Holly Jolly Christmas

Holly the Christmas Cat came to stay with us today.  She's a very sweet girl--curious but not aggressive, and very, very friendly.  Let's just say that the kids were especially vocal in their thanks to Santa this year.

New pet aside, it was a wonderful day--maybe our best Christmas yet--full of thoughtful gifts, good family, and generous hearts.  I think we're getting the hang of this whole "Real Meaning of Christmas" thing.  All our love to all of you out there!

Gingerbread

Lucy always lets us know what she wants. When she wants it.

She's been insistently demanding a gingerbread house for what feels like weeks now.

We finally got it pasted together and upright over the weekend -- with a few redos of cracked pieces -- and last night Family Home Evening consisted of decorating it.

The kids adorned each reindeer according to its name:

(Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,

Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, in case you couldn't tell.)

I should have gotten a picture of the other side, too -- Sage made amazing icicles, and Lucy had a cute little candycane sign that said Ho Ho Ho.

And then...Lucy wanted to eat it right away for refreshments. She's definitely not one for delayed gratification, that girl! 

Sage, All 'Growed' Up

  She turned 12, and measured a cool 5-foot-3 1/2 at her checkup. We can't believe the grace and good nature she is learning -- she is kind and compassionate, and gaining more and more confidence in herself. She's keeping her friends from Primary and elementary school, and happily making new ones in Young Women's and middle school.

Her birthday fell on a Saturday, and since it wasn't her year for a full-on party, we decided to take her to explore a nearby nature center (technically an 'environmental education center') that we had never yet been to. They had a few animals out that day for us to interact with -- a turtle or two, a snake, a frog, and a Flemish Giant rabbit that weighed 20 pounds and sat in a baby carriage -- so we thought it was a perfect fit for our outdoorsy-animal-rights girl.

After we wandered around in a glorious fall garden for a while, and then used some provided nets to muck around in the reclaimed marshland, we took her home to put on her tiara and make a wish.

I think whatever that wish was, it's bound to come true, don't you?

LucyLu, One Year Older

Our all-singing, all-dancing, queen-of-nonsense-words girl turned nine recently.

She wanted to watch a Harry Potter movie and make potions, so potions were provided...

It's certainly easy to please a gaggle of third-grade girls with a bunch of baking soda, vinegar, and red food coloring!

I also gave them some flour, cornstarch, and pepper, and they only stopped mixing when all the ingredients finally ran out. Even then, they had to take all the large bowls and pots I had provided and dump them into one. The final fizzy overflow of it all was delightfully dramatic.

(And yes, a hose was involved in the cleanup.)

Lucy, Nora, Ella, Jamie, Kylie, and Mischa

 What a great thing it is to share in the wonder and excitement of childhood through Lucy's eyes.

Poor Kitty

I don’t remember exactly how we got into the game, but we started playing “Poor Kitty” around the dinner table one summer evening. Someone goes to their neighbor and begins meowing and butting their head to be petted, while the neighbor has to stroke their hair and say “poor kitty” three times without cracking a smile. Of course, once we each had a turn and were getting a little goofy, it expanded into a free-for-all -- siblings ganged up on one another, or on the family member who was particularly hard to break. Eventually it became a point of pride to be able to resist not just one poor kitty, but a whole slew of them. 

I was able to keep a particularly straight face, and my children pestered me to explain my secret. It wasn’t until the next day, though, that they really made the connection: my littlest came limping in, upset about some nearly-invisible boo-boo. As she shed her big crocodile tears (in the manner that a youngest is especially good at), all her siblings started to snicker. I gave them a big wink and began to comfort her in a slightly exaggerated tone -- “Aw, what happened to your poor footsie? Right there? Do you think you’ll ever walk again?” -- while the other kids were burying their faces in each others’ shoulders to cover their laughter. 

It’s been a wonderful memory to carry into the busy year. I particularly enjoyed watching my kids compose their faces before their turn began; you could see the smiles trying to flit across, in competition with whichever grumpy or solemn expression they were aiming for. Each person had their own distinctly endearing way of trying to trump the giggles, and I loved them for it.