Christmas Day happiness

Christmas Day is worthy of more than just a few photos.  So here goes...

We thought single shot nerf pistols might be a bit of fun.... and while I was ordering 5 Matt decided 6 was a better number :)  These battles get pretty intense.  Usually the oldest three vie against Matt, the little two tend to be on Dad's team but are frequently lured into joining the big sibs too.  Split allegiances, those little guys :)

I love the Christmas morning experience - the whole day really!

These girls are gift-givers extraordinaire!  In Lydia's left hand is a cookbook Julianna wrote for her.  It's called "Cookbook for New Cooks" and it starts "Dear Lydia, The first thing is you have to know how to use measuring cups.  Like teaspoons, tablespoons and cups.  It is very easy.  After that you are pretty golden."

It's riddled with spelling and grammar errors, but the whole thing is just so Julianna... i love it.

Watching Luke was pure entertainment.  He had a great morning!

All pink and purple - new pajamas, new tennis shoes, new watch!!

Isaac is a lego lover.

Plenty of patience and hard work and ....

His little brother is becoming quite the little lego-er himself :)

When he needs help the big sisters are quick to jump in.

Actually, the whole family tends to Lego :)

though Luke is more successful with the duplos (which are still a favorite with all the boys).

New scooters for everyone!  So fun to see them enjoy these - such great fun for the kids and our complex is perfect scooter-territory.

Quite the little lady, and she got so many fun craft supplies!

A couch full of love!

A backpack is a sure-win for your favorite toddler/preschooler.  Luke has been using an old cast-off and is thrilled to have "his own".  Many happy hours of zipper-ing ahead for this little man!

And my favorite way to spend a Christmas Day afternoon.... nose in a book!

I jumped in and read a few of the kids' new titles too.  As a child I never doubted there would be a solid collection of new reading material under the tree - gonna teach my kiddos the same great lesson.

We hosted friends for dinner (oops, no pics) but they did help us take a family picture in front of the tree.

12 Christmases with this man as my husband.  They get better every year!

Much love and joy!  What a sweet day of celebrating!

Merry Christmas!

{Apparently we aren't the easiest crew to get a picture of.... ha!  I had better luck on the shots when I was behind the camera!}

She's NINE

Halfway to 18.  I can't even think about it.  Every minute of this little girl's life is a gift.  Not every minute is easy, but 9 years in I can confidently say that each one is a gift.  And I am thankful.

She started - and ended - her day with presents.  A morning playing with the siblings and helping in the kitchen, lunch date with her Daddy, Mexican dinner (she did most of the cooking, of course!) and cupcake dessert.

Lucky girl has all the help she ever wanted opening gifts :)  She's a pro at handling this.. at one point I saw her bend down and whisper to Luke, "no buddy, these aren't for you but wait just two more days and it'll be your turn!"

After dinner and cupcakes and gifts we took turns sharing things we especially enjoy or appreciate about Julianna.  John Paul said he liked her piggy back rides.  So of course, she had to give him one.

Julianna, you are a treasure.  We love you!

[I'm bummed I missed a picture of her and Matt heading out on their date - this is becoming such a special treat each kiddo looks forward to.  I told him today that I want him to take me out to lunch for MY birthday!]

our new "cool" mall

So a new mall opened up a few blocks from our house.  It's a nice addition to the other three malls within walking distance.  ha.

How many malls can one person really need?!?!?!  I can't believe they each manage to fill with people and stay open, but they do!  I guess that's one thing population density will do for ya.

So this one, the main difference between it and the others is that it they haven't turned the heat on yet!  Maybe because it's still fairly empty, or they are in a 'soft opening' season?  But it is COLD in there!

We walked down last weekend to check it out.  There is a digital ceiling that changes scenery - that blueish looking thing is actually one of several different scenes.  Lydia and John Paul look like they are outside but this picture is inside the mall - still in hats and gloves!

And then last night for date night Matt and I decided to change things up a bit and go ice skating.  We had noticed the ice rink at the new mall and although skating in August might be refreshing, skating in a mall that was probably 55 degrees felt just fine too!

We had a blast!  We used my phone to make slo-motion videos that are so hilarious!  I'm no ice skater but managed to stay on my feet, until Matt got me laughing too hard - then it was a slippery fall to the ice for me :)  There were only a few other people on the ice so that made it even more fun!  We will be doing this date again, and we promised to take the kids one day too :)

Today was Julianna's birthday and such a treat!  Photos coming!

the background scenery

It's something seemingly simple, but I don't really notice it until I see it in pictures.

I live in a sea of towering buildings.  This is an enormous city, an influential city, a fast growing city, home to millions.  And the millions live and work in high rises.  

This is Isaac's preschool class doing morning exercises.  It'll be tricky to find him, he has his jacket hood up covering his hair.  [navy jacket, white sleeve covers, brown pants partially obscured by a classmates flag]

I dropped him off a bit late one morning and he had to rush to catch his class.  I snapped a few pictures as I walked away and when I got home the one thing that stood out most was the brown high rises surrounding his school!   [You can see the rear wing of his school on the left side of the picture, it's a two story building with about 500 students ages 3 to 6.  They have lots of play areas, courtyards, green space and playground equipment.  We are very thankful!]

