Rock-on!

Last week I was vacuuming and was inspired by the handle--it resembled a microphone! I made a house-wide announcement: "It's time to ROCK-OUT!" Everyone came running and we blasted the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "A Mad Russian's Christmas" and had so much fun! Iris even ran to the front door in a frenzy and body-slammed it. The door won. And yes, she was okay. Merry Christmas and take a little time to rock-out too!

Budding Scientists

I had my nephews over and we watched "Sid the Science Kid" on PBS. On this particular episode we learned about the natural process that food undergoes when it begins to spoil: Decay! They were captivated, especially when I inspected my own bowl of seemingly ripe fruit on the counter and discovered that one tangerine in the middle was in the advance stages of...you name it: Decay! They had a blast comparing and contrasting the healthy and spoiled fruit, and loved dissecting it with a cheese knife. Fruit, anyone?

Grandpa Lopez' Christmas Tree

On Sunday morning we visited my Grandpa Lopez' grave site to put up his Christmas Tree. The tree was given to us by Samuel's mom,Clista, and I'm grateful for her gift.

We all miss him.

The Christmas Story & The Tupperware Cupboard

I think we've watched "The Christmas Story" one too many times! Owen's favorite place is now the "tupperware" cupboard. He throws everything out (yea!), and then settles into his little hiding place.

2008 Ward Christmas Breakfast

Saturday December 20th was our Ward Christmas Breakfast at 8:00AM! We've always been accustomed to Ward Christmas Dinners, so this activity was a little harder to get used to considering the early hour!

The Menu: Ham & Eggs
The Attire: Pajamas & your best "Bed Hair"
The Program: Beautiful Music, Letters to the Missionaries, & a visit from You-Know-Who!

Here are our girls listening to the Bishop's "12 days of Christmas". It was the story of how he challenged Elder Matsunaka, a Japanese missionary assigned to our ward, to discover the true meaning of Christmas in 12 days. We learned that it's not the twinkly lights, yummy treats, or snowmen that make this season special...but the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is how Owen spent most of the activity: Running round and round the tables!

The Gingerbread House

Ava's class activity for the last day of school was decorating the infamous gingerbread house! The kiddies had so much fun...and by the end of the day the undersides of her black sleeves were equally coated with frosting! The finished product is a beauty and holds a prominent place on the kitchen counter!

School Spectactular: The Winter Sing

Isabella and Ava's Winter Sing! Of course it was a packed house, and though I love my kids dearly I could have kissed whoever decided to keep the program under 30 minutes! Thank you!

Good People

We attended Isabella and Ava's Christmas school program and because it was standing room only I was very close to a woman who was filming the performance next to me. I had Owen in my arms, and as babies do, he reached out his little finger several times to poke her. I apologized and she just laughed and assured me it was alright. In that moment it struck me how much she reminded me of a sister I was privileged to know in a former ward...a wonderful sister whose spirit shone so radiantly in everything she said and did. It made me tear up because I realized how much I missed her sweet spirit.

I am so grateful for you good brothers and sisters who become like family to us. You inspire, comfort, and bless us...fulfilling the Savior's commandment to "love one another". May God truly bless you this Christmas Season. We love you all!

Mission: Project Mess

Probably my least favorite tradition is decorating sugar cookies, but how can you cut-out a holiday classic like that? So this year, the task was made easier by my mother-in-law Clista, who made plain sugar cookies for our exchange so we could decorate them at home. Perfect! Half the dreaded task was done...because I hate baking any cookie unless it's a timeless chocolate chip. Still, we kept putting off the actually frosting of the cookies, so the kids were thrilled when Sam finally called through the house for them to "Report for Cookie-duty"!


Of course the kids had a blast, and the sprinkles went a flyin' everywhere! Here is the result of our collective labors. We won't be winning any awards I'm sure, but not too shabby either!


The best part came when the kids had free reign to eat their creations and finally could dig into the leftover frosting with abandon!




And last but not least, Owen started doing this hilarious jiggling in his booster seat--he must have been on a sugar-high! But it was so funny to see him go into this full body wiggle with a huge grin on his face. Then it dawned on me to capture it on video but alas it was too late. Most of what you see is the family, not Owen, jiggling instead.

At-tent-tion!

Owen cracks me up! He wrestled quietly with this box until he finally got it open, and then he went to town setting up all the army men so meticulously. If one fell down he straightened it up before moving on to the next. He is a joy to watch...definitely different from my girls...who are also my joy of course...but he's just different.

We've got to move-it, move-it!

This is what shopping at IKEA is like when you have a van full of kids and no room to spare. We all made it home safely and the kids loved being in the cave created by the massive box!

Exploring & Cookies

This is Owen being snatched up by Sam from my Grandma Lopez' yard. She has a jungle-like front and backyard so the kids always have fun exploring. Owen is especially drawn to her birdbath and if we're not quick...well, you know. We gathered here for our first annual Cookie Exchange and we had so much fun! I even came away with an awesome recipe that I can't wait to try for family and friends.

