Christmas Decor 2010

So mom told Maryn that she could complete the family room decorations. It kind of looks like the Christmas rubbermaids threw up all over the place. Lights draped on anything and everything, random groupings of assorted decorative elements...

Like this faithful nutcracker soldier carefully guarding the mailbox while legions of snowmen prepare the onslaught...

Obviously mister tall hat on the floor there FAILED at his job since the blue box he's guarding has obviously been compromised. And what's kilt boy on the right there doing? That's right...NOTHING.

I am especially fond of the Santa on the polar bear on the sled on the TV....

And the figurine on top of the snowman box in the basket under the lights...

Now, this isn't bad at all. I like the balance and the overall feeling. Except one can't help wonder if Santa is practicing those squeazy chimney moves by smooshing himself into a remote control caddy. Love the "one ball only" snowman guards. Cheaper then other snow folk security because they take up less space and don't need as much to eat...

This is our tree...nothing smart alecky to say on this one. I like it! Except for the random poinsettia bush sprouting on the right there...
The string of lights continues... Something about the plastic Santas and resin nativity in front of the fireplace makes me feel...oh, I don't know...all warm and melty inside...

And of course the traditional decorated "half- dead- stick- branch- thing-mom- needs- to- stop- trying- to- save- this- plant "decoration no home should be without. The bow is basic home decor 101 type stuff...

Now these were meant to be pretty. So no comments from the peanut gallery please...

Wisemen...

Paul had an opportunity to be part of a live nativity this evening! He was a wise-man. Well, you know...as close as he could get ;) I had to threaten to wack him one. It took me 5 shots to get him to stop messing around and just let me take a picture. Are you allowed to smack a wise-man?

His quote, "In order to truly be a wise-man, you have to be half crazy first."

Lights

Last night was the ceremonious tree lighting at Levi's Commons. We decided to go over and see the 50 foot tree come to life. Santa was there. and there were carriage rides. But the lines for each were so long, we didn't get to do either. So we went and stood by the tree with our friends the Turners. They passed around candles and there were some singers and performances. Then they counted down to the lighting. It was very pretty.Here are some pics from the evening.

Maryn and her magic hat (It makes here do chores without complaint!) by the tree. Love this picture.

The kids in front of the base of the tree.

The tree as it was first lit. I wonder how many lights there are on this thing?!?!

Ashlyn holding a candle. I lvoe the glow on her sweet little face.

Robert, Nathan, Ashlyn, Caleb, Hannah, Krystyna and Maryn share their light!

Socks

This morning the kids and I went to Toledo Public Library and helped hand out socks to homeless and needy folks. There were other groups there besides Hannah's Socks passing out toiletries, food and clothing. There were droves of people. Mostly black men. Somehow smiling. Some even laughing. And it was cold. And it was going to get colder. We gave out all the socks and went back to out warm car which would take us to our warm house with food waiting. And I was grateful.

A trip to the store

So this evening we had the Turner children (all 8 of them!) over to watch a movie, have pizza and generally eat crappy food. It was fun. But first we had to go and get pizza for that many people and grab some Twizzlers. Ashlyn wanted to go with me. But first, she had to prepare. Here is a picture of what she wore and what she took to go grab Twizzlers and pizza.

Pink Dora Crocs?

Check.

Fairy wings?

Check.

Blue Velor pants?

Check.

Jasmine Nightgown?

Checkity Check.

2 books, a pencil, and 3 blankets.

Checkity Check Check Check.

Homemade Fairy Crown?

Left it at home because she ran out of room.

Captain's Log

So, I have always liked Star Trek. Next Generation was my favorite. And I super like the new movie with Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Best. Kirk. Ever. Yowza.

But beside drooling over hot guys in uniform, there was something else I learned from Star Trek. Captain’s Log. This is a check point for my Captain’s Log.

We have recently finished the first part of new journey. And although we aren’t really going where no man has gone before, we are going somewhere we have never been before as a family. And boldly going into the unknown takes a bit of courage.

I presented the plan to my children and gave them the opportunity to post legitimate objections. They did post objections, but none were truly legitimate or insurmountable. I was very prayerful about this choice. And encouraged my oldest children to discover whether or not it was the right thing for us on their own terms and in their own hearts. I reminded them gently that most often the right thing is not the easy thing. I felt very strongly that if we stayed in Maria Stein, we would have been fine, but moving here would be better. It meant the difference between treading water enough to keep my head above water and swimming toward something.

So now that 3 months have passed, here are the benefits I see from the move.

1) High school. Okay, now at first, the HS freaked Paul out. Its huge. Practically the entire Marion Local High School can fit in the Commons area. Okay maybe the commons and the gym, but you get the idea. But with size there are benefits. More kids mean more diversity. Here, there are many ways to fit in and lots of people to find that you can have things in common with without creating that commonality through alcohol (a huge ML issue). There are more programs, more clubs, more classes. And now, he loves it. He is coming to terms with loving it here and not feeling unfaithful to his friends from ML. He got a B average on his last report cards…first time ever…and has moved out of an academic assist study hall into a regular study hall. This is a shout out to all the ML teachers, his IEP coordinator has commented frequently on how well trained he is. He comes in with his work, sits down, and actually does stuff.

2) Seminary. This is another Paul benefit. He loves seminary. Loves it. He is the first one there every morning. He participates and volunteers. He got an A+ first quarter. He originally suggested a B to his teacher and she laughed at him. Silly lad. He loves the camaraderie with the other LDS students as well. Which leads to…

3) Church. Here, because his dad only lives 20 minutes away (benefit or drawback depending on who you are and what week it is), Paul can attend church every week. With his mission literally 3 ½ years away, I can only see benefits of this. He is the 1^st counselor in the teachers quorum, and loves the fact that there are 20 young men. I know the others are adjusting well to their schools and their teachers only have good things to say about them. Except for Conner. But he’s Conner, and his teacher adores him despite his imperfections. He is often described as charming.

4) This has been a lot about Paul, but I have seen benefits too. I had no idea how stressed I was, until I was no longer in that situation. I yell way less than I did in MS, mostly because I am functioning on a much lower level of frustration. I love taking my kids to school and picking them up. Love it. And volunteering. I want my work to work around my kids, not the other way around. I love helping them with has their homework, and being available to them both physically and mentally. I didn’t realize how hard it was until I wasn’t doing it any more.

Women's Suffering

Paul was telling me today after school about some guest speakers they had in their CIA class (Contemporary Issues in America).I think their main purpose was to get the kids to think about serious questions. And I guess they did.

Paul; "So they asked whether or not we thought they should vote to get rid of women's suffering...you know..the right to vote."

Suffrage...suffering...same thing...

Although very often the right to speak my own mind does lead to suffering.