Kid Justice and Mercy

In the ongoing saga of the messy toy tossaway we had a very rough night. Alicia was relaxing for her night off this week and so I took care of getting all the kids dinner and bedtime chores done. That took me about 2 hours to complete and I warned the kids along the way that I would be tossing things at the end of the night. The end of the night came and the basement was still quite messy. I put crying kids to bed as I filled up a garbage bag with Thomas tracks, hot wheels, legos, a wii nunchuck, craft boxes, stuffed animals, and books.

Both Emily and Ethan were wailing. Ethan was threatening to run away. And they went to bed like that. I felt terrible. I know that they need to learn to be responsible and help out around the house. But this was hard - harder than the last time. I talked with Alicia about it afterwards and we agreed that justice in keeping our rules was necessary but that a little mercy was appropriate as well. So we will still keep the toys put away and we will continue to take things away if they're left out at the end of the evening. But we will offer a way for them to give any five toys back from the garbage bag if they do a chore around the house. Whatever is left over in the bag at the end of a week we'll donate.

Unexpected Awesomeness

This morning the kids asked if we could go on a picnic. My original impulse was to say no since it was raining outside. But then I thought about how we've done picnics in the past simply by putting the backseats down in the van and eating on a blanket. Our family is larger since he last time we did hat but I figured that it would be worth a shot. So after a great morning of service cleaning up the church we packed up a bunch of blankets and got some KFC and drove to one of my favorite places in front of Utah lake. I used to go there frequently when I was single. It's a great thinking spot.

And apparently, it's a great picnic spot too because we had a great time! Emily, Ethan, Jace, Claire and I fit in the back of the van while Alicia and Ben sat in the middle row. We talked together about what we'd want in a new house if we moved, and found out that most of the kids really like sharing rooms.

Then we got out of the car and explored the frozen lake front. We threw rocks to try to break the thin surface layer of ice (that didn't work) then we tried to sneak down the hill the waters edge (That didn't work either. Jace and I slipped in the mud.).

But despite he cramped space, the cold outside, and even a short stint of hail we had to run to escape. His was an awesome little memory with the kids.

Putrid Pets

Our animated countertop decoration named Sonic

Emily inherited a fish tank from a friend several weeks ago and despite her parents aversion to pets of any kind, that got her brain spinning about getting a fish of her own. Having a fish is at the bottom of the sinful pets one could have in the home so we allowed it and she got a beta as a birthday gift. Since then, we've had an awful time trying to figure out how to keep the thing going. Reportedly betas are the lowest maintenance fish you can have. You but them in some fresh water, feed them every now and then and boom... instant animated home or office decoration. But unlike other decorations, this one rots after 3-4 days. The water starts to thicken and get foggy and if left for a week, some viscous layer of filth accumulates on the surface of the "water" and the fish food gets clogged up there.

What have we gotten ourselves into?!

We're tried sunlight, darkness, covered tank, uncovered tank, water treatment chemicals, and smaller tanks. Nothing has solved this filth problem. So now, Emily is saving her money to be a new fish tank with a filter to see if that helps. The problem is, she's thinking of going bigger so she can get more fish. Ethan's hopping on the bandwagon too. He'd like to get a fish of his own in the tank.

Before you know it we'll have llamas in the backyard.

Our Trailblazer

It's easy to think of growing up milestones like first date, driving, graduation, etc.. But there are some others that are not so conspicuous on the road of life. Emily passed a couple of them today. The first was a presentation today on a county of Utah. She did the presentation of Kane county all by herself (unlike the last one where we helped her a bit). Alicia said she was proud of her for the work she did. The second was a decision she made to stay home alone while the rest of the family came up to Salt Lake to pick me up from work. Emily was comfortable staying home alone, which is a rite of passage in itself, and Alicia was comfortable leaving her there for three hours.

Just like we noticed the little milestones when she was a baby, I suppose we're still conscious of these things the first time we experience them together. In some ways, Em is still our trailblazer and we're proud of the path she's plowing for the rest.

