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.

After Christmas--Dealing with the Chaos

Christmas you came and went so quickly! Thank you for allowing us to fly to Seattle without being rerouted or stuck on a snowy mountain pass. Thank you for the 24 family members all snuggled (perhaps too closely?) in one house. I also want to compliment you on the gorgeous scenery you provided--tree branches coated in ice and snow and snowflakes bigger than I ever remember seeing before.

However, I want to request that you do me a few favors next year...Could you please help me to unpack when I return? I'm still trying to do laundry and find places for our new treasures. Could you help me to remember to turn to the side for the family photo? Not only did I just have a baby, but all of my in-laws are as big around as one of my thighs--we don't need photo documentation of this. Could you also provide my kids with super immune systems so that they could come home without colds? And, lastly, I'd appreciate it if you could get the US Postal service to deliver my mail that they saved.

I would post some pics of this glorious vacation, but I don't have any to share. I'm waiting for copies from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. I didn't bring my camera and they take a lot better photos than me anyway.

However, I can post, for your enjoyment--video of the littlest Pete with his smiles and giggles which have recently become more frequent. Aren't babies wonderful?

O Christmas Tree!

Last night we put up our Christmas tree. We have a beautiful, fake tree that my parents bought us several years ago. I love the tree because it has bendable branches and my mom also helped me pick out all these beautiful dark blue and silver ornaments to fill it. IKEA & my mom made decorating the tree affordable.

It used to be almost like a tree you'd see in a store--perfectly matching ornaments and such. Then, along came Owen and last year he seemed to want to pull all of the ornaments off the tree that were within reach. Only one of the ornaments actually completely broke. The rest of them just needed some new string. I did that this time around.

(not all of us were into decorating the tree)

My tree is starting to look less and less like a perfect store tree and I'm actually still just as much in love because of the memories that these new ornaments are bringing. There's the ornament featuring a picture of Ryanna glued to a frozen juice lid. There is the snowman with a bell for a bottom which Ryanna got from her violin teacher last year. There are two snowmen that have Ryanna and Owen's names written on the back with the year that they got them from us. I'm trying to get each of the kids an ornament each year, so when they get married they can have some ornaments of their own.

I remember the tree at my house growing up had some ornaments I had made. The one I remember most was a bird's nest inside of half of a pantyhose egg container (who is old enough to remember those pantyhose eggs?). It's amazing how decorating can bring back such strong and wonderful memories.

Last year's decorating party!

Watch me eat an ornament!

Cheesey smile!

Ahhh, too cute!

Double Threat

So, as you see in the post below, Ryanna plays the violin. Well, she's also taken quite a liking to one of my Christmas CD's. She has taught herself the lyrics during the course of this last month. Tonight she grabbed this huge microphone she has that echos and started to sing the song. You'll notice the initial verses are a bit vague for her, but the chorus is all hers. Enjoy! (Since I don't think this will post on blogger correctly--is anyone else out there having major issues with their pics and videos posting weirdly?), go to youtube here and view it.

****UPDATE!!!*** Okay, after all this constant teasing about me owning a Britney Spears Christmas album, I had to set the record straight. I do NOT own a Britney Spears Christmas album. I own an album called Platinum Christmas which features various artists, one of whom is Britney Spears. To further repair my tarnished image, it also features such artists as: Dave Matthews, Dido & Whitney Houston. Enough!

Christmas Carols, Christmas Trees & Christmas Cheer

So, let's start right in with the Christmas carols. Since I'm 29, that's right, I'm enjoying the last year of my 20s. Wow, I can't believe it. I digress, as I usually do when I write these things. Anyway, since I'm a mature adult, I have long since taken forgranted the lyrics to the Christmas carols we sing every year. Now I have a four year old who is very interested in learning the lyrics and I want to teach them to her. I want you to stop and think for a minute about the verbage in these songs and how antiquated or foreign it sounds to a four year old in this day and age.

Start with a simple song, "Jingle Bells"
Dashing through the snow (okay, that's not bad other than we live in Arizona, but she still knows what snow is although she doesn't think it's fair that I can't make it snow down here.)
In a one horse open sleigh
Over the hills we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtails ring WAIT, what? What's a bobtail? I'm assuming here the author is discussing the bells put on the horse's tail although I'm not an equestrian, is "bobtail" a correct term for the horse's tail?
Making spirit's bright
what fun it is to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight!

Overall, not too bad of a song, let's move on to "Deck the Halls"
Deck the Halls with boughs of holly. Problem--I know what a bough is, but it's not a word I ever, ever use in conversation with her.
Tra-la-la (etc.)
'Tis the season to be jolly
repeat
Don we now our gay apparel. Okay for this generation that phrase right there could take on a whole different meaning than during the writer's time don't you think?
repeat
Troll the ancient yuletide carol. I'm not gonna lie, I don't even know what this means, but I don't think it has anything to do with an ugly creature that scares small children.
See the blazing Yule before us. What the heck is this yule junk he keeps mentioning?
(Yule: Christmas, or Christmas season) Don't act like you knew that one either. So, since there were definitely not any Christmas lights then, is this a pyromaniac's song or what?
There's more, but I think that I've made my point with this song.

Okay, I had to get that out. Most of the songs aren't too bad, but the language is definitely old school.

Now, moving onto Christmas trees and Christmas Cheer. We decorated our tree last week. Well, Ryanna and I decorated it and Owen tried to systematically remove as many of the ornaments as he could reach. It didn't help our cause that the ornaments are shaped like balls either. As soon as he tore it off the tree, he launched it across the room. He also put the really little ones in his mouth (see picture). Good thing these suckers are made of plastic 'cause I can't tell you how many times a day now I start thinking, "Owen is playing so quietly and it's so wonderful that he's reached this stage," only to slowly realize that he is playing quietly because he's being NAUGHTY!!!

Do boys come programmed to think that the word "no" means that you are playing some sort of tag or keep away or is this just a second child syndrome? Instead of crying or looking guilty, he puts on his beautiful, dimpled grin and I have to start to giggle and it's really hard to discipline him. Plus, he's getting to be a pretty quick runner. I blame all of these characteristics on his dad because I was very obedient as a child (the fact I had no siblings to fight with is insignificant).
Owen fell asleep later after all of his mischief and I put his in his new sleeping bag by the tree. It was so cute!
While we put up the tree, I played Christmas music. It was also overcast and rainy here, as close to "snowy" as you're gonna get. It really did feel like Christmas. Plus, since it was gloomy outside, we could immediately plug in our tree and see the pretty lights. Not all of them 'cause two of my strands don't work and I don't know how to fix it and my hubby is too busy to deal with it, so with some strategic turning and placement of the tree, we just pretend. Santa isn't real, so why can't I pretend all my lights work?

Now, all I have to do is put on the necessary five pounds of weight from received goodies from others. So, I'm waiting...bring it on. Santa you ain't got nothin' on me!