Dyeries

Halloween 2013

2013-11-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

It seemed like Halloween came twice last year. We had festivities a week before Halloween but the costumes I was making/constructing were not finished. So I made a quick Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) costume for Max out of stuff we had, we threw together a Hermione costume for Hannah, and for Jane we just put her in Hannah's witchiepoo costume from least year. She was pretty excited about it. Claire was the only one who had the same costume for all the spooky events. Hers was a recycled sock hop girl costume from when Hannah was about 3. She looked adorable.

The cast of characters:

She poses herself.

The happy trunk-or-treaters at the church.

The next week, we had nearly a new line up: Hannah was Dorothy, Jane was Glinda, and Max was Max from Where the Wild Things Are. I've known his whole life that he would have to be Max at some point. This year seemed perfect.

Hannah got a bloody lip right before it was time to get ready. She couldn't smile without it bleeding.

The shot right before we left to fill up those buckets. Or basket.

Max got the most attention with his costume. People seemed to recognize him as "Max" but seemed surprised as if they weren't used to seeing anyone dressed in that costume. I know it's not original but it was different, unlike Dorothy. She was very popular this year!

Halloween is not my favorite holiday but I do love it for the glorified dress-up factor. Kids are so cute!

Gold Rush Days 2013

2013-09-02T14:54:00.001-07:00

Gold Rush Days falls on Labor Day weekend. It takes place in Old Sacramento where the streets are covered in dirt and horse-drawn carriages and wagons ride. You can get a glimpse of life from the 1850's as people dress-up, play old-timey tunes, sell food, reenact western shoot-outs and share stories and histories of California's Gold Rush Days.

This year, rather than drive and park downtown, we met up with the other Dyers and rode into Old Sac on our bikes. It was muggy and further than I think my kids expected, but the kids survived the trek.

The kids liked hanging out by the "Mormon Battalion" area the most. They had lots of pioneer games to play, they got their names written in calligraphy with a quill, they made rope and there was a cannon firing every once in a while. The girls loved these parasols the pioneer ladies had. Jane has wanted a parasol since she laid eyes on one of them at last year's Gold Rush Days. Someday, Jane.

The ride back.

Here is a one minute video of our little outing.

Jane's 7th Birthday

2013-08-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Catching up is hard but I don't want to skip over those important things which have transpired over the last year.

*************

We celebrated Jane's birthday last year at Cannon Beach on her actual birthday, but since it's a party year, we had another celebration on August 10th. She wanted a rainbow theme and to go roller skating. Easy enough!

I looked for different rainbow cake ideas all over the Internet. I'm surprised I actually followed through with any of them because they all looked more challenging than what I'm usually up for. This one wasn't as hard as it looked, and I had fun making it. The real reward came when Jane saw it. She flipped.

I'll be honest, the cake recipe wasn't that great. I should have used my own, but the frosting was delicious. It was a lemon swiss meringue buttercream.

After cake and presents, we took Jane and her friends to Rollerland. It was not easy being the crutch for a bunch of girls, but they all had a lot of fun so it was worth it. Jane felt like a rockstar.

(low lighting+motion=poor quality iPhone picture)

There it is. She is 7. She makes me laugh every day.
I love this girl!!!

Cannon Beach Part II: The Video

2013-08-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

Max, Hannah, Claire and Jane, Downtown Cannon Beach 2013

I have posted many pictures of Cannon Beach in the past, so to shake things up a bit, I thought I'd post a video instead. It's nearly 12 minutes but there IS music, if that helps to hold interest. :) Enjoy!

Cannon Beach Part I: Getting there

2013-08-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

This could be a record. I'm quite certain I have never gone this long without blogging. It will probably take a while to catch up but here I am!

This year, our trip started the week of July 28th and ended August 4th. We decided to take the scenic route up to Oregon. We left on Friday and headed northeast to the Northern California coast. We had to stop in Ukiah to eat, and then went north toward the campground we were going to spend the night at.

Along the way, we found a drive-though sequoia tree so we stopped.

There were other trees to look at too.

We made it to Patrick's Point State Park late that night. Unfortunately, we didn't prepare for the cold night we experienced. We covered the kids with clothes over their sleeping bags and anything else we could find to keep them warm. It was a rather miserable night, but we survived and woke up to this.

