Caroling and a Christmas feast

Thursday morning Josh and Matt's school classes went caroling to a local rest home. They practiced all month using their own songbooks. They were so excited to wear their Christmas sweaters and share their songs.I was eager to get a report, so the girls and I met them for lunch.The cafeteria was serving their holiday meal of ham, potatoes, stuffing, green beans and chocolate cake, but nearly every child I saw selected the second main course fried chicken.We had a full table. Left to Right: Josh Powell, Tyler, Sam W., Matt, Josh, Kaitlyn and Brynn.
Soon Trey and Dylan joined us.

The girls happily ate off the boys' plates, whether they wanted to share or not!And I had to put up what Brynn wanted to wear to lunch, but I just couldn't let her out of the house with Josh's PJ top underneath shirt after shirt.

Skating with the Scouts

I have a confession to make. Technically since September 26th Trey has been a member of our ward's Cub Scout troop, since every boy that turns 8 is an automatic member of the pack. Even thought I have 5 brothers and have been to more Pack Nights than I care to remember growing up, it didn't register that Trey was now a scout. It wasn't until my neighbor told me that Trey was indeed one that it sunk in.

Even with this knowledge, life seemed so busy and to add another weekday activity (Wednesday nights at 7 PM) and a long drive to and from the church wasn't something I was looking forward to. I thought we'd start once we got a phone call. Of course I could have done the research myself as to who was over the boys, but I wasn't ready to commit.

I was finally found out last month while visiting teaching and the sister asked my my children's ages and then questioned if the 8 year old was a boy. I had discovered Trey's den mother. They didn't have any activities around Thanksgiving, so Trey had not been to his first meeting. At church on Sunday he happily declared that he was going ice skating with the scouts on Wednesday night. It had begun.

Rich and I had serious concerns about sending Trey with the scouts alone to skate for the first time. It was very apparent that one of us would need to accompany him. Rich's ankles took a beating during his years of playing basketball, so I eagerly volunteered to take him and Josh and Matt were begging to come along too. Rich stayed home with the girls and I took the boys over to the rink at 7 PM last night. (Thanks Rich!)

Thinking back to skating in my youth, each time I remember seeing some poor person exiting the ice with blood dripping from some part of their body. Being this was the boys first time, I really hoped we wouldn't have a reenactment of that scene.

The boys were talking non-stop on the drive over and when we turned into the parking lot Matt gravely told Josh, "Nice knowing ya!" It seems like they were a bit nervous too.I got their skates on nice and tight as I tried to instruct them how to move on the ice. I am no pro, but I can manage to get around the ice without any crashes. As they stepped onto the ice they were all arms and legs and no balance. Within one minute Trey was down with an injury. Tears were flowing and he had a serious bruise growing on his cheek, but thankfully no blood.

We only could skate for one hour, but believe me it was plenty long. The boys started out like this, and we had a few of these, but soon they were making their way around the rink without clutching onto the sides.I am always amazed at how fast kids pick up on things. It probably helps that they have little fear and even less common sense about safety.Josh happily declared that he went around the rink 12 times. Way to go!
The Jackson clan with Trey's scout leader Brother Coolbear and his son Tyler.
After we exited the ice at 8 PM and grabbed a cup of steaming hot chocolate we found out why we could only skate for one hour. Two local high schools were going to have a hockey game. The boys had never seen one live so we stayed to watch. The boys were giddy with anticipation. They loved watching the Zamboni clean the ice. The boys were very impressed with how easy the skaters made it look. Matt exclaimed, "I can't believe I'm watching a real hockey game with my own eyes!"It really was fun. Dunbar was playing LaFayette and it was a good match up. Each time the player got hit hard the crowd would all yell and the boys would squeal with delight. Josh was rooting for Dunbar, Matt wanted LaFayette to win. We stayed until Dunbar scored and then we knew Trey's spelling and bed were calling to us. It was the perfect end to a very fun night. What a memorable first scouting experience for Trey. When we got home he begged for me to find his scout shirt. My mom had given me my younger brothers' gear years ago when they moved on to Boy Scouts. He was so excited that he slept with the shirt in his bed. Yes, it has begun but it was time and I'm sure many wonderful memories will happen because of it.

