frigid and we hadn't come prepared with warm enough clothes so only a few of us went to the play. It was wonderful though. The kids also got to see Santa! Brrrr!

Nathan's turn

Not quite sure what to think of this jolly guy with hair on his face.

Thank you to Grandma Kay and Grandpa Ken for hosting this wonderful event and to Brian and Michelle for organizing all of the delightful, festive activities. We. loved. it.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Christmas 2011

This year we started a new tradition that we have heard others do. Throughout the month of December whenever someone in the family does something nice for someone else they get to put a straw in the empty manger. The goal is to make the manger as soft as possible before the night that Jesus is born. Jared and I were touched as we watched our children "love one another and serve one another." It brought the true spirit of Christmas into our home throughout the month.

Christmas Eve started off with our traditional dinner of lamb and mint sauce.

Then we acted out the nativity, starting with Samuel the Lamanite prophesying Christ's birth in the Americas.

Here is Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus:

And the wisemen:

Next we have a testimony meeting where each person gets to share their testimony of Christ and then light a candle. We then talk about how Christ is the light of the world and sing carols together.

Then comes dessert. This year we decided to try Michelle's peppermint chocolate cake recipe. We LOVED it! Jared also made us lemon meringue pie. Yummy!

Finally we open our Christmas pajamas, a tradition that I love from my childhood years.

We loved having Christmas on Sunday this year. We started with opening stockings and Christmas breakfast (monkey bread, eggs and orange juice) and then got ready and went to church.

Jared was set apart in his new calling in the bishopric that day after sacrament meeting and then we went home, changed back into pj's :), had lunch and started opening presents. We went slowly, taking turns and had a great time together the rest of the day.

Reading a new book from the Princes

Jakie gets a puppet

Nathan playing with his take apart truck from Grandma and Grandpa

Brielle gets a necklace holder from the Princes. For cute!

Nathan's most expensive present was his legos, but his biggest one (since Bre's doll house was so big) was this, his fishing pole:

He was one excited boy to get his own stuff to go fishing with dad

Mom gets some Christmas loves:

Jakie havin' fun with his truck from Granny and Grandad

Dad and Nathan build legos together

When Jared was on his mission in Salt Lake he saw a doll house that someone had made for their daughter. Ever since then, he has wanted to make one for his future daughter. This year he finally got to do it. He was downstairs building it every free evening from October until we left town in December. He just made it up as he went (no house plan to go from), finding materials in the most creative places. For example, the shingles are actually shims and the wood flooring is Popsicle sticks. I think he did a pretty dang good job!

The last part of Christmas for us is sibling gifts. Everything that the kids get for someone else is put aside in a basket and Christmas evening (or this year it was actually the next day) the kids get to give their gifts to those they love. This way they end on the note of giving rather than receiving. Here are a few pictures of the joy they felt doing that:

Bre gets mom a darling winter hat

Nathan gives Brielle his favorite train...fast train.

(Jared and I worried that there would be more fighting for this afterwards because they may both take some ownership of it, but it simply hasn't happened. Nathan is emphatic that it is Brielle's. We can't even keep it in his room with the other trains.)

It feels good to give

Jakie with his ambulance from Nathan

Quote of the Month

“’Whenever darkness fills our minds we may know that we are not possessed of the Spirit of God…When we are filled with the Spirit of God we are filled with joy, with peace, and with happiness, no matter what our circumstances maybe; for it is a spirit of cheerfulness and of happiness. The Lord has given unto us the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is our privilege to have that Holy Ghost reign within us so that from morning till night and from night till morning we shall have the joy, the light and the revelation thereof.” -President George Q. Cannon

Why you say that?

