Christmas Day

Christmas day was a busy day of fun and family. We told the kids they needed to stay in bed until 7AM and not to wake Allen and me before the sun was up. At 6:57, Allen shook my shoulder to wake me up for my favorite part of Christmas. "The magic is about to happen," he whispered as I rolled over so my good ear was up and able to hear the kids. They went in the living room quietly, but we could tell they were all together. Their whispers started softly, but they escalated to louder voiceless talking as they explored the small piles of gifts around each of their stockings. It didn't take long before Will came to wake us up -- he was really excited about some joke-teeth (Bubba-style) that Santa brought. Allen and I got up and got ready then started breakfast. We all opened our stocking gifts from Santa and started playing while breakfast was cooking. The savory casserole and sweet cinnamon monkey bread finished cooking just about the time Nana and Papa arrived for the day. After a yummy breakfast, we took turns opening presents.

As we've done the last few years, the six of us swapped names for a gift exchange.
Daddy got Ben a trapeze-type swing with rings and a bar (somehow that didn't make it into my favorite photos.)

Ben got Will and remote-controlled vehicle.

Will got Mama got a Yankee Candle plug-in and car fresheners.

Mama got Jon the game Sorry.

Jon got Maddie a Lego Friends set and a soccer outfit for her American Girl doll (another favorite photo.)

Maddie got Daddy the game Forbidden Desert.

Everyone was excited about their new toys (kids and adults) and the rest of the day was spent playing, assembling, swinging, gaming, shooting, resting, eating, and reading new books. We spotted a new bird in the backyard, too. This is the Cooper's Hawk that was sitting on the swing-set and fence for a little while.

His Perspective

This morning, Will asked if he could use the camera while Allen and I were working on building houses for the kids to decorate. He wandered through our home and took pictures of everything he considered "Christmas." These are Will's pictures:

He ended the day telling us he wanted to be a photographer when he grew up. I wish I had thought to mention he didn't really have to wait so long.

Candy Land Housing Development

Last year, we attempted to make "gingerbread" houses out of graham crackers. The activity was so much fun to do as a family, we planned to make a tradition of it. This year, we started construction on Christmas Eve morning, and it didn't take long to realize that with two boxes of crackers that had a bit of curve, we wouldn't be able to make the fancy shapes we did last year. Every time I cut into a cracker, the curve caused the whole thing to break. This time, we were still able to be creative, but we had to do it all with squares and rectangles. Will and Allen and I shared the photographer's duties, but, in the end, all three of us preferred playing with the houses than the camera.

Introducing the new housing development for Candy Land:
This long house by Ben has simple lines, but the roof is decked with minty dark chocolate M & Ms and round sweet tarts. The home is surrounded by green cobblestones and has a colorful patio to entertain guests.

The square home by Will has a colorful stone M & M entryway, and the yard is covered with star-sprinkle flowers. Two candy-canes form a ladder so Santa can easily climb to the marshmallow chimney.

Another long house was designed by Jon. This unique home was designed Pueblo-style with a rooftop entry. The home is ascended via a colorful ladder so that only invited guests may enter the colorfully-tiled roof. The property is surrounded with colorful gardens and sweet stones in intricate patterns.

This merry little cabin, designed by Maddie, is the only peaked roof in the neighborhood. The gable is peaked with a peppermint stick and matching pieces frame the doorway. A beautiful stream and waterfall surround the home, and beautiful blooms shine even in the winter. The home comes pre-decorated for the holidays with shining lights and Merry Xmas on the shingles. This sweet home won't last long -- see your realtor today!

For the homeowner who believes less is more, we have a cozy, open-floor plan tent by Allen for you! This home with simple lines is surrounded by nature! Keep warm by the chocolate chip fire circle with butterscotch-pecan fuel and cranberry embers. The first snowfall never seemed so sweet!

This custom-designed abode was created by Sarah. The rainbow patterns on the roof attract a lot of attention, but this fancy spot is too small for living. The home has bright doors and windows, but there is no room inside for the baby and lambs. (In reality... the designer started with one thing in mind, but changed her mind part way through the project when she discovered the stale rice noodles and marshmallows in the pantry.)

I am praying today that all my loved ones have their homes ready for Christmas and that their hearts are ready for the sweet babe to come shine His light. I'm praying that His light shines through the windows of your hearts today and everyday... that you taste and see that the Lord is good! Merry Christmas!

