Snow Day!

A couple of weeks ago, we got a bit of snow, so we got out and played. Unfortunately, the other camera has a bunch of the pictures, so I'll simply have to promise to post more later.

Two brother buddies having fun together.

They were thrilled to discover this snow was good for making snowmen!

Brandt did some digging with some friends.

But then Khyah got cold so we came in (and YES, she wore gloves while we were outside . . . until they got soaked through).

But it was a fun snow day. Just enough to be perfect.

Lost Tooth!

After waiting more than seven years, London is proud as punch to announce to the world that he (finally!) lost his first tooth.

And then, to his great joy, a second tooth came out less than a week later. Happy news indeed!

But the best part of all is that the Tooth Fairy left him $5 under his pillow for his first tooth, and $2 under his pillow for the second. He's rich!

Sweet Moments

Sometimes, life as a mom can get crazy. Screaming kids. Loud BOOMS that make you cringe while you wait for renewed screaming. Flying objects. Well you get the idea.

So I'm hearing an hysterical crying getting closer and closer. Brandt is all tears and anger. I tense up, waiting for the onslaught . . .

"MOMMY! London pushed me and I got hurt RIGHT HERE!" He pointed to a spot on his arm.

"Oh, do you need a kiss?" I keep my voice soft.

"Yes!"

I give his arm a kiss and the tears are gone. He wipes at his face and smiles.

"Will you be all right?"

Brandt heads up the stairs, nodding as he goes. And I'm amazed. Amazed that my kiss can dry tears and make the hurts better.

Hard. But definitely full of sweet moments.

We're Alive!

Realizing I've been slacking in my duty by up-dating THIS blog, and waiting anxiously for my cute husband to get home through the terrible traffic in this snow storm (that would be 5 hours on the road now and counting . . . last we spoke he was almost halfway home), I thought I would take advantage of our new laptop (yup, Rick couldn't stand it anymore), and update ya'll on our little lives.

I apologize in advance . . . all our pictures are on the other computer, so this will be pictureless, but you get to read about US! So of course you're all happy. Right?

So first, if you did not see my latest post on the other blog, it was funny, so you should go take a look, just click here.

And second, I will give you one story about each of us:

Brandt story: I made pancakes and sausage for dinner tonight. When Brandt finished eating, he held out his plate and said, "You know, we usually eat eggs with our pancakes, Mommy."

It's a good thing I have Brandt to keep me clear on these things. And yes, I made him an egg. :)

London Story: We have spent the past month or so trying to figure out the cause of London's chronic sinusitus. We have visited all kinds of doctors and labs for him to get poked and prodded and have a CT scan done. He has been very brave (with our clever use of bribery) as he's given samples of blood, gotten extra vaccinations, held perfectly still in a big machine for the scan, and endured the 30 pokes on his back for the allergy test.

So, the results: He's mildly allergic to Bermuda grass. His immune system is in good shape. But apparently his sinus passages are rather narrow. Surgery is an option (though London gave his vote for 'no'), but we still hope to have Rick talk to the surgeon before we make any decisions.

Khyah Story: The other day, Brandt and London we having a light-saber battle. Khyah made her displeasure known at not being included. London is a sucker for Khyah-demands, and promptly gave her one of his.

Next thing I know, she's battling away, making the sound-effects and everything! She even used the force to throw London across the room (hand movements just like in the movie). Both London and Khyah thought it was great fun. But I'm wondering if maybe we watch too much Star Wars in our house. ;)

Rick Story: He might not be happy with me sharing this, but he has an interview in Iowa he's drooling over. They have a doctor who specialize in coagulopathies (a rare find) which is just what he hopes to focus on. Plus we could live a mere two miles from his work in a large house for less than we're paying now (he's been researching). Oh yeah, he's drooling.

