Saturday night was our ward's Christmas dinner. It was delicious- ham, potato dishes, salads, rolls, desserts. Just what I want this time of year. In the middle of each table there were these little bundles wrapped in tissue paper, surrounding paper plates and cake decorating supplies (a can of frosting, tubes of red and green decorative icing, sprinkles, plastic knives). About halfway through dinner we were told that once we were done eating we could tear into the bundles and start making a "gingerbread" house out of the supplies on the table. Inside the tissue was a sleeve of graham crackers and a baggie of Christmas candy. The kids were excited to decorate the house, so Aaron and I set to work building it. It took some doing, but we finally got a house built and iced (and standing!) then let the kids add the candy for decoration. It turned out really cute. We had some windows, a door, even a chimney. I complained to Aaron as we were all working on it how I wished I had my camera with me. It would've been nice to capture those moments before... well,
After being told several times not to touch it anymore, Pyper just couldn't resist putting one more red hot on the roof. This is what resulted. We were upset at her for not listening to us and ruining the house, then she got really upset because we weren't going to bring it home with us. I mean, she had a major meltdown right there in the middle of the church gym, two-year-old style. I literally had to make her sit in the corner until she could calm down. She didn't get a grip until we finally agreed to bring the mess home. So by the end of the evening we were all pretty grouchy and irritated that our evening had been spoiled. Bummer.
In other news, we've been having some craaazy winter weather lately. Yesterday was awful- snow mixed with high winds is not enjoyable. I thought we left that garbage in Rexburg?? The wind howled all day and all night. The kids had a hard time going to sleep because it was rattling their windows and that always scares them. We turned up Pyper's sleep-time CD louder than usual, and put an alarm clock in Hakan's room that plays music to drown out the wind. I even had to sleep with a pillow over my head! This morning our backyard and the field behind it looks like this:
It's not a ton of snow, but enough to cover everything. I just hope that horrible wind is gone.
And finally, just something I was thinking about yesterday and decided to write down.
I like Sundays. Church starts at 11, so I can sleep until a reasonable hour and still have time to get us all ready to go. A lot of times we'll also have breakfast as a family, which is always a treat (especially if I'm not the one making it). And there's something about dressing up- doing the whole hair and make-up thing, putting on a dress and some shoes with a heel, maybe some special jewelry. It makes me feel pretty and less like a fat, waddling pile of pregnant.
The first hour of church I get to sit with my family, singing, praying, wrangling kids and trying to listen. The last 2 hours I'm on my own, sitting contentedly while lessons are taught, thoughts are shared, scriptures are read and my spirit is fed. Afterwards I'm greeted by two children who seem to have missed me in my two hour absence, and home we all go to lunch on the fly. Maybe it's heated leftovers, maybe it's "twirly noodles" (Top Ramen) for Pyper and a hot dog for Hakan, maybe it's grilled cheese and chips for everyone. Whatever we have, we fill ourselves up then shed our church clothes and settle in for a late afternoon nap.
We sleep until almost dark, then spend the rest of the evening doing pretty much nothing. I never plan a Sunday dinner, but I usually end up doing something quick and simple. Breakfast for dinner or Norwegian pancakes are two of our Sunday stand-bys. Thanks to our late naps we all stay up past our usual bedtimes, which is okay with me. I don't mind if Sundays last a little longer. I like Sundays.
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