Samichlaus Party

We got to attend the Samichlaus party at my parent's house again this year.  The kids love it so much! We started with dinner.

Then we sang Christmas songs while waiting for Samichlaus to come from Switzerland.  Timmy was particularly cute singing.  He loved singing Jingle Bells and sat next the the piano singing his heart out with so much excitement.

Finally someone spotted the man of the night and everyone ran to the porch for a better look.

Earlier that week Brian asked me if he could play a Christmas song for Samichlaus.  His wish came true and played I Saw Three Ships beautifully.

Timmy was just so cute.  He was the most excited child there.  He thought it was so cool to see Samichlause.  As I first looked at the pictures I had of Timmy I was wondering what clothes he was wearing.  Then I remembered the incident that had happened just after we arrived at the ranch.  He was playing outside with his cousins and he didn't think twice about running out onto the pond covered in super thin ice.   His cousin Vivien came running in to find me and I got outside to find him trying to get out soaked up to his head screaming his head off.  I got him inside, peeled his frozen clothes off and into a warm bath as quickly as I could.  My mom had some extra boy clothes he wore while his other cute Christmas outfit was washing and drying.  I didn't get any pictures before this happened.  Once Timmy calmed down and realized how much attention he was getting for falling into the frozen pond, he thought it was pretty funny.  This is what he had to say about the experience:  "I just fell right in up to my mouth and then I swimmed like this (swimming arm motions) to get out!"  He still brings it up sometimes and one time he said: "I'm so glad my skin didn't fall off from frost bite!"

Overall, it was a very fun party.  The kids got stockings full of toys and goodies and I got a really nice bag full of presents as well.  Thanks so much Mom and Dad!

Pre Christmas Little Things

Pulling out the Christmas decorations took me a little longer than usual this year.  Because we moved so recently I felt like I had just found a place for all the Christmas stuff and getting it all out again didn't sound very exciting.  Finally the kids convinced me to get it all out and the boys and I went to the tree lot and got our tree after school one day.  Mark was insanely busy at work in December before Christmas and I knew he would not have time to go with us to get a tree.  So we picked a nice looking small one and shoved it in the back of the van and brought it home.  Brian tightened all the tree stand knobs and we were ready to decorate.

I let the kids do as they wanted this year with the decorations.  They had a blast.

One day Timmy asked me to take a picture of him from under the Christmas tree.  He said he was a present.

Even though the kids are getting older, they still love playing with this nativity set.  I loved seeing how the set changed through the season.

 In the beginning of December we spent a lot of time with Mark's parents in anticipation of them leaving on their mission.  They were scheduled to leave December 14, but that date has come and gone due to visa delays.  It can't be super fun for them to be waiting to leave and not knowing when they can go, but we have enjoyed having them around for the holidays.  I took this picture of what I thought was the last homemade dinner from Alice before I thought they would be gone.  I love her and the food she makes.

 As usual December evenings were filled with reading.  We finished Stuart Little and read a bunch of Christmas books in addition to the usual stories the boys choose.

 Brian worked hard on his homework and is doing well in school.  Here's a little of his Chinese writing.

Timmy took this blurry picture of me and Brian at the piano, but I really want to remember my favorite part of this Christmas season.  My favorite thing this year was playing Christmas music not only on our new lovely piano, but playing duets with Brian.  He learned four different Christmas songs and each had a fun duet part that I could play with him.  We both enjoyed it and Timmy would sing along.  Brian got piano lessons for Christmas last year and I had no idea that he would be good enough by this Christmas to play duets with me!

 Here's Timmy just being a goof ball.  December was the month of super long hair for the boys and Mark.  They all got haircuts just before Christmas.

I waited at Brian's school for an hour and a half to watch his grade sing two songs.  Luckily Timmy was in school.  It was totally worth it.  I love watching Brian sing and so glad he enjoys it too!

 The boys took advantage of the warm December to do some playing outside while I did some yard cleanup.

The temperatures before Christmas were unseasonably warm, but we still had some chilly days when I could turn on the pellet stove and enjoy some Christmas music while warming my feet.

The Ponderosa and Pete the Cat

The previous owners called this place The Ponderosa because of the magnificent ponderoasa pines surrounding the house.  I think we'll continue with the tradition.  The biggest trees are in the back, but the front trees are pretty impressive even after Mark took down two giant trees and some massive bushes.  You can see the logs from one tree in the picture above waiting to be relocated to the firewood pile.

Our house produces some pretty cool icicles, making the winter view out the windows very cool.

This was a beautiful sunrise that I woke up to through the master bedroom doors.

This was a sunset from the front yard.  The boys thought it was a fire in the sky.

