Christmas Day

On Christmas morning, we opened stockings first, then presents.

This year for Christmas, our family tried to focus on Christ in a different and fun way. We exchanged names with each other and made gifts for the chosen person. It was nice to think of someone else in our family and come up with something we could do for them that uses our time or talents. The homemade gifts were:

• Jonathon made Michael a small calendar to put on his desk at his work that has pictures of all of us on it
  
• Nathaniel gave me coupons for helping around the house
  
• Timmy, Katie and I gave Jonathon, Eliza, and Christian bed sheets in their favorite color to be made into curtains and an IOU for fixed up bedrooms
  
• Michael gave Nathaniel a song written about him
  
• Eliza gave Timmy a framed picture of him
  
• Christian gave Katie a poem written about her

After we opened gifts, Michael had everyone put on their coats and shoes and took us outside to the garage. When everyone was ready, he opened the door and there was a huge box. The kids looked at the picture on the side and one of them (I can't remember who) yelled, "It's a trampoline!" They have been wanting one for quite a while. They were the MOST excited about that gift!

Luckily for Michael, Aaron came over with some of his kids and my brother, Scott, came to spend some time with us on Christmas day. So Michael had some people to help him put it together. Now that it is up, the kids have spent a LOT of time jumping on it!

Christmas Eve

Michael's parents arrived on Christmas Eve around 8 p.m. We had dinner, then celebrated Christmas with Michael's side of the family.


The kids got some really nice gifts and so were happy that they weren't just getting homemade gifts. Louise made two really cute lions, one for Katie and one for Spencer. Mom crocheted hats for Katie and Eliza. I sewed a checkerboard and she crocheted checkers for the older kids. They loved it!

Each of the four oldest got a new Webkinz. Jonathon got a gray stallion, Christian got a brown dog, Nathaniel got a light yellow dog, and Eliza got a pink poodle. They were so excited!

Timmy opened a Lightning McQueen toy first and then it was hard to get him to open any more gifts!

It was a very fun evening and so much better because Mom and Dad were there. Just like old times, but better because now there are more grandchildren and Linda is with us, too!

Yummy!

Katie is at the age where she puts everything in her mouth. If she can't find anything to suck on, she will settle for her fingers, toes, and upper lip.


Yummy Lips and Toes from Amanda Maldonado on Vimeo.

I had just changed her diaper and was about to put on her pajamas when she started eating her toes (she just recently discovered them). She has been licking her lip for a few months now and I finally got it on tape.

Christmas Around the World

This year Kathy was in charge of the ward Christmas party. There were quite a few booths set up that had members of the ward to teach us about how Christmas is celebrated in different countries. Some of the countries were: Israel, England, Mexico, the United States, Germany, and Japan. It was great to learn about the different countries.
The kids also got a turn to sit on Santa's lap.
After that we had a delicious turkey dinner and pies. Awesome job, Kathy!

The Tree

I think the Christmas holiday truly starts when the tree and other decorations go up. That's when it really starts feeling like Christmas. Every time I walk into the living room and see the lights on the tree and smell the wonderful pine tree, it feels a lot like Christmas.

Usually, we go as a family to pick out a special tree from a tree market in the area. It is really adds to the excitement and fun that we have as a family to do that together. This year, however, Timmy and Katie were both sick and using the nebulizer the night that we promised the kids that we would go get a tree. So, we did the diplomatic thing and asked the kids to vote on getting it as planned on Monday and Michael would pick it out and bring it home or wait until that Saturday. It was unanimous that Michael would get it on the way home from work.

Unfortunately, Michael had to work late and didn't get to the tree place until just after 9:00 p.m. Yep, they closed at 9. So did every other place he went. So we had to wait until Tuesday. Michael worked late again, but made it in time to get the tree. He went to Sears since it was on the way home and if he'd tried to make it to the market around the corner from our house, he probably wouldn't have made it again. The kids were so excited when he brought it in. But, it seemed like every time we got near it, the needles fell off like crazy. Michael said that they were shipped from Canada and were somewhat frozen. I guess that's the down side to not getting a tree grown locally. The best tree we ever got was grown right there at the farm.