And then two days later, this one. 

I thought I was taking a picture of the apple truck.  

And there they are again, more brown high rises!  I'm used to it, they don't stand out every day.  But sometimes I can't believe my own picture-eyes!  How in the world did I ever get myself to this crazy massive city?!?!?  

[And the apple truck parked at the gate of our complex is kinda fun, huh?  One way to take care of the middle man in the supply chain.  This truck is from a few provinces away .... pick apples.  load truck.  hire driver.  cruise highway.  park.  sell.  When the truck is empty he will head back for another load.]

a milestone for my middle middle

I sometimes think of Isaac as my middle-middle.  It doesn't get more middle than #3 in a pack of 5.  And he handles the role so very very well.  I got quite the gift when God put Isaac in his middle middle spot.

And earlier this week my middle middle hit a big milestone.  Finished reading through the Beginners Bible.  In our family reading the entirety of this 500plus pager (aloud) is your ticket to a real Bible of your own!  I knew it was in Isaac's near future so I advanced ordered his Bible when we were in the U.S. and it's been waiting in my dresser drawer for this day :)

It took him several months, and in late November he got really motivated to finish before Christmas Day.  We sailed through the final chapters and then stopped at the very last one to wait for Daddy.  When I told Isaac we would wait and read the last one when Matt got home he asked "how many more hours will that be?"  The answer ("probably 2 or 3 hours, buddy") was a bit of a discouragement and by the time Matt walked in the door Isaac was pacing the living room waiting!  The family gathered on the couch, listened to him read the last few pages, and he tore open the wrapping paper.... victory!

This year was special to see the girls really choose to encourage Isaac in his quest!  They have identical Bibles, and really wanted Isaac to be part of the "club".  He's a blessed boy to have such big sisters!

And now we have another one who has his own copy of the WORD!  What a gift!  Oh that he would treasure it for a lifetime!

the banners

My big three with their tie-dye banners from the birthday party.  I wish I had gotten a picture of all the kids and their tie-dye but oh well... 

You can see that no one stuck too close to the tie-dye pattern but instead ventured out with their own "what will happen to this design when the colors start to bleed" ideas!

Isaac and Lydia (both top bunkers) hung theirs from the railing of their bed.

I have three remaining banner-napkins so these kiddos are looking forward to tie-dye round two, probably this weekend.  

And how fun is this?!?!  I was shocked by how well the cake turned out.  It came from a box, y'all!  The colors stayed so bright and the layers didn't smudge together.  We will definitely do one like this again!

a tie dye birthday

Our internet is giving me all kinds of trouble .... ugh.  It's gotten to the point that I can hardly use it at all in the evenings.  Oh well, these things tend to come and go so maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised next week :)  

I started this post 24 hours ago and will see if it lets me finish it now...

We celebrated Julianna's 9th birthday this weekend.  She started the shindig with two friends sleeping over, then after Sunday group and a big lunch together the 11 oldest kids joined us for some tie-dye fun.  

Earlier this fall a friend brought us a tie-dye cake mix and it lit a fire in Julianna that she wanted "a tie-dye party".  We baked the cake Saturday night and after much oohing and aahing the decision was made - no frosting.  The cake was much too beautiful on it's own.  

[I had no idea the color pattern would stay as clear as it did, even after baking.  In retrospect I should have coached the bakers towards using the colors to paint a "9" or a "J" ... we just had a meandering river look going on!]

We tie dyed used colored sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol.  It worked awesome.  Instead of pillowcases or t shirts (vetoed by Julianna, too humdrum) we chose to tie-dye "banners".  I bought a stack of white restaurant napkins and they worked nicely.  

I have pictures but they won't load, hopefully I can come back later and add them.  It really was a fun activity, perfect for my craft loving daughter!  

After the tie dye slowed down we got ready for cake!  A few of the dads had been outside with littler children (no sharpie markers for my John Paul, thankyouverymuch!) and we all gathered to sing and eat.  

These children (and their parents) are among our dearest friends here.  

Such joy to celebrate this daughter of ours together with them.  Julianna's got more celebrating on the horizon too!  We'll do a little something on her actual birthday (the 23rd).  

I'm so thankful for this beautiful little lady, my firstborn.   Happy almost-9th-birthday Julianna!  

stage make up {updated with more photos}

So it's over.  The girls, well all of us, heaved a sigh of relief.  It was a fun adventure, but we are all weary of the endless rehearsing and schedule changes.

The filming is done and now we wait for the show to air (on New Year's Day).

When I picked up the girls yesterday I was a bit taken back by all the make up.  I am not ready for them to look this grown up.  I am not ready for them to BE this grown up!

They had a great day at the TV studio.  Lydia told me they met some "really famous Chinese people".  I asked her who she met and she said "well, I don't know, but I got their autograph".  ha!  When in Rome... Julianna didn't bother to get autographs.  "I didn't even know who they were!", she said.

Of course, neither did Lydia.

Here are a few pictures of the shindig.  I've seen a DVD of the first level competition so I'm pretty familiar with the performance but I didn't ever see it live.  [parent participation is not really a value of the school system here.]

