Lego Creations

In case you ever wondered if they like to do the same things.... the answer is YES!...but they definitely don't do those things the same way. Legos keep Maddie, Ben, and Jon busy for hours at a time, but I'll bet you can guess from these photos who (of these three) really loves playing with Legos. 

Here Comes Santa Claus

Today was a Christmassy day. We took all four kids to the special church service, then we took them to see Santa at the mall. They each had a minute to tell Santa what he should bring them. Will asked for a 3D-DS, Ben wanted a robot, Jon wanted cars, and Maddie wanted Christmas. (At least there is a little bit there to work with....for some of them.) This was the best photo of the bunch, and the only one where all the kids' eyes are open and looking toward the camera. Unfortunately, Maddie was a bit tired of smiling and they were all ready for lunch.

My parents came in the afternoon, and the kids were really wound up. It didn't help that it was too cold to send them outside, especially since Maddie and Ben have what Maddie calls "Dirty Cough." We have another busy week ahead so I [sort of selfishly] hope they get well soon so we don't have to miss the preschool Christmas program that they are so excited about.

Crazy Busy

I know this is a crazy-busy time of year for many people, but I think this is the craziest it has ever been for ME. I the last week, I had so much going on, I stayed out late several nights, and ended up in a pile of exhaustion at the end of each day (or early the next morning.)

Monday night was just different. Will's Cub Scout troop got to tour a TV station, but instead of the normal 7:00 meeting time, they had to be at the station for the 6:00-news. I just took Will to Allen's office right after school. He passed out the popcorn he sold to Allen's coworkers, did some homework, had dinner with Daddy, then they went to the station. That was night #1 that we didn't have dinner as a complete family.

Tuesday night, our entire MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group had a girls' night out. We planned on games, but ended up sitting around just visiting and enjoying tasty food the whole time. It was so much fun to visit with those I knew well, but to get to know a few more ladies a bit more. I love our MOPS group and somehow, I have such affection for each of the moms in the group -- even those I don't know very well. I think God is really getting to the soft side of me, and that is a good thing.

Wednesday night, I had a MOPS steering meeting at 6. It is a once-a-month meeting that just happened to fall in the week of busyness. Allen had a lot going on a work, but he managed to slip away in time to meet me in the church parking lot and switch cars with me. That was the only way I could be on time. Night #2 of partial-family dinner. I stayed late visiting with a friend, then went to visit another friend that night. Another late one, but I was glad to step out of my comfort zone and help a hurting friend (there's another place God's been working on me.)

Thursday night was the only night in December my MOPS table could get together for dinner. It was weird being busy EVERY night with MOPS, but since I'm on steering, leading a table, and still just a MOPS member, I participate in as much as I can. Our table of ten was only seven that night, but we had a blast! We met at our mentor mom's home and enjoyed another night of tasty food and great fellowship. There is something special about getting a bunch of moms together -- it is perfectly acceptable to talk about the weirdest things even at the dinner table, but its neat to get to know people and see how awesome they are NOT because they have everything all together, but BECAUSE they share their imperfections and weaknesses, and I can see them as real. I love that part of MOPS, and I'm working to share my "real"ness, too, but that's another story (or two.) Needless to say, we all stayed out late that night, but I think we all crawled in bed around midnight. It's funny how ten years of age changes midnight from being "early" to being "late" ... or maybe that is just having four kids.

Friday was another awesome day. My friend Norla came to visit for a few hours while her husband Brad was at a meeting. Norla was a friend and roommate in high school. We went to different colleges, but stayed close. She was my maid-of-honor in my wedding, and she was one I requested to come help me when the three babies came home. She is one of my favorite people in the world, and it was nice to just force myself to sit and visit even though there was an endless to do list waiting for me. I've recently read a book about Mary and Martha -- Mary was the one who sat at Jesus' feet and just listened to Him. Martha was the one prepping dinner and cleaning and getting frustrated that Mary wasn't helping. When Martha complained, Jesus told her Mary was doing the right thing. SO....I am working on letting go of the tasks and to-do's and sitting with friends or family and just listening and enjoying their company. After the busy week, it was refreshing to sit and catch up with Norla. ...and the kids loved that she and Brad were willing to push them on the swings and watch their "tricks."

