December 2010 – New Life Consulting

December 30, 2010July 14, 2015

Which is more fun – the toy or the box?

The boyz have been enjoying their “big” Christmas present. We put it down in the basement while it’s still new for them to play with down there and then after the snow melted the first time they’ve already played with it outside in the yard and on the driveway. It’s adorable! But the best part is they’re still playing with the box! They won’t let Daddy-O throw it out! They colored it and they’ve made it into a fort- perfect for movie watching! We may not ever part with this gigantic box. Maybe they didn’t need the toy that was inside?!?

December 28, 2010July 14, 2015

Embracing Winter as a Friend

In our family, we’re sorta strange. We love winter. From the first snowfall till the melt off. Ok, well maybe that’s taking it a bit too far. But while others complain about winter, we get out into it and enjoy it. TJ has a magnet on his refrigerator that reads, “Winter doesn’t last nearly as long when you embrace her as a friend.” So we’re trying to instill this love of winter in our children. Kids naturally love snow. It doesn’t take a lot of convincing. It’s edible, it’s slippery, it makes everything look pretty and – did I mention it’s slippery?

We went down to the lake during xmas break and the boyz went sledding down the hill countless times with Daddy-O. It’s hard to tell who was having more fun.

Kiefer sliding down the hill – smile as big as they come!

Carter chasing after him

Carter sliding down the hill… Weeeeeeeeee!

Daddy-O towing them back up the hill

Griffin not sure he really wants to participate, but enjoying watching

Kiefer chasing after Carter

Daddy-O rode down countless times… not sure who’s having more fun?!

Here comes Creepy!

When Uncle Creepy heard we were sledding he suited up in his Carharts and came over pulling the toboggan behind the four wheeler (or “Scrambler” as we call it in our family). He took Carter for a ride but when Carter slid faster than the Scrambler down the hill he wasn’t too thrilled with the thrill ride. Instead, they just went for a Scrambler ride. Carter refrained. 🙂

Uncle Creepy and Kiefer on the Four Wheeler

Griffin & Daddy-O

Story Time with Uncle Creepy

There’s nothing like a story about “Max the Minnow” told by Uncle Creepy!
Anytime Griffin sees Creepy he tries to crawl up in his lap. He puts on a tough guy act, but he always stops what he’s doing to cuddle with Griffin. And Griffin is Creepy’s #1 fan. He’s always talking about “Tractor Creepy” or “Kunkle Creepy”. Now we’re hearing about “Creepy Scrambler” He sleeps with a four wheeler every night! How cute is that?

Log Splitting

Before we left Carter & Kiefer jumped aboard the John Deere with Papa when he was loading firewood into the bucket and before I knew it they were gone. They’d been whisked away on a Papa adventure where they met up with Uncle Creepy in the woods and they helped work the log splitter. They filled two buckets on the tractor with firewood and their job was to stack it in the bucket and then reload it and stack it in the wood shed. Once he returned to school Carter had to write and illustrate a picture highlighting what he did during Christmas break. Of all the things we did – THIS was what he chose to write about. He even drew a picture of the log splitter! (and labeled it so his teacher would know what it was). I’m learning so much having boys!

One of my favorite memories wasn’t captured in pictures but we hiked over to Creepy’s wearing snowshoes pulling Kiefer in the sled at dusk then hiked back under the blanket of stars. It was pitch black but the snow glowed a blueish hue that only snow can do at night. At first the boyz (and their mother!) were intimidated, but we carved away the darkness with song! It was one of those moments I want to store in my memory bank forever… hiking in the dark, all bundled up, towing Griffin on my back, Daddy-O pulling Carter & Kiefer in the sled singing ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Doe a Deer’ and ‘Jesus Loves Me’ at the top of their lungs!

December 27, 2010July 14, 2015

Top 10 Christmas Memories

10. Overhearing Carter say how he loves going to visit all the grandparents on Christmas Day because there are presents at each stop!

9. Going to church on Christmas Eve with Carter just the two of us because the others were sleeping. He wore his nice dress pants and suspenders from the wedding and even wore his cap! He sat on my lap the whole time and as we were leaving there were big huge snowflakes falling from the sky! We were going to have a White Christmas!

