A New Tradition

Joseph and I bought a wooden advent calendar with darling little doors and cubbies about 5 years ago. As Bentley has grown, we have had fun finding little treats and prizes to hide for him during the month of December. Just last year, Cares was old enough to discover the fun of it too and so we went all out--and had too many tiny "thingees" floating around the house at the end of it all.

This year I am copying 2 fantastic ideas to revamp our tradition:

1) My sister uses 24 scripture passages all about the Savior's life and teachings during the days before Christmas. She sent me her list and I have filled each door with a scripture reference for us to read as a family each night before the kids go to bed.


2) I read about this on my sister-in-law's cousin's blog (see--I practically know her so it's not like blog stalking...) and I decided to embrace the same idea and add activities to each day as well.

Our list of activities (if you care to know the ins and outs of the LeBaron family):

1. Family Movie Night: Elf
2. Make snowflakes
3. Family Movie Night: The Santa Clause
4. Nursery Rhyme Festival at school & family pictures
5. Choose out a tree with Grandma & Grandpa and Smith cousins
6. Make cards for cousin gift exchange
7. Build gingerbread house
8. Family Movie Night: The Polar Express
9. Nativity coloring pages
10. Mommy daughter date to see The Nutcracker
11. Family Movie Night: Santa Clause 2
12. Take TRAX downtown for dinner at the Gateway and lights at Temple Square
13. Make cards for Aunt Cecily's birthday
14. Read and watch DVD of Luke 2
15. Christmas music program at Bentley's school
16. Decorate sugar cookies
17. Zoolights
18. See Princess and the Frog at the movie theater
19. Ward Christmas party in the morning
20. Make Christmas tree ornaments (button snowmen OR bead snowflakes)
21. Dinner at The Dodo & Christmas Street Lights
22. Create homemade gift wrap & use it to wrap sibling and cousin gifts. Extended smith family party.
23. Open 2009 books (digital scrapbooks I made for each kid)
24. Christmas Eve! Open sibling gifts during the day & head to Grandma's in the evening.

There seem to be a lot of movies on there--but we love Christmas movies at our house and thanks to our DVR, they will all be recorded and waiting for us by the end of this week. Except for Elf. Because we adore that movie and own it for real--like in a tangible, hard copy way. So old school...

So, my kids are excited but I am actually quite excited too :) I love this time of year.

Up on the Housetop

After helping Joseph string lights last year, Bentley has decided it is his new tradition.

And Cares has too.

Bentley loved practicing his "hohohos" and dropping toys down our "chimney."

My kids are sooooo excited for Christmas--are yours? ;)

**Just adding that no one was hurt in the hanging of our lights this year...and it freaks me out to have my kids up there but doesn't seem to worry my hubby one bit. He's the one in trouble if we ever break our kids...

Our Thanksgiving

It was an off year for both my family and my in-laws--and luckily for me, we combined efforts and enjoyed our feast all together up at my parents' cabin. Then we all spent the night in the mountains and enjoyed games, yummy pies, silly kids, more pie, cooing babies, turkey sandwiches at 10:00 pm, Beatles Rock Band, and finally some sleep.

Ruth Ann and Mary

Grandpa Neil and Bentley

Tillie, Bentley and Caroline

Thanksgiving baby

Marshall, Bob and Joseph

Jim, Mary and Seth

Cousins cuddling up with Nanny

Classic apple turkeys (made this morning before we all headed home)

To live a life of gratitude is to open our eyes to the countless ways in which we are supported by the world around us. Such a life provides less space for our suffering because our attention is more balanced. We are more often occupied with noticing what we are given, thanking those who have helped us, and repaying the world in some concrete way for what we are receiving.

-- Gregg Krech

Happy Thanksgiving

The End

As of Monday night, I am finally done nursing this gorgeous baby girl. It's time, I'm ready and I am kind of amazed we made it 9 months when I only lasted 6 months with my other 2 kids.

But oh my goodness--I am in a world of hurt right now. Why do I always forget about the pain of weaning? I even took it super slow this time around by cutting out one feeding every 3 or 4 weeks, giving myself plenty of time to adjust to a change in milk flow. So, for the last 3 weeks we have been down to just 1 feeding a day--but after 48 hours of keeping it all in I feel like I am carrying around 2 solid rocks on my chest. Solid, sore, swollen, heavy rocks. Does anyone know when I will feel like normal again? I can be patient...but really not that patient. Tell me it will be over in a few days ok? And by a few I honestly mean 3 at the most (but 2 would be better...:)

And I'm always up for any advice or tips on how to manage "the girls" while they're drying up. Seriously, haven't I done this before? The memories elude me (and you know you want to turn that last sentence into a pun...admit it. I do :)

Puzzlers

My team of puzzle fans. The 3 of them played like this for a good 20 minutes yesterday. I thought it was so cute to see them all doing the same thing (if you count eating every piece in sight as Olivia "doing" puzzles...)


Unrelated: I saw New Moon last night and it was v. good. Much better than Twilight and those awkward special effects and drawn out looks of longing. I do feel like they left out much of the apologizing and explaining on Edward's part once they left Italy--something he totally owed Bella. And I seem to remember more of a resolution between the two of them in the book. But maybe that was smart movie making and supposed to leave things more in Jacob's favor before the next movie hits...as if we don't yet know how it will all turn out in the end ;)

Blue & White...and Dark Brown

Blue & white cougar fans ready for the game

and a mama with a dark, new hairdo

Grandkid day at the game

as well as Caroline's very first football game--she was so excited to go and had a ball (especially because she got to wear her cheerleader dress among all her warm layers)

9 Months

Today's stats from her well-baby visit:

Weight: 18 lbs 12 oz
Height: 28.5 inches

Olivia's newest love is food. And not so much pureed baby food but anything that the big kids are eating. The only problem is that she hoards bites in her mouth and suddenly has way too much in there at once. I swear she's like a little hamster :)

Our Livvie Lous is still a content little sitter. I love this stage where I can put a basket of toys next to her and she thoroughly entertains herself emptying the whole thing. When she is on her tummy she scoots herself backwards or spins in circles--I suspect she'll be crawling before Christmas.

Olivia loves all sorts of books (to flip through a page or two and then eat any part of them she can), her cuddly blankies--and Bentley's and Caroline's, watches, earrings and bracelets, fingers for gnawing on (just ask my Dad if she is a biter) and drinking water from a sippy cup. And my new favorite--playing patty-cake. She is figuring out how to clap her hands together and loves trying the "pat-it" and "roll-it" parts too. Such a sweet little girl who is growing up way too fast. Do I say that about her every month?