Friday night, we got the kids in bed and Allen helped me make some scones -- the real English kind, not the triangle fruitcakes Americans usually serve and call "scones." I found a recipe for scones and learned to measure flour by weight rather than by cups. I learned that an English pint is not the same volume as two cups, and measured milk by milliliters. I found out that caster's sugar is a bit different than granulated or confectioner's sugar. I wasn't sure what they were supposed to be like, but I was pleased as punch when I found out they were done the right way. The whole time I was making the scones, Allen and I were laughing about the process. We made a few that weren't perfectly round, but that worked well since we needed to taste them before I took them Saturday morning.

Saturday morning was really special. I rarely go to baby showers, and I have definitely never hosted one, but I have special friend who is pregnant with her second little boy. When I found out she was pregnant and brought up the idea of having a shower for her, she immediately said, "No!" She doesn't like being the center of attention, she doesn't like people watching her open gifts, and she already had the basics, so she hated the idea of a shower. BUT... a few of us still felt like she needed something, so we worked with her husband and planned a small surprise shower with an tea-party-feel (Ema is from UK). It was different, unlike ANY baby shower I've attended, but I think Ema enjoyed it, and that was the point. Jennifer, Simone, and I set out to host a proper English Tea. Simone brought English tea bags, made it in a small teapot, and added sugar cubes and milk to each pretty teacup. Jennifer and Simone made finger sandwiches just as Ema explained them to us (long ago, having no clue why we were asking). We knew she would be uncomfortable opening gifts in front of us, so everyone brought unwrapped gifts and we set them out. Cards were passed around and everybody read a prayer for Ema, baby Quinn, or their family. I had so much fun -- preparing for the shower, praying for Ema, using my wedding china that may have not been used before, being with close friends, enjoying the Christmas season, celebrating a little baby Quinn the same time we celebrate Baby Jesus.

I spent Saturday afternoon at home. Resting up for the next week .... for a few minutes. Allen got the Christmas decor out of the attic and we set up the big tree for the first time since the triplets were born. We grumbled a bit about how much we dislike assembling the tree, but before we knew it, the kids were helping us pry the metal branches into shape and the tree was up. We ordered pizza for dinner since Christmas boxes had exploded all over the kitchen, then we all decorated the tree. There is something about unwrapping and hanging the ornaments that I love -- I love the memories of the kids as babies, of the preschool hand-prints, of the special vacations, of the first Christmas together, of our first home, of childhood Christmases. I love the memories that the ornaments bring. That was another night I felt fast asleep with visions of sugarplums dancing....

Little Bits of Today

I decided the title for this entry should be "Little Bits of Today." Just to be clear, though, the "Today" means the present, not necessarily THIS exact day. This is my today... sometimes it is my everyday. These are the little bits that spice up our lives. These are the bits that might sometimes go unnoticed or undocumented. These are the bits that somehow bring me joy (yet, I'm not always sure WHY,) and these are the bits I wanted to get recorded because I'll probably forget them by next week.