Emily's Birthday and Christensen Christmas Party

Just like last year, we had our Christmas celebration with my extended family after Christmas. And, just like last year, we had it on the 26th. Much of what I said about last year, I still agree with and it shows all signs of becoming a tradition.

Our double-digit (10) birthday girl was playing with cousins most of the time we were there. In fact, most of the kids were like that. We didn't see Ethan and Jace much after we got there. Ben, however, we saw all the time. He hardly left his mother's side. And speaking of his mother, I think she has the flu. She laid on the couch feeling gross all morning and we were all but out the door when she stood up and with tears said that she wouldn't miss Emily's birthday party. So although, she wasn't feeling well and wasn't very lively, it was awesome that she was there.

We sang a few songs like we've done in the past but this
Ben played a few extra notes.

And speaking of the party, we had soups and breads and some birthday cake that was one third frosting and two thirds cake. We sang happy birthday and Emily got a gift card from her grandparents. Kind of textbook for kid birthdays. She loved it.

At the end of the party, we came home to a very, very messy house and crashed. As the night wore on, it was clear that Alicia was getting sicker and I began to feel something queasy as well. I was planning on going back to work tomorrow but now I'm starting to wonder.

Christmas Service

Kind of an odd Christmas in my perspective. Seems scandalous to say such a thing about Christmas day but that's my experience with it just the same.

The kids, however had a good day. They were thrilled with the gifts and were even flexible with adjusted Santa plans around our 9:00 Church schedule. We had stockings first thing in the morning, then went to Church and returned home to open the presents under the tree. Emily's highlight was the newest Zelda game. It was actually a family gift but she liked the story of the last one so much that she's drawn countless characters from it and copied stories, she's even midway through a project to create a book of Zelda. Ethan's highlight was a few lego sets that he got - an alien spaceship and a star wars ship. Jason was thrilled to recieve the Thomas ship play set he asked from Santa. Claire, being the consummate girly girl that she is loves her princess dress ups and her princess pajamas. And Ben has enjoyed this little ball machine thing that has holes for balls in the top, and a winding path down the height of the toy leading to where the ball comes out at the bottom, ready to be picked up and put in the top again.

Alicia and I had a bit of a limited Christmas this year. We thought that we would only have enough money for the kids but some extra cash showed up so we got a few things for each other too. The limited cash pushed us to be a little more creative with our gifts. Alicia got me an awesome comfy blanket and I got her a pregnancy survival kit of coupons she can use for a night off, a craving run (Alicia insists on calling them "wantings" and not cravings.), a day off from work, etc..

So that was all the great part of the day. The oddness came in when Alicia started to get sick this afternoon and I was responsible to take care of the house myself. So I had added responsibility and an attitude that Christmas should be a relaxing day. So I was pretty self-focused through the day and when kids needed things or the house was dirty, those needs were in direct competition with my desire to have a day off. As a result, I ended the day in bad temper with the kids and a VERY messy house. I felt kind of awful.

So I've learned that there are no days off. Even if I'm on vacation, I'm serving. And that's okay. It's as it should be. Every day that I'm granted life on this earth is a day I'm meant to bless other people's lives. I'm much happier when I'm serving anyway - especially on Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve

We had big plans for Chistmas dinner tonight but because Alicia's energy was still gone, I took care of the kids and the house and ran out of time but a big turkey dinner with potatoes, stuffing, etc.. But we still roasted a turkey which turned out to be in the good spot between being rubbery and being dry. That said, I told Alicia that next year I want to go for a higher quality turkey - one that has one of those done timer rocket thingies in it.

They never play this well so we took
a picture of it.

Anyway, we had hot turkey sandwiches smothered in gravy. Alicia had enough energy for the dinner so she enjoyed the meal and so did I but our kids picked at the food on their plates with great suspicion and in the end, didn't eat much. But they did enjoy the egg nog though. I remember hating that when I was a kid (Even now it's a little too thick for my taste. I prefer to thin it out with a bit of ginger ale.) but all of them had at least one glass.