8. The kids singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the candle with Aunt Susie.

7. Dressing the boyz in all the same shirts on Christmas Eve

6. Hearing Chloe, their cousin say “There’s one!” when she was trying to round up the Jay boyz to open presents

5. Hearing the boyz spontaneously say “Thank you!” for presents they were opening.

4. Seeing the magic in their eyes on Christmas Eve as they set up the table with Christmas cookies for Santa and then Carter reminding me that “Santa said I had to go to bed early…”

3. Me going around to each bedside to video once they were all asleep and coming into to Carter & Kiefer’s room right as Kermit was singing “there’s only one more sleep till Christmas….!”

2. Sneaking down to see how Santa left things all perfect right before the boyz woke up!

1. The Magic of Christmas morning! The best morning of the year! They were so excited!

(Christmas Morning Top 10)

10. The blanket barricade. We made them wait till everyone was awake and Jim made a blanket barricade so they couldn’t sneak down without us.

9. Stairs Photo Opp! Seeing all 4 of them waiting on the steps as they posed for pictures.

8. Hearing a genuine, “I wanted that!!!” As they rushed to see what Santa left!

7.That they were just as excited about the goodies in their stockings as the big gift!

6. That Griffin sat in the Gator the whole time sucking on a peppermint stick and didn’t open any of his presents!

5. That Carter could read the gift tags this year!

4. That once they opened everything I laid Fletcher down in a pile of wrapping paper and let him have at it! The highlight of his Christmas was kicking, eating, tearing and slobbering on the paper!

3. That we all sat down to have a Christmas breakfast of waffles, spinach, bacon egg quiche, cinnamon rolls and orange juice on the Christmas china.

2. That we didn’t have to be anywhere till noon… but it was actually not till 12:30! So we gained an extra half hour!

1. That when I tucked Carter in after a very long but wonderful day he said that he said his favorite gift was his Velveteen Rabbit and that he was just kidding about his secret wish and that he really wanted a Gator instead. (smart boy, because that’s what he got!)

0.5 That Kiefer chose to bring his Buzz Lightyear costume as his favorite present that he received and that he changed into it at Mom & TJ’s and wore it most the evening! He really likes it!

Carter was sooo excited to put out all the crafts he had made for Santa. He’d been begging to put up this table for weeks! Finally, it was Christmas Eve (he put it all up first thing that morning!)

Chloe and Carter at Christmas Eve dinner, she’s mildly amused with them… mildly

There’s one!

There’s another!

They’re everywhere! And their smiles are beaming!

Merry Christmas! Griffin claps on the hearth

The one and only picture of Fletcher… he wore a matching plaid shirt under his Christmas sweater… just taking it all in

Carter & Kiefer setting out the cookies for Santa (and crafts!) & Reindeer Food that Kiefer told Santa about

The Reindeer headdress and bag of crafts accompanied the cookies (later there was much disappointment that Santa didn’t keep them)

Griffin was all about the cookies… even created his own step stool to reach

Sleeping babies…. Fletcher

Griffin

Carter & Ellie (Spelled L-E)

Kiefer

The Night Before Christmas…Visions of Sugarplums for sure… what is a sugarplum?

Stockings overstuffed by the chimney with care

Sure looks like St. Nicholas was there!

The meaning of Christmas hopefully shines through

The Blanket Barricade in action

Trapped!

Pleeeeaaassssee!!!! Can we go downstairs yet? (notice it’s still dark outside!)

Griffin’s eager to go downstairs

Four boyz in Pj’s eagerly await surprises that wait downstairs

“Ohhhh!!! I wanted that!!!” Merry Christmas!!!

Griffin with his peppermint stick sitting in the Gator

Kiefer

Carter opening a tractor

Carter’s new books

Fletcher’s one an only present – a baby calendar like his brother’s

Griffin never left the Gator… they piled his presents in the back

Fletcher had a blast with the wrapping paper

Kiefer in his Buzz Lightyear costume

All Six of us

All the grandkids with Papa & Creepy

Griffin fell asleep in “Kunkel Creepy’s” arms and when he woke up later while driving home he asked for him by name!

Merry Christmas! We posed with the only boy who would stay still!

December 20, 2010July 14, 2015

THE List

I added two to the list today so I decided it was time to make a public record of this list.