9/4/10 Nathan (looking at a picture of him and Dad fishing) in a very excited voice: "I went fishing with my Dad!!!...That made him happy."
Nathan's Prepositions:
"I'm hungry about oatmeal."
"I will share it to you."
8/26/10
Brielle: "Mom! I made some chocolate milk for you!"
Mom: "Yummm. What is in it?"
Brielle: "Grass, peanuts, dirt....um, I mean, spagetti, jelly beans and chocolate."
Brielle ("reading" Mom a story): "And then she went...long pause. Mom, do you know why I stopped reading?"
Mom: "No, why?"
Brielle: "Because I saw a word I knew! "in"!"
8/14/10 During family scripture study:
Brielle: "Who are the Lamanites again? Are they the ones who dress in army clothes and carry swords?"
Mom: "Yes, they like to fight."
Brielle: "They like to push and hit and kick and bite."
I'm okay with her thinking that that is the type of fighting they did. We are almost to the war chapters though, so her image of Book of Mormon fighting may change.
8/12/10
Background: Nathan woke up at 6:45 this morning and one of the first things he did was go to the sliding back door and open it to go out, despite the fact that there was a DOWNPOUR of rain, lightning and thunder...which is probably the reason he woke up so early. Jared jumped out of bed to stop him from going out into the storm.
Mom (later): "Nathan, why were you going outside in the rain?"
Nathan: "I was going to save the world. Dadda wouldn't let me."
8/9/10 Brielle: "Nathan, Jesus is the bestest man. He doesn't hit. He doesn't bite. He doesn't do anything that is wrong."
8/4/10 Brielle: "When I am 8 I want to get baptized on Tuesday because that is my favorite day."
Mom: "Why is that your favorite day?"
Brielle: "Because my brother was 2. Hmm. Now I am going to have to call it "threes"day."
Nathan: "I'n going to get baptized yesterday."

Nathan Updates

11/30/09
Nathan's verbal ability is improving by leaps and bounds. We got full sentences often. As I was blogging the reunion, he saw the picture of the gingerbread houses:
N: "Made ginger houses. Lisa help me a candy!"
11/23/09
During an FHE lesson about showing love to our family members from Elder Bednar's talk, Dad planned an activity where we practice showing each other that we love them. First Brielle showed Dad that she loved him by giving him a hug and a kiss and telling him that she loved him. Then Dad showed Nathan (who was seemingly completely oblivious to the lesson and the showing of love as he played with his plane in the corner). Then as Dad was trying to get Nathan to show Mom that he loved her and Nathan was completely ignoring him Brielle started to cry:
B: "Dad, you are supposed to show me that you love me!"
D: "Oh, yes, but for this activity we are going aroung in circles."
N (perking up in the corner): "CIRCLES?!?"
After a few seconds of somewhat confused silence:
B: "Okay! Let's go around in circles!!!" With that Brielle jumped up and began running around in circles in the living room (one of the kids favorite games to play is to chase each other in circles giggling the whole time).
Nathan has started calling his sister "brielley" like his Mom and Dad do. So, so cute.

Why you say that? (A common Brielle question. Here we ask her the same thing.) Archive

9/22/09 At preschool today:
Addie: "Can we have some more snack?"
Kristen: "No, because your moms will be here to pick you up any second."
Brielle: "Mom, can I have another snack because you aren't coming to pick me up. You are already here!"
8/17/09 During breakfast as we are talking about going for a walk:
Brielle: "Is it hot or cold outside today?"
Mom: "Right now it is medium. It isn't real hot and it isn't real cold."
About 15 minutes later while getting dressed:Mom, pointing to the corresponding drawers: "Here are your winter clothes and here are your summer clothes."
Brielle: "Mom, is fall medium?"
Eating frozen yogurt:
Brielle: "Is this a dairy product?" She's 3 for heavens sakes! What 3 year old cares, or even knows about, the food groups. Our budding doctor does. She is always asking if something is a grain, a fruit, a vegetable or a dairy. With almost every meal she asks if it is healthy for her body. And, being a child who has struggled with constipation, she LOVES anything with fiber. If you tell her it has fiber in it, she's in man! Blake and Shonna got her to eat a baby carrot and an orange slice after explaining fiber when they visited in WI. When I went to throw away the carrots (a vegetable that until then she has refused to even touch) as we were moving, she got very mad at me and made me take them out of the garbage because they were for her! Afterall, they have fiber AND help her see in the dark!
7/27/09 Nathan (holding mom's hand): "pocket. pocket. down."
Mom: "Okay, let's play 'Ring Around the Rosies.'"
Nathan (reaching out to Brielle with other hand): "No. Baa."
Mom: "Brielle, Nathan would like you to play with us."
Brielle: "Okay."
After playing 4 or 5 times:Brielle (looking sweetly at Nathan): "One more time okay? There is only one more 'Ring Around the Rosie' left."I wonder where she learned that one. :)7/23/09
Dad: "Brielle, sit at the table and eat your food or dad will sit on you (lightly, of course)."
Brielle: "No, those are not part of the options!"
7/16/09
Brielle's word of the day: "squeezy". Definition: adj meaning squishy or soft. For example, spagetti becomes squeezy when cooked and string cheese becomes squeezy when it has been out of the fridge for an hour or so in our picnic bag.