Everyone was in high spirits after the meal so the kids played together without the typical combatting between Jace and Claire (they even held hands at one point!) while Alicia and I cleaned up. Finally, we went downstairs and opened our Christmas Eve presents of pajamas and a family activity. The kids were oddly excited about getting pajamas this year. Maybe that's because they're sick of the ones they have or they are too small for their growing bodies. Ethan has a set of Spongebob pajamas that used to be pants and look more like shorts now. We'll be throwing those out since he got his flannel army ones tonight.

After our traditional pajamas on the couch picture, we watched a new Christmas special DVD together and then got the kids ready for their sleepover in our room next to our Christmas tree.

Everyone is really happy and excited right now. Even Alicia picked up a bit and her usual 3-4 hours of good energy per day was more like 6. I think we're all looking forward to tomorrow.

Jace's Preschool Program

Jace's preschool (the same one that Emily and Ethan attended) does this little Christmas program every year. And every year it's the same, the kids put on little felt collars and hats that make them look like elves and then they sing 10 minute-long songs and on a stage at the Lehi Legacy Center. Then afterwards they hand out candy canes to the participants and their siblings.

It's simple enough that you would think that it gets old but it is so heart-warming to see these 3 and 4 year olds singing Christmas songs in their little costumes. Today I looked at the audience for a few moments instead of the kids on the stage and I saw the beaming smiles of parents. The brightest of all of them was my own wife.

Jace (on the left) saying his line

Jace got to sing like the rest of the kids but he also had a line this year, which he memorized and would rattle off anytime we asked. "Here comes the electric train!" He had a great time.

Emily's First Visit to the Conference Center

Alicia and Emily attended the First Presidency Christmas Devotional this evening. It was Emily's first time going to an event in the Conference Center. From the looks of the pictures, they had a good time together. Emily said, "I really liked it. It was good."

Festival of Crabbiness

Ethan in a full-body bubble thing at the
Festival of Trees

I think we've had our last family outing to the Festival of Trees ... ever. They rent out this huge convention hall and fill it with trees that have been donated by the community and then sell the trees to individuals and businesses. All proceeds go to benefit a local children's hospital so it's a nice thing for everyone. But all that warm nice stuff doesn't really keep my kids attention as we force our way through thick crowds of people through isle after isle of trees.

Attention has been waning for years but this year was particularly bad. We got through three isles before Alicia and the kids were done then we went to the kids corner to let the kids make some Christmas crafts and play. That lasted for about 30 minutes and the kids started to melt down. I tried to appease them with candy and treats but that didn't work either.

Finally we left the place with Ben screaming, Ethan crying, Emily complaining and my nerves shot. We got everyone in the car as quickly as possible and then drove away.

I have good memories of going to the Festival of Trees with my family. I've been trying to give my family similar memories but it appears that it just isn't the same for them. So, I'll let that one go.

Worth Every Penny

Alicia has a very strong kid magnet built inside of her.

I'm so glad that we were able to take this trip this year. Money has been a bit tight lately so there was some question as to whether we would be able to do it but we cashed in some credit card rewards and a bit of cash to supplement and were able to make it happen.

On our way to the bakery

Today's use of those funds included swimming at the hotel pool, a big breakfast provided by the hotel, spongebob marathons (It seems like every time we go to a hotel there's a spongebob marathon going on. Do they do that all the time?), treating the kids to oozy yumminess from a local bakery, a pay per view version of Cars 2 while the little kids had a nap, and an evening in downtown salt lake looking at lights, a new Christmas display machine thing at Deseret Book, a scating rink, and dinner at a mall food court.

We were joined for the last part of the evening by Tam, Mark and Whitley. The kids lit up when they came along. Before that, Emily was dragging her feet but the night brightened up as soon as they saw Markie. It's nice that our kids love those guys so much. It makes for good family time together.

Vacations can be expensive but every time we go (except that one Disneyland trip when Em was a baby) the expanded bank of happy memories of family togetherness has been worth the expense. That is certainly true of this little get-away too.