Preparing the Food

This past weekend, Allen and I dropped the kids off at Nana and Papa's, and we headed north to Lake Texoma for a quiet weekend. I asked him for a mini-vacation for Christmas and I really enjoyed the one I got a few days before Christmas. He and I enjoyed quiet time together, playing games, eating tasty food, watching a movie, getting a few last-minute gifts, and being away from the everyday stresses that wear me out after awhile. When we came home, we had two and a half days to get everything ready for Christmas day.

The kids pitched in and we all worked hard and got just about everything done on Monday. I headed to the grocery store while the kids helped Allen clean the house, and he helped them wrap the gifts they were giving. They got all the cleaning done while I was away! Allen took the boys for haircuts while Maddie and I worked on the Christmas morning casserole and I helped her wrap the gift she got for Allen. While I was cleaning up the kitchen a bit, Allen taught Will how to make twice-baked potatoes. I wrapped gifts while Allen made some cookies with some off-and-on help from the kids, then Allen did some wrapping while I worked on cookies. The house smelled great, and somehow the kitchen-cleaning was manageable.

By afternoon, the cooking was as done as it needed to be and we were done with a day to spare! We made the breakfast casserole, twice baked potatoes, and four kinds of cookies: Grandma Ruth's Christmas tree cookies (FINALLY tasting like hers did), ginger cookies, biscochitos, and Hello Dollies. By then, the kids had taken off to play at the park and we had surprise visitors. Allen went to get the kids, and all of us were thrilled to see Jeremy and Kerbi -- friends of ours who are missionaries in Costa Rica. Our kids have prayed for them every single night since they went to Costa Rica three years ago.

Preparing our Home

'Tis the time of year for Allen to make his bi-annual trip to the attic to get out the Christmas decorations. We always wait until after Will's birthday celebration and, this year, we finished those by his birthday on the second. However, our plans to decorate we derailed a couple times. The other day, Allen and the kids built the tree while I addressed cards and worked on school stuff. Another evening, Allen hung the lights and helped me get the ribbon on the boughs. Tonight, we finally had it ready to ornament (though this mama really only want to go to bed.) Allen snapped a few pictures while I helped the kids carefully unwrap several years of sweet memories to hang on the tree. My eyes teared up, as always, when I saw the photos in the "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments. The one of Will doesn't make my cry, but I had to fight tears with each of the others as I remembered the NICU tubes and wires that are in the photos. I reminisced about our first home, our first Christmas, our travels -- including the new angel ornament I got in Uganda this year.

This year, I even did something that was REALLY hard (at first.) I left all the ornaments where the kids put them, even though that meant that the bottom third of the right side of the tree was left ornament-less. Usually I move some around because I like it "balanced", but this year I dared myself to leave it alone and to learn to be okay with the perceived imperfection. It was Maddie' year to put the angel on top, but she screamed with terror every time Allen lifted her, so she surrendered the crocheted cherub to Jon.

Just about the time I was thinking about taking the kids to find an ornament for this year, they got some in the mail. Great Grammie Vail cross stitched them each an adorable snowman! (Getting all four to cooperate for a picture was evidently too much for me to ask. This is as good as it gets.)

"Once I Went"

To say that afternoons have been hectic, loud, and cranky is an understatement! Will and I just aren't getting along during homework time, and getting any work done seems to be a dreaded chore for both of us. Today, Will was assigned to write a free style poem that had to include at least two each of similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. I promised if he could do all of it without complaining or whining, I would post it for the blog. Who knew that would be just the motivation he needed?

ONCE I WENT
by William Kaiser

Once I went to Mars
There were tons and tons of weird people

They were as green as pea soup
That's not what I expected

Once I went to Japan
There were lots and lots of weird people

They all sounded, to me, like squawking crows
That's not what I expected

Once I went to Antarctica
There weren't people

The penguins were words on a white page,
That's not what I expected

Once I went to the Kaiser's home
There was one sorting person,

one little wrestler, DING, DING goes the bell

one geeky gamer person, RATTLE, RATTLE go the dice

one crafty Picasso, BRUSH, BRUSH goes her paintbrush

one comical, crazy comedian, BMAHAHAHAHA! they all laugh

one knitter. TICKYTICKTANO

They were all weird,
nice technology,

and a mess.

That's TOTALLY what I expected.