Play Time

My children love to play. They even like to play with each other. It is so precious to listen to them play pretend together and giggle and laugh with each other. I love my children and I am so glad that they love each other. Who could ask for a better playmate than a sibling that you love and enjoy spending time with?

Now, they do not get along all of the time as siblings will do, but they have periods of time throughout the day when they will play nice with each other. Mom and Dad also have to play referee when one sibling steals the others toy or Benjamin doesn't like sister copying him. We try to celebrate and focus on the moments of calm and joy at our house so that we don't get too discouraged in the adventures of parenthood.

Our Little Mommy

Bekah loves to pretend to be a mommy. She likes to pretend to cook and clean and she takes her baby everywhere. Here are some pictures of her playing in the kitchen at playgroup. It is precious to watch her mimic her Mommy and try new things.

She received a pink bear for Christmas and some bags and blankies for her babies and now she wraps up the baby and rock-a-byes them to sleep. It is "uh-oh, baby" this and "Baby!" that all day long, and the babies have to go to sleep with Bekah or she will not go to sleep. She is so cute!

Dancing to Christmas Music

Our children love to dance. Lately, they have been dancing to the Christmas music Mom has been playing. I love to listen to them giggle and watch them spend positive time together. This is too cute not to share!

We are excited to celebrate the spirit of giving that comes with this time when we remember the birth of Jesus Christ. Santa Claus will be coming to our house tonight to symbolize the abundance that Christ gives to us all year long. In return for the abundance that we are given, we are asked to give something in return so we leave a small treat out for Santa to symbolize the offerings we give to our Savior Jesus Christ. When we are willing to give a little bit of our self, our Savior gives us so much in return that we cannot comprehend how much he loves us and is willing to give us.

To me Santa is the very symbol of the season when we consider him in this perspective. He wears red like our Savior did the day he was hung on a cross. He gives gifts to everyone in the world (in theory) just as Jesus Christ gave the gift of eternal life to all mankind when he died on the cross on Calvary. Santa also reminds us of the spirit of giving which is how Jesus Christ is. Jesus is always giving to us and wants us to give to our fellowmen.

To me, Santa is not a symbol of greed or thinking of one's self, but an opportunity to think of others and give to all those we love and care about. I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus more than the actual man. I love to give to others whenever and wherever I can and I have found great joy in thinking of and serving others. I love this time of year and the emphasis that is put on gift giving and thinking of others. To me that is the spirit of the season. Merry Christmas!

I Have a Little Doggie

Benjamin loves animals. The other day Benjamin took his sister's dog for "a walk" and when he was done he tied the dog up so that it wouldn't run away. He is so dang cute!

By the way, I am down to the quilt and pillows on my Christmas list. Good thing, because tomorrow is Christmas Eve.

That's IT! Who ordered a White Christmas?!?

I know, I know. A few days ago I was complaining about no snow, but I didn't think we would have six feet of snow for Christmas! Benjamin is ecstatic! And it is still snowing . . . . . . .

Christmas To Do List

I am going to take a break from blogging for a few days, unless something exciting happens. I am down to the last few things on my Christmas list and they have turned out to be the most time consuming. I am excited that Christmas is about one week away.

To do list:

• finish quilt
• make matching pillows
• Bekah's Santa gift & hooded towel
• neighbor gifts
• clean house
• mail Christmas package for Elder David & cards
• wrap presents
• sibling gifts for party
• read more Christmas stories to my children
• help children make gifts for family members
• finish make decorations for front window

Merry Christmas!

Reading Cookbooks

I have a confession to make. I like to read cookbooks. Why is this a confession you say? Because I never make half of the stuff that sounds good. I always find recipes that sound yummy and I either decide not to make it because I am lacking one ingredient or it sounds like it will take too long. Lame, I know, but when I do try a new recipe I find something I love or that my family really enjoys.

I could sit for hours, when I am in the mood, and read cookbooks and decide on all kinds of delicious things to make. I even spend a lot of time browsing recipes on the Internet when I am trying to come up with something different for dinner. Cookbooks are almost as interesting as a good mystery when I am in the mood. Just to emphasize my point, I posted some new recipes I have discovered.

No Bake Cheesecake

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/3 c lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 graham cracker pie shell
favorite cheesecake topping: cherries, blueberries, caramel, etc.

Combine all ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into pie shell. Refrigerate for up to 5 hours. Remove from fridge and top with favorite topping, or slice and put topping on individual slices.


Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake
by Annabel Karmel, published in "Mom and Me Cookbook"

1 stick butter (8 Tbsp)
8 oz graham crackers
1 tsp vanilla extract
16 oz (2 packages) cream cheese
1 c superfine sugar
2/1/2 c fresh raspberries
2/3 c powdered sugar
1 2/3 c whipping cream

Put the crackers in a bag. Then us a rolling pin to roll and crush them into crumbs. Melt the butter in a pan. Pour the crushed graham crackers into the butter and stir thoroughly. Line an 8--in pan (with removable base) with plastic wrap. Spoon in the cracker mixture, press flat with masher, and refrigerate.

Make raspberry puree (or substitute preserves) - bring the raspberries and powdered sugar to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. cool, then press through a sieve.

Mix together cream cheese, superfine sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the cream until stiff, then fold it into the cheese mixture.

Spread topping on the cracker base - use about 3/4 of the cheese mixture. Then spoon on 3/4 of the puree and swirl it into the cheesecake mixture. Gently spread on the remaining cheesecake mixture. Drizzle on straight lines of raspberry puree. Pull a skewer across the lines for a feathered effect.

Leave the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.


I have also use the Philidelphia Baked Cheesecake recipe and swirled in some fruit preserves before baking and it was yummy! Today I also found a simple, no bake fudge recipe. I'll have to let you know if it turns out.

Foods Children Will Eat

Toddlers are often tough to feed. They like foods that are sweet and simple which is not necessarily a healthy way to grow and develop strong bones and bodies. One of the challenges I face is finding new foods that my children will eat. Here is a list of things my children will eat without question:

1. Cereal
2. Hot Dogs
3. Macaroni & Cheese
4. Candy
5. Cheese or Cheese Sticks
6. Milk or Juice
7. Grapes, Raisins, Craisins
8. Cookies
9. Zucchini Bread
10. Muffins
11. Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast
12. Pasta - spaghetti, chicken alfredo, etc.
13. Yogurt
14. Chicken (Dinosaur) Nuggets
15. Hamburgers or Cheeseburgers from McDonald's
16. Ice Cream
17. Olives or Carrots
18. Pizza
19. Stir Fry
20. Rice with Sauces

However, when it comes to trying something new I usually have a few faces pulled and declarations of "I don't like it" before Michael and I can coax them to try it. Last night I tried a new rice dish with meat and cheese and the children liked it so much that they asked for seconds, a rare occurrence when it comes to a new dish. The really nice thing about it was that it is a low sodium, low sugar, low cholesterol dish, not eggs, no nuts, and if you have a gluten allergy you can substitute a gluten free soup, that is absolutely delicious. I found it in the Stake Cookbook our last stake put together in February of this year. The recipe is:

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake (Diana W., C.H. 4th Ward)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/3 c water

3/4 c uncooked, regular white rice

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 c cheddar cheese, shredded

4 med chicken breasts, boneless & skinless (I used 1 large and 1 medium one and cut it up into bite size chunks)

Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and black pepper in a two quart shallow baking dish (with a lid if possible, aluminum foil works as a cover as well). Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper. cover and bake at 375 F for 45 or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is done. Top with cheese. Serves 4 to 6. This recipe can be doubled with no problems (just use a bigger pan so that the depth of the dish is similar to the regular recipe.)

We will probably be having this more often because the kids love it and it is super easy to make. I am so excited to find something different that both the kids and parents can enjoy.

The Birds

It's almost like an Alfred Hitchcock movie. We have these swarms of birds that live in the trees around our house. They dart from tree to tree than up to the power lines and back again. It is intriguing to watch as they play dart and chase all over the neighborhood.

I want to be like Mom

Bekah loves to have her hair done. She especially likes it when Mommy puts pretties in her hair. Her she is wearing one of my headbands and she was so cute that I had to take pictures.

Charlynn's Pictures of Temple Square Lights

Michael's Pictures of Temple Square Lights

Thanksgiving

So I completely spaced posting pictures from our Thanksgiving get together. All of Michael's siblings got together with his parents at his sister Victoria's house for Thanksgiving this year. It was a little hectic with 8 grandkids, 5 siblings, 4 spouses, 2 parents, and 1 Great-Grandma. The meal was wonderful and it was nice to spend time with everyone.

The Whole Family

Our Bekah with her youngest cousin, Spencer, and Grandma J.

All of the cousins and Aunt Katie getting ready to watch a movie.

Grandpa J. holding Bekah and McKayla

Benjamin and Bekah loved spending time with cousins, building gingerbread houses with Grandma, and watching Kung Fu Panda. They weren't too excited about taking pictures but quickly got over that when we exchanged presents just before going home.

Benjamin wanted his cousins to stay forever. He loves having family around and going places. It was good to have everyone together. Thank you to everyone who traveled to be their. We enjoyed sharing the holiday with you.

Released!

