We had another successful Sinterklaas Dag this past year. I was in Holland again for work (ha, ha-see below) and brought back some Dutch goodies; "If ain't Dutch, it ain't much!"
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Children Helping Children
David here...
As you know, we have a few kids. Many people ask us if it is easier with six now that the older kids can help out. Well, our older kids still aren't old enough to completely help out. That is, until this past week. Marilyn and I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to the sound of Michael (seven years old) dry-heaving, screaming "Oh, sick!" and laughing; all interspersed. What we soon discovered is that he had gotten our 2 year old (Peter) out of bed and was changing his stinky diaper. Marilyn and I laughed hard during the whole ordeal, but tried to keep quiet so we wouldn't have to go help. Needless to say, Michael took care of it with no problem. What a kid!
As you know, we have a few kids. Many people ask us if it is easier with six now that the older kids can help out. Well, our older kids still aren't old enough to completely help out. That is, until this past week. Marilyn and I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to the sound of Michael (seven years old) dry-heaving, screaming "Oh, sick!" and laughing; all interspersed. What we soon discovered is that he had gotten our 2 year old (Peter) out of bed and was changing his stinky diaper. Marilyn and I laughed hard during the whole ordeal, but tried to keep quiet so we wouldn't have to go help. Needless to say, Michael took care of it with no problem. What a kid!
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Thanksgiving Pilgrim
Michael's class performed a play "The First Thanksgiving". He LOVES to perform and was very specific about how his costume needed to be. He needed red stockings (we dyed some of mine), a brown coat with a white full collar, knicker type pants, and buckles on his shoes. He looked great and did well. The only glitch was when he almost missed his line, because he was so busy smiling for people taking pictures with their cameras! He is such a fun person. And really lights up on stage. He loves the attention and revels in the spotlight.
Birthday Boy
Parker turned ten on November 27, 2007. He sure is a great kid. He's anxiously been checking the mail for letters and packages from grandparents. Thanks for taking care of him. He had a great day. I took molasses cookies to his class--his favorite. He was "beaming". He could not quit smiling. What a fun person. Here are the kids playing CLUE. He also got some snow gloves, the outfit he is wearing, some Star Wars Legos, and some little Transformers.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PARKER!
Fall Leaves
The kids LOVE to play in the leaves. This started back when we lived in Loagn and we'd rake piles to jump in. Chris, Doug, and Debbie even broke away from their studies to play. I think it is something that you never really outgrow.
Under Eliza's direction, they raked leaves into piles, then loaded the leaves onto a tarp, and transported the leaves to the main pile. They really had it down and mastered their "leafing" techniques. They've had fun. We still have an abudance of leaves and I've got a huge blister--so I am taking a raking leave of absence for a while.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Thanksgiving in Cades Cove
We had a very memorable Thanksgiving holiday. After our efforts to convince family to come and visit failed, and our subtle hints at being invited somewhere didn't work, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I wanted to do something fun and memorable--so we went camping. And believe me--it was both FUN and MEMORABLE!
We got packed--which is a process in itself--and headed out on our adventure. And believe me, we were PACKED. The car was loaded with stuff--bedding, clothes, coats, food, cooking supplies, tent, even a turkey! We headed to Cades Cove. It is a beautiful area in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a very popular spot and I thought this would be a good time to visit without fighting the crowds.
We got there, just in time to get everything set up, gather wood for a fire and roast some hotdogs before it started to sprinkle. It wasn't too bad and it was still fairly warm--it was 80 degrees that afternoon as we were driving down and probably 70's when we were setting up. It was nice. It cooled down as it started to rain and got colder as the night progressed. Well, the rain didn't ever let up--it rained buckets all night. We got in the tent and were in bed for the night by 7:00 PM. The rain was loud and it was windy! The kids were nestled all snug in their sleeping bags while visions of burnt marshmellows danced in their heads. No one got much sleep. One of the fast rules of camping is that you have to at least stay for two nights--the first night you sleep bad--that is just given, and the second night you sleep good--in comparison to that first night anyway. Also, the two night rule applys due to the fact that you go to so much effort getting everything packed and the tent set-up. It's just not worth it for one night.
