Christmas Found!

I found my Christmas groove! It came in the form of an elegant and very simple program entitled "Light the World: 25 ways in 25 days". This is what my family will do for our countdown calendar this year! It's everything I was looking for. I couldn't have invented a better answer to my prayers. Yay! So excited to start with the kids on Thursday.

Last Sunday was the first of our "Singing and Treats: Evans Family Christmas Advent" events. It was just the kids and me since Bobby had a nasty headache :( Alice, Robert, and I went through the Advent binder and read scriptures having to do with prophecies of Christ's birth (Isaiah, Nephi, etc.), then we sang a pile of Christmas songs together. I love, love, loved it. Now that Robert reads pretty well, he's happy to try any song that comes along. We even managed to do a couple rounds! Rounds?! Yes, rounds. Any they held their own. Stayed on tempo. And mostly stayed in key. These kids blow my mind! James and Matthew weren't very interested until we brought out the treats: Fannie May dark chocolate cordial cherries from our Thanksgiving trip to Ohio (blog post coming soon).

We got to bed late, but it was totally, totally worth it.

Here's a video of one of Matthew's little dances. He never does them long enough for me to capture on any camera, but you can see a snippet here. He's unusually dancey for someone in our family:

Christmas already

It's time for bed, and I really want to get there soon, but I have to confess that Christmas plans are already stressing me out.

*sigh*

We haven't settled on a series of traditions yet. Every year feels like I'm starting from scratch. I think we're getting closer, though, with the weekly Advent FHE/Sing and a daily Advent calendar. That's enough, right? RIGHT?!

Time for bed.

Alice snapped this candid shot during Robert's piano practice tonight. Yes, he's currently distracted by a microscopic bug that landed on his book. He's putting the bug on my sock. Yes, Matthew is on my lap and cheek-to-cheek. James is jumping around like a crazy man begging for his turn on my lap. This, people, is how we roll on the first day of a new practice week. I can endure it because I know Robert will have mastered it in 5 days. First practice of the week takes 30-40 minutes. Last practice of the week takes 5 minutes.

Coconut Milk

I always, always, always regret buying light coconut milk over regular coconut milk.

Maybe blogging about it will help me remember that the next time I'm making curry. Sheesh.

Blog Blessings

One of the best ways this blog is good for me is how it lets our parents in on our struggles and victories. The last couple of weeks have come with subtle, but significant, changes in James' behavior. Good changes. I can't point to one thing in particular that I've done to help this happen, but I've received a series of small ideas/inspirations/bursts of patience that could only have come from the Spirit. And this morning I got the distinct impression that this help has come through our parents' faith and prayers for us.

So, dear parents of ours, thank you. You're forever away, but still making a big difference in our daily lives. Couldn't do this without you :)

"Fall Selfie" by Robert and Alice

Halloween 2016

This, dear friends, was an epic Halloween weekend! Totally unmatched by Halloweens past and unlikely to be equaled in Halloweens future. Perfect. Here was the schedule:

Thursday night
--Pick up my sister, Erin, from the shuttle stop. Yay!

Friday (Matthew's bday!)
--No school for any of the kids (parent-teacher conference week)
--Sing to Matthew and let him open bday presents after breakfast

--Exercise at the YMCA with everyone (I tried GRIT Strength followed by CX works...I'm still a little sore 5 days later)
--Visit the Trinity Lutheran Church Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser (purchased a couple HUGE pumpkins and several wonky gourds for a good cause)
--Cut, scoop, dump, repeat. Thankfully, the kids were totally into this all on their own so Erin and I didn't have to get too messy. They all ate raw pumpkin flesh, not the guts, and liked it. James took more than a few bites.

James is engrossed in a piece of pumpkin that he turned into a rocket car dinosaur creature

--Break for lunch
--Finish carving the pumpkin, planning costumes, and getting things ready for the Trunk-or-Treat
--Piano lessons in costume. Robert was a red ninja, Alice was Agent Olive from the Odd Squad. Alice snuggled right up to Erin and all three of us almost fell asleep during Robert's lesson
--Trunk-or-Treat. We were a little late because of piano lessons, but managed to eat and win an honorable mention for my Veggie Beef Stew before the games began. Perfect weather for a trunk-or-treat, though a little windy for the paper jaws I made for our trunk. Oh well. It was here that we discovered Matthew's lollipop dance. We gave him a sucker after dinner and he was thrilled! He swaggered, shuffled his feet, and swung his hips with that sucker in his mouth. The whole time. He said "trick-or-treat" at all the right times and seems genuinely surprised that people gave him candy for it.
-Kids' sleepover in James' room.