Lovin' my baby girls

What would I do without my two crazy little chicks? I wouldn't smile or laugh nearly as much and I certainly wouldn't have dolls, bottles, strollers, bows, Barbies, glitter shoes and pink clothes strewn throughout the house. How dull would that be? These two lively little ones make my heart melt with each hug, kiss and smile.

It is hard for me to believe that they will be turning two years old in March. How quickly the time goes by. They have such sweet, happy spirits. They can go, go, go on little or no nap and still be pleasant as I drag them from place to place. They get so excited each day when we pick the boys up from school and when Rich walks in the door after work. They are so girly from their love of makeup to their mothering instincts.

They are both very talkative and their vocabulary seem to grow each day. They are quick to say thank you, the love their juice (water or soda) and their three bebe's- blanket, bottle and baby-go everywhere with us. Kaitlyn is great at saying food (low and drawn out) and can say hot dog perfectly. That's probably because it is her favorite food. That and french fries. Brynn loves bananas and strawberries and eating cereal with milk. Great for her, not to great on the floor! They both can make excellent dog barks (high pitched ooo's), can point to their eyes, nose, ears and teeth when asked. They say cheese everytime they see a camera, followed by "I see, I see" so they can check out the picture.

They love to search around the house for Daddy. I turned on the shower the other day waiting for the water to heat up and Kaitlyn was sure Rich was in there. She was so disappointed when I opened the door and found only an empty shower. They can say ball, peek-a-boo, stuck, cute, up, hot, sockie, no, Josh, uh-oh, go, shoes, pizza, hi and bye, Mom and Dad and both jabber non stop all day.

We think they are the funniest, cutest little girls around.Really, who else is your constant companion when you are trying to type on the computer?

Who else would wear Christmas ornaments on their wrists like bracelets? Or so many pretty necklaces at once?
Who would blow me kisses every time I time I told them I love you?
Who else would be my shopping buddies? Or read story after story with me?
Who else could play pretend so sweetly together?
Who else could I put in pigtails?
Or find jumping on my bed while eating Cheetos?
And honestly, who else eats Doritos with a spoon for breakfast?!

I am so glad I am your mom and that you are mine! I love you Kaitlyn and Brynn!

Checking the Calendar

If I didn't have my Christmas tree up, presents wrapped beneath and the overwhelming dread that comes with knowing I must soon pack it all, I really never could have guessed what the date was by looking outside. I might have even checked the calendar just to make sure I wasn't off by a month or two.

You see, while our parents and some siblings are fighting off frostbite and numb toes and shoveling white stuff left and right back in Utah, we simply are not. Yes, Kentucky is not known for its harsh winters, but still today was a bit strange. I always know when it will be a warm day when I enter my closet (above the garage, no heater vents and little insulation) and the temperature doesn't drop 20 degrees when you walk in. Nope, not today.

Yes, it had rained here for 4 straight days and there were constant flood warnings across the state, but today was even more peculiar. We hit a balmy 72 degrees this afternoon. With all the precipitation and now sunshine even the grass perked up. It's very bizarre for me to see leafless trees and Christmas decor and bright, healthy green grass.

Not wanting to be one who lets a perfectly wonderful day go by, I threw on a t-shirt and flip flops and enjoyed running errands with the girls with the windows down and Christmas music blaring. The girls were probably down right warm in their tights, undershirt, long pants and long sleeves. The boys played outside with their neighborhood friends until it was dark. It was a lovely day and I'm doubtful this good of a thing can last!

Tuesday Tell All: Christmas Question and Answer

"Twelve Questions of Christmas"

Real or artificial tree? Artificial. Growing up we always had a real tree, but who didn't? I remember thinking that when I got married and put up a tree, I would always get a real one, but then we bought a fake tree and I saw many, many benefits. I love that it is easy to decorate, you can pull it out whenever is convenient and that it looks the same every year. After I burn some pine oil, my house smells like Christmas and I don't miss a real tree one bit.

Do you like eggnog? I love eggnog. The moment I see it in the store, I buy it until they stop selling it. It is a sign of the season. I never buy the light stuff and Rich often drinks his diluted with milk, but I like it full strength, but in small doses. A little sip goes a long way. That stuff can kill you! I love eggnog ice cream too. I need to go try Graeter's eggnog ice cream and I enjoyed a McDonald's eggnog shake the other day. The very best stuff was from Golden Swirl. They do not have a shop here in Kentucky. I loved their eggnog frozen yogurt. All the taste, non of the guilt!

