Valentine, will you be mine?

O Christmas Tree

I love putting up the Christmas tree. I wasn't planning on doing it this year, though, because we are going on vacation. Yep, we're going on vacation. Where to? Somewhere we've never been before. It feels too exotic to even say. Ooo, a destination Christmas! I feel embarrassed even mentioning it. We *don't* go anywhere for Christmas. We already travel in the summer. And, contrary to popular opinion, we do get sick of airplanes. Our options were a bit limited because we did *not* want to deal with jet lag. I didn't even want to deal with a trip at Christmas, but when you are practically handed tickets, we couldn't pass it up. So, we'll be in Thailand for two weeks. Boom.

Thanksgiving

This year was the first in a long time of Thanksgivings that we haven't had people over for dinner. We even did it last Thanksgiving, amid boxes and unpacking. I just wasn't feeling it this year.

We still had a great time. The kids are getting old enough to engage in games the whole family can enjoy. Mairyn & Eliza honed their chess skills. We all played Apples to Apples Jr. and Farkle is always a sure bet for fun!

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy having a holiday that isn't celebrated by the country I am living in? That means if I forgot the ice cream or run out of milk and butter, the store is open and fully stocked. On Thanksgiving morning, we indulged in an old tradition of doughnuts and milk for breakfast. Spencer & the kids went out to Krispy Kreme (yes, they have that here!!) while I put the turkey in the oven. We couldn't accompany the tradition with the usual Macy's Parade, but we had plenty of other things to do. We had dinner about 2 pm. The weather was gorgeous so we took advantage of it and played outside. The evening wrapped up with the traditional watching of "It's A Wonderful Life". The younger two lost interest after the first 45 minutes or so. But the older girls finally can appreciate more of the message and minutia that is a fine Jimmy Stewart show. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.

Halloween Time!

Greetings from Luigi, a Sock Hop girl, Pippi Longstocking, and a fairy princess!

Oh, and Uhura.

Yup.

Watch out. I actually decorated for Halloween.

The bats? Courtesy of my fine skillz on the Silhouette.
Have I mentioned how great it is?
(really, how many times do I have to mention it
before they send me free stuff?)

How is your eyesight? Have you checked it recently?

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter weekend here in beautiful southeastern Idaho! Saturday and Sunday were gorgeous days! A nice change from snow, wind & cold.

Enjoy this lovely video!

New Year, New Something

It's a new year. For some reason, everything has to be about renewal. It usually takes me a bit longer to warm up to the idea of a different set of numerals. I mourn the last year, a bit. I just got used to 2010. Though I suppose we have a whole new decade to get used to the prefix '201' changing the caboose every 12 months. I cling to the last year for familiarity, comfort in the face of unknown. Not much can be said about our 2010. Well, that's not true, but 2010 was quite a transitory year for us, not really defined as "The Year of ______ " anything. The first 7 months were spent apart, us in Idaho & Spencer in Iraq. Once he got home, there was that short window of about 5 weeks where our house was all packed up, we got on planes & shifted across the world to Bahrain. And the remaining 4 1/2 months of 2010 felt like a whole extra year squished into that space of time. The transition to Bahrain was smooth, extraordinarily so. I love the new life we're finding here. I'm just not thrilled about the passage of time, whether it be because of the New Year or any other event.

Over this holiday vacation, we did manage to have some fun. We made Christmas cottages. They're made out of graham crackers. So very easy & quick. I'll do gingerbread someday. Maybe.

Plots & Schemes

Merry Christmas to all! We had a wonderful Christmas; truly the best in a long time. Our first together since 2008. That was also the year we began 'group gifts'. It was what we called a Wii Christmas. {Ha, you can laugh at the double entendre.} All we got was a Wii and two games. We spent the day together figuring out the Wii and playing all the games. And the kids felt no lack. This year, we did something similar. We got Eliza & Mairyn an iFlip & a super awesome cool tripod. Plus a book called 'Attack of the Killer Video'. Grant & Jacqueline got a basketball hoop & two balls. They also each got a DS game to play on my DS. And that's it. There were prezzies from grandparents, too. Here is the post-present opening bliss:



I seriously think Fisher-Price and Ikea get their instruction booklets from the same company. No other toy company requires yoga, quantum physics and a bit of magic to properly assemble their products. We are still trying to get the 'Grow To Pro Bball hoop' put together.


