Merry Christmas. As Promised.

 Last year I made gingerbread from scratch, but because it was so labor-intensive, I made the kids share houses.  This year, I didn't have the wherewithal to make the gingerbread.  So when Sydney pleaded, "Mom?  Can I make my own house this year?"  I said, "You bet", because I had already planned these little graham cracker babies.

 Calvary Lutheran Preschool Christmas Program.

 Miss Maggie and Miss Michelle, two really great teachers.

THEN ....

 same trek as last year to The Grotto.  I think it's the same bunny, too.  Clara went crazy with glee in the petting zoo.

 

We don't have a photo, but the Grotto also has the same puppeteer.  She's been performing Christmas puppet shows for the past 26 years.  She is a genius.  The kids (the Littles and the Bigs) eat it up.

AND THEN ....

 Hilary and Jeff hosted the Family Christmas Dinner, modeled after the Wilson Family Christmas Party (Honey Jo's mom's side).  Complete with White Elephant Gift exchange and Nativity re-enactment.  Miles played Baby Jesus most reverently.

 Leila seems a tad bewildered that she delivered such a large baby and Isaac appears to be stoic and proud as Joseph.  Clara's looking for her cue.  And Sydney is wearing her GK's wedding veil.

 The best part of the play was when Leila took the pillow out from her belly and hucked it behind her to show she had, indeed, Brought Forth.

AND THEN ... CHRISTMAS EVE A LA BRUNO'S ...

 Sleigh Bells before we head back home....  to set up the party for the next day.

CHRISTMAS MORNING:

 There's a present on the wall!!!!

 They don't ask for much at this age.

 From Briton, proving the old adage is true, "Good things come in small packages."

First Time ...

In a Bumbo.

Fetching Our Tree

Except our tree was from the $10 section.

Christmas is Coming. Finally.

 Festival of the Trees.   And festival of the frosting cookies, face-painting, and teddy bear hospital-ing.  I have never heard of teddy bear hospitals and am not sure how it relates to Christmas.  But the Festival of Trees had a fancy one.  The kids were given their own bear - albeit a sickly one - and were instructed to run the gauntlet of health care providers and choose what sort of medical treatment they wanted their bear to receive.   They didn't even ask for insurance.

 Sydney is deciding, yes indeed, her bear has a broken arm.   Clara's bear is getting a face mask.   There were also band-aids, x-rays, and immunizations.  I should have sent Miles through the system to get him up to date.  You know, "Immunize by Two, It's Up To You."  

 It was detailed and efficient -- bears were moving through their hospital system like no doctor's office I've ever been in.  We stuffed our pockets with the free band-aids (free stocking stuffers) and then went to check out the face painting and Hillsboro Suzuki Violin performers.

A Bedtime Story

Play Group and other pics

 Once a week, Clara gets to "play with friends".  She is very sociable and has other friends, but "play with friends" said with just the right inflection is code for Playgroup.  Clara loves playgroup friends.  Here they are making banana bread muffins.

 Playgroup friends don't mess around.  These muffins were measured out precisely.

 Not playgroup.  Shots like this make me think these kids need taller trees to climb.

The Ghetto Soccer Team

Four Kids - It's a Walk in the Park

 Back when Miles fit in the lowest setting for the belt straps.

 Sydney:  Am I doing it right?  Like this, Mom?

Watching a mole (or gopher or something) burrow under the path.

 Tualtin Valley Nature Park

Lounging

This is a common sight -- Miles gnawing on his fingers and Clara tickling her face with her blankie.  She also likes to rub her eyeball with the blankie.

At one point last month, Clara strategized a way to stay up later.  Each night she added a new item to accompany her to bed:  Binkie, two blankies, milk, "shadows" (the nightlight on the mobile), "messages" (her toy phone), and ... "barf bowl".     For some kids it's teddy bears, for other kids it's blankies.  For Clara it's a barf bowl.

Why, yes, I will take some cream. Hold the pie.

 Briton and the kids celebrated Thanksgiving with the cuz's.  After dinner, the kids had a whipping cream fight.  Anyway, here's Hilary helping Syd to suit up.