Favorite gift received as a child? Talk about a hard question! I had such wonderful Christmases as a child, there in no way I could narrow it down to just one. When I was four I got a real Barbie Dream House. It was three stories high, had an elevator and I LOVED it! A few years later a newer version came along (triangle shaped, red roof, and balcony) and I really wanted that one. I left out my old house and Santa did a trade in. It was perfect. Later I found out that my mom's little sister Julie (just 2 years older than me) got my old one from Santa. It made both of us very happy on Christmas morning.

I loved my Cabbage Patch Dolls. Later I found out that my mom and dad had a real hard time finding one. My dad LOVES Christmas shopping and playing Santa and had the best time getting me a doll. They went to a Kmart store in Utah and were told there were dolls hidden around the store. When they let the shoppers in, there was a mad dash (I'm picturing an Easter egg hunt type mentality) as they searched for the hard to come by dolls. My dad was one of the lucky ones and found a doll. Her name was Kelly and she had on a white and purple sweatsuit, had two braids in her brown hair and had purple eyes. I loved her. The next year I asked for a boy doll and the very last present I opened (it was hiding behind the tree) I found my sandy blonde boy I named Kevin. His original name was just a bit too strange. I loved him too. Over the years I got a red headed doll named Amy that had a tooth and braids and got blonde fraternal twin girls that came in matching peach dresses. Who knew real twins would be in my future!

When I was about 7, Christmas fell on a Sunday. That year I had asked for a fur coat for Christmas. I was so excited to find a faux (I am totally allergic to real fur) tan and white fur coat by my stocking and a darling panda purse next to it. I felt like a princess going to church in such lovely gifts.

I also loved getting a PXL2000 video camera that took real black and white video. I think I was in Jr. High. Greg and I shared it and it was so much fun to take our very own movies. I'll have to see if we still have that in the loft and check out any remaining video footage.

I loved getting my cedar chest in high school and found the most lovely porcelain baby doll inside. She is on a shelf in my room in Salem. Other memorable gifts were Lladro pieces I got when I was older and various rings I was given over the years. Boy, I had some seriously great gifts! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Do you have a nativity scene? I fell in love with Eddie Walker collectibles when I got married. I saw this nativity at ZMCI and had to have it. It is made of resin and there are 13 pieces. It cost well over $100.00 and to me that was a lot of money for a Christmas decoration. I used store credit we got from wedding gifts to purchase it. My mom and mother-in-law each have one as well. I should have kept the Styrofoam box to pack it in, but we were living in a condo in Provo and I'm sure I thought that was a large box to store so I tossed it. Unfortunately the creche (manger) was shattered in our move to Louisville and the black wise man lost his head. After some strong super glue the wise man is decent, though he still has a large missing piece on his shoulder. And I was thrilled to find a new creche on eBay last year.

Hardest? Easiest person to buy for? The hardest would be my dad, but over the past few years I have been thrilled with what I found him. Two years ago I went to the St. James Art Festival in Louisville and found a photograph of a total eclipse of the sun. It was beautiful and I knew my dad would love it. Then last year was the best gift ever! His dad had a game called Dark Tower in the early 1980's. It was a fantastic game that had a tower that would light up and spin and tell you if you were going to battle, if you needed food or if you got the plague. It was so much fun to play. I found a like-new one on eBay and after some frantic bidding won the item. I was so excited for him to open it on Christmas. He really did love it and we played it many times while we were in town.

The easiest person I have to shop for is Matt. I could buy him anything and he'll scream up and down and exclaim that he loves it! I can walk through a store and find 50 things he would go nuts over, maybe see five that Trey would like and if I was lucky, get one thing Josh really wants.

Favorite Christmas movie? Elf. Love it. I laugh every time. Honorable mention goes to: It's a Wonderful Life, Rudolf, Frosty the Snowman and The Grinch who Stole Christmas (animated version). I loved watching those on TV growing up and was excited to purchase my own DVD's of my own as an adult.

White lights or colored lights? I love both. Growing up everyone always used colored. When I got married I used colored on our tree and outside on our balcony. After a few years, I changed our tree to white and slowly we became a white light family. I put white lights outside, up the banister and on the tree, but I still use colored on my mantle. I love colored lights outside the house. It reminds me of the glorious colors you find at Temple Square.

