Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve we headed to my parents house for dinner and a nice evening together.  We had a nice Turkey dinner and lots of yummy sides.  Jordan, Jenny and Anna were there as well as Christy and her kids.  We watched the new nativity video put out by the church.  It was a beautiful depiction of the birth of Christ.  I really enjoyed seeing more of the relationship of Mary and Joseph.  We did our gift exchanges between the cousins and all the adults.  Jordan had my name and he got me a gift card to JCPenny.  I am excited to do some shopping!  My Dad had JJ's name and he got him some new tools.  JJ is always happy to build his tool collection and knew my Dad would pick something out he would like.  JJ had Kelsey and he sent her an Amazon gift card.  I had my Dad and got him some new wool socks and a new jacket.  He really liked both of them.  My parents got new Lego sets for all of my kids.  They were so excited to start putting them together.  It was a nice evening together and it was fun to see what everyone got.  I am thankful we were able to spend the evening together and celebrate Christmas.  I am glad we have family close by that we can celebrate with and spend time with.   

St. Charles Main Street

After our snowfall the weather warmed up.  The snow all melted quickly and it was hard to believe the change in weather over just a few days.  Saturday was a beautiful day so we decided to go down to main street.  We knew it would be busy but also knew it would be fun.  Things were a little messy with all the snow melting.  We dodged the big puddles and tried to stay out of the mud.  We enjoyed going into some of our favorite shops.  I found a Christmas tree that I really liked.  I have decided I would like to start collecting Christmas trees, not real ones, decorative ones.  I have a few of my Grandma's trees that are antiques.  I would like to add to them, looking for a new one each year.  I found the perfect tree that matched one of my Grandma's trees.  I was glad JJ didn't think I was completely silly when I told him I wanted to collect Christmas trees.  The kids gathered cards and talked with several of the characters down there.  We went and looked at the gingerbread houses and voted for our favorite one.  There is a new general store down there and I heard they had penny candy.  I told the kids about it as we were driving down and they were so excited.  They each picked out a candy stick and some salt water taffy.  It might have been the highlight of the afternoon for them.  It truly is the simple things.  Same for me.  We enjoy going down there and for me it feels like a street out of a Hallmark Christmas movie.  All the pretty decorations and strung greenery make the street so pretty.  I am glad we went down and had a beautiful day to walk around.       

More Sight Words With Nolan

We have been continuing our work with Nolan and his letter sounds and sight word recognition.  I have been able to find so many fun games and things to do with him.  He has been enjoying them and I am thankful for his willingness to participate and learn.  It has also been a family effort in helping him.  We have all worked together and even Lucy and Garrett have helped play games with him. 

 He continues to like the flashcard path.  We have lately been doing the sight words, he has to say the sight word correctly in order to move to the next one.  If he gets it incorrect he has to start back at the beginning.

 We got the letter stamps out and used them with play-do.  He really liked playing with the play-do and using the stamps was a fun way to incorporate the sight words.

 This one wasn't the best, on my end.  I didn't have any paint to put in the bag so I squeezed some hair gel in there.  It was to light and I filled it to full.  He set his sight word behind the bag and traced the sight word. 

 I bought some letter beads at the dollar store and we threaded words onto pipe cleaners. 

 I wrote simple sentences on word strips and left a blank for the missing sight word.  We read the sentence together and then found the missing word.  For most of them I gave him three words to choose from.  Some sentences worked for a few different sight words.  This was a great activity.  I read an article that talked about memorizing the words is one thing but learning how they are used is another.  This was helpful for me to read and also reiterate to me that he needs to do more them memorize the words.  

Santa

With the kids off school Tuesday we decided to make our trip to see Santa.  We needed to get out of the house and we thought it might not be as busy on a Tuesday evening.  JJ would be finishing up at work at a decent time so we picked him up at his office.  We headed to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa.  We got all signed in and enjoyed playing with the different things they had.  We only had about a 30 minute wait which wasn't that bad.  The kids always enjoy the little things they have set up.  Nolan and Lucy really liked playing with the kinetic sand.  Lucy made a Santa plate, Garrett enjoyed the shooting station and they all liked playing with these building things called Plus Plus.  They were excited to tell Santa what they wanted.  Nolan asked for some Pokémon cards, Garrett asked for a x-box and Lucy asked for a flip slide game.  I am glad we were able to go, we got a cute picture of the kids and had a fun time.  It also made for a good thing to do on a snow day.  Christmas time gets so busy and hard to fit things in, I'm glad we made it.     

