Christmas Portraits

You didn't think I could possibly have more, but you were wrong.

Christmas Day

I'm the blogging equivalent of your neighbor with the Christmas lights still lit every night at 6:00. You're pretty sick of anything twinkling red-and-green, but what are you going to do, knock on the door and hand them the memo that January is here?

Are you wondering why I still have a Christmas background? You are? I knew it. The site I like to get templates from is down. I want to move on, believe me. I may be stuck with this cute little owl until Easter, but dang it, I am not budging.

So this is also my admission that I'm still posting Christmas pictures. And the fact that I'm going back later and re-dating these posts for December either makes me a cheater or a genius.

For your viewing pleasure (or ennui):

May I present to you OUR CHRISTMAS MORNING FUN FEST AND JUBILATION!!!!!

We had a family prayer, then the kids were ready to bound downstairs!

 

Santa brought a dirt bike, an art box, a Playmobile pirate ship, and a Lego space police ship. And the stocking gifts were particularly fun and practical this year! What a smart guy. Very, very smart.

"You want me off your bike? Bring it, tough guy!"

 

After enjoying Santa's gifts, we ate breakfast and then moved to the front rooms.

The kids were semi-confined to their blankets so that they didn't intrude on each others' space. (Marginally successful.)

Tyce was the gift passer-outer.

Tyce read Mary's card to him. As we were out shopping she said, "I don't really know what to give to a 13-year-old boy. I know he likes this AXE body wash, but who am I to care what he smells like?"

Mary got many gifts to put her creativity to good use.

 Cameron liked getting things that go!

 

Harrison liked getting to cheer with the best of them.

 

Heather dreamed of  a Jacob Black of her own. But even hotter, and less affected by the moon.

Bryce can't get enough of BYU.

 One cool gift was the personalized rock hammer for Al from the Ottosens.

I got some knives. Sharp, pointy knives.

 

Tyce read his new Monty Python and the rules for the holy hand grenade shirt.

 

Mary showed off her art supplies.

 

Ninja Cam. How can he grow up to be a ninja is he doesn't practice now?

Harrison loved his Leap Frog read-and-write from the Cooks.

 

The aftermath. This is only one small part. It took days to get things cleaned up and back to normal, but it was worth it!

Thank you so, so much to our family for the wonderful gifts. We loved them all and appreciate your thoughtfulness. We are getting thank-you notes out soon.

New Year's Resolutions

This is out of order but I wanted to share Mary's long-term goals with you.


One year: get good grades

Three years: do good in Young Womans

Five years: Stay boy free even tho im going to be so close to 16

********

P.S. Today is my dad's birthday!!!!

Christmas Eve Devotional

After dinner we gather in the living room for the best part of the night, the lesson by candlelight. This is a tradition that Bryce started a few years ago and we all love it. There's something magical about the gentle glow of a candle flame that seems to allow us to focus more intently on the true meaning of Christmas.

This year's theme was the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. When Jesus lived on earth, the light of the Gospel burned bright. After His death came the Apostasy, where the world was in darkness.

Each child blew out his candle.

Many years later, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and initiated the restoration of the fulness of the gospel. We listened to a reading of Joseph's own account and testimony, which was very powerful.

Mary lit Tyce's candle, and Tyce lit Harrison's, until all four candles were shining bright again.

Through the gospel of Jesus Christ comes light, life, and salvation.

Then Grandpa Al read from the scriptures.

And each child got a poster to hang in their room, like this.

(This is Samuel the Lamanite, which is the one Mary chose.)

After that the kids got on their pajamas and opened their special Christmas Eve books. This is also Bryce's area.

Grandpa Al read "Jabberwocky" to the boys, which was Harrison's book.

Tyce received a box-set of Orson Scott Card's books; Mary received a box-set of Shannon Hale's books (from Grandma Judy and Grandpa Al). Cam got a poem book. Those little guys love their poems!

The kids were also supposed to get special Christmas Eve pajamas . . . but I lost them. Lost them to my disorganized closet, where they were swallowed up in the jumble of clothes and books and fossilized Halloween candy, only to be found on January 2nd.

But the kids happily marched off to bed, books in hand, to read until they fell asleep.

Christmas Eve Dinner

I took pictures of the food! Our feast this year included turkey, potatoes, stuffing, rolls, cranberry sauce, onion souffle (made by Heather--yum), and a triple chocolate cake.

Cheers!

And how are you?

I haven't even uploaded pictures yet. But guess what....I got a new camera! A replacement, really, since someone threw my old one and broke it.

