Crazy Christmas Season

We have been gone every night this month.  It was wonderful to have a few hours at home on Sunday afternoon!  We got the handprints painted on the tree skirt and some baking done!
Monday and Tuesday are swimming lessons.
Wednesday is church.  Last week we went caroling in an assisted living home.  This week is caroling outside while the kids attend GEMS and Cadets.
Anika had her school Christmas concert - both band and choir.  Her choir did a small musical called Snow Biz. It was cute.

Friday, Matt and I actually went out for supper - together.  We are trying our best to reinstate monthly date night now that the kids can stay home for a few hours without us.  They were even all in bed when we came home!  Not asleep, but in bed!
Saturday Anika had her basketball season ending tournament.  And her team won first place. She played really well - its always fun to watch!

After the game, we headed off to Grand Rapids for another adventure with Aunt Kathy.  We attended the Calvin College Wind Ensemble Christmas Concert which was very good.  Then took the kids to their first experience with the West Michigan restaurant - Russ'.  Finally we stopped off at a live nativity outdoor show which included indoor crafts and snacks. Good times!

Sunday morning was the kids' Christmas program.  Our church partners with another church for youth programs (youth group, GEMS, Cadets, etc) and we joined them for their Christmas program this year.
Sunday evening we went to a light show at a local strip mall after making several types of cookie.
And now, we start it all over again!

After GEMS and Cadets we went to another local light show - where the lights are computer synced to Christmas music.  Very fun to watch.

Its beginning to look at lot like Christmas

This is a random post of all the little improvements that have been going on in our home!

Matt recently painted most of the trim and hung up hooks for the outdoor Christmas lights.  Once we got it all set up and borrowed ladders from the neighbors, it was quick job getting everything hung up.  And I bought a timer at Menards so I don't have to go outside to turn anything on.  Super bonus!

This is what the house looked like before the trim was painted - I like it the new way!

We had heard about the local high school's Christmas concert. Its the largest Singing Christmas Tree in the US.  I guess they were even in the USA Today on Saturday.  And now we can say we've seen it! There are youtube videos if you are really curious. Mona Shores Singing Christmas Tree. Our neighbor is a senior in high school and she is about seven rows down on the right - I'm sure you can spot her!  It was a neat concert, but it was long.  After the concert we drove to the Jingle Bell Parade in Grand Haven. We were late and there were TONS of people so no candy or chicken soup or free handouts.  Somewhat of a bust in the kids' minds, but such is life.  Not every adventure can be a home run.

The Christmas tree is up as well as the mantle - made by Matt.  We all watched Polar Express together and  we watched Elf this week.

I bought three chairs for our counter from Craigslist.

I had this open space in the laundry room that I really didn't understand.  What was it for?  What was I supposed to put in this space?  Then, I saw a brilliant picture on someone's facebook page of something they had seen on Pinterest.  I can't stand Pinterest, but I love the ideas others find there that I can copy and now Matt has made lovely rungs for me to hang the laundry baskets.  So very cool and handy and yes I need to do the laundry - the baskets are full!

Our outdoor Christmas lights all lit up.

Spirit Week

The kids had spirit week at school last week:
Monday was hat day - they adorned themselves with elf and santa hats.  Except Jessica, she took Matt's Chicago Bears hat.  Her teacher is a Vikings fan (I love her) and the Bears had just beaten the Vikings so Jessica decided to rub it in a little.  Although if the Vikings win, the teacher gives each kid in class 5 extra tickets, so she does like it when the Vikings win.
Tuesday was pajama day.
Wednesday was favorite sports team day.  Maria wore MN Twins, all the other three wore Chicago Bears apparel.
Thursday was crazy hair day - this should say it all.

Friday was school colors day.  The mascot is the Spartans yet the colors are blue and gold. Its a confused MI school! =)

Bentleyville

I am able to add pictures - at least for now, so I added two pictures to my Thanksgiving post a few days from a few days back.

Now, for this post.

You should all know by now how much I love a good adventure.  We were able to fly to MN and back because of my job at the airport.  Our last hurrah.  The kids got to experience what it is like to fly above the clouds. It was cold and gray in Muskegon, but above the clouds was a beautiful sunny day.  They thought that was cool.  I couldn't get us into Minneapolis because the flights were full, but I could get us into Duluth.  So off to Duluth we flew.  Our good friends met us there and we packed 7 kids into the van and off we went.  Adventures awaited.  We decided to stop at the end of the pier at a park I remembered from two summers back.  I remembered this really cool pirate ship park.  We drove for a long time and finally found the park, which was much cooler in my memory than in real life, but it did provide a place to swing and climb for a bit. It was getting dark so we decided to head out and find some food.  Crossing back over the bridge we saw all these Christmas lights.  A few of the kids asked to drive by it, so why not, another adventure.  Turns out we happened upon Bentleyville.  What is Bentleyville?  Well, I'm glad you asked.  I had to ask the volunteers myself. You pay $5 to park and then you walk through this lighted town.  Its along the bay in Duluth, right by the aquarium, along the walking path.  They have set up little houses to stop at and everything is lights.  There are bridges and dinosaurs, and lawn ornaments and you name it, they built it and lit it up. The centerpiece is a tower shaped like a Christmas tree and the lights are computer connected to the music that is playing.  The first stop along the path is for cookies and hot chocolate.  The next hut has popcorn.  The third hut gives you marshmallows on a stick and has several outdoor camp fires to roast them on.  Then you can visit Santa in his house, then you can visit Mrs. Claus and she gives you a candy cane.  We stopped at all the huts, except Santa, and all the goodies were free! =)  It was a great adventure.  We were cold, but it was fun!  Thanks guys!

