Happy New Year

2020 coming to a close as you would expect. The kids wouldn't do enough chores so we didn't make nachos for New Year's Eve. I didn't get the sparkling cider and apple Shasta into the fridge as early as I planned, either.

I started making Chex Mix and realized I'd used soy sauce instead of Worcestershire sauce. Sigh. Jeremy told me what the internet said about substituting for Worcestershire sauce, including using soy sauce along with other ingredients, and some things that are in Worcestershire sauce. So as he was talking I started throwing in brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, dry mustard, brown sugar, brown sugar, and more brown sugar. It turned out okay and everybody ate some without complaining. Yay! 

That is also like 2020. Even though it's been a rough year, there have been some good things. Doing #GiveThanks helped back in November. Finding ways to #LightTheWorld in December also helped. We've done quite a few fun things as a family this year even if we haven't done much around other people. At least since March. We had good bonding time with family before things shut down and we were able to do some things we wouldn't normally have done after things shut down because of online activities.

So goodbye, 2020. Hello, 2021. I'm sure there will be plenty of the same in 2021. Some tough things and some great things.

Here's a great thing on New Year's Eve. Jeremy got to build a sculpture for a "Yeti Plunge" at Luminaria at Thanksgiving Point (like a polar bear plunge). He hasn't been able to do the amount he normally does for Thanksgiving Point this year so this was fun.

"Is it midnight Yeti?"

 

Another fun thing is that this year I broke my record for number of blog posts. Highest number of blog posts. The highest before this year was in 2014 the year after Lucky was born. 

Happy New Year!

Little Lucky

 Kristin was going to read a Mercer Mayer book, 

but she was too tired.

Lucky read it to the family instead.

 

 Thanks, Lucky.

A Good Feeling

Service continues in our home and outside it. Nichole and I took dinner to my niece who recently had a baby. Awww. Such a sweet baby. She brought him to the door so we could see him when we dropped off the food.

When we got home I pointed out the good feeling I had from doing service.

A little bit later I continued to have a good feeling as we were all in the living room together relaxing- the boys and Jeremy playing a board game, Nichole and Jet and me on the couch. It was nice having that family time. I love my family.

Jeremy says we were going to celebrate Tick Tock Day (December 29) but we ran out of time. Ha!

Chocolate Candy

I did it. I survived the day. I deserve chocolate. It's a good thing December 28 is National Chocolate Candy Day.

It's also Stan Lee's Birthday and National Card Playing Day. We combined those again, this time by watching some animated X-Men like Jeremy and I used to watch when we were kids. The character, Gambit, throws electrified playing cards. The kids watched it. I fell asleep again.

More About Christmas

Yesterday I did a quick blog post about Christmas. Here's a little more detail. 

For #LightTheWorld we went around the dinner table telling what we love about each other. That was really nice. We did our Christmas Eve program where we recorded ourselves telling about our year, read our last scripture for our advent calendar, and shared our testimonies with each other. Then the kids opened pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa (I opened pajama bottoms from Jeremy) and changed into them to sleep in.

The boys left veggies out for Santa because we didn't make cookies. It's that kind of year. 

Speaking of that kind of year, I tried to get a picture of all of us Christmas Eve. The only picture I got of everyone looking at the camera with a nice look on their face was out of focus. Oh, well. 2020.

The next morning while we opened presents we did a video call with Jeremy's parents so they could "be there" with us. I called my parents later on in the day to wish them a Happy Christmas. It was a relaxing day.

The day after Christmas continued to be relaxing. Jeremy and I did take a quick drive with Jet into Provo Canyon, up South Fork Road, since December 26 is Wren Day. We didn't see any birds (except for one that flitted up the side of the road that I couldn't identify), just some deer.

So there you go.

P.S. Lucky mentioned how he liked how last year the kids decorated their own bookmarks that I then wrapped for them for Christmas. I got out cardstock strips and crayons and let the kids decorate some again this year which made Lucky happy. I did make them rice warmers, though, as well.

Christmas

We celebrated Christmas.

I'll blog more later.

P.S. The pictures are of Christmas Eve dinner, the kids in their new pajamas from Grandma and Grandpa, treats for Santa- we didn't get around to making cookies and veggies are healthier anyway and the reindeer will thank us, rice warmers I made for the four older kids and Jet I made an orange "pillow" with batting in it that was shaped like the rice warmers but I didn't take a picture.

Loony Adventures

Jeremy recently was able to see a new bird- a yellow-billed loon.
 

Actually there were two. 

Nichole and I wanted to see them so he took us to the place where he saw them. We didn't see them. We saw other birds but no yellow-billed loons. Just these loons.

Yesterday we decided to try again. We went to the same place and Jeremy was able to spot one of the loons on the choppy water of the reservoir. Nichole and I got a quick look because it kept diving under the water. Oh well. Jeremy and I watched a bald eagle fly over the water. That was fun.

We stopped at another spot and saw some other birds that may have been a different kind of loon. We couldn't get a good look. And there were these loons.

Jr. Jr. requested another muffin night like we did the end of October. So for dinner we had oatmeal muffins again, Christmas banana muffins, orange craisin muffins, and calzone muffins. There was some dough left over from the calzone muffins so Jr. Jr. and I made some braided rolls. It was fun to do muffin night again.

While we were eating, Lucky asked me to tell stories from my childhood. That went right along with #LightTheWorld for that day. Jeremy and the kids started making our balloon Christmas tree that day as well.