Don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful tree. And one of the benefits of having the needles fall off is that now our vacuum smells like pine every time we vacuum!

Not-so-Black Friday

Today, we went hiking in Hacklebarney State Park. It was so much fun because there was a creek with a few small waterfalls.

After hiking along the creek, we stopped by a river that the creek fed into and had lunch. We ate turkey sandwiches, animal crackers, pumpkin pie, and hot chocolate.

There were a bunch of different trails, so we decided to take a different trail back to the parking lot, especially since it went past a playground. When we were about halfway to the playground, the trail split. Michael wanted to take the trail that went away from the playground (he wanted to hike some more) and I wanted to head toward the playground and the parking lot. So we compromised. Michael did more hiking with Katie, Jonathon, and Nathaniel and I went to the playground with Timmy, Eliza, and Christian. We played for about 15 minutes and Michael and the rest of the kids joined us. We played Mom Chase and Dad Chase. That game has been a favorite ever since Jonathon was little. Michael or I are the chasers (sometimes at the same time) and if we catch any of the kids, they get tickled. Of course, when Michael is the chaser, they get tackled, then tickled. They love it!

On the way home, we saw a farmer's market and stopped to see what they had in the way of food. Wow, was it expensive! We just got some solid gold cider doughnuts and water. They were pretty good, but I think the ones from Terhune Farms are better. Not only are they cheaper, but they seem more fresh, tastier, and are softer.

All in all, it was a really fun, family day!

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Day was so nice. Not because all of our relatives were elsewhere and we had the day to ourselves. Okay, maybe just a little. But only because that meant that we got a truly relaxing day that I didn't have to clean or entertain or even cook. We ordered dinner from Boston Market and had a delicious meal that I didn't have to do anything to make. Actually, we had a vote at our Family Home Evening. Everyone (except Timmy and Katie) got a say in what we did for dinner. The options were: cook dinner ourselves; get Boston Market but still make pies; or go out to a restaurant. Instead of them voting for their favorite, we had them vote for their least favorite. I'm glad that enough of them didn't want me to cook all day (that was how I said it - maybe I was leading the voters?)

Michael took Jonathon, Christian, and Eliza to see "Bolt." They said it was really funny. Nathaniel didn't want to go because he doesn't like how loud the noise is in the theaters and he wanted to help make pies. Michael called me after it was over and said that he needed me to come and unlock his car. He couldn't find his keys when he left, so he took the spare keys. We have a key to his ignition, but not to the car door on the key ring. So I helped Timmy finish getting dressed, we all got coats and shoes on, got in the car and left to help him out. As I was leaving, I rolled down the window (who knows why now!) and I couldn't get the window to go back up! I drove for about 5 minutes trying to roll it up, meanwhile it was getting pretty cold in the car. I guess Nathaniel should've put on a coat! About that time, Michael called me and said that he remembered he had a spare key in his wallet, for just such an occasion. Thank goodness for cell phones! Too bad he remembered after we left, but I'm glad he remembered before we had gone any farther. It was pretty easy to turn around still. I wasn't even upset. I was more mad about the window!!

So when we got back home, Nathaniel and I made the pumpkin pie filling. As I was rolling out the pie crust, Michael called me and told me not to worry about making a pumpkin pie. Too late. The meals from Boston Market come with a pie and they only had pumpkin left. It's a good thing we like pumpkin pies! I didn't want 5 pies in the house (our plan was to make a pumpkin, blueberry crumb, and apple pie), so we only made the pumpkin pie. We ate as soon as they got home. It was soooooo good! Michael told me that he got two meals, then had to go back in and buy chicken since the turkey doesn't come with legs and that's what Christian wanted.

What was left of the day was very relaxing. The kids watched "Wall-E" while Michael, Timmy, Katie, and I took a nap. Later that evening we played "Apples to Apples" with the kids. The kids were excited because we let them sleep in the living room for the second night in a row.

Just a few of the things we are grateful for: our family, our warm home, our cars, good food, cell phones, coats, movies, naps