Aaaand...It's Christmas

Cutting down our Christmas tree in sunglasses and short sleeves and then hearing the ice cream truck go by while we hung up the outdoor Christmas lights on this weekend of 70 degrees made us think back to the times when Christmas used to look like this:

This picture shows the second (or maybe third?) year that Dave and I did the Christmas tree choose and cut thing.  We were in knee-deep snow in Michigan here.

And these pictures show our activity this weekend-- the 14th time we celebrated this tradition.  Oooh, light bulb!  Next year, I'll have to do a post showing 15 pictures of the 15 years we've tree chopped!  Needless to say, there's been some good variety in the location, climate and even types of trees we've encountered through the years.

While Dave and I sawed and caught the perfect tree we selected, Ella served as photographer this year.  The above 4 pictures are her handiwork.

Group shot.  Don't let the hats fool you.  We were sweating!

A favorite part of putting up the Christmas decorations is cracking open that box of ornaments.  Every single one of our ornaments was a gift or tells a story.  It's always fun to stroll down memory lane as we hang up and exclaim over ornaments like the "Parents to be in 2004" cup, the starry night over Yosemite glass ball or the bird feeder Dave gave me to remember my grandpa.  

And then, of course, we must watch a Christmas movie with the tree all lit up.  No fire or hot chocolate this year-- too warm!

The Bridge Between Seasons

We knew we wanted our day off to be a family outing and I had the idea that I wanted it to involve fall color and lots of time outside.  I am always up for a trip to my favorite place in California, Napa Valley, but when all I read about "Napa for Kids" was repeatedly discouraging, I took that as a personal challenge.  Is it possible to enjoy the beauty of Napa Valley while with your whole family?  Today, we found the answer to be, "Yes!"

Starting the day at the Jelly Belly Factory helped get the kids excited about the day ahead.  Though we've been here numerous times now, we're always up for a whole bunch of trips through that sample line, the free tour and the discounted Belly Flops.

The best of the day for me was reveling in fall at its fullest and most gorgeous!  This is the perfect time of year to drive through the valley and see miles and miles of vineyards ablaze in the colors of the season changing.  It was warm and sunny today too, so with the windows down we drove for a while, pointing out one vineyard after the next, each more majestic in their vibrant fall colors.

Our favorite lunch place in Napa, Gott's Roadside Stand, is so delicious, we just know we'll never get lunch without a pretty long wait.  The girls were happy to run around the wooded picnic area, though, playing tag and building fairy houses while we waited for our chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries.

We decided not to pay for any formal tours or tasting with the girls along today, but found wineries that allowed guests to just wander around the grounds (Robert Mondavi is probably the best for this).  There were tons of other families that seemed to have the same idea we did, so we saw plenty of other people who were taking the "Kids in Napa?" Challenge today too!

The strong sun and the setting I had my camera on are just not doing the amazing colors justice.  Good thing I took lots of mental pictures too! :)

I had found that one of the small towns in Napa was having a Festival of Lights this afternoon and evening, so we planned on ending our day there.  This was a fantastic stop!  We heard carolers and saw the Napa Valley Ballet Company performing on stage.  The girls met the Grinch and this Nutcracker guy.  We watched an ice sculptor in action.  We paid the $10 to get a glass to bring around to all the different tables for wine tasting (a much cheaper and more informal way to enjoy Napa's wine!).  We walked through several galleries admiring oil and watercolor paintings and photography of Napa.  We especially liked one gallery's special exhibit of original Dr. Seuss works!  (Art-loving Ella was in heaven watching all this cool creative stuff!) When the sun set and the lights came on, we "oohhed and aahhed" over them.

Much of the day was spent soaking up the beauty of fall in Napa, but by the time the day ended we were feeling pretty Christmasy, thanks to the Festival.  With Thanksgiving yesterday and plans to get the Christmas tree tomorrow, today ended up being that perfect bridge between the seasons.

Thanksgiving 2012

We were blessed to spend this Thanksgiving in the company of dear friends.  When Amy heard a few weeks ago that we were without plans for the holiday, she quickly invited us to join her family.  And today was just perfect-- delicious food, nice conversation, fun game-playing, an engaging activity for the kids, movie watching and even an hour of play outside on our gorgeous day.  Nothing like a good day with loved ones to remind you of all you have to thank God for!

In this Thanksgiving post, I thought I'd share what each member of the family said when we talked about what we are most thankful for this year.  This conversation is a tradition started in Dave's family and remains one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving.

Delia: "I'm thankful for the beautiful world God created."
Ella:  "I'm thankful that we live in the time when we do when things are not too hard." (We've been talking and reading a lot about the Pilgrims lately!)
Jen:  "In a year where the paths were many, I'm thankful for the voice of God to give direction.  We started the year wondering what church we were being called to serve at and where we were supposed to live.  God answered clearly.  As I sought his will for my own future, he has put me on a path that seems to be the perfect fit.  He nudged me into a church leadership role that still feels way out of my comfort zone most weeks, but he continues to provide whatever I need to do the job.  I'm thankful that we serve a God who knows the plans he has for us, who's actively involved in our lives and gives guidance and help when and where he calls us."
Dave: "It seems that in years past we've been thankful for the growth of our family in terms of numbers.  This year I'm thankful for our family's growth in terms of learning.  Delia has taken huge strides in her reading.  Ella's talents continue to develop on the piano.  Jen is working hard at Bible Study leading and college course taking and is learning a lot.  I'm not sure if this is actually thankfulness or pride, but it's what I celebrate this year."