The absurd things I’ve said as a mother I never thought I’d say…

Don’t spike the football off your brother’s head (12/20/10)
We don’t drag our brother down the stairs (12/20/10 -good day, huh?)
Don’t lick the doorknob (Carter was 2)
Don’t drink that puddle (When Carter was 2 @ our old house)
Don’t wipe your nose on the couch (Thanksgiving 2009)
Don’t spit at your grandmother (Carter)
We don’t open umbrellas in the car (Kiefer)
“Hey! We don’t say hey!” (silly Mommy!)
Don’t squish your brother in the refrigerator! (Dec. 2010)
We don’t throw bricks at our brother (the cardboard kind, but it sounds good!) (Dec 2010)
“We don’t eat off the floor like a dog.” (Griffin, Fall 2010)
“We don’t use scissors to cut our brother’s hair!” (Carter cut Kiefer’s hair in our old house fall 2008) (I knew they were up to no good when they were playing quietly in the basement too long)
“Don’t hit your brother on the head with a tractor!” (Kiefer slammed Carter in the head, there was even bloodshed) Fall 2010
“Don’t jump out the window!” (I said to Carter when he was outside the sunroom and I was inside! Summer 2010)
Don’t slam your brother’s head in the car door! (Dec. 2010)
Don’t dust your brother (Jan 2011)

December 19, 2010July 14, 2015

“Mom, I broke this!”

The fix it shop has been quite busy lately mending broken ornaments and the like. Yesterday I nearly superglued my fingers together fixing the slew of broken items. I think it’s a causality of Christmas. We can’t hang all these pretty, shiny, miniature toy-like things at eye level and not expect a few causalities. But the one that got me the other day was when Carter came to me with the kid-friendly Joseph in his hand and sheepishly confessed, “Mom, I broke this.” I sang out with my forgiving, “Oh, that’s ok. We can fix it.” but then I inquired, “How did you break it?” Looooonnnng pause… “I hammered on it.” “HAMMERED on it!?!” “go to your room!” Which is where I send him when I need a time out. Hammered on it? I’ve long since hidden or disposed of all the toy hammers after we have hammer marks on the wall and a few pieces of furniture. But just like all boys will make guns out of sticks or wrapping paper tubes or even their hands if left alone too long so too, they seem to make hammers out of nothingness. This one was cleverly crafted from wooden nuts and bolts from a toy workbench set. Just one more thing I need to hide. Joseph is now repaired and accompanying Mary in the cardboard manger where he now has a superglue scar across his forehead. I had to remind Carter and myself that I love him more than things and that I appreciate his honesty but that he needs to learn to take care of our things. We’ll see what gets broken today. 6 More days till Christmas. Is it too soon to take down the tree Christmas day? 🙂

Joseph and the technicolored hammer -oops, wrong Joseph! 🙂

The fix it shop

December 17, 2010July 14, 2015

Kiefer’s prayers

Kiefer has been giving the most adorable prayers lately… here’s a sampling:

“Dear God, thank you for Mommy & Daddy and thank you that they didn’t get attacked by crocodiles.”

“Thank you for the snow plow guy.”

At a playdate at Graham’s house… “Dear God, we love Mommy, and Griffin, and Fletcher and Graham and Graham’s mommy.”

“Thank you for all the children in the world.”

And the other day while driving to Peggy’s/Nana’s house for an early xmas dinner, I was in the backseat tending to Fletcher and was unbuckled while Jim was driving on the snow covered roads. Not the wisest thing to do, but necessity won out. While Jim was passing another car I delicately reminded him that I was unbuckled back there and then I felt this brave little elbow reach across me shaking with all his might to hold me in case of calamity. My sweet Kiefer boy was being my knight in shining armor!

December 17, 2010July 14, 2015

‘Tis the Season

I think everyone’s been sick in our house now except for me. The mommy immunity has saved me yet again. Jim’s always the last one to get it and he’s been snuffling through the week. Carter missed two days of school last week with a fever and we eventually ended up at the Dr.’s office with an ear infection. Each day when he was sick he would tell me what his school schedule was and what they would have been doing at that time. It was really sweet. The first day he longingly looked out the front window watching for the bus and then promptly drew this picture for his bus driver, Mr. Greenwall. The other day he made a card for Mr. Greenwall and wants to invite him to his birthday party. Is that not the sweetest thing?

December 15, 2010July 14, 2015

Snow Day! What do you do when it’s 3 degrees out?