"Merry Christmas" on the radio is causing quite the excitement. We've explained to Ben, Maddie, and Jon that it isn't Christmas Day yet, and they don't quite understand that Christmas is a season or a feeling. So, we might be toddling along down the road listening to carols on the radio, then a song sings, "It's Christmas Day...." Suddenly, Ben is shouting, "Hooray!! It's Christmas day -- the guy just said so!" Maddie will correct him, "It isn't Christmas yet; it hasn't snowed yet!" Jon will jump in with his opinion, "Did you see Santa? It can't be Christmas today." Ben will shout over their comments, "But the guy just said so!!" This is a circular conversation that doesn't end until I ask them to stop... No, it doesn't stop then, either. I have to raise my voice to be heard -- sometimes I honk the horn just to get them to stop for a split second so they might hear my instructions, "STOP YELLING!!!" Yeah...it's really hard to parent effectively when you can't be heard. I've tried the whispering thing, and I end up about as obvious as a slight wind. Then we go to the common car rule, "Quit arguing, quit looking at each other, everyone look out your own window." ...then I can turn the radio to the music again and peacefully enjoy hearing about silver bells, shepherds watching their flocks at night, Frosty the snowman, a little town called Bethlehem, and then, "I heard the bells on Christmas Day," and Ben shouts, "Hooray!! It's Christmas day!" ... and it starts all over again like the movie Groundhog Day.

Each day (well, at least the days we plan to leave the house) I send the kids to the bathroom to comb their hair. All of them have really taken to this simple task, and it has freed up some time for me to sip my coffee instead of having to gulp it. Maddie does her hair quite well, combing it a couple hundred times as she gazes into the mirror. I almost always have to ask her to finish the task so someone else can use the step stool, but when she emerges from the powder room, her hair is exactly as it should be. Ben and Jon (and sometimes Will) are another story. When I ask the boys to please comb their hair, they often rush to the bathroom with the excitement of a child on Christmas morning (if you don't have boys, you should know that this type of behavior can be intimidating to a mama who like everything in its place and expects boys to drag their feet for this task.) I usually have to remind them to go in one at a time (to keep little minds from working together to make trouble,) but the story is the same -- they LOVE to soak their blond hair with a wet comb as the faucet runs and runs and runs and runs. When they emerge, they often are sporting a gravity-defying do and I have to bite my tongue to keep from correcting it. Unless it's a picture day, I [try] to be okay with it. I let them march proudly into their preschool class and I hope that people understand I am trying to raise confident children, not children who are constantly corrected for things that don't matter. So when you see my boys, please, please understand that I DID ask them to comb their hair even though I KNEW it would look more normal if I had just skipped the comb all together.

Potty training is progressing. Maddie and Ben wear big-kid undies, Jon still isn't interested. A few weeks ago, Ben said he had to go potty and I could tell it was an emergency. Luckily, we were home, and as he ran by me, I told him, "Hold it till you get to the potty!" Isn't that a common term? When I heard the sobbing, I went to help him. He was standing in a puddle in the bathroom and his hands were dripping wet. "What happened, Ben?" "Mama, you told me to hold it, but it wouldn't stay in my hands." "But why didn't you pee in the potty it is right here?" "Mama, you told me to HOLD it."... my child was obeying my words. We cleaned up the puddle together and it has been a long, long time since I told anyone to hold it.

The other day, I picked up the little ones from school and we drove to the big kid school and waited in line to pick up Will. When we were driving toward the school Ben said he had to go potty. I told him he would have to wait. As we sat in the pick-up line at the school, he reminded me more urgently that he really needed to pee. I sat wondering if I should let him pee in the grass in front of everyone just to keep the car dry, but I wasn't any happier about that idea than I was cleaning up wet carpet in the car. In the end, I had him pee in an empty Starbucks cup. Know what the worst part was??? .... as soon as Ben buckled his seat belt, Jon insisted he couldn't hold it either but he had to poop. This is the life! :)

Another Favorite Soup Recipe

Here in Texas the chill has set in .... at least every other day. In between, the kids are happily playing in shorts and t-shirts. This is another soup that I love, and the best part is that it is SO easy to make. Allen grilled some chicken that we diced and put in it just before serving. I think that makes it a full meal, and that is how we eat it.