I must have done something to deserve such a generous Christmas because my wildest dreams came true. I got this:



And this:



Aaaand, this:

Apparently, Spencer thinks I'm da bomb diggity. He's been "collecting" these presents and decided to save it all up for Christmas. The only bummer? Next Christmas is going to be really hard to top! But seriously, if I didn't have work, house & children to tend, I would disappear into my kitchen & office and not surface for a few months. I also have to say that one of these wasn't such a surprise. A few nights ago, Spencer was wrapping the serger. The kids wanted to help wrap Mommy's present and so were in the room with him. I was out in the living room, away from their area when I hear Grant's outside voice declare, "Wow, Mommy got a new sew-er!!" It was then that my suspicions were verified that I was *probably* getting that serger I wanted. I was still excited on Christmas, but I'm one that likes surprises. I can wait. I like the suspense. But I was adequately floored when I discovered those other two large boxes under the tree.

What else did we do today? Nothing. We played with our new toys, ate ham sandwiches and were together. It was a very perfect day. Oh, and the temperature was a perfect, porch-sittin', clear sky enjoying 73F. A light breeze from the ocean and peaceful suburb living. Love to all!

B.H.M. stands for . . .

Big Huge Mess.

That accurately describes our house. A big. huge. mess. Learning to balance part-time work (that behaves like full time) with a humongo house and four kids is not easy. I didn't think it would be. But to have our household goods arrive, me start work 6 days later, and the end of the semester for kid's school & mine? Not ideal. Ideally, I wanted to start work about 2 months ago. We knew our stuff would be late, so by the time the boxes invaded, I would already be settled at work.

Eliza at the podium in the Embassy for the Secretary's Q&A

But enough bellyaching, I'm loving work! In just 3 weeks we've pulled off a Meet & Greet with Sec. Clinton, the Embassy effort that went into IISS {go to the link!} *side note* The security issues, transportation, venues & lodging for just the U.S. facet of this production was overwhelming! And I just had a pinkie nail in the pie. *side note done*; learning the ropes of my new job, the annual Breakfast with Santa at the Ambassador's, squeezing in a 'Meet the CLO' coffee before the Christmas break and general morale lifting during the holiday season (i.e. door decorating contest, urging participation in community events on base) Go HERE and HERE for exact definitions of my job.

The Breakfast with Santa & CLO coffee haven't happened yet. After this Saturday, we can breath a little bit before the DCM (deputy chief of mission) New Year's open house and the Ambo's farewell in January. Yeah, the Ambassador is on his way out and there is a whole gamut of protocol and parties to fulfill. So you can see how my 'part-time' job has got a little dog complex. It's a chihuahua that thinks it's a doberman.

Also, there are the classroom parties and end of year Christmas programs for the kids. This whole post sounds like my day planner. Oh well, I did manage to get the tree up and decorated. I've been reduced to capturing pictures on my iPhone. *for shame*
And how am I making the most of today, my day off? Am I scrubbing the toilets or doing dishes or unpacking boxes? Nope. I'm sitting down. And my resolve is crumbling; I am looking for household help.

Icing on the cupcake

I popped by my sister's blog the other day & saw a glorious sight. Well, just about any time I pop by is a glorious sight. I love seeing what my little niece, Taylor is up to and what they are doing. Katelyn always has good activity ideas. She's the director of 4-H for their county in Montana. Last week, the teen chapter made some a-mazing treats.

Maybe I'm over-exaggerating, but anytime you combine:

1} kids
2} an activity
and
3} food

the results aren't always favorable. The treat either ends up taking way too much effort for both parties (mom or kids) or it's really fun but really messy, etc. You get the picture. But this treat, oh, this treat seems to be the trifecta of perfection.

Seriously attractive Thanksgiving treats and super easy. She said they're just chocolate cupcakes & sugar cookies. The turkey cupcakes just need:

- candy corn
- ginger cookie (pre-packaged, of course)
- twizzler string (for the wattle. though if that can't be found, I think red fruit roll-up would work)

And the corn starts as a sugar cookie. Then you just put frosting on and add:

- Reese's pieces
- green or yellow fruit roll-up

This looks so simple! I can even make time for chocolate cupcakes & sugar cookies. And my kids do know how to make both on their own! Double score! We're having a family with 2 kids and two Marines from the Naval Base over for Thanksgiving. This will keep them all busy whilst turkey preparations take place in the kitchen. Thanks, Katelyn for letting me steal this wonderful idea!

Spooktactular Bash

It was a monster bash. A graveyard smash. A witch, a vampire, a hippie and a ballerina. All escorted by Communications Officer Uhura. We all sure enjoyed it! Happy Halloween, all!

Halloween Time

You can tell it is definitely Halloween time when the JibJab themed videos are out. Word.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Our 4th

We had a great 4th, er, 3rd of July. Saturday was the parade, fireworks, etc. The parade in Rexburg; historically cold. Seriously, it was 49F when we left the house at 9am. And it warmed up to about 56F by the end of the parade. Fortunately, I still had some comforters in the back of the van. It didn't impair the parade at all. It was the best it's been in a long time. I'd like to say my fingers were too cold to take any pictures, but the truth is, I forgot my camera.