 

Snow Day

A few weeks ago my Dad predicted snow on December 15th.  Sure enough as it got closer we had a snow storm in our forecast.  Sunday December 15th we had snow!  It started to snow as we were getting ready for church.  It was coming down pretty good and already sticking to the roads.  Driving to church I could see the roads were already getting bad and the snow wasn't letting up.  I had Lucy text JJ and tell him we would be heading home after sacrament meeting.  They had decided to send us all home, with the way the snow was coming down they were smart to make a call.  Although it had tapered off and wasn't as bad as we headed home.  It was nice to be able to be home and not have anywhere we needed to go.  It snowed pretty much all day, a steady snowfall sometimes pretty heavy.  The kids were so excited and or neighbors all worked together to make a snow fort.  Jeremy had gotten out a big plastic bin and was filling it with snow to make big cubes.  They stacked them up and made a cool fort.  When the snow plow drove by the guy asked if we wanted more snow.  The kids all cheered and he asked where they wanted it.  It was nice of him to help them make a big pile.  It was fun to see our neighbors, when the weather is cold we don't hang out and socialize in the cul-de-sac like we do in the summer.  We got the call that night school was canceled.  I was thankful they made the call at night and not at 4 AM.  That meant I would have all the kids with me at Lucy's Dr. appointment.  Lucy was happy that meant she wouldn't be missing any school.        

 We woke up to more snow.  I heard the plow go by our house a few times during the night.  Thankfully the roads were good for the appointment in the morning.  I also made it to my orthodontist appointment.  JJ's schedule had pretty much all canceled.  He went ahead and closed the office on Monday.  It was suppose to snow all day and he was thankful to have a day to be at home.  He took the kids down to the big hill to go sledding.  Lucy went down earlier with her friends.  She could only watch, no sledding for her.  I was fighting a cold and decided to stay inside where it was warm.  That night we thought it would be a good night to make our gingerbread village.  The kit we got came with four houses so we all got to do a little decorating.  We got the call that night that there would be no school on Tuesday.  We knew the temperatures were suppose to drop and although there wouldn't be anymore snow they had to worry about ice.  Tuesday morning was icy but the sun came out and by mid morning things were fine.  They could have done a late start.  We went out and ran some errands.  The kids played outside in the snow and enjoyed it while it was here.  I was ready to send them back to school on Wednesday.  I had things I still needed to do to prepare for Christmas. The snow was pretty and I am glad we were able to enjoy it from inside and outside.  The kids really enjoyed it and it made it feel more like Christmas.  We ended up getting somewhere around 6 or 7 inches, it was a good snowfall.  I later asked my Dad how he predicted the snowfall.  He said he looked back at his calendar from the last year.  He saw when we had a snow storm and then how long it was until our next snow storm.  So when we had the snowfall in November he looked at the same amount of time and guessed it would be about the same.  He was right!         

 

 

Lucy's Finger

Lucy came home from basketball practice Tuesday December 3rd and said she jammed her finger.  She was catching a pass ad the ball hit her little finger on her left hand.  She immediately tapped it and continued on with practice.  It was very swollen and hurt her for days.  She buddy tapped it and iced it whenever she could.  I didn't really ask her about it because she jams her finger all the time.  I know she knew the drill and with time it would get better.  While her finger was hurt she continued to practice basketball, play her flute and play piano.  She even took the tape off her finger and played in her band concert.  She went to four basketball practices and played a game, all with her finger hurt.  We didn't really think it was anything more then a jam because it didn't seem to bother her to much.  Thursday afternoon, over a week from her hurting her finger, the swelling had gone down enough to see that her finger was crooked.  She showed me her finger and showed me the swelling.  That was the first time I had really looked at her finger and seen how bad it looked compared to the other finger.  I feel like a bad mom that I didn't look at it sooner, or pay more attention to her injury.  She wasn't really complaining so it was hard to know.  She did everything right by putting tape on it immediately.  I decided after looking at her finger that I was going to take her in and have a x-ray done.  I knew that there may not be a better diagnosis then continue to tape it but I wanted to make sure we were taking care of her.  I knew there was a walk in orthopedic clinic and I decided to take her there.  The orthopedic office we have previously used would most likely take longer to get in.  As soon as Lucy got home from school we headed down.  I printed off all the paper work from their website so we were easily checked in.  The Dr. came in and looked at her finger.  He looked at her mobility and tried moving it around a little bit.  They did a x-ray of her little finger and sure enough it was broken.  He said that unfortunately with that type of break they usually do surgery and place pins.  It had been a while since the break had happened and he wasn't sure that they would still suggest that.  Lucy was so upset and as soon as she heard that it was broken, would need a cast and most likely surgery she started to cry.  I felt so bad for her, she would miss out on basketball.  She has been working so hard playing on her new team and didn't want to let them down.  We wanted to do the best thing for Lucy and if that meant doing the surgery we needed to do it.  We wanted her finger to heal straight and to not have any further complications.  The way her finger looked was very crooked and not straight.  He sent the x-rays to the pediatric hand surgeon and discussed her case with him.  He said that even with the amount of time that had passed he would still recommend surgery.  We agreed that we wanted to fix her finger the best we could.  We put a temporary cast on her and made an appointment to meet with the hand surgeon first thing Monday morning.  Lucy was so sad.  She cried the rest of the appointment and had teary eyes even as the cast went on.  I know she blames herself for her injury and thinks that she should have caught the ball better.  JJ and I also have a lot of blame.  We should have taken her in earlier and caught this.  This was a lesson for all of us.             