Favorite Christmas song? Another near impossible question to answer. The first thing that came to mind was Karen Carpenter singing Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire. I love the entire Carpenter Christmas album. I also love Roger Whittaker. Most of you have never heard of him, but he has the most lovely Christmas CD. It came out in 1978 and my parents heard one of his songs and fell in love. That record was played EVERY Christmas morning of my life as we opened gifts. My favorite songs are Darcy the Dragon, Mighty Like a Rose, Tiny Angels and Christmas is Here Again.

When I was in Hawaii I was introduced to Maria Carey's and Amy Grant's Christmas albums by my roommate Amanda and I love them. A few years ago my mom bought Donny Osmond's new album and while I thought it was impossible to find new favorite Christmas songs, I feel in love with his beautiful songs and soothing voice. They are now some of our must play songs.

I have such a love of Christmas music thanks to my mother. When I was small she sang in a singing group with women in our ward and I loved watching them perform at our ward parties and at other various events. I loved hearing them practice at the house and especially remember them singing the song about the Best Christmas Gift- having a tiny newborn baby. When I was older, she took it upon herself to make Christmas music tapes. She got out the paper and highlighted the songs she loved that were listed on 100 hours of Christmas play list. She would listen to the radio at the proper time and record the desired songs off the radio. It was so wonderful to have these songs we all loved on one tape. Later, she did the same thing again, but put the music on to CD's off the computer. She went through countless CD's and iTunes options and compiled at least 6 different Christmas CD's full of our favorite songs. They are priceless.

Also, when we were first married Rich saw a TimeLife Christmas Treasury for sale on the TV and told me we should buy it. Rich NEVER wants to buy anything, so I called and got it right away. It is a great collection of Christmas songs too.

Travel for Christmas or stay home? I have had to travel home to Utah almost every year since 1995. That makes for some serious packing as our family has grown over the years. My first Christmas that I flew home for was my freshman year in college when I was living in Hawaii. Even thought I had hit the mall, decorated our dorm with snowflakes and lights and listened to Christmas music non-stop (Maria and Amy Grant) it didn't feel like Christmas until I stepped off the plane and felt the crisp, dry Utah air.

In 1996 I flew back to California with Rich the day after Christmas to spend more time with him since he had basketball. It was wonderful to spend our first Christmas together with an engagement ring on my finger and knowing our wedding date was only 4 months away.

When we moved to Kentucky in 2000 it was the last of our travel free holidays. We have never gone back for Thanksgiving, but we always have gone home for Christmas. I know some year soon Rich will be on call and we'll have to stay and while that will be fine, I will miss being with the Jackson's on Christmas Eve eating soup and reading the Christmas story and spending Christmas morning in Salem opening presents in the family room and eating a turkey dinner on Christmas Day with my family. We love going home.

I really need to pull out the suitcases and see if its going to be humanly possible to fit Santa's sleigh into the back of the van and then lug it onto the airplane next Thursday. We'll see!

Do you open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? We have never been ones who open gifts on Christmas Eve. There were a few times when we drew sibling names and we opened those on Christmas Eve, but it's not a tradition. One year my Grandma and Grandpa Nance gave us all PJ's on Christmas Eve when I was small and Rich's parents have given the kids PJ's a few times, but over all we don't have set gifts that night.

Since I have known Rich we spend Christmas Eve with his family and have soup in bread bowls and ham and eat dinner in the dinning room. After the meal, we read the Christmas story from the Bible. Then they stay up most of the night wrapping their presents.

Since I was about 8, Santa has wrapped all of our presents. Santa wraps my kid's gifts too. My family is up early on Christmas morning and then we have a turkey lunch around 1 PM. Often the grandparents drive over for the meal. It is so much fun to see family on Christmas.

Do you tell the Christmas story? We always read the Christmas story in Luke 2. It is a special time to reflect upon the real meaning of the holiday. At the Jackson's home at dinner on Christmas Eve we go around the table and say what we are grateful for. It's another perfect time to teach the children about Jesus.

Favorite Christmas tradition. For years we would drive up to Salt Lake to see the Christmas lights on Temple Square and spend the night at Little America. They have this awesome pool that is 1/2 indoor and 1/2 outdoor. We went up a few times with my dad's brother Dave and his family. We would eat dinner, see the lights, watch Mr. Kruger's Christmas at the visitors center, shop at Crossroads Mall and sometime even go on a carriage ride. It was a wonderful tradition and one I hope to start in our family when we move back to Utah in a few years.