Decorating With Love Part 2

Alicia finished decorating the girl's bedroom today to match the festivity of the boys bedroom decorations done a few weeks ago. The theme on this room was christmas trees. She made a tree shaped decoration out of curled pieces of green construction paper and the decorated the bed frame with lights and ornaments. The girls were, of course, thrilled with her work.

Now we'll have a contest in a few weeks for which bedrooms look the most festive. Either way, Alicia will get top prize. She did a great job with both of them.

Another Halloween

I remember when I was in high school we did little goofy things like having one week of the school year set aside for wearing one color, theming our attire to a comic book, or wearing pajamas. We called it spirit week although I'm not sure if it really built that much school spirit. Mostly it was just a novelty to see people in different attire. It was an excuse to have a bit of fun at school.

I was surprised to learn recently that Emily's and Ethan's charter school has a spirit week too. They've don the crazy sock day, the pajama day and now the book character day. So Emily dressed up as Hermione from Harry Potter and Ethan dressed up as Splat the Cat from one of his favorite books. They had a great time and looked rather cute.

Decorating with Love

The boy's bedroom door.

Sunday afternoons have been quiet times at our house. It has at times been a nap day for Alicia and me and I think that because of that we mentally start to slow down after Church is hopeful longing for some down time. Today Alicia was very tired too so I was expecting some naps. But today wasn't like that and I was impressed with why.

The kids got the idea that they were going to decorate their rooms for Christmas and then have a contest to figure out who won. It sounded like several Sunday afternoon game and craft ideas that they invent to keep themselves occupied while Mom and Dad sleep so I didn't think much of it. I also didn't think much of their invitation for our help. We usually leave them on their own during this time and they do just fine. But this time, Alicia agreed to help them. And she didn't simply help them, she dazzled them with her decorating. And she spent hours doing it adding fun and interest to their day and idea.

This room is glowing with motherly love.

There are many times when the more noble thing would be to put aside our wants and preferences (even needs sometimes) to labor for others. Even more noble than that is to invest in labor for others and go the extra mile to help them. Alicia did that today and was an example to me of the happiness that comes from such whole-hearted service and love. 

Christmas Lights Are My Business!

I've realized that my purpose in life is to serve people. That's what God wants of me and when I'm doing that well, I'm truly happy. I remember good days on my mission when I had that perspective and it was amazing. I felt so energized. Recently I've been reflecting on the most valuable thing to do while I'm in this life. And it has a lot to do with relationships and helping people. "Mankind was my business!" from the Christmas Carol has been ringing in my ears all week.

So today I was thankful for the opportunity to help Susan with some Christmas lights and various other things around her house. I was double-thankful for Emily's willingness to come and serve also. She took lights out of packages and I put them up. I'm anxious to see how our work for Susan looks at night.

Lamb Christmas Day

Christmas is such a fun time. We're lucky to have two this year. The kids slept in our room under our Christmas tree and although we didn't sleep very well at all (especially Alicia who had Jace hogging her side of the bed) I know the kids enjoyed it. They woke at 6 am like usual but were wired for being able to go downstairs and see what Nana and Papa had done for Christmas morning. After tiding them over with several Chipmunk cartoons, we finally went downstairs to discover our stockings filled and presents under our trees. We spend the next few hours together opening, assembling and playing with presents. Ben was thrilled to get a little talking bear, Claire got her own little bike (she's been "borrowing" bikes from Jace or other neighborhood kids), Ethan got this awesome remote control 4-wheeling guy, and Emily got a digital camera. Alicia and I also received a few gifts including clothes and we gave Nana and Papa a few gifts as well including a photo book and a DVD of movies made from pictures of the kids.

But the nicest part of the day was simply spending time together. The toys are sometimes just a convenient excuse for gathering everyone up and enjoying each other's personalities, interests, and happiness. It was a great morning that was followed by (surprise) food at breakfast and a fancy ham dinner.

What a great pretend holiday!