 Lucy has the sweetest friends, they sent me a text Friday night and wanted to stop by and visit Lucy.  They surprised her Saturday with a bunch of goodies.  Some yummy treats, a blanket, stuffed animal and balloon.  Lucy appreciated their visit and it helped boost her spirits.  She was not happy about having surgery on her finger but agreed that she wanted it to heal straight.   

Lucy couldn't get her temporary cast wet, not even moist in a bag while she showered.  I had to help her take a bath Sunday morning and get her ready for church.  She also needs help cutting her food, fixing her hair and squeezing toothpaste on he toothbrush.   

 I was nervous about Lucy's appointment Monday, and so was she.  She said she didn't sleep well.  It had snowed almost all day Sunday and I was worried about the roads.  School was called off so I had all the kids with me.  We were fully prepared to go in and schedule surgery for Lucy's finger.  JJ's schedule had fallen apart with the snow and more snow in the forecast.  He closed the office and meet us at the Dr. office.  They took her temporary cast off and then the Dr. came in and looked at her finger.  He was amazed at how well her finger looked.  It had straightened out!  When he asked her to curl her fingers into her palm her finger curled straight.  When she held her fingers out together they were all straight.  He was very pleased with how things looked clinically.  He also couldn't believe how well it looked compared to her x-rays.  He felt the best option was to put a new hard cast on her for 2 weeks and let it heal.  He didn't feel surgery was the best option anymore!  We were all amazed, I think I was a little shocked.  I was prepared mentally for him to come in and say surgery.  Lucy was very happy with this news.  Only 2 weeks in the cast and then some therapy to regain mobility.  The Dr. said if it did heal slightly crooked, which he didn't think it would, then we can always go back and straighten it out down the road.  We had a cast put on and headed on our way.  She will really only have her cast through Christmas break and be able to still run and attend practice with her team.  What a blessing and we feel a miracle.  Some amazing healing happened over the weekend.  Our prayers were answered and we know so many people were praying for sweet Lucy.  My sister said something that I think meant a lot to Lucy.  Heavenly father is aware of Lucy and knows that she wants to play basketball and have her finger healed.  He answered her prayers and I know Lucy knows that.  It started snowing as we walked into the Dr. office and we knew it was suppose to snow all day long.  My prayers were answered that I was able to drive safely there and back from the Dr. office.  The roads were getting bad as we drove home.  I am thankful we were able to make our appointment and be safe.     

 

Journey to Bethlehem

One of our favorite things to do during Christmas time is the Journey to Bethlehem put on by a local Christian church.  The kids enjoy the experience and it helps them understand it and relate more to what happened.  There is always a big crowd and we know that is takes a while.  We moved quickly outside but it seemed that we wee inside waiting for a long time.  The program they put on was very nice.  They had some nice jazz music this year that I really liked.  I enjoy the program inside and the beautiful singing.  I felt especially touched this year during the experience.  It the middle of trying to think of the perfect gifts for everyone and pinching pennies in the budget to make it all work.  I was thankful for the reminder that it doesn't matter what gifts are given and how much they cost.  The real meaning of Christmas is the birth of Christ.  The journey to Bethlehem really brings that message through.  The excitement that the messiah was born and the happiness it brought the people.  The kids always look forward to the hot chocolate and cookies at the end.  Our journey was long but worth it and we had a nice time going as a family.  

Lucy's Band Concert

I was happy to be able to attend Lucy's band concert!  I was missing mine but I wanted to see Lucy play and she was excited to have me come.  She has been practicing her music and enjoys playing the flute.  She told me that it was neat to hear the whole band play together and I agree.  It is always exciting to hear everyone's parts come together.  We got good seats right up front, there is really no good seat to see someone play.  You either see the side of them or try to peak behind the conductor.  Grandma and Grandpa Rahm came to hear her play which was special.  It is fun to see Lucy grow up and develop new talents like playing the flute.  She played great and we all enjoyed hearing her play.