It had been so long since I had woken up in a forest like this. It had such a Northwest feel and it made me so happy to feel the ocean air.

After breakfast, we journeyed north toward the redwood forests and stopped to explore.

We could have stayed for days.

Later that Saturday, we arrived in Oregon and finally got our first view of the great Northwest beaches.

We decided we had to get some extra bedding for camping that night, in case it was as cold as the night before, so we bought some extra sleeping bags before we went to the campground at Coos Bay.

The next day was Sunday so we found a ward to go to, and then we drove up 101, beach hopping all the way up to Cannon Beach.

Heceta Head Lighthouse.

Can you spy it?

Newport Beach

We arrived in Cannon Beach, or Tolovana where the beach house is, that evening in time to watch the sunset.

We had so much fun getting there. It was like our vacation before our vacation.

Here is some video of our trip there.

Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River Trail

2013-07-22T09:00:00.004-07:00

We beat the heat in Sacramento Saturday (in the triple digits) by going up to Tahoe. We met up with the Corbridges and the Reno Dyers for a bike ride along the Truckee River.

Lauren and I are missing in the picture. There were 21 of us all together, so it's no surprise that we couldn't all stay together. But I got to see these two cuties,

They both cruised on scooters for a while before they got in the trailer.

What I don't have a picture of is the insane amount of people crowding the river. They were tubing and rafting and swimming. I've never see it so packed. Everyone there must have been escaping high temperatures, just like us.

After the trail, we went to King's Beach for the day. The water was so refreshing and so welcoming. It was the perfect day to go to Tahoe.

I didn't take many pictures but I did take some video (below). I had to show this picture of Jane since she didn't have a chance to show her face on the vid (or rather, I failed to capture her).

This was the last shot of Tahoe before we left, and then it started raining.

Here is a bit of our day in motion.
(It's much better on Vimeo where you can watch it in HD.)

The Truckee Trail and Lake Tahoe from Miriam Dyer on Vimeo.
(Music by Dani and Kerianne)

Independence Day

2013-07-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

I love the Fourth of July! I used to love it for the fun of the day and the fireworks at night. Now, I love it because of what it represents and for the reasons we have to celebrate it. Love of country. It's a good feeling.

We did nearly a copy cat of last year's Fourth of July. Last year we hiked along a river, ate BBQ with the Dyers, and went to Woodland for fireworks. This year, we (mostly Dan) went tubing on a river, ate BBQ with the Dyers, and then went to Woodland fireworks. This year was just as great and memorable.

Carrie's friends invited us all to go to Bear River to play. We set up by the river, then Dan took a tube up river with a lot of the other adults while I stayed riverside with the kids. It was the perfect place to play in and relax by the water.

After the river, we went home to regroup. Then we went to the Dyers for some grub before going to Woodland for the firework show.

We were all very tired and happy at the end of the day.

Dan put together a little video (if you can, watch it in HD).

Happy Fourth of July!

Catch-up post

2013-07-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

I love Instagram. Unfortunately, it seems to have replaced blogging for me. I've talked about this before, I know. I tell myself that it's ok because I will make books from Instagram and they will be a form of family history, like our blog. Still, I wish I blogged more.

Since it's been a while, I thought I'd do a (kind of long) catch-up post. I will try to minimize the commentary and stick to the pictures. I start with Mother's Day...

Breakfast in bed, Max fell asleep on me at church (never happens), me and my girls, and me time.

Dan got me a Vitamix. He is good to me.

American River Parkway Half Marathon with Brenda and Carrie.

Pretty little prairie girl. That dress was mine.

Hannah and Jane right before their first Daddy-daughter dance at school.

Starting to feel like summer.

Jane has been asking for her own photo shoot since I did Hannah's baptism pictures. She finally got her chance. These are just a couple from our outing.

Last day of school. I couldn't have asked for more awesome teachers!

The other Dyers got a pool!

Old Sac.

I took the kids to Utah for a week. We stayed and played with the Truscotts and...

the Welches. We had a great time at the cabin!

Swim lessons started at an unseasonable 65˚ with sprinkling. The cool weather did not last.

All my little loves.

Jane thought she had lost Lamby for good. It was such a happy reunion when we found her. Her prayers were answered.

