The Sweetest Things

Every day when I pick Bradley up from school, he has plenty to say. 

He talks a mile a minute and tells me what he did that day, who chased him on the playground, how many bites of his sandwich he ate, and nice things his teacher said to him...all in a matter of about 47 seconds. 

I have fine tuned my listening skills to lasso key words to get the general idea of how his day was. Yesterday, I had plenty on my mind and Christmas music blaring. I heard him say the words, "Idea at lunch, box, sticks, glue, and 'ate everything but two carrots'".  

When we got home, I began prepping the beef stew and rolls that we were going to have for dinner. Bradley was rushing back and forth...bouncing between inside and outside. I overheard Karah ask him if she could help. I assumed they were making  something for their Christmas play they have been working on every day after school. 

 I took a break to play with Bryce at the kitchen table with some Play dough. I had my back to Karah and Bradley as they were working around the kitchen island. I was focused intently on the hat I was making Bryce.

Nice, isn't it?

                  

The thought came to me that "this is what it's all about". It was one of those days where everyone was content...everyone was getting along...everyone was listening to Christmas Jazz...sipping their Sonic drinks...smelling the stew cooking, and all hanging out in the same room. It was one of those "perfect days" that roll around once in a blue moon. 

I was lost in the happiness of it all when my mind settled and their

 conversation "tuned in".

I heard them discussing designs and options, when it occurred to me what they were making. A manger.

Seriously? Could this moment get any better?

 I asked Bradley how he came up with his...and after enduring a frustrated eye roll of, "I already told you in the car"...he AGAIN expressed that he was sitting at lunch, thinking about Christmas, and decided he wanted to make a manger with Baby Jesus.

He already had planned out what he would use for materials. 

He had gone outside and picked twigs off a bush. 

He got my glue gun and a cardboard box.

And he went to work.

 Karah helped form a Baby Jesus out of play dough and helped Bradley with the star.

Stars are hard to draw.

It was finally finished and it was perfect. 

Perfect enough to make my heart and eyes swell up.

It was precious to me, that in the middle of lunch, with friends all around him, talking of recess, Legos, burps, and silliness...Bradley was sitting there with his mind on how he could better celebrate the birth of his Savior.

It touched my heart that Karah would set aside all of her favorite after school activities to join Bradley in creating something so beautiful for our family. She had the idea to place a small battery candle behind the manger...to keep  Baby Jesus warm.

I don't remember an afternoon more perfect than this one. 

My heart was brimming with joy as I sat with my cubs and we read stories 

until Tom got home from work. I was SO feeling it, that I even agreed 

to read "Skeleton Has the Hiccups"...my LEAST favorite book in the world to read. Somehow, it found it's way out of the Halloween box. 

I was so happy that even this obnoxious book was bearable.

Thank you Bradley and Karah for such a beautiful gift to our family....and thanks to Bryce for his other festive contributions. We will cherish these  forever...but even more...we will cherish the good children you are...the sweet hearts you have...and the joy you bring us...every day...even the "imperfect" ones.

 All i want is to develop a heart more like yours.

Thanks for helping me slow down...settle my mind...and enjoy the 
blessings you are to me.

I love you all.

Winter Bucket List

Musical Beds

Gracie decided her bed was much too small....so she took over Piper's bed.

Piper decided that her bed would be much too crowded to share with Gracie, so she opted to join Karah in her bed because this dog OBVIOUSLY hasn't received the memo that she is not a human being. 

It's one thing to be ON the bed...and quite another to be IN the bed..with her head on a pillow....with her face in my daughter's face. 

I'm beginning to think that Bryce is behind this.  

He didn't bother trying to deceive us with a vertical position.

He went the honest route by going horizontal.

Hoping to claim the long couch before Tom gets to it.

The tail is definitely wagging the dog around here.

Looks like we've got some dethroning to do.

Ratloaf, Tampons 101, and Salivation: Halloween 2012

The kids were anxious to carve their Deanna Rose pumpkins.

It was serious business.

You can tell it's getting real when his bottom lip pops out.

Scooby Doo Pajamas increase one's design skills.

Tom helped navigate the tricky spots.

He was under a lot of pressure to get it right...

I interrupt this post to feast on the deliciousness of my Kar-Bear.