Faux Christmas Eve

Since Alicia's parents won't be around for Christmas and we haven't had a Christmas with them since Emily was a baby, we are celebrating two Christmases this year, one with them this week and the usual one with our family next week. As part of this celebration, Alicia's parents are trying to pack in as many Lamb Christmas traditions into this time as possible. I'm glad for this because Alicia has been longing for many of these traditions for years.

One of these is a traditions is loads of food. In these last few weeks Alicia and I have eaten more food than in the whole previous month combined. There have been dessert trays, cheese balls, canada dry, egg nog (we've gone through 8 or so cartons), turkey and ham dinners with all kinds of sides. So after a big dinner, we had a big desert of Black Forest Cake (and egg nog) and then watched a little cartoon with the kids and had a second desert of a christmas goodie tray (compare the picture this year to last year). Egg nog too. After we put the kids to bed we were all so groggy and full that we didn't want to think about food or even be in the same room with food.

One thing's for sure, with all this food we're eating we'll be well insulated for winter.

Candy, Kids and Sleepy Smiles

Somehow the danger of taking candy from a stranger melts away on Halloween evening. I for one couldn't be happier about that. I had the opportunity to see over a hundred children tonight who came to our door asking for candy. I saw all kinds of costumes and excitement in the faces of the children and all kinds of parents smiling with pride at the cuteness of their kids. Halloween around here doesn't seem to be about scares or the macabre - it's more of a parade of cuteness and candy. No wonder I love this holiday.

With Nana and Papa in tow, Alicia and the kids (all five) went on their own parade of cuteness this evening. Ben was a bumble bee, Claire was a clown, Jason was Thomas the tank engine (he had a last minute change of plans from being a caterpillar to Thomas), Ethan was a skeleton, and Emily was Princess Peach from the Mario Bros. game. 

The evening was unseasonably warm for this time of year - about 50 degrees after the sun dipped out of sight. So the cold didn't affect the kids' fun and they all stayed out for nearly an hour. Ben enjoyed the comfort of his stroller and a few bags of M&Ms and Claire filled her little plastic pumpkin halfway with candy and was the recipient of many cuteness compliments. Then the two of them came home with Nana and Papa and helped me pass out candy for the remainder of the evening.

Meanwhile Alicia had the older kids out for another hour. At almost every house, Jace would say "Trick or Treat" with the others and then excitedly dash back to the sidewalk exclaiming, "Mom, I said it!" When it was all done, Ethan and Jace had filled their plastic pumpkins to the top. They dumped their candy out on the living room floor and compared their loot with each other.

After having a sensible amount of candy, the kids were readied for bed and tucked in with smiles on their faces. It's likely that many other kids in the neighborhood had similar sleepy smiles tonight. So who cares about this holiday's shady past, it's presently a wonderful night.

Kids or Cookies?

My job has a party coming up on Monday with a competition for costumes and treats so I wanted to make some sugar cookies for the food competition. I ended up taking most of the day today to do that with the kids.

But in taking most of my attention throughout the day, I was diverted from helping out more around the house and as the day drew to a close and I saw how many cookies were yet to be decorated and also saw how close it was to bedtime so I enlisted the kids to help (maybe forced is a better word) and then hurded them off to bed. The cookies were done and the kitchen was cleaned up but I was left with a disappointment because I was focused a bit too much on what I wanted to do and wasn't considering serving those around me. Luckily, I recognized my error in enough time to apologize to the kids before they fell asleep. I went into Em's room where Emily, Ethan and Jace were sleeping and brought them all the last-minute drink of water I denied them minutes earlier and then I went upstairs to Claire and gave her a hug.

Cornbelly's

The kids have been getting stickers on the fridge for doing nice things for each other and as a reward, we took them to a nearby fall amusement park called Cornbelly's. We got faces painted, played on wooden structures, saw pumpkin princesses, watched a pig race, rode on a cow train, and walked through a corn maze.

The sun set and the temperature dropped quickly so we had to leave but if that hadn't happened we might have stayed another few hours. The kids loved playing there. Ethan exclaimed as we left that it was the best day ever.

I love amusement parks. I want one. Maybe someday I'll get to make one.