Observation: the most beautiful color in the culinary world is the cranberry.

Observation: kids would be happy with stocking gifts and one present.

Observation: the movie "Elf" is on a lot during December.

And one more . . .

I will blog when I have more time. But for now, suffice it to say that Christmas was lovely.

Tuesday Touch up

Almost here. I think I'm ready. It's nice to have Bryce's sister Heather visit, as well as Grandpa Al. If the kids can hold themselves together it will be a Christmas miracle.

Tyce had an thought-provoking conversation starter. He asked, "Was Jesus black or white?" I said, "He probably looked a lot like the people on that movie we saw ("The Nativity Story"); Middle Eastern. Unless Mary was very fair-skinned . . . "

And then I thought, you and I are all made up of two parents' genes but Jesus had Mary's genetics and . . . God's?

What are His physical characteristics? Skin color? Hair? And does He have all the dominant and recessive traits for those like we do?

Or does Jesus look just like God, bypassing Mary' genetic contribution?

Interesting question, eh?

Anyway.

I only have a moment today. I'm taking Tyce to the dentist in a few, and then taking the kids a couple at a time to shop for each other.

Oh, and BYU won the bowl game last night against Oregon State. Some of us went, some of us stayed, but all now raise our colors high in the blue to cheer the Cougars of BYU.

(Rah rah, rahrahrah...Rah rah rahrahrah....Goooooooooo Cougars!)

That was for Bryce.

I love him. He is the best. And probably the team's biggest fan.

And now I'm off.

Four Major Causes of Misbehavior

If the parent feels bothered or annoyed, the child is seeking attention.

If the parent feels angry, provoked, or threatened, the child is seeking power.

If the parent feels hurt, the child is seeking revenge.

If the parent feels like giving up, the child feels hopeless and inadequate.

******

Something to think and think and think about. More here.

In other news, I have done some Christmas shopping . . . AND . . . I think I'm going to be ready for the big day. You know what's bad? I truly can't think of anything I want for myself except when I'm out and THEN it's all I can do to stop myself from impulse buying everything on the shelves.

I may or may not have spent $60 on makeup.

I may or may not have bought myself a new coat.

I may or may not have gotten 12 Twilight posters to tack around my own bedroom walls.

(Okay, that one is a joke. Bryce would never go for that!)

Oh my goodness.

What a month.

I  wrote a Sesame newsletter (my last one) on Christmas traditions. I referenced the gifts given to the Christ-child: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. My Jewish editor asked me what those were (besides gold). And I thought, Isn't that common knowledge, even if you aren't Christian? Didn't she ever watch A Charlie Brown Christmas?

And then when I tried to answer, I came up blank.

So I did the lamest thing possible. I consulted wikipedia. I felt like a failure. Precious minerals used for sacred oils, that's the best I could come up with.

But guess what. Redemption through the New Era!

From Wendy Kenney's article entitled "We Three Kings" (December 2009):

Why did the Wise Men bring Jesus such rare gifts? Most scholars agree that the gifts were symbolic. The gold symbolized Jesus's kingship, frankincense His divinity, and myrrh His suffering and death, since myrrh was a substance used to perfume dead bodies before burial.

And that makes sense, doesn't it?

Well anyway.

I've reorganized the laundry room, after visiting with the Hardys last night. The lightbulb went off and I knew what needed to be done to combat the monstrous mound of clothes that lives in the hallway, waiting to be folded. So thank you, Rex's mom, for having a system that I am sure will work for me.

(I shall post before and after pictures soon. Oh, the suspense!)

Winter Concerts

Last night the symphonic band, orchestra, and honor choir performed.

Tyce's full-time commitment is band, but he also sang in the choir, lending a much-needed second male voice to the all-girl ensemble. (This is only a shot of the most of the choir warming up.)

I had a hard time focusing on my video- and picture-taking duties because I had the other kids doing this:

(being silly and fidgety)

and

(dreaming of being somewhere else).

But I thought the concert was great and I'm really proud of Tyce for using his talents.

Good job, Brown Bears!

And then this afternoon we went to Mary's choir concert at her elementary school.

She's in the middle, standing by her friend Sara. They had a neat repertoire of modern songs and very old (Lo, How a Rose Ere Blooming, Good Christian Men Rejoice, Holly and the Ivy). Their best number was "Hark, Hear the Bells", which garnered very enthusiastic applause from the other students before the song was even over!

After the concert the singers went back to class. Mary and Sara and their classmates did a great job!