Saturday
--Slow morning, but not quiet. It's a shame our guest bedroom is RIGHT off the kitchen. Sorry, Erin, for waking you up WAY before a civilized hour.
--Robert's swim lesson at the YMCA. Erin and I exercised a little more. This time I tried the indoor track and discovered that I could jog 1.25 miles without stopping. I have never liked running. Never. I have never run that long in my life, either. It wasn't a spectacular time, but it was a good pace for me. And it felt good. I'm so stinkin' happy about my fitness progress these last 8 months! Robert also discovered he could swim backwards the entire length of the pool without a paddle board or noodle! Way to go, Bud!
--I think Erin took the kids for a walk about this time. She was showing them Pokemon Go and they ended up at Meadowbrook Park.
--Chores, chores, chores, and final preparations for "Josefina's Gift", a play/musical that Alice and her friends had been rehearsing the last 5 Saturdays to perform. Well, they only rehearsed the play itself a couple times. Most of their time together was spent making tickets, planning the intermission show, working on bows and voice projection, and other such minutiae that are so much more fun than actually rehearsing lines. The play was well-attended by parents and siblings. Alice and Erin had prepared a pumpkin cake together, which received rave reviews. I don't think I'll be doing anything like this again for a very long time, though. One of the many posted signs informed me that flash photography was prohibited, so I didn't snap any photos.
--Quick drive back to Meadowbrook Park to get in a little more Pokemon Go. I tried not to get too interested, but the kids' excitement was contagious

--Empanadas for dinner. Yum! We ordered them from the only empanada place in town. I always think I'm going to like the mushroom thyme one, but this is the third time I've ordered it and it tastes like dirt. Too much thyme :(
--Game night! We broke out the kids' Halloween candy and played games the rest of the evening.

Sunday
--Pumpkin pancakes, turkey sausage, and homemade cranberry sauce. I could do that again. Yummy.
--Play, play, play all morning
--Quick trip to Scott Park in Champaign for a little more Pokemon Go action. It was disappointing, but I got a few more pictures of the kids

--Attend church with our newly-formed congregation. Because of our Pokemon Go adventure earlier that day, Matthew's nap started late, and I had to wake him to dash to church. There was no time to change his clothes! So, he went to church in a godzilla t-shirt, but I changed him right after Sacrament Meeting.
--Miracle Berry Party Campfire. After dinner, we started a little campfire in our grill and had ourselves a "sour party." There's this fruit called "Miracle Berry" that has the power to change how your tongue perceives sour. Everything sour tastes sweet. I had wanted to try it ever since I heard of such a thing, and Erin's visit gave me the perfect time and place. I ordered some tablets (the whole fruit is a lot more expensive) and everyone but Matthew tried one. It was AWESOME! Totally, totally bizarre. It worked really well. My favorite was sucking on a fresh lime, but the freakishly sour tangerines we had on-hand were also very, very good. We tried an assortment of vinegars, citrus fruit, and some War Heads super sour candy. So fun!

--Kids' sleepover with Erin. After the campfire, the kids and Erin had a "sleepover" in Alice's room. They watched a movie and told stories and played games until late. Then, after the kids were asleep, Erin moved back into her own bed.

Monday (Halloween!)
--Another day off of school! This time, it was for some sort of teacher training.
--The car wouldn't start, so we spent most of the day at home preparing for our own "Fall Party." Erin and the kids chose a variety of games/activities they wanted to play: pin the nose on the witch, pumpkin curling, eyeballs game, digging for gummy worms with your face in a pile of whipped cream, witches brew, etc.
--Bobby came home from work early so I could use his car to get groceries/supplies for the activities. We also managed to jump start the car and take it to a car hospital :)
--Fall Party Activities. I didn't see any of these because of the car problems, but I think the kids enjoyed themselves. Alice's neighbor friend came over and joined in the fun, too. Everyone left with a prize.
--Trick-or-Treating with friends. My friend invited us over to their house for trick-or-treating and dinner with a few other families. I love, love, love hanging out with this particular friend because she's just plain comfortable to be with. Our van was still out of commission, so we could only take 5 people max. Bobby decided to stay home with James and Matthew. That ended up being the best thing ever because there was a lot of walking on this trick-or-treating route...crossing streets, dark sidewalks...a stroller and/or a tired preschooler would NOT have worked well. As it was, Alice and Robert were the perfect ages to enjoy themselves and manage themselves splendidly. Then we all regrouped for a casual taco dinner. Erin, the kids, and I had a table to ourselves so we could chat comfortably with each other. I felt it was the perfect end to a wild and crazy weekend of fun.