Also when I was very young, we would always go see Santa at the ZCMI Center in SLC and sit on Santa's lap. We knew that this is where you could find the REAL Santa. All the other ones were simply just his helpers!

Merry Christmas!

The Polar Express

A few weeks ago Tiffany Madsen called to ask us if we wanted to meet up in New Haven, Kentucky at the Kentucky Railway Museum on Saturday December 8th at 6:00 PM and ride the Polar Express together. I said YES in an instant. I love finding new Christmas tradtions, and this is one I hope to do every year. We couldn't wait to spend time with some of our favorite people in the world!

After a last minute Christmas present stop, we sped off down the Bluegrass Parkway at top speed hoping to make the train. (I know right now my New Year's resolution is: to be more puncutal.) Our cell phone lost service as we headed away from Bardstown and into rural Kentucky. We were over joyed when we pulled into the parking lot to see the train still at the station and Todd and Kristi getting out of their car.

Once inside we saw Ryan and Lacey Williams and family and the rest of the Louisville bunch. What a happy reunion. It had been far too long (Trey's baptism over 2 months ago.)All Aboard!!The Kentucky gang. What a wonderful night spent with Josh and Tiffany Madsen and family, Todd and Kristi Hamilton and family and Tyler and Cynthia Madsen and family. It's amazing that when we all moved out to Kentucky, we only had Trey and I was pregnant with Josh and Matt. Todd and Kristi and Josh and Tiffany were kid free and later when Tyler and Cynthia moved to the 'Ville they only had Ellie. How how we have grown! 13 little ones between us! We have so many years of memories together (going on 7 for us!). It was a perfect night, full of smiles, laughing, talking, being loud, wiggly wild kids, sugar, chocolate and Santa. Just what Christmas should be!Josh, Trey and Matt. They were really sweet and wore Christmas colors like I asked them to. They remembered going on the Heber Creeper Polar Express a few years ago with Rich's family and were eager to ride one again.Me, Kristi and Tiffany. Some of my dearest friends ever! Most of the boys. It was funny that all the men sat together and the women took up the row in front. It was perfect to catch up while the kids played with each other.The twins. They even wore a near identical shirt. They must have called each other and planned it. When Rich was at U of L he and Todd were OFTEN mistaken for each other at the hospital. I guess it's because they are both tall, LDS and handsome. Kristi said just last week someone asked Todd how his twins were doing. Todd just smiled and told them they were doing fine! Too funny!Brynn loved sitting up on the chair with the lights by her face and a good view out the window.

Rich and his girls.Elves passed out cookies (2 each) and a cup of hot chocolate. Trey loved it and drank 2 1/2 cups. Too bad the last half ended up on his shirt!Anna gets some fresh air and is on the look out for Santa.
Once all the sugar was in the kids' system and the anticipation of Santa's arrival grew, so did their voices and excitement. We looked at our kids wrestling and bouncing up and down and scanned the rest of the seemly calm train. The other passengers could have taken it two ways. They could have thought we were too loud and obnoxious as they watched in horror as our children played over the backs of the chairs, or they were wishing they were part of the fun crowd. I hope they were thinking that instead of being annoyed! Here comes SANTA CLAUSE! He happily told us we could get pictures taken with him back at the station, so he would just say a quick hello. Matt couldn't help giving him a squeeze as he walked by.
After a big Ho, Ho, Ho off Santa went. Soon the elves and a Christmas tree treated us to candy canes, and coloring books. Kaitlyn was very happy with her new book.
I don't think Brynn and Kaitlyn liked Santa too much. The poor fellow had to hold on to two screaming, wiggly babies so I could snap a picture. What a saint.

After the photo the boys got a chance to tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

Trey: Nerf Long Shot, Thrillville off the Rails (PS2), Crash of the Titans (PS2), Battle Wheel (orange) and Battleground.

Josh: Scooter, Wii with a sports game, Battle Wheel, Webkinz and Build-A-Bear.

Matt: Scooter, Nerf Tommy 20, Battle Wheel and Star Wars action figures.I made a quick run into the gift shop and found this darling Christmas ornament to add to our collection. I'll always remember our fun night together in Kentucky.MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!