I had my last doctor's appointment yesterday. At least it became my last at the conclusion of my visit. The doctor said that it was nice to have a patient who was so motivated to get better. He even said that I do not need to go to physical therapy any more. Yeah!

My X-rays showed that my break was completely healed. No visual cracks of any kind just a nice metal plate. I may need another surgery in a few months to remove the metal plate, but if having an extra sensitive elbow doesn't bother me, I won't need the surgery.

I am so grateful to have had an excellent surgeon and physical therapist to help me recover from my roller blading accident. I did not expect to be back on my feet, so to speak, this soon. I still have to rebuild my strength and work up to lifting like I was before but at least I am past the biggest bumps in the recovery process.

Mary's Engaged!

My sister, Mary, got engaged to her boyfriend, Gary, this last Saturday. I borrowed these pictures from her Facebook page. We are excited for them! The wedding will be at the end of January if all goes according to planned. Congratulations, Mary & Gary! We love you!

Our Little Artisit

Benjamin loves to paint! He is very good at mixing colors. He is so good at exploring new ideas and being creative. The other day he painted a dinosaur. On another occasion he painted fire. He will sit and paint as long as we will provide him with paint and paper.

Christmas Trees

One of the most valuable things I learned from college was about Christmas trees. Now, I want everyone to remember that I majored in Marriage, Family, and Human Development with an emphasis in Child Development.

In my Parenting class, my teacher discussed creating a kid friendly environment. One such factor was having a toy box or drawer in every room of your house so that the children will have something safe to play with when they are in the same room with you. Another factor was having age appropriate toys, books, and other discovery tools like scissors and glue. We also discussed Christmas traditions. What my teacher mentioned was having two Christmas trees in his home. One was upstairs in a room the children did not play in that held the fragile ornaments. The other one was downstairs (where the kids play room was) that had kid friendly ornaments which the children could rearrange as much as they liked.

For the last two years we have had two Christmas trees and it has been very helpful in keeping my special and fragile ornaments safe. It has also been a fun project because the children and I, and Dad if he isn't busy, make ornaments together. Benjamin and Bekah love playing with and redecorating the tree and since they have one of their own they leave the other one alone. I love it!

The other plus is that our house is that much more festive because we have more than one tree. I love Christmas decorations, especially nativities! It is my favorite time of year.

And there you have it, one of the most valuable things I learned from college. :D

A Ripple in a Pond

One thing I am learning is that our actions and choices are like ripples in a pond. Just like a pebble does not affect a pond until it is thrown in, our thoughts do not affect others until they become words and actions. And, once those thoughts become words and actions they have a lasting effect just like throwing the pebble in the pond creates ripples that spread out over the entire surface of the pond.

Sometimes the ripples we cause can even last for generations. Through my own struggles to find new ways of doing things and new coping methods I have come to realize that just because something has been done the same way for generations does not make it the only way to do things, regardless of whether it is good or bad.

Sometimes the ripples are so strong that we feel the need to conform to them in order to avoid being knocked over by trying to swim against the tide. It is often difficult to turn into a rock that sends the ripples around or away from it instead of continuing to be water and follow the wave of ripples throughout my life.

I also have realized that my reactions to life's situations become ripples as well. If I resent another driver for cutting me off, I find myself being very pessimistic about the human race. Not right away, but a single negative thought starts a ripple that leads to bigger and bigger pessimistic views and perceptions. On the other hand, if I smile at a stranger and he or she smiles back, I find myself enjoying life and finding pleasure in my routine and activities. I have found that a single positive act or experience creates the opportunity for more and more of such experiences to occur just like a single pebble creates larger and larger ripples the farther the ripples are from the initiating point.

Such an analysis has lead me to think about the kinds of ripples I want to have surrounding my life. What do I want to do or say that will have a positive effect on the generations to come or on the people around me? What have I done to cause negative 'ripples' and what can I do to correct that? In what areas of my life do I need to become more of a stone and in what areas do I need to become more of a ripple? Something to think about when the world seems to be leaning towards more doom and gloom rather than looking at the positive things life has to offer.

Like Brother, Like Son?

My brother, David, is serving a mission right now. One of the pictures below is from just before his mission and the other one is from last month that he emailed to my Mom. Can you tell which two pictures are of my son and which two pictures are off my brother?

Bekah Explores

It is very entertaining to take Bekah to places we haven't been to since she started walking and watch her explore. I thought for sure she would run away from me at Farm Country like she does at the Dinosaur Museum, but for some reason she didn't wander too far away. There was too much for her to look at and explore. It also helps that she loves animals and she spent more time watching the animals than she did staring at the dinosaurs.

It is amazing the things the children notice that I take for granted or don't notice. What an eye opening experience!