I got these pictures from Lydia's teacher (no idea where she got them from).  I LOVE Lydia's teacher, such a gentle spirit!  And she initiates with me!

I looked at these together with the girls asking them to fill in details.  They mostly loved the dry ice effects.  Also the screen behind them was apparently pretty fancy stuff.

So that's the end of our jaunt into Tang Dynasty poetry (the theme of the competition - I'm dead serious!  It's a pretty incredible culture than has thousands of years of history to celebrate and now I can boast that Luke, thanks to the big sisters,  has memorized a bit of 唐诗! ha!)

Anyways... enough talk of ancient poetry.

Isaac (who spent Tuesday night throwing up - ugh!) seems to be on the mend, no one else is showing any signs of repeating his activities, and the laundry pile is diminishing once again.  Matt gets home late tonight (his last trip until after the holidays!) and we have a birthday party for my almost-9-year-old this weekend.  Good times!

TV day (almost)

Today was dress rehearsal at the TV studio.  For me that meant that we, me and the party of five, were out the door by 7:45 am.  Certainly an invigorating start to the morning!  

I 'traded' a child with my neighbor Ashlei, sending John Paul and receiving her Grady.  With Luke in the stroller we headed for the girls school (drop off by 8am) and then back towards home where we stopped in at the boys' school and got Isaac and Grady to their respective classrooms.  The boys' school doesn't accept students before 8:10 and we were definitely on the early side!  

That sweet yellow glow is streetlight, not sunshine.  Though we had two nice sun-shine-y days last weekend things have taken a solid turn towards typical winter weather... gray with a light drizzle all. day. long.  Pleasant.  [ha!]

The girls were home late this afternoon and tomorrow is the big final day.  I'm ready.  And so are they.

as serious as it gets

This is serious business, waiting for "your day" to do the advent calendar.  With five siblings to share the work it takes a bit of patience :)  Even Luke is quick to claim his turn in the rotation and showed remarkable restraint waiting an extra three minutes until the big moment arrived.

With 24 days to complete, running youngest to oldest , we get through the family exactly 4.8 times.  Sweet Julianna.  Being oldest has major perks, and a few drawbacks.

This year we hung our calendar on the big glass door - it separates our home from the entry porch and during the winter we try to keep it closed as much as we can, helps the house stay a smidge warmer.

Either way, open or closed, it's a great spot to hang our favorite Advent tradition.

your best books?

What are your favorite Christmas books for children?  Actually, feel free to throw in your best Advent/Christmas reading suggestions for adults too :)  

I'm trying to beef up our collection and do a little Christmas shopping at the same time!  

this afternoon

The girls are back at it - more rehearsals.  As it turns out they did well, really really well, in the competition.  Now they are performing again, this time on television!  ha!  I have zero details at this point, my guess is it'll be on the provincial station?  

My first reaction to this news (more rehearsals, I mean) was a deep sigh.  I was about done with all the drama (pun intended!)  The biggest complaint I have is that I never know when they will finish for the day.... I wait til I get a phone call and then head up to school.  Now school is close, but it's still a trip with the boys and the whole late afternoon/need to cook dinner thing is kind of a big deal.  OH well, surely it'll be done soon.  And I really am excited for them!  Af first they weren't too fired up about more rehearsing but with the "you'll be on tv" news they've perked up a bit!  

So our afternoons feel long and lazy with no 4pm walk to school.  Today the boys colored and cut up some older Christmas themed coloring books and we created manger scenes.  My John Paul is really growing up!  He'll be FOUR on New Year's Day.  And his smile is pretty incredible :)  

Isaac majors on attention to detail, precision, thoughtfulness.

Luke was in my lap (he's a bit of a marker fanatic these days) and the two bigger boys were working hard on their artwork for a solid chunk of the afternoon.  Such a fun way to spend time with my boys (even if I am missing my girls!)

Then came the phone call, and a scramble to get out the door while gluesticks and scissors and crayons scattered :)  Got our big sisters and hurried home to start dinner.... then lights on the tree and finished the ornaments too.  The last four hours were full, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

starting Christmas

We jumped head first into Christmas today.

And not a moment too soon for my kids - they've been stockpiling Christmas presents for weeks!  I ruined many a moment by refusing to get out the Christmas wrapping paper before Thanksgiving.  Oh well, they forgive quick :)

It's been two years since we celebrated in our own home - last year we weren't even together until December 21st!  So this year feels extra special, our first Christmas in this apartment.  

We got the tree up, but lights only cover the bottom chunk... I remembered (getting out the boxes this morning) that two years ago we had to ditch some of our lights and needed to buy new.  We should have them in the next few days and in the meantime we enjoyed decorating the rest of the house and ornament-ing the bottom branches :)  

Flexibility, that's what it's about.  

In this picture the tree looks perfectly normal :)  But the top 80% is dark :)  Thanks to the big kids the pile of presents is already growing.  Julianna leads out strong with a serious love of gift-giving and the others follow big sister.  It's pretty awesome. 

Big bummer that no one around here has any personality, huh?  

I'm so excited to do Advent with this crew.