The next day we awoke to more rain. It rained SO much. I believe that the drought in TN is over. No problems now with water shortage. At least not in Cades Cove. You just watch--this spring will be a great year for wildflowers due to a wet and rainy season (or should I say weekend) in the fall. Just send the DeBry family camping and your drought problems will be solved. (Maybe we could hire ourselves out as resident campers to that senator in Georgia--we could camp on those church steps where they have been praying).
Well, David went in search for some wood--we had put some under the tarp, so we had a bit that wasn't wet. He got the fire going and boiled some water for oatmeal and hot chocolate. That sure hit the spot. Now what--it was too cold and wet to be outside. We loaded in the van and drove around Cades Cove--it is an 11-mile loop--a beautiful drive with old churches and homes were people used to live. We saw lots of wild turkeys, deer and oh yeah, we saw a bear on the way in. Parker spotted that.
Now it was time for lunch--THANKSGIVING DINNER. David put the turkey, potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in the dutch oven before we left. I had made some cranberry sauce and bought some rolls and pies at the store. This is the way to do dinner--especially for me--I am not too fond of cooking. The food was amazing. The rolls did get a little soggy in the rain though.
After dinner we were all wet and cold again. We did have deer in the campground--lots of them, running around and having "fun" together. Grace though they were "hibernating", we had to explain that they were mating. That was one of the memorable parts. It was still raining and the tent was cold and there was no way to get dry. So we piled in the car again, cranked the heat and went for a drive. Our wet clothes were hanging all over in the inside of the car, drying out. We drove to Gatlinburg and went to the visitors center. They had a nice museum, gift shop, and movie about the park. Most of all it was dry and warm. We then went back to camp, we had a nice big fire and had fun talking and poking sticks into the flames (why is that so fun and irresistable?). Then we made sleeping arrangements and went to bed. Remember, this is the second night, so tonight we were going to sleep good. We did, but it was VERY cold. We woke up to ice crystals on top of the tent and it was snowing. At least it had stopped raining. We basically packed up and headed home. We had such a fun time. Here is a song that we came up with (on one of our "warming-up drives") about our fun trip.
The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving:
On the 1st day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
A turkey in the Dutch oven
On the 2nd day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
2 pumpkin pies
3 cups of cocoa
4 hours of sleep
5 frozen toes (or 5 burned fingers--Peter burned his fingers)
6 sweet kids
7 wet sticks
8 inches of rain
9 hours of driving
10 (I don't remember--I'm sure it was funny, though!)
11 wet socks
12 clothes drying
What a fun time. We got home Friday and rented a couple of movies and enjoyed being warm at home for the rest of the weekend. I think we'll do it again. Any takers for next year?
We got packed--which is a process in itself--and headed out on our adventure. And believe me, we were PACKED. The car was loaded with stuff--bedding, clothes, coats, food, cooking supplies, tent, even a turkey! We headed to Cades Cove. It is a beautiful area in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It is a very popular spot and I thought this would be a good time to visit without fighting the crowds.
We got there, just in time to get everything set up, gather wood for a fire and roast some hotdogs before it started to sprinkle. It wasn't too bad and it was still fairly warm--it was 80 degrees that afternoon as we were driving down and probably 70's when we were setting up. It was nice. It cooled down as it started to rain and got colder as the night progressed. Well, the rain didn't ever let up--it rained buckets all night. We got in the tent and were in bed for the night by 7:00 PM. The rain was loud and it was windy! The kids were nestled all snug in their sleeping bags while visions of burnt marshmellows danced in their heads. No one got much sleep. One of the fast rules of camping is that you have to at least stay for two nights--the first night you sleep bad--that is just given, and the second night you sleep good--in comparison to that first night anyway. Also, the two night rule applys due to the fact that you go to so much effort getting everything packed and the tent set-up. It's just not worth it for one night.
