"He came Mom! Santa was here!"

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
From our family to yours . . .

Christmas Quiz

1 Apple cider, eggnog or hot chocolate? I'm an Egg Nog girl all the way. (Although I highly recommend the Spicy Cider from Trader Joe's, it's good hot or cold).

2 Turkey or Ham? Turkey, preferably with my Uncle Greg's stuffing. I'm not too partial though, I like a good Honeybaked Ham too.

3 Does Santa wrap or just set them under the tree? Santa doesn't wrap, but all gifts from Mom & Dad always were wrapped. Wrapping is big in my family--wrapping paper has to coordinate with the Christmas decor of the tree the present is being placed under. This year my Mom redecorated in blues & browns so the bright red snowman papers are out this year.

4 Colored or white lights on the tree? White

5 Fake or real-cut-it-yourself-tree? Real-get-it-from-Lowe's-Tree. Will indulges me in this because I love the smell and the whole outing of getting a real tree. He would love a fake one from Costco.
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6 Favorite Christmas song? A tie between Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas sung by Judy Garland in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis, or O Holy Night sung as the final number of the Irvine Stake Choir Festival every year.

7 How do you feel about Christmas movies? Love em! Favorites are Miracle on 34th Street & It's a Wonderful Life.

8 Favorite Holiday dish? How do you pick just one? . . . when I was little my Grandma Rose made this special Christmas Eve side dish called frozen pink marshmallow salads--they kind of defy description--but just to give you an idea they consist of such random ingredients as the juice from drained maraschino cherries, ginger ale, marshmallows melted in a double boiler, mayonnaise and canned fruit cocktail. And I just loved them. After awhile everyone in the family vetoed them from the menu, so my Grandma would secretly make a batch just for me and keep them in the freezer.

9 When is it too early to start the Christmas music? Before Thanksgiving is too early, but all of December if free reign.

10 What is your favorite holiday smell? Turkey Roasting or Orange Rolls baking. Oh, and I love the Vanilla Bean Noel lotion from Bath & Body Works.

11 How did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly can't remember. I think it was kind of a gradual thing. And it was fun to keep playing along for my brother, who is 10 years younger than me.

12 What kind of decorations are on your tree? Red holly berry garland, gold star on top, and no glass bulbs this year (not compatible with a 2 & 3 year old!).

13 Open presents Christmas Eve or Day? We open one present on Christmas Eve, which is usually pajamas. That present had a star marked on the tag. All the rest are saved for Christmas Day.

14 Go to someone else’s house or have them at yours? Until we have a bigger place, it's fun to go "home" to my Mom's , Grandma's, or the Bollards for Christmas. This will be the first year of our seven years of marriage that we will sleep in our own bed on Christmas Eve.

15 Giving or receiving? Now that I have kids, it's all about the anticipation of their reaction to their presents. It is the best gift to just watch their faces.

Book Review 2007

Thanks to the fabulous book club ladies and some great recommendations from my many avid reader friends, I have enjoyed 24 amazing books this year. So, in case you're in a reading rut, here's my Picks & Pans of 2007:

Best All-Encompassing Novel
(okay, it's really Novel"s"--do you think I could just pick one?):

Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
All things a good novel should be: great writing style, very funny and whimsical at times, an ethical conflict that makes you think and ultimately faith promoting. Such a wonderful read.

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Stegner is the master of examining the complexities of love and human relationships, all in the backdrop of some great American History. I also recommend his novel Crossing To Safety.

Best NonFiction:

The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
This reads like a novel. One of the most beautifully written historical studies I've ever read about a couple who hides Jews in their zoo during the Nazi occupation of Poland. All the more interesting because the story is true.
Runner-up: The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie & Martin Handcart Pioneers by Andrew D. Olsen

Expanded My World:

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
This is one of those books that you won't stop thinking about for days after you read it. Haunting, and at times almost unbearably sad, but completely worth it by the end. A Thousand Splendid Suns was also excellent.
Runner-up: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
I'll never think of foot-binding in China without cringing again!

Most Well-Written:

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Runner-up: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Most Romantic Read:

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
I didn't read very many truly romantic books this year, but this one definitely has some great moments with a fun, late-breaking twist.
Runner-up: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
So I had to get this one in there because the craze was so fun this year (although I still think Twilight was the most romantic of the series). And a thank-you to Kelly & Heidi for a great girl's night out to "almost" get our books signed!

Best Read-It-Quick Pick:

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas
A light story about a quilting group of women who band together during the depression to protect a secret about one of their group's members.
Runner-up: Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange
**(but ONLY if you are already a P&P fan)

The Year's Least Favorite:

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Not a bad read, but a little too much of the author's fictionalized historical slant for my taste (call me a purist--I was an English History major!)

Most Inspiring:

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
This book has impacted my daily life, helping me to be more grateful. Also one of the most interesting and meaningful book club discussions we've had.

Best (and only)Re-Read:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
If you haven't read this since high school, it's totally worth picking back up. I was amazed all over again, and was able to fully appreciate the genius of Atticus Finch now that I am a parent. Also makes for great book club discussion.

As always, please share any of your favorite great reads with me!

Night In Bethlehem

So here we are decked out for the church Night In Bethlehem Christmas Party last weekend (costumes compliments of my-in-law's trip to Israel last year). We think Ethan could be the cutest shepherd boy around. And how do you like Luke's combo of the Hurley sweatshirt and Aladdin Monkey Hat? He wasn't exactly into keeping his tunic on. (Please just ignore whatever strange expression that is on my face--I think I was trying to smile and tell Ethan to stay still at the same time. Lovely).This is us the morning of the party at the Breakfast with Santa (they decided Santa would be a little out of place in Bethlehem!). Ethan was all smiles to meet the Big Guy himself and happily requested, "toy and books, and a picture (ie-kid's digital camera) please!"
Luke, always one for a great facial expression, was scared of Santa but agreed to sit on his lap for a candy cane. Anything for candy.

Any Takers?

Doesn't this picture make you want to invite my children to your next birthday party? I promise they won't throw tantrums, will sweetly cooperate with all party games , and won't yell "NO!" when told they can only have one cupcake apiece. I mean, doesn't Luke just look like the epitome of etiquette in this group shot?And Ethan has really been working on his table manners

Thanks Kelly for the awesome Spider Man party. They had a great time!

G is for Gingerbread

Today was Gingerbread Day for Ethan's pre-school co-op.

First we read this:

Then we made scratch 'n sniff gingerbread babies.

(The key here is to pre-measure the nutmeg, cloves, ginger & cinnamon to avoid $15 worth of spices being dumped on the first kid's page.)

Next we got our mood music going . . .

. . . and decorated a bunch of tasty gingerbread cut-outs.

Well, Luke just ate while everyone else decorated.

And I finally found a gingerbread cookie recipe that I like here. (Most are too dry and crumbly, but these came out perfect!)

It was about as good of a time that you can have in the company of a bunch of toddlers.

Further Proof

Well, if anyone remembers my post listing the 13 ways Luke qualifies as our family pet, I have reason #14 to add:

We take the kids to see the Fashion Island Christmas Tree yesterday (largest live decorated tree this side of the Mississippi according to the sign), and Luke is so excited that he starts running circles around it. A lady, looking up at the tree of course, doesn't see Luke as she's walking away and accidentally trips him. As I help up a now screaming Luke she says to me, "Oh! I didn't realize it was a child . . . I THOUGHT HE WAS A LITTLE DOG!"

Again, I rest my case.