The work continues here outside.  Mark just finished rehanging the gate to the backyard and installing an automatic gate opener and lock.

Mark has also done lots of tree clearing.  His goal is to rid the entire property of the nasty Russian Olive trees.  We have done several cleanups of the sticks and rocks from the field.  One day Timmy pulled a little toy wagon around the field all by himself and filled it with sticks and rocks and then dumped them in the dumpster,  I love that he wanted to work on his own accord.  That is him way out there cleaning the field.

It hasn't been all work outside.  We love that we live at the end of a circle.  The kids enjoy riding their bikes out on the street.  This is not something we could do at the old house.

When we bought this house we inherited a barn cat that came with the barn.  We have named him Pete.  He is a nice looking all black cat that showed up as a kitten and has been here for a few years.  At first he would run away the second he saw us and we wondered if he would ever be friendly.  After a little bit of patience from the boys and good food daily from them, Pete was friendly within about two weeks.  He loves us all now and enjoys being petted.  He sleeps and eats in the barn and spends his days roaming the place and we hope he's catching mice.  However, the only proof of his hunting abilities has come from the remains of little birdies rather than mice.

Brian and Timmy have been diligent about feeding him daily.  They trade off feeding him each week.  They are even putting on head lamps and feeding him on their own after dark if they didn't get it done before the sun went down.  I love the responsibility in gives them to take care of Pete and good training for future animals and pets.

Thanksgiving

This year Brian and Timmy did not make as many Thanksgiving crafts at school as they have in the past, but I love what they did bring home.  Brian's writing of the first Thanksgiving cracks me up.

At school, Brian wrote some things he was thankful for in Chinese.  He is thankful for mom, grandma, Timmy, everything, China, and America.

Timmy brought home this half colored paper from school one day.  At the bottom it says he is thankful for the new house, the cat and his family.

 This year Mark's parents were scheduled to leave on their mission after Thanksgiving, so we offered to host at our new house. Good food and a good time was had by all.

The kids took advantage of the nice weather and the large play area.

They found a neighbor friend way at the back of the property to chat with.

They were so cute exploring and playing together outside.  I'm not sure though how the two big kids convinced the smaller cousins to pull them around the field in the wagon.

I love Thanksgiving because I like the extra opportunity it gives me to be thankful!  I am blessed beyond anything I deserve.

November

The beginning of November was filled with packing up all of our stuff.  I still have no idea how we fit all of it on one floor of that house.  We moved into our new home on November 8th.  It went more quickly than expected because we had so much help from family and friends and the weather was beautiful!

Not only did I have to deal with all our junk, but the previous owners left a lot of theirs as well for me to sort through.  We're still finding more things the throw away tucked away in the outbuildings.  In the middle of packing and getting ready to move, Mark found as amazing deal on a nice piano.  He was smart enough to jump on it and moved it straight to the new house.  It was my Christmas present this year and I love love love it!

After we moved out all our stuff, I had the task of cleaning our old house and getting it ready for the new owners.

Luckily Timmy (actually my wonderful Mom) was able to help me on two different mornings.  I've never had that place so clean before.  We said our goodbyes to that wonderful house and closed on November 19th.

After closing on the old house, a great weight was lifted from our shoulders and we really were able to enjoy the new house to its fullest.  I love the pellet stove that I can light on cold mornings right next to the kitchen for a cozy breakfast.

The boys were overjoyed at the first snow of the season, and Mark and I got to watch their delight from the comfort of our warm bed.  I love our master bedroom and the view into the backyard.

Then we (Mark) got to work!

 
He started right away tackling this jungle of overgrown tangled trees and bushes in the front yard.

The boys enjoyed "helping" by riding on the tractor.

One day we celebrated something special (maybe it was closing on the old house, I'm not sure) by eating at Black Bear Diner.  Yum!

Immediately after moving in, our contractor friends started ripping out the basement in preparation for the apartment.


Since then they have been working steadily and it is almost done!  This has been the view in the backyard since we moved.  Contractor trucks, huge dumpsters, Timmy, and Cue Ball (our contractor's dog/wolf that has become Timmy's best friend).

We've made a gazillion trips to Home Depot with many more to come.

Most of November was actually very warm and the boys were able to mow the entire field.  I love not having waist high dead weeds out there.  Brian and Timmy were in heaven driving that tractor.

They also loved getting to work in the huge sand area out back.  This is the view from the master bedroom window.  I can't get over how much I love this place.

These little birdies right outside my kitchen window always make my day.

The end of November brought Thanksgiving, which deserves a post of its own.  We have so much to be thankful for!