Tuesday
--Kids return to school :)
--Erin heads back home :(
--Some time after school, I can't find Robert anywhere. He's supposed to be bringing garbage cans in from the curb, but he's not out there. He's not responding to my calls. I hear a muffled sort of gasping sob from somewhere nearby and get a little frantic, "Robert, I'm freaking out and I need to know where you are!" A shaky voice comes from our guest room, "I'm in here." I find him totally wrapped/buried in a mountain of bedding that now smells like my sister Erin. He's not showing me his face, but I can tell he was crying. "Are you sad, Bud?" "Mm." "Wanna talk about it?" The whole pile shakes back and forth as a "no." He comes out on his own a few minutes later. I'm dying to ask him more about it, but manage to restrain my curiosity. I think he ended up missing her more than he thought he would.
--Kids talking about the next time we'll get to see Erin...

Matthew is 2!

The littlest man in our family just got a whole lot bigger. Something happened this month...was it his exploding vocabulary? his newfound sense of independence? or that inevitable synaptic connection that makes a kid reluctant to do anything that isn't his own idea?

*sigh*

He's sooooooo 2 years old.

This is Matthew in a nutshell:

I can't get enough of this cheesy "camera smile"!

--Comfortable with people, both the familiar ones and the minor acquaintances. He has no problem going to nursery or gym child care.

--Acutely aware of what the older Evans kids are doing, fully expecting to be capable of the same. He laughs at jokes he doesn't understand. He can spell B-U-T-T because it makes the other kids laugh and laugh and laugh. He tries to count like James. He tries to read like Alice and Robert. He tries to cook and wash dishes and fold laundry like me. Mostly, though, he really wants to drive a car.

Bbbbbbbbbbb...tshhh. Kcheeeeeew!

--Hobbies and interests include: babies, buses, dogs and cats, motorcycles, trucks, scissors, and baths. This boy could bathe for hours.

--Not a snuggler, but totally a smiler. James has learned that he can diffuse almost any tense situation with Matthew by cracking a huge smile and laughing. Not that he uses it that often...

--Certainly understands "if...then..." statements, but will not readily comply. He can throw a moderately entertaining tantrum ;)

--Likes sucking on lemons, even when siblings aren't around. Favorite foods include all fruits, yogurt, and cheese. Meat is pretty well-accepted, as are certain veggies, and he's not afraid to try new things yet. Bread, though, is not his thing. Noodles, rice, and cereal get a thumbs up, but bread...meh.

--Generally happy little guy. Plays well on his own, exploring, getting around. He has no trouble climbing to the top of a stool or moving a box over to get something out of reach. He doesn't even think to ask for help anymore.

Whoops! Dropped the measuring cup in the bowl. No prob.

--But he often asks permission for routine things, and often obeys the answer. He reminds me of baby Alice in that regard. He asks to go into someone's bedroom. He asks before he grabs something off of the counter. He asks if he can play with this toy or that book, except when it comes to something James has. James has shown Matthew that the aggressive grab-and-yell is how he prefers to ask for toys, so Matthew returns the courtesy.

--When he plays with me one-on-one, which isn't often, it's usually a game like "Mother May I?" where I come up with silly things to do and he decides if he wants to see it or not. "Can I kiss your cheek?" "Noooooo" "Can I blow on your hair?" "Yeeeeees"

--He really doesn't like nap and bedtime :( When he feels either one coming close, he'll start to get worried. Then when it's clear he's headed in that direction he just sobs. Most of the time, though, I can distract him with enough choices (want the teddy bear or stuffed monkey? sippy cup or no? music or book? closet light on or off?) that he's calmed down to merely a whimper by the time I leave the room.

I see his personality every day, but he's changing faster than I can pinpoint most other things. He's getting more independent ("me do it!"), more funny, more logical, and more interactive. He's carving out a little more time and space in the house/family routine, expressing himself and figuring things out. He's starting to hold his own and develop individual relationships with each of us. It's a good age to be!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!