Drying off after a family water fight.

The Corbridges invited us out on their boat.

I had to prove to my kids (and myself) that I still have a sense of adventure.

It's been a great summer so far.

PS- Don't fall asleep under the blazing California sun.

Max turned 2

2013-05-26T15:58:00.002-07:00

Max turned two so long ago, it's hard to remember the details. I do remember how good at blogging I used to be...

Max's birthday was on Conference Sunday. The Dyers came over for the second session and then, we partied!

We happened to have a piñata on hand so we started in the backyard.

We let Max swing at the piñata so many times, mostly because it was so cute to watch him try to hit it. We let the other kids try from youngest to oldest. No luck. Finally, Cody stepped up to the plate.

We probably should have blindfolded him, but the adults were ready to be done and move on. Cody busted it wide open, and the other kids cheered and ran to claim their spoils.

Max didn't have a preference for cake (not that I asked) so I made a chocolate cake with salted caramel frosting. He didn't really know what to do with the candles.

Max got a foam soccer ball, a Diego backpack, a Baby Jaguar, and some field binoculars. He was very happy.

And that was about it for our little man's birthday.

Max, you are so good at being two! We love you!!

Fancy Claire Birthday

2013-04-28T22:58:00.004-07:00

Well, Claire, being the fancy little lady she is, wanted to have a Fancy Nancy birthday party. It was a sharp contrast to Hannah's party where everything was rustic and earthy. For Claire's party, I had to find/use lots of pink, purple, glitter, butterflies and anything that had a bit of glitz or glam. It was cheap though because what we found that she totally loved was in the dollar section of stores or at the dollar store. We did our best to make it fancy enough for Claire.

Claire dressed well for the part. She loved how she looked, and we all loved looking at her.

She invited fancy friends (and a handsome gent) in fancy clothes, and we had extra fancy accessories for them to adorn themselves if they wished.

They danced,

They had fancy pink ice cream sodas,

They ate fancy pink cake with lots of sparkly sprinkles and plenty of other sweet treats,

They had a fancy fashion show (with an enthusiastic audience)...

Claire got some fancy presents...

Ane our friends took home some fancy things to make them feel even fancier...

Claire was so happy that day! She thought everything was perfect and loved every second of it. She told anyone, even strangers all about her Fancy Nancy party in the days that followed. She relived it many many times.

Here is Claire on her actual birthday, with a new cut.

We went to Big Spoon for her birthday treat,

And one of her favorite gifts was this little American Girl doll named Kit.

Claire is 4, but she is still our sweet little girl. As long as her voice stays the same :) and the same sweetness shines from her little face and loving gestures, she can get as old as she wants.

We adore you, Claire! Happy Birthday!

Hannah's baptism

2013-03-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

March 2, 2013 was Hannah's baptism day. We had the opportunity to hold our own rather than participate in the stake baptism. I'm glad we did. It made the day even more special for Hannah and for us.

Hannah wanted to wear a dress to be baptized in, so she wore one my mom made her a year or so ago. It fits her much better now.

We were so lucky to have my parents there, who had driven down from Washington for the event. Hannah was so happy to have them visit. Shane and Lauren came from Reno for the day with their boys. Other guests included the other Dyers (Jeromy, Carrie and Co.), the Corbridges, the Abarcas, the Wonnacotts, the Baileys (Kaisa, Lakai, Maddox), the Karleys, Bishop Weight, Tom and Linda Bailey, and Courtney and Andalyn Cashdollar, among other church members.

I asked my mom to speak on baptism. She did a great job. Then Noelle, Jane and Hannah sang "When I am Baptized", which they sang at Noelle's baptism so well, but they had to start over, and I gave them a little help by sitting in front of them. They were so cute!

Hannah was baptized by Dan. She had to go under a second time because her dress didn't go all the way under. When I was baptized, I had to go under a second time too, but she wasn't embarrassed the way I was. Good girl.
My dad and Shane were the witnesses to the baptism.

When Hannah came out, we watched a video that Dan's parents, who are serving their mission in Bolivia, had made for her and her baptism. It was so great that they could be apart of it, because it was hard for them to miss it and hard for us to not have them there.