Brielle's accomplishment of the day: She ate the leaves off of the trees (broccoli).
7/13/09
Brielle: "I can't wait until I get big. Then I can reach the salt and pepper."

Eating a red and white sucker given to her by a friend:
Brielle: "Why did they make this sucker red and white?"
Mom: "I don't know. I guess they just wanted both colors in it."
Brielle: "Did they not have enough red?"

5/26/09
Mom: "Let's get the house all picked up. The person who cleans up the most gets a special prize."
Dad (a few minutes later in an effort to get things going a little quicker): "I'm picking up the most."
Brielle: "No, I'm picking up the most."
Dad: "I'm picking up the most, fastest."
Brielle: "No, I'm picking up the most, fastest."
Dad: "I'm picking up the most, fastest first."
Brielle: "No, I'm picking up the most, fastest first."
Dad: "I'm picking up the most, fastest first on one foot."
Brielle: "Why?"
3/24/09
Brielle is starting to think mathematically. She learned her letters so much more quickly than her numbers, but she has recently gotten her numbers through 9 down and she is putting her understanding of them to use.
For example:
Jared (holding 6 Smarties): How many do you get?
Brielle: 3
Jared: How many does Nathan get?
Brielle: 3

Mom: Go get 3 books to read
Brielle (holding her new favorite book): I already have this one. I just need to choose 2 other ones.
Mom (holding 4 M&M's; Nathan was sleeping): How many M&M's does Brielle get and how many does mom get?
Brielle (Pauses for a few seconds): I get 3.
Mom (acting a bit offended): Then how many would I get?Brielle: One...I get 3.That's just the way it is I guess.
3/3/09
Brielle: Mom, what are you doing?
Mom: Cutting onions
Brielle: I don't like onions.
Mom: Me neither. They stink!
Brielle: They stink?
Mom: Yes. They do!
Brielle: They need to go potty!
3/2/09Mom (Grabbing his hand as Nathan tries to hit her): Nathan we don't hit. Do you feel frustrated?Brielle: "Yes, he does."Mom: "Nathan, when you feel frustrated you can say 'grrrrr' and that will make you feel better."Brielle (in a consoling tone): "Good idea mommy"That was a rewarding moment for me! I try to reinforce her when she chooses good ways to solve her problems. It felt good to have her do it back to me!2/12/09Brielle: "When we sit down we have a lap. When we stand up we don't have a lap."
2/10/09 (Showing me her baby doll that she had been taking care of)Brielle: "I put these (barettes) in to keep the hair out of her face."Mom: "That is so nice of you."Brielle: "And I use the comb to get all of the nuts out. She put them in with her hands."Mom: "She put knots in her hair with her hands?"Brielle: "Yes. She put nuts in her hair with her hands during dinner."I guess I need to be more clear when, in answer to her questions, I explain what I am doing when I am combing the knots out of her hair each morning.
2/7/09 (Singing in her bedroom)Brielle: "Twinkle little star...like a dino in the sky..."
At breakfast - 1/25/09
Brielle(eating whole wheat toast) : "Please pass the bear jam (honey)."

Brielle's Personal Prayer - 1/24/09
Dad: "Please help my owie to get better." (She scraped her face badly about 30 minutes before)
Brielle repeats
Brielle (At the end of the prayer): "Dad, it's not gone. It's still there!"
Dad: "What?"
Brielle: "My owie isn't gone after the prayer."

About one week ago Brielle came to me randomly and said:
Brielle: "I have three houses."
Mom: "You do? Where are they?"
Brielle: "My Idaho house, my Utah house, and my Wisconsin house."
Yipee! If she is already thinking about her WI house, maybe this next move won't be so hard on her!

Nightly Family Prayer - Brielle's turn 1/22/09
Dad: "Please help us to sleep well now."
Brielle (kind-of) repeats: "Please help us to sleep not yet."