Neiman-Marcus Chili Con Queso Tortilla Soup

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 6 TB unsalted butter
• 3 cans diced mild green chiles, drained (4oz each)
• 4 cans plum tomatoes, drained seeded and finely chopped, (14.5oz each)
• 12 oz cream cheese, cut into chunks
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 2 1/2 TB fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Tortilla strips, julienned (or tortilla chips)
• Green onions, chopped
• Monterrey jack cheese, grated

Cook onion in butter over moderately low heat in a saucepan, stirring occasionally until onion is softened. Add chiles and tomatoes. Cook mixture 8 to 10 minutes over moderate heat until liquid evaporates, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream cheese. Maintain moderate-to-low heat until cheese melts. Stir in chicken broth, half-and-half, lemon juice, cayenne, and salt. Heat soup over moderate heat until hot, but do not boil. Sprinkle tortilla strips, green onions, and Monterrey jack cheese over individual servings. Makes 8 cups.

A Birthday Celebration

What a DAY!! It started with Daddy making pancakes just because Will likes them. Then, Allen and Will headed for the community Christmas Parade. As soon as they left, the little ones and I started walking to the parade. This is the first time we didn't all go together, but it was the first time Will got to be in it, too. Will's Cub Scout troop had a float for the kids and the parents walked along beside it. It was a gorgeous day for a parade and Ben, Maddie, and Jon started out with plenty of energy. We walked about half a mile (which is a long way to keep up with short people and trying to hold all three hands without tripping.) We got settled in just a few minutes before the parade started. The kids enjoyed seeing all of the parade, and I expected they would LOVE seeing Will and Daddy. Though they did wave and shout their names, it was Santa and Mrs. Claus that got them really excited (of course, the firetruck they were riding was pretty exciting, too.)

Nana and Papa were at our home when we got home from our long walk. Somehow it seemed twice as long walking back even though it was the same distance. Shortly after that, Gramma and Granddad got here, too. We had an oh-so-yummy lunch. Will requested gyros, and since that is one of my favorite meals, he didn't have to ask twice. Will opened gifts and some of the presents he got were a puzzle, Lego Creationary (game), a bunch of gear for camping (mess kit, canteen, compass, etc.), a Cub Scout book and belt, a lot of great books, and a Barnes & Noble gift card.

He asked for a carrot cake and for the decoration all he would say is that it had to have a carrot on it. I wasn't thrilled about the idea of a plain ole' cake with a carrot for my seven year old boy, so I made a rocket ship. Since I forgot until the very end that he asked for a carrot on it, I quickly added the blue carrot to the wing (lower right). Will thought that was hilarious, and I think he was thrilled that I listened to him (whew!!) The little kids napped, while Nana, Gramma, Daddy, Will, and I played his new Lego game. It wasn't long till Papa and Granddad were snoozing...then Nana. I think we were all worn out. We had tortilla soup for dinner, then all the kids crashed early...which meant I could, too. What a day!! ... but Will had a blast, and that's what counts.

Now we are back to nursing another fever -- the third this week, and this time it's Maddie's turn. I'm bummed that we'll miss church again, but T'is the season,... at least in this family.

Happy Birthday, Will!

I can't believe this kid is already seven! Yesterday, I asked him if he enjoyed six. He told me, "I don't want to be seven. I'll just stay six. I know, I know.... you don't know how I can do that. But, I'm going to find Peter Pan Land so I won't have to grow up."

Today, I picked Will up for his annual pediatrician check-up. At age seven, he weighs 51 pounds and is 48" tall. He reads like a third or fourth grader, so Allen and I can no longer spell our "secret" conversations. Even when we race through the letters, he knows exactly what we are saying. Pig Latin works for now as long as Jon isn't around to translate.

After the doc visit, we had lunch at Dairy Queen (no dessert) and I took him back to school with treats for his class. I figured out how to make mock-cupcakes, and his class enjoyed cupcake-shaped Rice Krispie treats with icing and sprinkles.

For dinner, we all went out to a Hibachi  grill at Will's request. We all had fun, but Jon wasn't too crazy about the table fire.