I gave a talk on the gift of the Holy Ghost. Lots of people were surprised that I assigned myself a talk with all I had going on, but I wanted to be involved somehow. It was short and sweet and I cried a little. I just looked at Hannah, and I was so proud of her, I couldn't help it.

Hannah was confirmed by Dan and lots of family and friends. A sweet moment.

We kind of made Hannah say a few words. She didn't really want to, but she did with Dan's help.

The bishop spoke, and then we had refreshments.
(And a little later, our families went to Red Robin and waited the longest ever for a table for dinner, but it was good, probably because we were so hungry).

We are so proud of Hannah, and we love her sweet spirit. She feels so special to be an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We love you, Hannah girl!

Claire

2013-03-13T21:24:00.001-07:00

I have yet to write about Hannah's baptism, and that's because I have to actually write instead of let my photos tell the story, as I hardly took any pictures. Sad. I am formulating my thoughts and will post on that soon. In the meantime, I thought I'd share my Instagrams from the last couple of days of Claire. She is such an interesting little subject. Sometimes I wish you could hear her in her pictures. Her voice is... sweet... little... perfect (unless she's having a "moment"). But her images are just the same...

That's all.

I will write more about Claire soon. She's turning 4 this month!

Baptism photo shoot

2013-02-24T16:50:00.005-08:00

Last month, I took Hannah out for a photo shoot to celebrate her baptism. I bought a vintage dress from eBay, picked a beautiful warm winter day and went to a local park.

I loved how the pictures turned out, mostly because they were just what I had envisioned...

Hannah's baptism is this Saturday. We are so proud of her! She is such a sweet gift to our family and her spirit shines so bright. She is so loved.

Baptism pictures to come.

Hannah's indoor camping birthday party

2013-02-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hannah often wishes she had a summer birthday. So many things she loves to do happen when it's warm. One of those things she loves is camping. Therefore, she chose to have an indoor camping party.

This is the picture we used on her invitation.

And here's what our campout looked like:

Hannah wanted a chocolate cake with two tiers and flowers. Easy.

S'more bar with Reese's PB cups. I couldn't wait to try those on my s'more.

"Happy Trails to You!" trail mix bar that the girls took home with them.

We had stars. And if you could hear these pictures, you'd hear the sound of crickets. It really made a difference :)

Pigs in sleeping bags, at Hannah's request.

Each girl had a mini old-fashioned lantern with them (which they got to take home). I had to turn the lights back on to take this picture, but they were constantly trying to get all the lights off. I don't blame them. It was fun to have only lamplight and stars above.

We had an indoor marshmallow roasting for s'mores with Sterno cans. The girls needed monitoring but it worked out well and I really enjoyed doing it (we did it the next night as a family too).

Hannah's seat to open presents. I'm happy to not have to be on the lookout for wood and stumps anymore.

Telling spooky stories. Or rather silly stories.

Fun friends and gifts.

Hannah was really happy, and she loved her party!

Since we only have parties every other year, we have time to plan for her 10th.
Happy Birthday, Hannah! Again.

Hannah's turns 8!

2013-02-17T22:55:00.001-08:00

Our dear, sweet Hannah turned 8 on Friday! In some ways it seems like she's been 8 forever, but in other ways, I really can't believe it.

I didn't take that many pictures of her, but I managed to put a few on Instagram, of course.

Friday was a school day so the morning was quick and mostly unceremonious, but she did get a breakfast she doesn't normally get.

We used these mini donuts in her birthday treat for her classmates.

Later in the day, we went to the park per her request.

I heart heart heart heart..... Hannah.

They love each other so much.

Hannah always wants to watch this movie but the other kids never do. Friday was her night so Mr. Fox it was. She was so happy (Jane not so much).

We were all supposed to go to dinner/birthday dessert at Red Robin, but Dan didn't get home until bed time, so he and Hannah snuck out for a late-night date. Again, happy girl!

More to come on her birthday party...

Happy birthday, my lovely girl!

(taken on Valentine's Day)

2nd Christmas in the Northwest

2013-01-27T14:53:00.004-08:00

The kids and I spent the day after Christmas traveling.

