Enjoying the View

Christmas decorating 2012:

Aliyah and Tikvah check out the nativity scene,

  

Theia and Xandra help hang the stockings...I like having a mantle!, 

 Daddy strings the lights,

and everyone digs into the box of ornaments

and helps hang them on the tree.

Then we turn off the lights, sit back and enjoy the view.  

The girls would then ask every night before bed if they could turn off the lights and enjoy the tree.   We were happy to oblige.  There's something wonderful about a lit up, decorated tree at Christmas.

Dig In

There's a whole lot of eating when you get the twenty-four of us together.

Here's a peek at what it looks like:

two long tables,

lots of folding chairs, three booster seats and one high chair,

kids get started first,

and then the adults take their turn,

buffet style, serve yourself,

  

then grab a seat, 

Kiyah in the booster seat

 anywhere you can find one

Tikvah takes the highchair

and dig in!

Old and New

Thanksgiving in Bismarck was different than our Thanksgiving's of recent years.  It combined both the old and new.  

The old was the same:  like melting the chocolate

  

and waiting for the chocolate to melt,

 so we could make our chocolate pilgrim hats

together.

We also made place settings (turkeys filled with Reese's Pieces and pilgrim hats to hold crayons at the dinner table (somehow I managed no pictures of these two items) and applesauce, just like in years' past.  

But other things were different:

We celebrated with Joe's family (all but one sister were with us on Thanksgiving Day and then she and her family joined us the following day, too) and I learned how to stuff a bird for the first time.

 

Uncle Josh is an expert stuffing maker, so he made the stuffing and then showed me the ins and outs of getting into the bird.

I found the process interesting but also kind of gross and slimy.

When I'd had enough of the fun, Liam took over to finish the job.

 Unlike me, he was an old pro at stuffing that bird.

 

Other new things:  turkey crafts with Auntie Beth during the day, black olives on the table and my mom's beautiful china to share the meal on.

Rock On

Theia and Tikvah, with generous assistance from Xandra

Hammin' It Up

She's eight and a half months old in these pictures.

 

And she already knows how to smile when you point the camera at her.

Funny, Lookin'

They came up with this all on their own.

  

They were very proud of it

 and they thought it

was extremely funny,

 

lookin'.

Dancing The Night Away

While Liam and Gramps were visiting, we happened to be reading a book about the Orchestra that included short excerpts of music.  Listening to the music led to a bit of ballroom dancing.

Then the costumes came out.

And Liam, wanting to dress up also, but noticing that we're short on boy costumes, found one of his only options in the basement.

 

Unconventional, but definitely not girly.

Sometimes Joey and grandpa just watched from the sidelines

and sometimes they got in on the action.

When they got tired of the ballroom scene, they moved onto something a bit peppier from their VBS days.

I like how the dinosaur costume crosses over from ballroom to hip hop so easily.

Platypus at Five

Happy  Birthday to one five year old,

Cubbie going, Beth loving,

Tikvah obsessing,

silly,

creative,

 and beautiful girl.

 

I love you platypus!

Simple Fun

In early November, Grandpa Tim made another appearance in Bismarck.  This time he brought cousin Liam along.  While he taught classes all day, we enjoyed Liam's company and Grandpa's pool passes.

 

 

Gramps popped in at lunchtime to say hello and take a break

 and then left us to our fun.

Besides swishing down the water slide, playing with cups of water and splashing in the mushroom fountain, the kids enjoyed being chased by Joe.

 

And I enjoyed watching the show.

It was pretty entertaining.

After all our swimming we made a lengthy trip home in a blizzard.  What is normally a ten minute affair, took approximately two hours and involved:

1.  Joe locking the keys in the van while trying to clear snow off the cars.

2.  Joe and two kids riding in the Civic (we had both cars, thankfully since we had an extra passenger) to retrieve the extra van keys from home.

3.  Joe and the two kids missing a few turns and waiting long turns through lights that weren't working properly.

4.  Trisha and the other kids waiting and waiting and waiting at the hotel.

5.  Joe returning with the kids, the keys and a gas can full of gas because the van, which had now been running for an hour was in danger of running out of gas.

6.  Joe and Trisha attempting to fill the gas tank with gas but failing because the gas can was broken. 
7.  Piling all the kids in the cars, driving to the gas station and praying all the way we make it without running out of gas.

8.  Driving home in a blizzard and deep snow (a first for Trisha).

9.  Getting both cars stuck in the street just in front of our driveway.

10.  Snowblowing the driveway.

11.  Failing to get the Civic in the garage because the driveway is too slippery.

12.  Needing the assistance of two neighbors to get the Civic in the garage.

13.  Needing the assistance of two neighbors to get the van unstuck from the street and into the garage.

The rest of Liam and Grandpa's visit was pretty uneventful.  Just playing and popcorn and a few games of Match n Move Memory.

We like to keep things simple when we have company, after all.