She is such a beautiful girl...inside and out.

I thought that the urge to gobble them up would fade once they were out of diapers.

Wrong.

It only intensifies.

Carving Perfection. Each pumpkin matched the carver's personality. Spot on.

Things got spookier as Halloween came upon us.

We have the tradition of Trick-Or-Treating with Courtney's family.

For this years dinner party, I thought I would tap into my meat sculpting abilities and surprise everyone with "ratloaf" for dinner.

I made a huge Monster Rat...

And individual baby rats for the kids.

The finished product...

Some kids were amused...

Others were confused...

And one was downright disturbed.

That rat got the stink eye.

Despite all hesitation (from children AND adults)...everyone dug in and decided it was the best bloody ratloaf they have ever tasted.

The Trick-Or-Treating commenced.

The boys were all Ninjas and the girls were Batgirl, Robin, and an Eskimo Princess.

Those Ninjas have some juicy bickies.

I kept hearing a gagging noise throughout the night.

It sounded like a cat trying to cough up a hairball.

I eventually figured out that it was Bryce, being gagged by his Ninja mask.

As it turns out - he has the same gag reflex that his mother and grandmother have.

He eventually ditched the mask and the gagging stopped. 

I think Bradley had the same issue...but he opted for hyper salivation as opposed to gagging.

This very picture makes me gag something fierce.

*There was another  funny "happening" that night that we must document. This is at the risk of people thinking/finding out that I am a complete nut job...but alas, I do not care. For prosperity!

While the kids were trick or treating...I happened to have a tampon in my pocket. I thought I would play a trick on Courtney's husband and stick it in one of his kid's buckets...so when he was later checking candy - he would find it and be freaked out - thinking someone handed them out for Trick-Or-Treating. I snuck it into Colin's bucket. He walked up to the next house...and just as the old woman opened the door - he discovered the tampon. He took it out and yelled, "What IS this????" ----- Karah eagerly announced, "THAT'S A TAMPON!" ---right in front of the old woman.

She quickly shut the door after a quick toss of the candy.

We laughed the entire way home...with Courtney's boys asking what a tampon was.

We walked and walked and walked...until their bags were ready to break.

We had one last stop to make to G-Ma and G-Pa.

We all returned, too tired to even think about candy.

It was a fun and educational Halloween

...one they won't soon forget.

And THAT is the BEST kind.  

Deanna Rose with Grandma

We took the kids to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in October. 

Grandma came along for the ride.

Good times.

We had two hotel rooms...one of the perks of having a husband who travels enough to hoard points :) Bryce was my roommate and he was a pleasant one, at that. It was such a fun slumber party with my little guy. Tom delivered us bedtime snacks and drinks.

On the second night, Karah joined us. 

She is so fun to watch HGTV with :)

The kids LOVE going to Deanna Rose.

Mining for jewels.

Feeding the goats...

Bryce's goat got a little too exited and bit the nipple off.

Been there done that.

Karah enjoyed her last official pony ride. 

Bradley's pony suggested that it be HIS last, too.

The kids' favorite part was fishing.

Bryce was a master fisherman. He caught fish after fish.

Big ones...little ones...every fish you can imagine.

I finally stopped taking pictures because there were so many fish!

The others didn't hace the same magic that day..Bradley was SO patient as he waited for the fish to bite. They finally did and he was thrilled with his catch.

Karah, too!

There was plenty of running.

And there were quiet talks with Grandma. 

And not so quiet moments with each other.

Hungry goats to feed...

And lonely goats to kiss.

And then to Pumpkin Hollow...where the real fun happens...

I'm pretty sure this was against the rules.

Nothing like living on the edge :)

Getting tricky on the hay bales...

More Fishing.

I will PINCH those Bicks!

Picking their pumpkins.

The horse started running and Grandma almost fell off the wagon. For realz.

Bryce was too busy admiring his pumpkin to notice.

Bradley hauled our pumpkins and loaded them into the truck.

Off to Culvers we went. 

Grandma never says No to Culvers :)

It was a fun, quick trip and was a great way to celebrate Fall and all of the excitement that awaited us.

I've waited my entire life for moments like these. 

I love being a mama to these cubs. 

Life is so good.