It was not in our plans to go anywhere for the holidays. My parents were supposed to visit us here in California, but my mom was not well enough to travel. We had our hearts set on a Christmas together, so I decided to go to Washington to be with them instead. Unfortunately, Dan could not join us.

We spent the night in a hotel in Oregon.
The kids loved it but I didn't, mostly because I didn't bring a portable crib for Max. Lessons learned.

We had a happy reunion upon arrival the next day. Max went straight to my dad.

Hannah wanted to wait for the next morning to have Christmas with my parents, so we spent the afternoon/evening catching up and resting. We were all tired from the road trip.

The next morning...

We received some special gifts from my parents. The girls got some beautiful Laura Dare nightgowns. They are so glamorous and fancy! We got a large Book of Mormon with Minerva Teichert art throughout. I got an opal necklace. Opal is my birthstone and it is the middle name of my grandmother and Jane. Max got a soft book from my mom. It is awesome!

We spent the next day with two of my brothers and their families in downtown Seattle, mostly on the waterfront and at Pike Place Market.

Over the weekend,
I saw Les Miserable, and these other things happened...

Jane found my mom's wig from last year.

The girls kept finding things from my childhood.

New Year's Eve I took pictures of Caleb and Lina and their kids, we went to dim sum, we went to the children's museum, we celebrated Logan's 5th birthday and we had a Skype New Year's celebration with Dan.

We were really missing daddy at this point. We would stay a couple more days though.

It was hard to say good-bye.

My parents, the only picture on this post taken with my Canon. My iPhone is just too convenient.

Thursday, we left before dawn because I decided I would drive Wash to Cal in one day. 800 miles door to door. I wanted to avoid the hotel this time.

The trip home went really well. The kids were great and we stopped a lot to stretch our legs.

Hannahgrams from her window.

Lunch in Eugene.

Static wall at rest stop.

Stretch.

Rest stop with Mt. Shasta for the view.

By the time we had reached Redding I was so ready to be done. 2-3 hours to go.

We arrived home at 10pm. It was a long day but it was all worth it.

We were so happy to be reunited with Dan.

It was a memorable holiday.

Christmas Day

2013-01-13T16:34:00.000-08:00

We had such a Merry Christmas! Did you know this was our first Christmas ever when we woke up in our own house? It was time it happened.

I wish I had posted this earlier as a lot of the details are fading. I will just say that Christmas was magical and wonderful and relaxing and so so fun with our kids. I savored each moment.

I really didn't take many pictures. Of course I wish I would have, but I really enjoyed being in the moment. I do have some to remember the day.

The line-up.

Claire had the best reaction to her gifts. We failed to capture the best moment when she opened a big plush Rainbow Dash. Pure joy and elation.

Stocking cereals.

And a more substantial breakfast.

Handmade gifts from Auntie Lina. So nice and perfect for each.

My favorite and very unexpected gift from Dan. I ended up swapping for some black ones. I love them so much that I get a little sad when I take them off to get into bed. True story.

Hannah is missing her cozy socks in this picture. She loves cozy things. She wore her robe most of the day, and the next, and the next.

Jane wore these while Skyping. She asked to have some of these all through the Olympics last summer.

We needed a new joke book, even though the girls still thought the old ones were very funny. Maybe I was needing to hear something different :)

Jane got a few drawing books.

Last minute dinner guests for our modest and quiet Christmas dinner.

I packed for some of the day because the kids and I left for Seattle the next morning. Hopefully I'll get to that post really soon...

Christmas is awesome!

D.O.T.M. Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

2013-01-09T08:27:00.005-08:00

I know the Dyers love cheesecake and chocolate, so I was excited when I found this recipe.

I planned it so that we would get to share it with them. I'm sneaky like that.

There were 12 of us that had the cheesecake (even though Max probably doesn't count), and there was still 1/2 of it left. It is that rich (you've been warned). They took the dessert home, froze it and went across the country to celebrate Christmas.

On Sunday, the Dyers invited us to dinner and guess what we had for dessert? It was just as good as the first time. I was sad to see it disappear so quickly.

You can find the recipe here.

I believe I missed a month last year, so even though 2012 is over, I'm going to make a make-up dessert this month. It might be more for me than them, as I think I might miss the Dessert of the Month.

Christmas activity wrap-up

2013-01-08T11:18:00.000-08:00

Before we get too far into 2013, I'd better finish up 2012.