After some coaching on the rules ("Throw the whipping cream at each other!"), they loosened up. Some of them.  Sydney doesn't seem as excited anymore.

 I can't tell if Clara is looking out of the sliding glass door in forlorn envy or relief at being spared the onslaught.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this ...

 

Coo' motorcycle-ridin' mama.

Talmage swaps p.m. for a.m.

Final

Talmage swaps p.m. for a.m.

Part Two

Talmage swaps p.m. for a.m.

part1

A Tight Squeeze

My nursing license was up for renewal at the end of November.  The Oregon State Board of Nursing (OSBN) requires an RN log 960 hours over 5 years to be eligible for renewal.  And also you can't have murdered anyone, or stolen drugs, I believe.  A license is good for 2 years -- just like a temple recommend -- which also precludes murder and narcotic theft.  Anyway,  you'd think 960 hours, i.e. about 4 hours/week, is not a burdensome requirement.  But throw one year of not working,  three months of maternity leave (twice), and laissez-faire scheduling (my doing) into the mix, and you end up 238 hours shy of the mark.  Why did I wait until the eleventh hour to find out my cumulative hours?   Ummmm.  Wait.  That is not the point of this post.

238 hours!  That is the point.  Where does a full-time mom find 238 hours to spend at work over 5 weeks?!?!?  Plus, there was the possibility of being cancelled from a scheduled shift at any time - so I would need to work extra at the beginning of the month, as much as possible.  Briton and I toyed with the idea of just letting the license lapse -- for about 2 seconds -- before deciding we'd go for it, for obvious reasons.  And by "we", I mean, I couldn't have done it without his 100% support - since he would basically be single-parenting and cutting into his work schedule.   The kids loved it, because they got to eat new recipes -- like peanut butter and pickle pizza.

I clocked in 962 hours, in fact, by 11/24 -- two hours over and two days before deadline.  That pic is the online renewal form.  Notice the "Response:  Yes".  That felt really, really good to write.  As you can tell, because I took a picture of the screen.

I learned some things during that month.
1.  It's easier to go to work than it is to be a mom  ... sometimes.
2.  Home is where my heart is.
3.  Working overtime and nights and weekends pays prettily.
4.  Old habits are hard to break.

A couple weeks ago I was asked to play the organ for ward temple night.  I said sure, no problem.  The following Sunday, the bishop pulled me aside and notified me that my temple recommend had expired (see #4 above).

Miles Post

Dear Mom and Dad,


Contrary to common opinion of all those who saw the last close-up picture of me, I don't look like a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey in real life.  I concede that I produce copious amounts of drool.  Will you please post the attached video to vindicate my active physique, charming laugh, and clever fists?   

Love,
Miles.

Merry .... Halloween!

 Joseph: Ninja; Isaac: Frankenstien; Clara: Ladybug; Sydney: Snickers; Talmage: Knight; Sonya: Lion

Did that trick you?  Did you think it was going to say Merry Christmas?  It will one day.  One da-ay it will.  For now, it's catch up.  
 

Speaking of ketchup,  Sydney decided to be a Snicker bar instead -- so we disemboweled a chocolate-y looking body pillow and stuffed her inside, like the gooey nougat caramel that she is.   Clara recycled the ladybug costume (whew) and Talmage last-minute changed his mind to be the knight (sewed by a factory) instead of a puma (double-whew).  Sonya is wearing a size 3-month lion costume (her choice).  I'm sure her parents had a much more creative costume in mind but they were stuck in Israel because of the hurrycane so they couldn't do anything about her high-riding snaps.  Don't worry, she still got lots of loot, so it all worked out in the end.

Look!  The jack-o-lantern has a gold filling on his cavity.

The dripping blood from the monster claw was a new addition this year, by T&S.

Hey, is it Thanksgiving yet? I'm hungry!

Vampire Blood Soup

Admittedly, changing the name was an immediate turn-off for the kids.  Instead of this soup for Halloween, they consumed candy.  I have been the lucky recipient of the left-overs.  This soup is delicious, a snap to make, and assures virtuous feelings on account of the healthy factor.

http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/rosemary-red-soup-4136-99.html

I added cooked quinoa to it after pureeing.   Good move.