The next day we awoke to more rain. It rained SO much. I believe that the drought in TN is over. No problems now with water shortage. At least not in Cades Cove. You just watch--this spring will be a great year for wildflowers due to a wet and rainy season (or should I say weekend) in the fall. Just send the DeBry family camping and your drought problems will be solved. (Maybe we could hire ourselves out as resident campers to that senator in Georgia--we could camp on those church steps where they have been praying).
Well, David went in search for some wood--we had put some under the tarp, so we had a bit that wasn't wet. He got the fire going and boiled some water for oatmeal and hot chocolate. That sure hit the spot. Now what--it was too cold and wet to be outside. We loaded in the van and drove around Cades Cove--it is an 11-mile loop--a beautiful drive with old churches and homes were people used to live. We saw lots of wild turkeys, deer and oh yeah, we saw a bear on the way in. Parker spotted that.
Now it was time for lunch--THANKSGIVING DINNER. David put the turkey, potatoes, carrots, celery and onions in the dutch oven before we left. I had made some cranberry sauce and bought some rolls and pies at the store. This is the way to do dinner--especially for me--I am not too fond of cooking. The food was amazing. The rolls did get a little soggy in the rain though.
After dinner we were all wet and cold again. We did have deer in the campground--lots of them, running around and having "fun" together. Grace though they were "hibernating", we had to explain that they were mating. That was one of the memorable parts. It was still raining and the tent was cold and there was no way to get dry. So we piled in the car again, cranked the heat and went for a drive. Our wet clothes were hanging all over in the inside of the car, drying out. We drove to Gatlinburg and went to the visitors center. They had a nice museum, gift shop, and movie about the park. Most of all it was dry and warm. We then went back to camp, we had a nice big fire and had fun talking and poking sticks into the flames (why is that so fun and irresistable?). Then we made sleeping arrangements and went to bed. Remember, this is the second night, so tonight we were going to sleep good. We did, but it was VERY cold. We woke up to ice crystals on top of the tent and it was snowing. At least it had stopped raining. We basically packed up and headed home. We had such a fun time. Here is a song that we came up with (on one of our "warming-up drives") about our fun trip.
The Twelve Days of Thanksgiving:
On the 1st day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
A turkey in the Dutch oven
On the 2nd day of Thanksgiving my true love gave to me:
2 pumpkin pies
3 cups of cocoa
4 hours of sleep
5 frozen toes (or 5 burned fingers--Peter burned his fingers)
6 sweet kids
7 wet sticks
8 inches of rain
9 hours of driving
10 (I don't remember--I'm sure it was funny, though!)
11 wet socks
12 clothes drying
What a fun time. We got home Friday and rented a couple of movies and enjoyed being warm at home for the rest of the weekend. I think we'll do it again. Any takers for next year?
Temple Trip
We've had some fun adventures lately. On November 17th we had our quarterly "Temple Trip". We drive to Columbia, SC to the temple. We usually have a good trip, considering all factors--an 8 hour round trip with 8 people in one day. It really is worth the effort and memories!
We try to leave at 7:30 AM--if that is the target goal, then we are usually on the road by 8:00 AM. The first hour is spend with everyone whining about where they are sitting and why they don't get the best seat. We are rapidly outgrowing our van. There is not much spare space for anything--especially Eliza's two pillows, extra clothes, snow hat (just in case), and blanket. After everyone has settled down a bit, they realize that they are hungry--and the food I packed for our lunch, suddenly becomes brunch--because in the rush to get out the door, no one really got a good breakfast. The second hour is a little better, because now we are out of the winding mountain roads and they can watch a movie without getting sick. Of course, there is the usual "heated discussion" about what the kids are going to watch and whose turn it is to pick. (The whole idea of letting them watch a movie is supposed to keep them from fighting, but it usually just starts a new one!) Now we are at the end of the third hour when everyone could use a stretch and a bathroon break, but David has his eye on the goal and is not swayed. I pass out more of the lunch and try to keep everyone content. Now we have about half an hour to get there and that is just enough time for me to repent of all the bad feelings and "crustiness" that I've had on the way down, afterall, I am going to the temple.