To finish off our Christmas activities, here's what we did:

Day 14: Pine cone trees

We ended up adding glitter to them. It was necessary.

Day 15: Minivan Express

This was so fun for all of us. The activity card they pulled out in the morning said "surprise activity" so they didn't know what to expect.

We did bedtime prep as usual with pjs on and teeth brushed. When it came time to open one of our Christmas books, they had to open the one designated for this particular day (we only had two of those day-specific books). When they saw The Polar Express, they were excited. When they opened the book and saw the tickets, they were even more excited (picture on left below was taken after the initial surprise). When Dan told them the Minivan Express would be leaving in 10 minutes, they started cheering and jumping up and down. They ran to get their coats.

Dan waited at the door of the van saying "tickets please" as they entered. He punched them and made their initials on the ticket with the punch.They had to-go cups of hot cocoa waiting for them.

We have the audio CD to the book so we listened to it while the older girls followed along in the book. The story finished right when we arrived at our destination: Dovewood Court.

Every house on this street is decorated to the hilt. We found out later that some of the homes are vacant but the other home owners got permission to use electricity and decorate them. They are serious.

We had so much fun! I think the kids will always remember this activity. I'm just wondering how to keep it new every year...

Day 16: Gingerbread Houses

I will admit that I dropped the ball on this one. I didn't have enough candy and I didn't make gingerbread or buy gingerbread kits. We only had graham crackers and a few things to decorate them with, but we made them anyway, even though they didn't turn out that cute. I didn't take a picture, but I should have.

Day 17: Candy Cane Cookies/FHE

Claire dressed the part for our FHE. She felt really special holding the shepherd's crook (a cane in real life). We talked about all the symbols of Christmas and their meanings.

Then, of course, we made our candy cane cookies. Fun as always.

Day 18: Veggie Stamp Wrapping Paper

Again, I wasn't prepped for this activity. I remember being so busy I didn't have time to get proper veggies for stamping. We still tried though. I had romaine lettuce and leeks, and the kids didn't care. They stamped anyway.

Day 19: Go out to dinner

We went to the Cheesecake Factory. We were a little worried about a restaurant experience with Mad Max but it went really well which made the outing really fun for Dan and I. I had some delicious wild mushroom soup. I could have had a vat of the stuff. So yummy!

Day 20: Christmas Movie- The Grinch, the only Christmas movie we own.

Day 21: Christmas dinner with the Dyers

The other Dyers were going to go back East for Christmas so we got together for a fattening and carb-rich Italian meal. No regrets.

I made their dessert for Decemer's Dessert of the Month: Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. I will be making a separate post for this decadence.

Day 22 & 23: We were going to ice skate Saturday but it was raining. Saturday and Sunday we made last minute preparations for the big day. We shopped a little, cleaned, wrapped presents and finished some homemade gifts for family.

Day 24: Christmas Eve- Nativity, Christmas Eve box, Cookies for Santa...

We seemed to do a lot Christmas Eve but it was all fun, we were at home and we were all together.

Needless to say, the kids went to bed very excited. So did Dan and I, right after we got everything perfect for Christmas Morning...

Christmas Activity update

2012-12-14T09:09:00.000-08:00

We have been busy with Christmas. Who hasn't?

I thought it about time to post the activities we've done so far. I have mostly posted them all on Instagram, which is why all the following photos are Instagrams. :)

Day 1: We were going to go to Apple Hill for the whole tree-cutting-in-the-woods experience, but it was raining, and had been raining for days, so we bought our tree at Costco. Not as magical for us, but the kids liked picking out a tree, nonetheless. Jane really wanted this one, as you can see.

We also decorated a little and went to our church Christmas party.

Day2: Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. It was wonderful, as usual.

Day3: Make cookie cutter ornaments. Cute.

Day 4: Service. The kids picked out canned food to take to school, Claire and Max picked out toys at the store to donate for less fortunate kids, Jane swept our neighbor's walkway and helped me rake leaves.

Day 5: Make thank-you cards to give to school and Primary teachers.

Day 6: We were going to go to the museum but waited for Saturday so we could go with family that was coming to town. So we pinned the carrots on Frosty. Always fun.