We got 4″ of new snow through the night on Sunday so school was cancelled on Monday. After such a busy weekend, we needed the down time! The boyz stayed in their jammies through lunch and we curled up on the couch and read a stack of Christmas stories. Then we attempted to make gingerbread houses. The icing from the box was literally like glue and the little candies and toppings delightfully stuck to every surface they touched – mostly six little hands, the floor, the chairs…

This was a precursor to the gingerbread making at Carter’s school on Tuesday. I was quite impressed with how orderly and focused the 24 kindergartners were compared to my crew. At school there weren’t any messes, just a few stray candy cane wrappers on the floor mostly because of static electricity. Our house – different story! But it was fun to attempt it anyhow. Maybe they’ll remember that we did a fun Christmas craft activity and they won’t remember that I sequestered them to the sunroom afterwards while I swept the newly mopped floors for a good 20 minutes. (and yelled at them when they tried to drive their tractors through the kitchen) (Next time I’ll remember to do this activity first and THEN mop the floors – what was I thinking?!) What else do you do when it’s 3 degrees out!!??

They’re saying “Snow Day!” (the one in the middle was grumpy!)

Too cute! Don’t miss Kiefer’s Santa socks!

We’re hearing lots of questions about Santa – “How does he come down the chimney?” Then expert Kindergartener Carter says, “He doesn’t, at our house he uses the door…”

The pile of books! Fun Christmas memories, for me at least!

They’re eager to make the gingerbread houses! (Carter has now confiscated the box and is storing toys in it from his stocking at Nana’s!) (Notice Kiefer’s mismatched Jammies – 1/2 Buzz Lightyear, 1/2 Spiderman)

Griffin loved the icing…

Fletcher enjoyed his chew toy and watching the circus (as Dr. Leland calls it)

Kiefer’s finished product. (Note all the little balls all over countertops! They were EVERYWHERE!) But for that smile, it was worth it!

Carter did 2 houses. (“Actually, Mom, I did three.”) Because he did one at school

His first house…

Little hands working…

Griffin having fun

Griffin kept trying to eat Kiefer’s (can you see all those little icing balls??)

Griffin taking a bite out of his! 🙂

The gingerbread neighborhood. Martha Stewart doesn’t live here.

December 10, 2010July 14, 2015

Christmas Cookies with a Crowd

Just a tip. When you’re baking Christmas cookies with 16 people in your kitchen it’s best not to do math in your head! I meant to double my recipe for candy cane cookies. Instead, I quadrupled the amount of crisco and only doubled the amount of everything else. When it was all mixed, it was good, but didn’t taste right… it was “fluffy”. Then I had to wrack my brain to figure out what I had done wrong. I had lots of help trying to fix it… “helping” me count the cups of flour and other helpful tips. But we figured it out and corrected it. Only by then, everyone was over cookie making so we had to finish the candy cane cookies later. It was fun having everyone over. And I never knew how helpful it would be to have so many hands to help clean up afterwards. Usually it’s just me.

Here are the highlights:

Jay helping Griffin sprinkle sugar onto cookie

The Boyz & big Boyz at work

It takes a lot of chefs in this kitchen!

Alan helping Griffin

Jay hard at work

Carter & Kiefer

Griffin ate everything he made

Isn’t that why we’re doing all this? YUM!

Alan thought Griffin had the right idea

This is pretty much how it went all morning!

Make one, eat one

Finger licking good!

We even got Leah to smile!

Alexa had an easier time following her recipe than I did

The mess

The final product

Jim helping reduce the mess

We kept making a bigger mess

Lots of hands to help hold babies!

Noah & Griffin testing the final product

Griffin enjoyed the bowl of sugar we dipped the peanut butter cookies in…he was completely sugar coated in the end!

See… couldn’t keep him out of the bowl!

Erika & Noah

The work crew

The clean up crew hard at work! 🙂

Fletcher enjoyed the multi-tasking

Noah enjoyed the fruits of his labor

Hannah working hard

Jay helping Hannah

Noah found a few other things to do

The three little piggy banks ate ALL these cookies! Or something like that…

To go boxes of cookies

After a sugar filled breakfast we fed the younger set some lunch

Say “Sugar!”

Lunchtime!

Fletcher bouncing himself in his bouncy seat

Candy cane cookie assembly on Sunday

Works of art

working hard

Griffin enjoying his breakfast

Fletcher is always right in the mix

December 5, 2010July 14, 2015

First Snow

I don’t know many other families who all call each other the morning after a snowfall. But in my family, we all do! “Isn’t it preeeettttyyyy??” we all sing to each other. There’s something magical about the quiet hush of a fresh snowfall… especially in the month of December. Fortunately, we’ve already had several inches and with the cold temperatures we’ve been having, looks like we’re guaranteed a White Christmas.

After playing outside we always warm up with a cup of hot cocoa