Brielle's pronuciations:
zebra - "eezbra"
vegetable - "jetable"
carpet - "crap it"
milkshake - "milkshade"

Looking at a book:
Brielle: "Mom, what are these?"
Mom: "Those are insects."
Brielle: "I love sex!"
Mom: "Hmmm...maybe we should call them bugs."
2/3/09S marty pants!!! Brielle's favorite library book is "Franklin Goes to the Hospital." We have checked it out 2 or 3 times. I sat down to read it to her and got part way through the sentence and stopped.
Mom: "Franklin had gone to the doctor..."
Brielle: "for regular check-ups."
Mom: "Franklin had had..."
Brielle: "colds and tummyaches."
Mom: "Franklin had gotten..."
Brielle: "cuts and bruises."
Mom: "And one time..."
Brielle: "the doctor had even come to Franklin's house."
Mom: "But until now...."
Brielle: "Franklin had never been to the hospital."
The whole book went on like that with Brielle finishing sentences about sleep medicine, x-rays, surgeries, and being brave. We had read it to her maybe 7 or 8 times with a couple of weeks since the last time we checked it out. It makes me wonder...what else is stored inside that little brain?

Nathan Updates Archives

7/23/09 New favorite words: "DO IT!!" (meaning, "I do it.")Looking at a picture of me and my sisters:
Mom: "Nathan, who is that?"
Nathan: "Shon. Mommy. Shell."
Who knew that he knew that? Not me.
7/14/09 He was playing with Baby Sara (the doll), comforting her when she cried and doing pat a cake with her feet (I do that with him when I change his diaper). Then he said "Stinky!" and began to change her diaper. He took the mock diaper of and said "whoo wee! Stinky!" while waving his hand in front of his nose. I found it humorous and I love that he is learning to pretend. He has a great role model of that in his older sister.
3/24/09 I can't keep up with all the words he is learning lately. Everyday several new ones pop out. SO FUN! He LOVES outside, trains, cars, food, and books. He also notices every little noise and tells me what makes it. Smartie pants.
3/13/09 Recent words:
"My tun" - My turn (Hmm. I wonder where he learned that one)
"Chicken"
"Nana" - banana
"Some""
Nandy" - candy
"Tick" - Stick
"Foo" - Food
"Shower"
"Owieee"
"Yummy"
"Fishy"
"Tak you" - Thank you
Nods his head a lot in answer to questions
3/3/09'He said "I love you" today! :)
3/2/09 His vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds! Recent additions:"tissue"-he walks around saying this as his nose is running constantly. He doesn't fight me wiping it anymore."train, choo choo"- everytime he hears the train pass our house he calls this out and runs to the window."vvvrrrooooom"-whenever he sees a car"stinky" - you can guess when he uses this :)"welcome"-we recently realized that this is what he is saying instead of thank you to our "what do you say Nathan?" prompt. He has been saying it for months and we recently mused that he should be able to say "thank you" more clearly since he is talking so much better now. We then realized he is saying "welcome" because we always say "you're welcome after he responds to that verbal prompt.Morning Welcome
2/7/09 I got up this morning at 6:45 to go and play raquetball and heard Nathan calling "mama, mama". It was all I could do to not go in and give him a great big love, but I had to leave to pick up Candida to play ball. When I got home I saw Brielle coming down the stairs, so I said "HI!!" Then I hear "HHHHIIIII! HHHHHIIIIII! HHHHHIIIII!," as Nathan scoots down the stairs as fast as possible (and he is amazingly fast as many of you can attest). He came running over to me and gave me a big, heart-melting hug. Brielle plopped down on the stairs and started giving me a report on the morning as Jared and I do when one or the other of us gets home. "Nathan wake up. I say it is morning...mumble, mumble, mumble." Then Nathan was off to the kitchen making his uh-uh noise which means he wants me to follow. Then he gets in there and I hear "PEEESE. PEEESE. PEEESE. (Please)". I go in to find him standing beneath where the cookies are on the counter reaching as high as he can. "PEESE." In an effort to give him something healthy instead, I went over and opened the fridge to get him some milk. Nathan bee-lined over there, saw a sippy cup of Kool-aid and let out a squeal of glee! He did a little happy dance as he grabbed it and started drinking. How can I say "no" to that? I couldn't.
2/4/09 We went for a walk and Nathan talked up a storm:
"side" (let's go out side)
"ca - vroooom" (There is a car. Vroooom)
"do - ruff, ruff" (There is a dog. Ruff. Ruff)
"nt some" (I'm hungry. I want some)