Day 7: Marshmallow snowmen.

Day 8: The Norman Rockwell exhibit at the Crocker Museum. I couldn't take pictures, of course (lower left was an exception), but the exhibit was great. He is so amazing, in all genres. Jeromy (below right) is almost as good.

Day 9: Make snowflakes. This was the first time we've actually looked up patterns. I have to say, I was getting a little addicted and would have cut out more if I didn't have the kids to put to bed and if I didn't have a million other things to do.

Day 10: Caroling and treats. We went with my visiting teaching companion's family and delivered to our ladies. The door was the only thing that got sung to at this house but we were successful at two other houses.

Day 11: We were going to make gift tags out of old Christmas cards but Dan took the girls Christmas shopping so that became their activity.

Day12: Service. We took dinner to some friends who are moving soon. We also helped with laundry and moved boxes, or wore them, as the case may be.

Day 13: Toy purge, to make room for new toys and to throw away or give away old ones. I love this activity! and the kids did a great job of letting go. I loved to hear them discuss why something should or shouldn't be kept, thrown away or donated.

Today's activity: pine cone Christmas tree decorating.

Ten on Tuesday

2012-12-03T15:37:00.002-08:00

Last Tuesday seems sooooo long ago, but it happened and it was documented so here we go...

Claire adores these dolls her Gramma Gracie sent from Bolivia. They are favorites and played with nearly every day. Well done, Gramma!

What child can resist a pile of freshly raked leaves?

We need to get our fireplace fixed before we can have a fire so we called Stan's (nephew).

The basket of dolls, Barbies and ponies that need their hair detangled. I found the idea from Pinterest. It worked! on the one doll I did.

The Christmas books right before they were wrapped before our Days Before Christmas began.

This one is thanks to Pinterest again. I'm hoping these little ones will play with it instead of the real one (wishful thinking). They played with this for a good hour.

Our advent will replace our regular calendar this year (not quite done) which is why it is lined up this way. The squares are envelopes and inside is a magnetic strip and more importantly, a card with each day's activity on it.

A much needed stop after school.

A much needed rest for Claire in the Costco cart.

She needs a book light.

I won't be posting Ten on Tuesday until after Christmas as I anticipate I will be blogging plenty about our Christmas activities.

D.O.T.M. for November

2012-12-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies by Martha

I gave these cookies to Carrie and Co. with about 10 hours to spare in November.

I've wanted to make these cookies for a while, but the recipe, or the ginger, didn't seem to appeal to Dan. I saved the recipe for someone who might one day appreciate them.

I knew I was going to like these cookies but I didn't know I would LOVE them. I saved one each for Dan and the kids and after they had tried them, I was suddenly making a second batch for the day, just for our family.

They are soft and chewy and when warm, gooey :) The ginger doesn't bite you. They really are the most delicious ginger cookie I've ever had.

We have a plate sitting on our counter waiting to be taken to our neighbors' house, but we're not sure they will make it there...

Before Thanksgiving is completely forgotten...

2012-12-01T22:41:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd better document our Thanksgiving before we get into the festivities of December.

Thanksgiving morning, we woke with a visitor in our house. The one and only Kerianne Dyer came to visit for the holiday weekend, to our greatest pleasure. We were thrilled that Jeromy and Carrie already had a full house so that Keri had no choice but to stay with us.

After I prepared our dish for the imminent feast (which was absolutely delicious), we met up with the other Dyers and the Paul Wonnacotts for a friendly (scant 5k) Turkey Trot.

(Keri is taking the picture)

It was such a beautiful day.

It was fun to see the little kids cruise along on scooters and bikes. Max tried to hold his own alongside Dan. Claire liked to stop (a lot) to enjoy the beautiful and fascinating things all around her.

Hannah was the only one of our kids (and maybe one of the only kids) that walked or ran the entire way.

If there were to be a winner, it would have been Jane. She beat everyone back, on her bike, but an achievement, nonetheless.

And as usual, Claire had asked to go home before the event was even over. She's a homebody (home is where all her favorite things are).

The rest of the day was spent cooking, playing games, watching games, talking and eating...

The kids were fascinated in one way or another with the lobsters, dead and alive.

Dan watches football once, maybe twice, a year.