The centerpiece tree

The bridge in the back ground

rockin with Santa

car troubles

Our van has been possessed since we purchased it.  It has always wanted to pull to the right.  We would get it aligned, and it would still pull.  We got steering columns, rack and pinions, tie rods, you name it, we've changed it, and it still pulled.  I went to have the tires rotated and balanced and they wouldn't do it because the tires were so badly worn in one spot.  They suggested a place I go to, and get it looked at.  So, off I went.  And I explained my whole saga to them.  They assured me that they had the right equipment and the right people on staff - some more than 20 years - that could get my van running smoothly again.
I am pleased to announce that they accomplished their goal.  It wasn't cheap, but I can drive my van STRAIGHT again!  IA here we come for the family Christmas party!
We found out from someone at church later that we went to the most expensive place in town.  I don't even care, they fixed it!  But we know where to go now!  Matt got his breaks fixed at the place suggested by the guy from church and I am got some fluids flushed there. I also received a new radiator and a cellanoid, whatever the heck that is, so hopefully I'm good.  They say things break in threes, I wish I had been keeping count since we moved into this house.  I'd like to know which multiple of three we are on!
Never a dull day in MI!

Whitefish fishing

Matt and a friend took Brandon Whitefish fishing a two weeks ago. I waited to post so I could give a picture!  They are fairly large fish that live in Lake Michigan and spawn in the rivers.  They run through the channels in schools late at night.  This beauty was caught around 9 PM.  I wasn't there but I will give you the information to the best of my knowledge.  They run in large schools and are attracted to shiny spinners.  No bait is necessary but you are only allowed to keep the fish if it actually takes the hook.  You cannot snag a fin, or a tail or something like that.   From what I understand, there were 10 fish caught that night, but only one was allowed to be kept (Brandon's).  All the others were snags.  There are so many fish that they literally get their fins stuck in the hook.  Isn't that crazy!  And I guess, if you catch a fin or a tail, they can put up quite the fight while being reeled in.  Nice work buddy!

Funny family time

I had to write these down somewhere so I would remember them. I'm sure in years to come, my kids will kill me for this, but right now, its too cute to pass up.
Anika told me on the way home from school yesterday that she was the second runner up in the geography bee for her class.  The first thought that ran through my head was 'how can any child of mine even be in the top ten?' but I let that pass. I am fairly geographically challenged as far as the world is concerned. I am great with directions and maps, just don't ask me where are any countries in Africa or South America!
So, she goes on to explain at supper that they had taken a geography test to see who would be in the school geography bee.  There were six students who all got the same score - she was one of them.  So they had their own little geography bee in their classroom with those six students.  At the end of six rounds, places 1, 2, 5, and 6 had been determined, but Anika and another classmate were still in the running for 3rd or 4th.  The teacher was tired of spending most of the morning on geography, so those places were determined by a coin flip.  Anika chose tails 'because it never fails'.... well, it failed.  So, she is officially 4th place in the 6th grade class and the second runner up.  On the day of the geography bee, if both the first and second place students fail to show up, Anika is on.  I'm not holding my breath, and neither is she, but it was a funny story!

Jessica also came home with a sheet of paper in which she had to write about what she would do with $100.  She had to give it away to a person or to a charity.  Her first choice was her best friend back in MN, but I persuaded her otherwise.  I first had to explain what a charity was, and then I gave her about ten examples:  Operation Christmas Child, Feed my starving Children, Kids Against Hunger, American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen, etc.  She first decided she wanted to do Susan G. Komen and talk about our friend that had breast cancer and squirting people walking on the 3 - day walk.  So I was having her tell me what she was going to write and she stopped and looked up with her big eyes as only she can and said 'wait, I want to give the money to the parsonage.'  My first thought was, little xxxx, wants to somehow keep the money herself. Thankfully I didn't say that out loud, but asked some questions.  I tried to figure out if she meant where we lived in Grand Haven, or to the pastors that live in the house, or to the church.  We had explained to the kids when we lived in the parsonage in Grand Haven that they kept that house for people who didn't have a place to stay, like us... pastors, missionaries, etc.  So, I was grasping that maybe she had remembered that and wanted to give it to someone like that.  'No mom, to the kids that don't have dads or moms.'  OHHHHHHH big smile, hidden chuckle.  'You mean orphanage' (me)  'Yes, how do you spell that anyway?' (her)  So we got the paper written.  At the end, she has to say what she wants them to do with the money.  I suggested food, clothes, toys, books....... but she came up with the best one:  LOVE.  She said she wants them to use the money to hire more people so the kids have someone to love them.  Then she decided she wanted to go and work in an orphanage some day so she could love all the kids that lived there.  How sweet is that.