To Light the World today we delivered brownies to my sister. Lucky knocked on the door, ran back to the van, and when my sister answered the door, we sang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." One of her kids then came to the door so we resang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Then her husband came to the door so we resang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Then more of her kids came to the door so we resang, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Then my sister came out to her lawn while we stayed at the van and we got to chat for a bit. That was nice.

When we got home, Jeremy and the kids decorated the tree with balloon ornaments and a couple of the kids contributed lightweight ornaments of their own.

For dinner we had a salad bar since it is Radish Night on December 23. It is also National Roots Day which goes right along with radishes.

Lucky read a story to Jet and we continued getting ready for Christmas Day. 

We of course have been keeping up with the real reason for the season with our advent countdown to Christmas scripture study. We have been trying to do service for each other in our family as well as for others. #LightTheWorld for today is about sharing gratitude for gifts God has given. I will say that I am very grateful for #GiveThanks around Thanksgiving. It did help me to get in the right frame of mind for the Christmas season. Even though there have been some frustrating times this December, I've had a better time than some years. I'm grateful we read all of A Christmas Carol this year. I'm grateful we've still been able to do lots of things as a family. I'm grateful we've had some neat experiences in nature. I love nature and I believe Heavenly Father has given me a gift to appreciate the beauty of nature. I am grateful that unlike most years, we haven't really gotten sick this December so far and I think we're close enough to Christmas that it's safe to say we won't be miserable on Christmas. There really are so many things for which to be grateful, the best being the Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas, everyone. And of course in the words of Tiny Time from A Christmas Carol, "God bless us, everyone." He has and I recognize that.

Winter Solstice Among Other Things

December 21 was the Winter Solstice, the first day of Winter. When Jr. was going to make pancakes the day before, the smoke detector went off (not from his cooking, from bacon grease and water in the skillet). I told the kids to open windows but to make sure to close them before sundown since the next day was the solstice (it's been tradition this year on the solstices and equinoxes). We ate fluffernutter sandwiches again.

 

The 21st was also Short Girl Appreciation Day. I got a picture with my teenagers who were not standing on their toes nor was I slouching. Throughout the day, Jr. gave me hugs and told me that he appreciated me (not just because I was short, but because I do so much).

Also on the calendar for that day was Yule. Jr. wanted to listen to music. I told him he could only listen to music if it was with a Yule log fire like The Piano Guys or Josh Groban. Jr. found a YouTube video of Link standing by a fire. He put it on the TV then put Breath of the Wild music on the computer. Bwah ha ha ha. Clever boy.

 

The kids took turns doing online crossword puzzles for National Crossword Puzzle Day also on the 21st.

 

For Family Home Evening lesson, we read the nativity story in Luke 2 as we drove to West Mountain. As we drove along we saw sheep. We were like the wise men traveling to see the Christmas star. That day Jupiter and Saturn were the closest to each other in alignment with Earth that they have been in 800 years. Nice and bright... and around Christmas time. That's why it is known as the Christmas star. We drove to the other side of West Mountain with just the hill behind us with no house lights and farmland across the lake at the place we stopped so not a lot of lights there either. There were some other people with vehicles in the same area but it was a big area so no one was too close to each other. 

It was fun to see the planets. Looking closely with the camera, we could sort of see Saturn's rings and some of the moons of those planets. Jet loved seeing the sky with the half moon and stars.

 #LightTheWorld suggested getting as many family members together for a virtual hangout that day. I didn't suggest doing a video call like we did for Thanksgiving but while we were out looking at the Christmas star, my sisters, Mom, and I were all texting about it. Both of my sisters were also out looking at the planets and unfortunately my mom had rain. It was still fun to chat together and see pictures of my sister's view.

Everybody say, "Christmas Star!"

Since I finished reading A Christmas Carol on Saturday, we watched The Muppet Christmas Carol when we got home from seeing the Christmas star since December 21 is National Humbug Day. Every time Scrooge was going to say, "Humbug," in the movie, Nichole would say, "Happy National," before he said it then would say, "Day," after he said it. Heh Heh Heh.

 

It was also National Flashlight Day. We definitely used flashlights while we were out at the lake in the dark.

Lucky Birthday

We celebrated Lucky's birthday in December. His school teacher has a tradition of making a balloon hat for the birthday child. That is so fun. Jeremy delivered balloons for the students from Lucky. Lucky brought home a penguin for himself. That boy loves penguins.

His teacher also gave him a book where he could learn to draw certain characters. The boys had fun trying that out and Lucky's brothers drew birthday pictures for him.

Here is his birthday dinner spread. He requested spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and by meatballs he meant meatless meatballs. Luckily everything else he chose was somewhat simple since the "meat"balls take some work. He helped me roll them into balls again and again liked that we could snack on bits before they were cooked.

All year Lucky has been making LEGO sculptures for everyone's birthday. So sweet. Jr. Jr. decided to make Lucky a penguin... and a baby penguin. Thanks, Jr. Jr. I love when our children think of others like that.

I think Lucky enjoyed his birthday and it was good to celebrate as a family.

Quick Note of Service

Just a quick note of what Jr. did for us this evening. He did service by making us dinner. He made shaped pancakes such as Christmas trees, stocking, presents, snowman, etc. etc. etc. Here is a picture of a candy cane he made. Way to #LightTheWorld, Jr.

Now I'm going to do service and take care of my baby who needs his mommy right now.