Santa Frankie

Up on Five Mile where Garth's grandparents live there is the cutest little grange. They have events there throughout the year but the best one is Pancakes with Santa! You can go sit on Santa's lap, bid on the silent auction, then go have yummy blueberry or chocolate chip pancakes. I was so surprised how my kids reacted to Santa.
Olivia didn't seem to notice. . .she was just happy to be held.

Derek was TERRIFIED!
Sydney wanted to talk to him but kept changing her mind. She finally went up on stage with him but wouldn't sit on his lap. Carter sat at a table across the room and said "I'm just too shy to talk to him." Anyone who knows Carter knows he's the furthest thing from shy.
We gave up and went for pancakes then the kids decided they'd like to go back and try again.
The best part is that Santa was played by Grandpa Norm's good friend Frank. They have coffee together all the time and he knows who each of my kids are. When we came in Santa said "Carter Merritt, you come see me." and "Missy Lou (which is Norm's nickname for her) come tell me what you want for Christmas." It is pretty magical when Santa knows your name (even if you are seven and trying hard NOT to believe he's real.)

Truffles, truffles, truffles

Last weekend, my mom, sister and I gathered for our Christmas truffle making. This year, my new sister-in-law Kailee joined us to learn the "secret recipe." I am the designated dipper because I have cold hands and I have mastered the little swirl on top. It's the best job because you get to play in the chocolate.

This year, I single handedly dipped 512 truffles.
All I can say is Yum-O. This is the yummiest tradition around!

It's fun to swim at the YMCA

You are supposed to sing that post title!
This week our kids finished a swim lesson session at the YMCA. I love that place and I am so glad we joined. Here's how it went. . .

CARTER is finally swimming on his own. He won't close his eyes so they are always red and puffy when he finishes. His teacher said "he sure knows how to make a class fun!" I'm not sure if that was actually a compliment. He was a great little Guppy!

SYDNEY loves the water but still loves the comfort of a teacher or a wall to hang on to. She made big improvements and was the cutest Eel in the pool. DEREK hated his teacher. Wouldn't look at her, talk to her, or give her high fives at the end of class. Luckily for Derek, she was about the lamest teacher I've ever seen and didn't do much with the kids. Garth and I traded turns with him in the pool and we survived. He loves the water in the shallow end and seems happy in the water as long as that teacher steers clear.

The Inland Northwest

We have been experiencing FREEZING temperatures the past week or so. Like highs in the teens and down below zero. I hate it! I would rather have it be a little less cold and have some pretty snow on the ground (just not on the roads, is that too much to ask?)Garth says to me the other day. . .What a wonderful part of the country we live in. Your boat gas boils in the summer and your truck gas freezes in the winter. (Both are scenarios we have experienced.)

What a description!

Sydney: Dad, can I have another "sausage licorice" please? Mmmm . . . how appetizing!

Fairy Tea Party

I came across these pictures today and realized I never blogged about this adorable event at our local library. Brooke, our library manager is such an amazing person and she does some really cute stuff for the kids (like pressing cider after a story time all about apples). They planned this fairy tea party for girls only.

This is Serena who works at the library. She played the most beautiful harp music during the entire party.

They each dressed like a fairy and brought their own tea cups. They had "tea" (crystal light) and some tiny finger foods. Then they decorated book marks, did a fashion show, and were given some authentic wishing rocks and fairy wands.

A Miraculous Thanksgiving

Small miracle #1: We made it to Idaho Falls with very little crying, no emergency potty breaks, and no snow on the roads.
Small miracle #2: The super moist turkey didn't hit the floor. This one probably wouldn't make the Martha Stewart cover!

Small miracle #3: Madeleine and I made rolls. This 9 year old had never cracked an egg. Needless to say she was thrilled to help knead the dough.

Yum!

Yum!

Yum!

Small miracle #4: All 9 kids (9 years old and younger) got along great!

Can you tell Luke loved Derek?

Sydney never left Genevieve's side.

The girls had a dance party on the balcony.

We tried out some new fun hair gadgets. This one actuallycurled Syd's hair and stayed all day!

Maddie and Emma couldn't get enough of the baby. Carter would ask me when the baby was going down for a nap so the girls would pay attention to him.

Small miracle#5: We got all the kids to bed early and had a lovely kid-free dinner at a Japanese restaurant.

Small miracle #6: We made it home just as smoothly as the way there.

Small miracle #7: Our tire went flat in the garage at home and not over one of the passes!

Feast of All Feasts

Sydney's preschool teacher seriously goes all out! They had a Thanksgiving feast that was amazing. There were turkey sandwiches, corn bread, friendship soup, pumpkin cookies etc, etc. She was up all night baking, planning and preparing activities for the kids. Which is why I pay her to teach Syd. I would never have gone to all that effort!

Now we are off to Idaho Falls!

Family Pics

We recently had some family pictures done. I was feeling a little urgent to get some pictures of the baby since she was over 4 months and I still had not gotten them done. I hope you can't tell from looking at the photos that it was a high of 38 degrees that day, Garth had some kind of flu bug, the baby was totally fussy, and Derek was leery of this stranger telling him to smile. If you can't tell that, then Emily with Mango Ink was worth every penny.