Turkeys and Pumpkins

Here are a few shots of how we spent our Thanksgiving Eve this year...

The girls and I were officially on Thanksgiving Break at noon yesterday, so I had this turkey cookie craft for them to do in the afternoon.  These kiddos are such artists, even when the medium is frosting and candy corn!  They're hesitant to eat their creations!

At night we did something kinda crazy-- carve the pumpkins!  With the Harvest Party at church, there is never time around Halloween to do this and since I'll be tossing the pumpkins this weekend when we put up the Christmas decorations, we thought last night might just be the perfect time to carve.  A new Thanksgiving tradition, perhaps?

Albuquerque Turkey

This song was too cute to not share...

Albuquerque is my turkey

and he's feathered and he's fine.

And he wobbles and he gobbles

And I'm happy that he's mine.

He's the best pet

that you can get

Better than a dog or cat.

He's my Albuquerque turkey

And I'm really proud of that.

Now my Albuquerque turkey is all cozy in his bed

'cause for our Thanksgiving dinner, we had PIZZA instead!

Pilgrims and Indians

Last night Dave, Delia and I attended the kindergarten's annual Thanksgiving Feast.  You know what a little performer Delia is-- she's been excitedly counting down to this day for weeks!

First we parents were treated to a short program where the adorable little Pilgrims and Indians recited poems and Psalm 100 and sang songs with motions.  Below, Delia is taking her job of being a "serious Indian" very seriously indeed.  No smiling allowed!  By the way, because of Kaya, her American Girl doll, her choice to be an Indian was a no-brainer.

After the program it is time to feast!  The parents each sign up to bring something and an entire traditional meal is spread before us: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, bread and pumpkin pie.  Since it's still early in the year, the opportunity to sit with other families and get to know the parents of Delia's classmates is another highlight of this night.

I write constantly about how much we adore our teachers, but here is more proof.  While we parents drank coffee, ate pie and chatted, the kids naturally started running around.  Our kindergarten teachers rounded them up and started playing group games with them.  Poor Mrs. H., in Pilgrim, Pilgrim, Turkey (Duck, Duck, Goose), she spent the whole time being picked and chased or in the mush pot! :)

Still Here!

It's been 2 whole weeks since I've posted anything.  For me, this is a long time and I'm sure some of you were wondering if we gave up on the blog or disappeared to some exotic location for a couple weeks (we wish!).  No, the simple truth is that life is so status quo right now, I just don't have anything out of the ordinary to write about.  Not that I haven't thought of it, but you can thank me for sparing you posts about a skeleton made out of pasta noodles or spaghetti squash recipes or rants about how frustrating my current class is.

Today was supposed to be totally blog-worthy.  We had big plans to go out and find fall by taking a hike through some beautifully colored trees in the foothills.  But the day ended up being a cold and rainy one, so we went with Plan B instead and this is what you get to read about.  We got a fire blazing, rented the movie Brave and made some popcorn and hot chocolate.  And it ended up being just perfect.  

  

 (Had to include this scene-- a whole crowd of favorite stuffed animals and American Girl dolls got comfy with our family to enjoy the movie!)

I'd say, "See you in two weeks!" but the holiday this week will hopefully give me a few new and exciting things to report! :)

How to Read a Book:

Happy Halloween 2012!

We had yet another great Halloween thanks to the efforts of Dave and his high school youth group.  I didn't really take any pictures at this year's annual Harvest Party, because it's all pretty much stuff I've already documented, but that doesn't mean it was any less fun!  What I'm starting to love is that I can just set the girls free with a strip of tickets and let them independently go fishing, toss rings and balls, putt-putt golf, paint gourds, go crazy in the bouncy house and win me lots of chocolate while I get to sit back and fellowship.  They were proud of all the candy and prizes they won and they were proud of their costumes.  Ella even won one of the "Best Dressed" categories again this year!  Here's a peek for you too...

Delia was super excited to pull out the old Shamu costume, which she is no longer afraid to climb into.  And Ella was super excited to have a hand-made costume this year and felt so clever and creative picking out and putting this "Raining Cats and Dogs" outfit together.

Jumping Ship

She is taught to sing goofy songs about The Beard at Mount Hermon.  All her school friends love the Giants.  When we went to a game last summer we had a ton of fun racing down the Coke slide, sitting on the cable car and watching boaters in the bay trying to catch splash runs.  And for the past two weeks we've watched each playoff and World Series game the Giants have played as a family.  I guess it just makes sense that Ella will tell you without hesitation that the Giants are her favorite team.  Apologies to our long line of Cubs-loving ancestors.  She even zinged us with this one when we told her we were cursed to love a team who are the biggest losers in the history of the sport: "Well my favorite team are winners!"  A poster from the paper showing Ella's favorite player now decorates the girls' bedroom door. 

She mispronounces "almond", she says she'd vote for Obama in the upcoming election (because "he does not worship a fake god."), and she cheers for a San Francisco sports team.  I think we have a true California girl on our hands.