After the parade, we all drove down to Grandma & Grandpa Bowen's for a BBQ. Idaho Falls was at least 10 degrees warmer. I'd say about 71F. Perfect, perfect 'being outside' weather. I'd like to say that I was stuffing my face with grilled burgers & dogs, so I was too busy to take any pictures, but I'd be telling a half-truth! I was otherwise occupied, gorging on picnic yummies, yes, but I again forgot my camera.


The day warmed up a little in Rexburg & we had some fun outside time. We headed over to Mom & Dad Penrod's later in the evening. This time, I remembered my camera. We had fireworks from dusk until way past bedtime.

Dad lighting the kid's sparklers

.
We were graced with a gorgeous sunset. I looked over and it was like a framed picture! I had the camera clicking way too many pics, then back to fireworks. Then we'd glance at the horizon again & it would have changed to an even more impressive vista. Camera out again. Repeat about 4 times. Each one was better than the first. It was hard to pick just one. I have a favorite for each phase!

Of course, here's Jacqui looking so edible & yummy!


I think Jacqui was the only one with the right balance of firework interest. She liked them, but knew to give them their distance. I had the other spectrum of kid with Mairyn & Grant wanting to burn the town down & Eliza refusing to even touch a sparkler!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! I love the 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July!!

-

If I could choose to have a birthday on any holiday, it would be the 4th of July. Which was probably why I was so excited when my Mairyn was due on July 4th. (She decided to wait until the 11th.) The reasons why? Not all patriotic, I just like the parades & family time. And the fireworks. And the BBQs. It's a great American holiday!!

Easter Grass

Today, on the third of April 2010, that title is an oxymoron. Seeing as how we didn't have a flake of snow left on the ground as of Thursday, I am taken back a bit. There is no visible grass. It is all buried under the 4 inches of snow from the unexpected storm blowing through. Yes, blowing through because it's still falling. I listened to the wind whip around last night and this morning in my bed. I thought that we were just getting a lot of wind (as predicted). No, what met my eyes when I looked out the window was a shock. I wouldn't have been more surprised if the Easter bunny had brought me breakfast in bed.



A white out. Complete curtain of white and piles of snow. I was thinking about driving to Idaho Falls this afternoon, but forget that! IHOP is having this wonderful promotion in April; kids eat free every day from 4 to 10 pm. Yay. Though we'll probably only do it once or twice, it will be a fun diversion. Not today. I think the cabin fever will be hitting early on today. Not that I won't have my diversions. General Conference is this weekend, so the next two days will be split into two hour segments from 10am to 4pm. To quote Wikipedia, which sums subjects up much better than I can,

"General Conference is a semiannual world conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in April and October, where members gather for five two-hour sessions to listen to instruction from Church leaders. General Conference is broadcast via satellite from the Conference Center at church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah."

This year in the States for us is especially unique because we are able to listen in 'real time' and watch it on T.V.! We are usually able to listen to the stream on the internet and hear the morning sessions. Then we have to find time the next day to listen to the afternoon session that took place while we were sleeping. If anyone is interested, go here to --> Listen to General Conference <-- Happy Easter, everyone!



*I bought these tulips last Friday because they looked so spring-y. Little did I know I'd need a reminder of Spring in my kitchen.*

Oh Christmas Tree

Before it gets too late for it, I should probably put up pictures of my Christmas tree. I am NOT pleased with how they came out. The lighting in my living room is horrible, no matter what time of day. And, as great at my camera is, subjects in low-light never, never come out right. Hmm, sounds like a photogs mantra. Haha! And don't even get me started on retaking pictures. It's all I can do to NOT run out there with my tripod and retake. That's probably why the pictures are so belated in coming. I just can't bring myself to post them. I want to take different pictures, but it was a miracle to find the time to take even these ones. Maybe now that they are up, I'll give it one more shot (ha) and take some last chance ones before it comes down on Monday.

Does anyone have a goal of when the Christmas tree HAS to come down? I didn't used to have one, just within the first week (or two) of January. But once I had my daughter, January 5th, that changed. I didn't want Christmas running into her birthday. My birthday is at the end of January and I hated it when I would get presents wrapped in Christmas paper. Or a Christmas themed present; like peppermint candy cane soap on a rope. So I wanted to try and make a differentiation for her. I usually get it down by New Year's, but that ain't happening this year. Monday is back to school for the kids and that will be Tree Day. The day before her birthday is cutting it a bit close, but hey, at least it's down.

