If Only...

At church a few weeks ago the kids made Christmas cards in their little classes. I stuck mine in my bag and forgot about it. Yesterday, I pulled the card out while cleaning the junk out of my bag. It was from A, a very sweet card. I thanked him and expressed delight in the beauty of the card, of course. He told me "and I made one for the guys who are fighting." It took me a minute to realize he meant guys who are fighting in the war as I remembered that the Primary kids had sent a care package to a soldier and his unit which, I guess, included cards. "So," A continued, "is the fighting over?" "No sweetie," I replied, "I'm afraid the war is still on." He got the saddest look on his face and said in a small voice, "You mean...my card didn't work?"

Out of the mouths of babes. If only a child's card wishing for Peace at Christmas time was enough.

Christmas Cheer or Feeling Grinchy?

This picture makes me laugh because it about sums up our family's Christmas experience thus far. W with the craaaaaazy look in his eyes since he's pretty much been a constant spazz for the last two weeks thanks to lots of sugar and very little sleep. A has been feeling "grinchy" as he says, also a result of too much sugar and not enough sleep but combined with feeling unfairly put upon as the middle child. And M, the star of any show, just bouncy and happy with an infectious smile and attitude, trying to spread some Christmas cheer. Although sometimes I feel totally unequipped to deal with their little differing personalities, yet I just have to smile at how precious and unique each child is.

Teddy Bear Picnic

I don't remember how or when I listened to it, but somehow I know all the lyrics to the entire Anne Murray album, "There's a Hippo in my Bathtub" originally released in 1977. I love that album! Thanks to the magic of iTunes my kids now love it, too. A's most favorite song is "Teddy Bear Picnic" for two reasons: 1. He thinks the line "See them, catch them unawares" is actually saying something about underwear which is hilarious to a five year old and makes him laugh every time he hears it and 2. He loves, loves, loves teddy bears. So yesterday he wanted to host his own teddy bear picnic. He set up the entire thing, complete with healthy snacks for the bears such as apples and celery sticks. And his little sister M very helpfully took one bite out of each apple and celery stick to make it look like the bears were eating. Then they came to find me, warning me to be really quiet so I don't scare the bears away from their picnic. It was just too cute. Here are the names of bear attendees (from left to right): Dobby (actually a pony and not a bear), Chuck L. Beary, Bleuberry, Flappy (the penguin), Marshmallow, Barney, Lovey Bear and Little E. And if you're looking for a great kids' album, look no further than Anne Murray and the Hippo in the Bathtub. Seriously, every song is awesome.

Are we Real Vermonters Now?

I was just reading a post on my friend Julie's blog about her trip to France including Paris. First of all, let me say I'm not jealous at all. Don't we all speak four languages and jet off to Europe? Anyway, she posted some beautiful pictures of the "City of Lights" and it reminded me of how last week we were in the "Country in Darkness." That's right, thanks to an ice storm our electricity was knocked out for 24 hours. That means no heat, no light, and, worst of all, no running water. We're pretty well prepared for the lack of heat with our little gas fireplace and we have lots of flashlights and lanterns and a camping stove to cook some hot food but not being able to flush the toilets is a true hardship. The kids loved it, though. No school and nothing to distract mommy since I couldn't wash or vacuum anything. We made some crafts, went sledding, read stories, etc. Around 2:30 I gave up trying to survive on my own and knocked on our neighbor's door. You see, they are true Vermonters: they have a generator. Now I usually pride myself on controlling how much time my kids spend in front of the TV and there are many days where they don't watch it at all. But I was ready to worship at the alter of TV that day, just for the relief of having something else entertain them. Of course then I immediately felt guilty. Eric called to say he was bringing home pizza. Yippee! Somehow the missionaries sniffed out the pizza hut and arrived right on time. As it turned out, not only did Eric bring home pizza but he also managed to get the last generator in two states. And, since Elder Merrill just happened to be an electrician they got to work hooking up our new generator. Just as they were about to start it.....the power came back on. I'll admit, I was kind of relieved since I don't always trust Eric's schemes and was slightly worried that he'd either blow up the generator, himself or the house. But I've been assured by three other highly competent Vermonters that his plan was indeed sound and will work just fine. So next time the electricity is out toilets will be flushed, houses will be warmed, lights will be on, and you will find us in the basement with the heat cranked watching WallE on the big screen with surround sound just as all true Vermonters do.

You do the Hokey Pokey...

Just a quick funny story to make you laugh. Yesterday A was telling me that he learned how to do the Hokey Pokey at school. This led to a discussion about bodies like this: "What's the biggest bone in your body? What's the strongest muscle in your body? etc." After about 15 minutes of this I asked him, "What's the cutest part of your body?" Without batting a (very long) eyelash and with absolutely no hesitation he replied, "My cute little butt." 'nuff said.

The Nutcracker with the BOSTON BALLET!

When we left Boston we left many good friends behind. And while they think it's neat that we have foliage and mud and cows and snow, we think it's neat that they have civilization, museums, theatrical events, etc. So last weekend to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary we left our kids with their Boston "cousins" and we took off to see the Nutcracker at the Boston Opera house.

Self-portrait while waiting for the show to start!

We've never been to the ballet before and I suspected the Nutcracker was the best of the best so we spent the money on really good seats and I was so glad we did! Here's a (blurry) shot of just the stage curtain:



The show was truly amazing; I wish I'd taken a picture at the end of the dancers in costume. The dancers were so talented and graceful. I can't imagine any little girl who wouldn't want to be a ballerina after seeing that! In fact, one of our Boston "cousins", Emma, was actually in the production as a very tall reindeer. She was adorable and although her part was small with not much dancing, you have to start somewhere, right?

Look how gorgeous the Opera House is!

I can't wait until the kids are old enough to see it: translation, can sit still long enough to enjoy it. I'm sure A will be putting on tights to leap around the house while M will put on her dancing costumes and delight us as our little ballerina.

Holiday Cookies

Well, the reason I haven't done much posting to the blog lately is pure busyness. When I have the time to sit down at the computer it means I'm leaving the laundry/dishes/children undone and neglected. But I have only myself to blame as I hear the words, "Why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow" coming out of my mouth at church or, "Sure, we can deliver cookies to so and so" or, "Yes, I'd love to go Christmas caroling" or, "Yes, we'll be at the school dinner on Thursday to hear the kids sing holiday songs," or....you get the idea. The truth is, I really do love doing all these things and although it's kind of stressful (and disgusting) to leave the laundry, both clean and dirty, in large piles throughout the house and the toilets unscrubbed and the beds unmade, I'm telling myself that this time of year only lasts a short while, yet housecleaning is forever. Let's have fun today and make cookies and decorate the Christmas tree and bake a yummy meal for guests to enjoy since it's the Season to Give and that's what we're all about here, right? So, for the record, here's the official

Complete List of Cookies from the Cooks

• Classic Shortbread Petticoat Tails
• Lime Meltaways
• Dried-Cranberry Shortbread Hearts
• Gingersnap Raspberry Sandwiches
• Dark Chocolate Cookies with Sour Cherries
• Cashew Caramel Cookies
• Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread

It took two days, pounds of butter, lots of chocolate and other ingredients but now we're done and ready to share. Merry Christmas!

P.S. Thanks to Martha Stewart for all the recipes. We love this cookbook