10, 9, 8, 7, 5, 4...

Here is our official "Count down to Christmas" calendar that Ava made for us in school. It's hanging in our pantry so we always forget to check off the days. Luckily, Ava just made a paper chain at school that hangs more prominently on the Christmas tree. Unfortunately we forget to take the chains off too!

Tamales!

December is Tamale month! And for the last few years we've been able to slack a little because my Aunt Lydia always made tamales for Christmas Eve at her house. This year though, she's visiting Nevada for the holidays to be with her daughter...which means no tamales for us! Luckily, making tamales if fun even if it is a lot of work!

Bangin' the Ivorys

This year, Isabella started taking piano lessons from her great-grandma Irene. Here she is, seated at her piano with my little sister Julia. Grandma likes to share that she was taught to play by nuns. In those days, if they didn't like your progress you were slapped! Luckily, Grandma's a lot nicer!

New Kid on the Block

I had my first ultrasound yesterday and I still can't help breaking into a huge silly grin when I see our little babies wriggling around inside on the monitor. This photo really does not do this baby justice as only moments before he or she was so fully extended you could clearly see the profile of the head all the way down to the outstretched toes. I've always loved this little baby, even before I knew we were expecting. I just did.

Uniting for the Common Cause of the Family

I know election day is over, but I came across this video from another blog and had to share it. It's a powerful 3-minute video put out by the Catholic church, encouraging their members to stand up and vote for what is morally right. Being a Latter-Day Saint and coming from a large Catholic family, I can say how grateful I was this election year for members of many faiths to come together for the common cause of the family. Regardless of doctrinal differences, it is a privilege and blessing to stand with our brothers and sisters as one.

My 7 Unspectacular Quirks

I've been really bad about updating my blog and I've been trying to do better. I noticed that since the last time I checked I had been tagged twice so here goes...

Tag 1: My 7 Unspectacular Quirks

RULES
1. Link to the person who tagged you: http://knudsonfamily-8-is-enough.blogspot.com/
2. Mention the rules on your blog

3. Tell 7 unspectacular quirks about you
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking to them

5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger's blogs letting them know they've been tagged

It's tricky narrowing my quirks down to 7...

1. I can't stand a dirty car. It drives me crazy, especially since 90% of the time it's just plain gross. When things get really bad, me and the kids jump in the car and detail it. Yup, look at them having a good time. I can feel them dirtying it up as I write this!


2. I must have a mid-night snack every night at about 8:30pm. The kids are in bed then, and Sam and I have usually settled down to watch a Food Network Program. Unfortunately, we are very susceptible to what their cooking on TV, and usually, what their making is what we'll try to re-create at home. The nachos at 9PM...definitely not a good idea in hindsight.

3. Fingerprints on any household surface drives me nuts. Yes, I realize it sounds like I'm a clean-freak (and I probably am), but if I see prints I'm all over it with cleaner. And yes, with 4 kids, I'm wiping it up a lot.

4. The last sip. Every night, before we drop off to bed, I have to have one last sip of water. And it won't do if Sam is up and around and it's convenient for him to get it. For some reason the water just does not taste as good unless he's stirred from the warm bed and has to walk a ways to make it happen. Yes. I'm mean.




5. I detest having my hair professionally cut. I think I've only made it to a Super-Cuts 3 times in my lifetime before I said never again. Before I was married I trimmed it myself, and later Sam took over. He does a great job, but that still doesn't stop him from trying to get me into the hairdressers chair.


6. My feet are, and forever will be, extremely personal to me. I do not understand how people can get pedicures (or manicures for that matter), because the whole idea of someone touching my toes gives me the willies. Sam knows the worst gift he could ever get me is anything to do with a spa treatment. Yuck!

7. I love cookbooks...and cooking...and eating...and basically anything that has to do with food. It is so much fun to pour over new recipes and select those that I'd like to make for the whole family. My favorite new cookbook is "The Best Light Recipe" by Cooks Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen. There is nothing better than taking classic recipes and trimming them down so they taste just as fantastic but are healthier for everyone.

Okay, those are just a few of my quirks! I can't wait to read about some of yours!

My tags:

1. Leah at http://waynable.blogspot.com/
2. Rachel at http://rachbill.blogspot.com/
3. Lisa at http://mrslisawilliams.blogspot.com/
4. Shannon at http://beltram921.blogspot.com/
5. Serina at http://2ktfaupulagirls.blogspot.com/
6. Jessica at http://joeandjessicaelmer.blogspot.com/

The Tree

Without fail, the decorating of the house for Christmas begins in the days immediately following Thanksgiving. This year however was the first time I participated in Black Friday shopping, and due to the lack of sleep I felt like I had jet-lag for the remainder of that day. Luckily, the Christmas spirit prevailed and in no time our living room was bathed in the soft glow of the Christmas tree lights.