Me Story: I went to the dentist today, and had no cavities. ;)

Okay, I can do better than that . . . maybe . . . ummm, okay. As I headed out to the dentist, I went out early to clean off the car (it had snowed then rained). The ground was a little slick, but mostly just slushy. So I got the car clean, and had the engine running to warm it up, but when I went to go back inside, the door was locked. And being the lazy person that I am, I didn't want to go back to the car to get the keys, so I pounded on the door. Unfortunately, the boys were in the basement. And I have to give her kudos, Khyah tried to open the door, but mostly she just pounded back at me.

Realizing the futility of it all, I rushed back to the van. Leap, bound, quick and smooth, until it wasn't. Swoosh! My feet were in the air, and my bum was in a pile of slushy mud. Yeah, I had to change.

No worries, my body was perfectly fine. Only my pride was wounded. I'm just still hoping no one saw it. But the kicker was that when I unlocked the door, the boys were standing right there waiting for me.

Thirty seconds! Could they not have come up thirty seconds sooner?

And these are our stories. The End.

Christmas Traditions

For Joyschool yesterday (at our house), we made cinnamon twists as a way to share our Christmas tradition.

I made the dough the night before, so it was drooping over the edges.

Prepared the dough with all the kids there . . . but only one of them would touch the stuff.

Rolled them in butter and cinnamon sugar.

Then placed them on the pan to rise.

And would you believe it? They were gone so fast I didn't have time to take a picture of the finished product. :)

But for any ambitious person out there looking for a yummy treat (or for my family if they ever lose the recipe), here is the recipe: 

Mom's Famous Cinnamon Twists

Caution: Read all the instructions before adding any ingredients. This is a touchy recipe.

1 C.     warm water

1 T.      salt (and yes, this is really a tablespoon)

1/3 C.  oil

½ C.    sugar

2 T.      yeast (dissolved in ¼ C. warm water---separate from that listed above)

2          eggs

approx. 5 C.      flour

mix all the ingredients together except the flour.  Add  ½ the flour to the mix, stir well, then stir in the remaining flour.* DO NOT KNEAD!

*Use the least amount of flour that you can, you want the dough to be light.  Basically, use just enough so you can work with it---it should still stick to your fingers a little bit.  The amount of flour that you add makes or breaks the recipe, so use caution.

Let raise 1 hour or more (it usually takes more).  Turn out on a well floured surface.  Roll the dough 12" long and 5" wide or there about. Spread melted butter over the dough and sprinkle about ½ C. sugar then cinnamon (not mixed, it sticks better). Fold dough in thirds (like folding a letter only longwise) and cut in angled strips about 1" each.  Give them a twist then dip them in melted butter and then in a cinnamon sugar mixture.  Twist again, and place on an ungreased, sided pan. Also, it makes a big difference if you use real butter instead of margarine.

Let the twists rise again in the pan before baking them.

Bake about 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Santa Claus!

Tonight was our Ward Christmas Party and Santa Clause made a visit. We were first in line (on a total fluke), so it was perfect!

London decided he was too big to sit on Santa's lap, but he smiled big for the picture.

Brandt was not shy. He jumped right up on Santa's lap and told him what a good boy he'd been all year.

But Khyah, on the other hand, was not about to let go of Daddy.

Merry Christmas to our Santa-loving, Santa-believing kids! :)

Christmas Tree Hunt!

This year we decided to start a tradition of going to a Christmas tree farm where we could cut our own tree down. Overall, I'd definitely call it a success. It took an hour of driving to arrive here:

The kids were all excited to find the perfect tree.

Khyah found the tree just her size, but I'm afraid we all vetoed it.

After about an hour of searching, we all agreed on this tree. (At first, Brandt refused, but Rick adroitly convinced him that this was the tree he chose earlier. Brandt agreed on the condition that he got to saw first---note London's sour expression.)

So here he is, working hard with Daddy.

Then London got a turn.

And voila! We successfully cut down our future Christmas tree.

Rick even managed to tie it to the top of the car, and we didn't lose it on the way home. :)

The end got a little rough with the cold and hunger setting in. And London, I think, expressed our frustration best.

But hurray! We have a tree, and it's perfect, just like we planned.