Catching up

Isn't that a creative title? I have a lot of catching up to do. There are 4 picture folders on my computer that have a combined total of 276 pictures. And none of them have been posted. I know, I know, I'm slacking. Maybe it's the "holidaze" of having all 4 kids home; or apathy or just a general "who cares" feeling. I seem to have been kept in line by my drive to keep the 'YouTube Tuesday' tradition alive, though why does everything always have to happen the same day. Always. Today is YouTube Tuesday, also the day I have about a zillion things to write about and my 11th wedding anniversary. What to do? Hmmm. Well, I may just write like a machine and pump out everything bouncing around in my head. I won't post it all today. (that wouldn't be any fun) We'll be treated to a blog post a day. But here's an overview of things to come:

-- My Christmas Tree: Oh so wonderfully decorated and anticipated, yet I never put up a pic. Will happen.
-- The kids Christmas program
-- Grant's tooth pulling
-- My brother, Matt, visiting
-- Christmas Eve & Christmas
-- A sleigh ride (that turned into a wagon ride) at the National Elk Refuge.
-- An untold spoiler story about 'How Not to Tell Someone the Ending of a Movie"

And pictures to do them all justice. Stay tuned, regularly scheduled posting will be coming shortly. I promise. To whet the appetite, a picture of the kids in their full snow gear.

A very Merry Christmas

We had a very Merry Christmas here in Rexburg. The night before held the traditional matching jammies.


If you'll notice, Grant is missing. This is what he was doing. He put himself in timeout. He did not like the jammies.

We said everyone gets to open one present on Christmas Eve. He thought that meant ANY present of his choosing. Nay no burrito. Present opening begins from youngest to oldest, so Jacqui opened her's and when Grant saw that she pulled out jammies, he flipped out, went ballistic. "I don't want jammies! I don't like penguins!" One of those moments when you are truly proud to be a parent. Though he did come around tonight, 24 hours after the moment. He came to me, "Mommy, I'm ready to wear my penguin jammies." Wonderful, dude.

Here is the traditional Christmas morning hall mug shot, I mean, line up of youngest to oldest. All in all, a very memorable and to-be cherished Christmas.

Rollin' Back Time

I know, it sound cliche, but this time of year is magical. It's full of memories and feelings that seem unreachable, indescribable; only felt. And that magic seems magnified by the bitter cold and piles of snow outside. I know that doesn't sound ideal and for some, a definite 'warm fuzzy' eraser. But for me, it brings back memories of my childhood. Good memories. Waking up in my second story room in the farmhouse in Minnesota and peering out the frosted glass to check the weather. Snow? I could already tell before I sat up; that bright glow seeping through the curtains, telling me it was a snowsuit day. But the dread of getting out of my warm bed and meeting the cold curtain of air almost makes me want to roll over for a few more minutes. Almost. I know that if I hurry, I can have a little time before the bus comes to dawdle in the snow. Make a snow angel along the quarter mile road leading from my house to the point where I meet the bus. Or snap ice-encrusted twigs off the little bush by the mailbox; marveling at the glassy casing and the delicate woody core.

Moving ahead a few years, we're still in Minnesota, but not on the farm. In the city, we live across the street from my elementary school. I am entrusted with walking my little sister to school. All the way across our yard, between the crossing guards and skirting the baseball diamond that is all visible from our front window. In the winter, the school floods an area of the soccer field, making an ice rink. If we bring our skates from home, we can ice skate during recess. There was a sort of shed that had benches to sit on and change from boots to skates. We all jostled each other, wanting to get out and make the most of our 20 minutes of freedom on the ice.

It's these memories that I hope to be able to impress upon my children; create lasting impressions on their little gray matter. In a way, I feel under a lot of pressure to make the most out of this "Year In Country". Living overseas, I have regrets about what my children don't experience. I know, stop shaking your heads. How can I have any regrets when we took afternoon drives around the Sphinx and Great Pyramids of Giza? But it's these parts of my childhood that I want my children to have as well that I know can't be duplicated. Ice skating, building snowmen, freezing their noses off while they wait for the bus or stampeding inside, peeling off frozen layers of clothing and having a hot cup of cocoa. I've come to grips with the fact that their memories are drastically different from mine. That's not a bad thing. I hope I'm making a great, memorable childhood for them. But I am secretly pleased that they do get to have a winter of freezing their tushies off. Grant has already come plowing inside; shedding soggy gloves and socks, in search of a cup of hot chocolate.

Postdate

Ok, so I've made a crude little blurb on the sidebar. Right there --> It has a complete evening Christmas moment. Each scripture, carol and story is hotlinked. Just click and it will take you to where you can read it! Hope this helps make things easier!