A common scene of the day.

When Hannah saw this, she said, "Look! I can see what the turkey ate!"

And again.

Lemon merengue bars, pumpkin cheesecake, coconut chocolate decadent pie (I don't really know the name of it) and pumpkin pie.

Right before we were going to leave, I found Max in the pantry getting every last drip from the bottles of sparkling beverages.

And that was Thanksgiving.

Our Days Before Christmas

2012-11-25T18:21:00.001-08:00

Ah! It is almost here! Our favorite time of year when we get to celebrate the days before Christmas in December.

Lots of people do this, and I love seeing new ideas every year. Traditionally, we do an activity each day, drawn from our advent, to help us enjoy the season and remember why we celebrate Christmas. The activities are mostly small and simple. We try to draw our kids' focus away from the gifts they will get on Christmas day and try to emphasize family, giving, love, and Christ on all the days prior. When Christmas day comes around, the kids have really experienced the holiday and don't get too caught up in what they did or didn't get. They have already gotten so much.

In addition to our daily activities, every day we:
*Write notes to each other and put them in our Christmas mailbox
*Read a scripture related to Christmas
*Open a wrapped Christmas book (that we already have from previous years) and read it at bed time. Because opening anything wrapped is exciting.

It might seem like a lot, but it's not that demanding, especially if I plan in advance.

This year, I wanted to make sure I posted a list of our activities ahead of time. I am not always so proactive, but I am very excited this year for reasons I can't explain, so I am ready for December to start.

I've included a lot of links for instructions, printouts, recipes, etc.

So without further ado, I present The List:

Go to Apple Hill to cut down a tree, decorate tree and go to ward Christmas party
Watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional
Make cookie cutter ornaments
Act of service (TBD)
Write thank-you cards to teachers from church and school, stamp and send our family Christmas cards
Visit Norman Rockwell exhibit
Make marshmallow snowmen
Go to Mandarin Hill Orchards
Make snowflakes
Candy cane cookies/FHE activity
Make gift tags out of old Christmas cards
service
Round up toys around the house that are in good condition that the kids are willing to donate
Make pine cone trees
Mini van express! and here. This includes seeing holiday lights.
Make gingerbread houses
Game night- Pin carrot on Frosty, Christmas Bingo, Marshmallow toss (turns war)
Make wrapping paper out of veggie stamps
Go out to eat
Go ice skating for older kids, Christmas movie for the littles
Shop for siblings
Deliver treats to friends
Wrap presents
Nativity/open Christmas Eve box

That's the plan. I'm hoping we'll find some live music to go listen to, like Handel's Messiah, or some live Nativity happening somewhere. Or maybe someone will want to go carolling with us. In such cases, we'll change things around.

Another fun tradition for the future might be to use these wooden symbolic ornaments after reading a Christmas scripture each night (but they are sold out for this year).

I'm excited for December!
Happy Holidays!

Ten on Tuesday

2012-11-08T20:24:00.001-08:00

Except it's not, because I only took about 8 pictures on Tuesday. I didn't try very hard to make the day's pictures happen, but I'll take what I have and work with it.

This skull has not made it into the Halloween box yet because Claire has become very fond of it. She said, "This is my special little guy and he loves me so much!"

Okay then.

I went in to get a stress test, which is basically an echocardiogram taken after running on a treadmill at maximum heart rate. I wanted to be proactive in heart health given my family history. From what they could tell from the initial results, my ticker is just fine. I will hear back from the cardiologist later with more complete results. Nothing to be worried about, I don't think...

Claire will get excited about almost anything you get excited about.

At first, when I asked her to help me clean the car, she said, "No mom. I don't think so." But then I changed my request to more of a song and dance approach(figuratively speaking) and I soon had her jumping at the chance.

I did a 180 and took this shot...

I love our big tree in our front yard. I'll have to remind myself of that when it looses all of its leaves on our grass and driveway.

A little healthy wrestling match during election coverage, which Hannah was very interested in when she wasn't getting smothered by all of her siblings.

This is from a story book that was given to us which is comprised of a variety of classic tales. Some of them have strange versions. I read it to the girls without proofing it and I laughed in surprise when I read this page from Little Red Riding Hood.

The results.

Oh well.

Carry on.