Christmas Who-ville Village

Stats:

Pounds of gingerbread--1,500+

Pounds of chocolate--250+

Pounds of nuts and dried fruit--250+

Pounds of candies and gumdrops--250+

Number of hours to create--800+

Dimensions 40 feet x 25 feet

Hot Air Who Balloon

This carousel was turning around and around

A delicious chocolate car? Who care about the gas mileage riding in this thing?

We're into fighting poses in our house.

This is not supposed to be possible right?

We just went and visited a really cool site here in Phoenix. There is a replica of the Dr. Seuss Who-ville Village at the JW Marriott Resort. The kids and I couldn't believe the colors, creativity and enormity of the whole thing. We all agreed it was worth the drive.

Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch

I got a phone call today from a complete stranger. Well, not completely a stranger--I've mailed him Christmas cards two years in a row now. You see, he lives in a small town near Tremonton, Utah, which is where some of my husband's family lives. I address our Christmas cards to entire families, so the card said, "The Petersen Family" and since that is indeed this guy's name, he opened it up. He told me that I have a really nice looking family. He said he enjoyed last year's card too, but that he assumed that the card was probably not intended for him. We laughed and I told him that it sounded like we should be good friends by this time--two years of Christmas cards after all. He said he figured he should probably be sending me a card this year too.

The whole incident reminded me of my husband's favorite children's book, "Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch" by Eileen Spinelli. It's a really sad story of a man who lives his life doing the same things every day--gets up at the same time, eats the same food every day for lunch and though he sees the same people each day, he never takes the time to smile or inquire after their lives. His world is so small and so depressing.

Then, one day he gets a huge--imagine using both arms--box in the mail. Their is no return address nor is their a sender provided. The card attached simply says, "Someone loves you." This anonymous gift changes Mr. Hatch's life. He suddenly starts looking at the people around him and trying to get to know them and serve them and he finds out that there is happiness all around him if he will just open himself up to it. This is not the end of the book--there's a twist ending--but you really should get the book, a box of tissues and sit down for a read.

It made me think about how this holiday season I have been running around planning huge dinners for the women at church, printing and mailing Christmas cards, cleaning the house to host the huge dinner, shopping for all the people in my life and feeling mostly totally overwhelmed and stressed out. Of course my children bear the brunt of this. Why is it that this happens? Why do we let the stress in our lives manifest itself in negative ways to those closest to us? How do we get so busy doing good things that those good things start to lose their true meaning with what we have to give up to accomplish them?

It's not a total loss though. I did get that dinner all done and yesterday I enjoyed these beautiful children God gave me. We read stories again, we did violin lessons, we talked, we joked. We were the type of family I want us to be every day. I love this holiday season. I hope that I can keep it a time of year where the Spirit of Christ can speak to me because I'm listening.

Crafty Like a Mormon--Not Like Satan

This was the week to be crafty!!! I made five different crafts--I didn't take a picture of the Give Thanks banner, but it too is just perfect. Thanks so much to my friend Jen for making this all happen. You are so crafty--in a good way!

Nativity Blocks that the kids can play with.

Subway Art

Christmas tree

Gobble, Gobble

Batman and Superman are Best Friends!

When they aren't fighting crime, Batman and Superman hang out together at my house. Betcha didn't know that Batman was so much taller than Superman huh? It's a big surprise to most people.

You poor, little blog

Having another child added to our family has thrown me a bit off my A game you might say. I constantly find myself realizing that it's five o'clock and I am not quite sure how time got away from me. There are lots of lessons (soccer twice a week), violin (once a week with the "real" teacher and every other day with the mean, mom teacher), reading lessons for Owen (he's almost done with the book and then we get to Par-tay!) and food to prepare and nursing and lots of laundry and occasional cleaning.We are still alive and kicking and trying to make this new four children thing work and I can't really be very creative, so I'm going to share some highlights of our last...month?...yes, I have neglected my little blog friend for more than a month. Ugh! Here goes:

Thanks to Michael's dollar bins and my mom--the kids had a night of fun with glow sticks. I wish that I had some really awesome pics to show you, but I don't have the camera or the know how to do it. Let me tell you though--usually I'm one to "save" things for some special, non-existent upcoming event. Not anymore (okay, so maybe still, but not always I'm vowing!). I gave each child his own can and let them go crazy and they did and they loved every second.

This is my latest obsession--trying to get this handsome man to smile at me. He's up to 12 pounds--two months and five pounds of weight gain almost--not bad, not bad.

This is super-duper yummy and fills everyone's hearts with happiness. It's known as "I don't care if I lose the baby weight if I can have as many of these as I want." Really though, the recipe is from The Picky Palate Website. It's really called Double White Chocolate

and Pretzel Peanut Butter Cookies with Sea Salt. This woman knows how to

make a delicious treat. Her latest one for the day looks AMAZING.

While the cookies bake, you fight with swords. Or you just fight with swords all the time at our house. It's what we do (when we're not eating cookies).

Finished product. Mmm-mmm!

Whenever Eli holds Caleb, he wants me to take their picture. However, I can never run to get my camera quick enough that Caleb isn't screaming about the situation. This is a rare moment of calm before the storm. Not a great shot, but it's what we've got. Look at that double chin--I told you almost 12 pounds.

My favorite holiday to do projects for. Christmas is so stressful for me, but Halloween, I just adore. I love the meaning behind Christmas and the feelings, but Halloween is just pure fun. Maybe it's the candy association? I think it's the cooler temperatures. I let each kid pick their own toppings for a gourmet caramel apple. You have M&Ms, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Reese's Pieces. Mine was Heath bar in case you were interested.

This is my daughter, my friend Koby and my kitchen looking like a wreck. There is a good reason. We got together on Wednesday and did freezer meals! Yay for us. Koby did these gourmet recipes (Our Best Bites Taquitos and some Macaroni Grill copy) and I did a simple Cheddar and Cracker Chicken and some breakfast burritos. I was proud of us though because we whipped out 65 burritos, 3 lasagnas, 3 full chicken dinners and I don't know how many taquitos--lots!!

This is my beautiful new apron per my Aunt. I don't have the link for you to go perusing, but isn't it adorable? I look really weird in this shot, but the apron is super cute. It's ice cream cones all over it. See all those lasagna noodles?

Last night I took Ryanna and Owen on a date night with me. We went and saw these phenomenal acrobats from the People's Republic of China. I mean--really, I was completely blown away by what they were doing. Let's just say that I saw 13 people on one bike at a time--riding in circles on a stage, I saw two women balancing head on head--ouch!, I can't tell you how many contortions of bodies I saw. Juggling that was so fast that the balls were just blurs. Four people standing on top of each other's shoulders. A guy flipping from the floor through a hoop that was 10 feet 6 inches off the ground--the height of an NBA hoop! And more and more and more. Owen's face describes how I felt for the whole show.

What? Don't you fill your bath with every shoe in your closet from time to time? No really, there's a good reason. See this?

Now it looks like this! Yay for new carpet!!!! The kids and I are in heaven. It's so thick and nice the kids were doing carpet angels. Now, for the blinds and the lights and the blah, blah, blah! For a better view of it, we the picture at the top.

He's So Darn Adorable!

Lots and lots and LOTS of beautiful photos that were taken by our friend Kim Skinner. Get ready to say, "ooooh," and "aaaaah" over and over again. (If you click on her name, it will take you to some of these same photos posted on her site, but LARGE enough to see better.)