After-Thanksgiving

A few days after Thanksgiving we always host another dinner at home. This time, we do it so we can savor all the wonderful smells and have that abundance of turkey and mashed potatoes for next-day sandwiches. This year, Grandma Lopez joined us, and later Grandma Rose (my mom), and Julia (my sister).

Thanksgiving Dessert

Following Thanksgiving Dinner, the rest of Samuel's family joined for dessert, and as usual the men gathered for a game of Risk. This year's winner? To Sam's dismay, his brother Joe claimed victory...again.


Finally, the Black Friday ads come out and are flipped through time and time again as the women-and Houston!-plot out their plan of attack just a few hours hence.

Thanksgiving 2008

This year we celebrated a quiet Thanksgiving with Samuel's parents. As you can see, she always sets a beautiful table and the food is always wonderful. Check out Owen and then look at Samuel. They are two of the biggest turkeys I know!

Thanksgiving Chicken & Waffles!

Last year we visited Disneyland for the first time as a family, and while we were in L.A. we visited the famous Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles. We fell in love with the combo and so this year we started the first annual Thanksgiving breakfast of Chicken & Waffles with the Macy's Day Parade going full-tilt in the background. It's kind of disgusting considering the big meal to come later in the afternoon...but oh, it's good!

Pre-Thanksgiving Temple Trip

We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to visit the temple in honor of a dear friend who received her endowments for the first time. A huge treat was seeing so many familiar faces from our old Marsyville Ward. What better place for a reunion than the temple? On the way home to pick up the kiddies we stopped for a bite and took some silly photos. It's weird to take pictures with just us-no kids!

Family Home Evening: Game Night!

For a rowdy Family Home Evening we opted for a 3-game dash of Hide-&-Go Seek, Duck-duck-goose, and Twister. Here's what I learned:

1. It's hard to hide when you have gigglers and heavy breathers trying to squeeze in next to you.
   
2. Half the family still doesn't get the concept of running around the circle and then sitting down.
3. It's really, really hard to hold your crazy position in Twister when a 5-year is calling the shots with the spinner and taking forever to do it!

Did we have fun though? Of course!

The Jelly Belly Factory, Fairfield, CA

Later in the month we visited the Jelly Belly Factory with our cousin Abby. To our delight Samuel tried all the disgusting Jelly Beans he could get his hands on, including:

• Pencil Shavings
• Vomit
• Skunk Spray
• And his vote for the most disgusting and realistic: Rotten Egg

Later we hit McDonald's and the kid's burned off some of their sugar high racing down the slides!

Ava's Thanksgiving Performance

Ava's on-stage debut was fantastic! It lasted all of 15 minutes but was pure genius. Especially the lyrics to song that went:

"Gobble, gobble, gobble...Fat turkey, fat turkey...Gobble, gobble, gobble... Fat turkey's are we...We're here for Thanksgiving...We're not here for living...Gobble, gobble, gobble...Fat turkeys are we!"

Great-Grandma Lopez

Nothing beats family, and this little lady is just about the best family around. We love our grandma so, and when we're with her we remember Grandpa Lopez too. Especially when we dine at Home Town Buffet, one of grandpa's favorites.

Our (Free) Hot Spot: The Mall

Let me start by saying that we are not mall people. Our stores are, and will forever be: Walmart, Target, and Costco. But not too long ago we received a gift certificate to See's Candy for 1 lb. of chocolate, so of course shortly thereafter we headed to the mall to pick out our candy and play on the indoor playground. Well lo and behold it was in-grained in our kids minds from that time forward that the mall means super-fun climbing toys and yummy-yummy candy. Oh how disappointed they were the next we went and did not go into See's Candy...but at least they can still jump on the toys.

And Then There Were Eleven

November was our month to host the nieces and nephews for our Rotating Date Night! This picture is woefully misleading because it shows them seemingly still and quiet for a peaceful family dinner-don't let it fool you! The energy ran high that night with tons of chasing, screaming, yelling, jumping, laughing, dancing, and of course, fighting!

7 UP

In our house you're pretty much Queen or King for a day if it's your birthday...with full reign over your meal menu. The only time I ever caught a break from cooking up a storm was when Ava wanted to eat dinner at Long John Silvers! Not so with Bella who requested Chocolate Chip Pancakes for breakfast, Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, and Corn for dinner, with Pistachio Pudding Tarts for dessert. It was a feast to be sure, but what really tugged at my heart strings was knowing that in one short year from now we'd be celebrating her baptism. Time flies.

Annual Trip to Apple Hill

This year we made it up the hill a little late and froze our keesters off! We always have a good time though, especially after some hot chocolate and some deliciously sweet, sticky, and warm apple donuts!