We arrived at the temple just before 12:00 and I attended the first session--David had the kids and took them to Wendy's for lunch--I guess we had pretty much eaten most of what I brought for lunch and the carrots and celery sticks weren't doing it for them. David went in at 2:00 with the youth to do baptisms and I took the kids to the park to play. They dug in the sand most of the time and then we went to meet David. The trip home was nice. We stopped on the way home to get something to eat. Denny's was the choice. As we were walking in, (this is where we experience the many blessings of temple attendance) Parker and Eliza notice a sign that says "Kids eat FREE" on Saturdays! YAHOO!! (We used to stop at O'Charleys after the ward temple trips, they had the same offer, but they have since changed their policy--hopefully, it will be a while before Denny's catches on). We ordered omlettes, pancakes, sausage, french toast, grilled cheese, and some dino-shaped chicken nuggets. We really scored on that deal. The meal tasted great and we were all fat and sassy for the ride home. The drive was nice--at least as far as I could tell--I slept most of the way--so I guess it was GREAT!
We had a good time together. It really has been a fun tradition. We've really tried to make it fun for the kids, so that they have good memories about temple trips. Of course, their memories will be movies in the car, lots of junk food, playing with their friends at the park, and going out to eat!
We try to leave at 7:30 AM--if that is the target goal, then we are usually on the road by 8:00 AM. The first hour is spend with everyone whining about where they are sitting and why they don't get the best seat. We are rapidly outgrowing our van. There is not much spare space for anything--especially Eliza's two pillows, extra clothes, snow hat (just in case), and blanket. After everyone has settled down a bit, they realize that they are hungry--and the food I packed for our lunch, suddenly becomes brunch--because in the rush to get out the door, no one really got a good breakfast. The second hour is a little better, because now we are out of the winding mountain roads and they can watch a movie without getting sick. Of course, there is the usual "heated discussion" about what the kids are going to watch and whose turn it is to pick. (The whole idea of letting them watch a movie is supposed to keep them from fighting, but it usually just starts a new one!) Now we are at the end of the third hour when everyone could use a stretch and a bathroon break, but David has his eye on the goal and is not swayed. I pass out more of the lunch and try to keep everyone content. Now we have about half an hour to get there and that is just enough time for me to repent of all the bad feelings and "crustiness" that I've had on the way down, afterall, I am going to the temple.
We arrived at the temple just before 12:00 and I attended the first session--David had the kids and took them to Wendy's for lunch--I guess we had pretty much eaten most of what I brought for lunch and the carrots and celery sticks weren't doing it for them. David went in at 2:00 with the youth to do baptisms and I took the kids to the park to play. They dug in the sand most of the time and then we went to meet David. The trip home was nice. We stopped on the way home to get something to eat. Denny's was the choice. As we were walking in, (this is where we experience the many blessings of temple attendance) Parker and Eliza notice a sign that says "Kids eat FREE" on Saturdays! YAHOO!! (We used to stop at O'Charleys after the ward temple trips, they had the same offer, but they have since changed their policy--hopefully, it will be a while before Denny's catches on). We ordered omlettes, pancakes, sausage, french toast, grilled cheese, and some dino-shaped chicken nuggets. We really scored on that deal. The meal tasted great and we were all fat and sassy for the ride home. The drive was nice--at least as far as I could tell--I slept most of the way--so I guess it was GREAT!
We had a good time together. It really has been a fun tradition. We've really tried to make it fun for the kids, so that they have good memories about temple trips. Of course, their memories will be movies in the car, lots of junk food, playing with their friends at the park, and going out to eat!
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