My Favorite Parts of Christmas (and a Limited Time Video Bonus)

We had a quiet Christmas at home this year and I really enjoyed it. Here are a few of my favorite highlights:

1. Alas, many of you know I have had a few run-ins with the law this year. The last incident resulted in an expensive speeding ticket. So my favorite gift this year was . . . a radar detector from Ben. I laughed out loud when, after I removed the paper, Janae said, "It's so you know when polices are there."

2. Cooking pies on Christmas Eve and hearing Ben in the basement helping the girls wrap their presents for me. He was so sweet and patient. Even Daila got to wrap one. I like how she wrote "mom" on the paper: three careful circles, underneath each one Ben wrote a letter with an arrow to the corresponding circle/letter and it was just darn cute.

3. Ben carrying on the tradition of the Christmas Mouse story-telling on Christmas Eve. For those of you who aren't Voelkels: We laid Grandma Annie's quilt on the floor in front of the Christmas tree. We set out our guacomole, bean dip, chips, and egg nog. (Janae said it was the best Christmas because we usually don't get snacks like that.) I told the biblical Christmas story and we put on the last piece to our nativity "countdown"--the baby Jesus. Then Ben told the mouse story that has been told by his dad for . . . well I guess forever. :) And as Anna listened, sitting on my lap, she turned back to me with a grin and whispered, "He's good at this."

Which leads me to the Limited Time Video Clip of Ben telling the mouse story. Which I was told not to post anywhere. So watch it while you can because I will have to remove the evidence if my life is in danger. :) Besides it's too dark and quiet to keep posted here, but maybe it will still give you the "mood" of our Christmas Eve.

We enjoyed spending quality time with our own little family this year, and creating our own Christmas traditions by infusing Hamblin and Voelkel traditions together. This is the first of many Christmases spent at home. We still plan to travel after Christmas to visit with our extended families, because that holiday time with cousins and grandparents is extremely important. But we have learned, for our family, Christmas becomes more meaningful when we spend it at home. (Ahh...Mom, your little girl is growing up. *sniff*)

We hope your Christmases were just as enjoyable. Now go take a nap so you will be rested up for New Year's fun!!

VIDEO HAS BEEN REMOVED

Merry Christmas to All . . .

M- Many memories made flying with Ben. He earned his private pilot’s license this year!
E - Exciting day for Anna when she was baptized on June 7th.
R - Returning to school. Linda began a Master’s program at Missouri Baptist University, just like her mom. Same program, same school . . . they can share notes!
R - Reactivating her Missouri teaching certificate. Linda will be substituting long term for 4th Grade.
Y - Young Women. Linda served with them in the Pagedale Branch and is called to work with them now in the Maryland Heights Ward. (I guess I still need to hone my texting abilities – lol, learn how to pop and lock, and say “tight” instead of awesome.)

C - Computers. Ben changed from salary to hourly and will get paid more now when he is on call or patching servers.
H - Home Depot is where Ben has a second job.
R - Really proud of Anna and Janae for earning and saving the money for new bikes.
I - In mourning for our luaus, hula koholos, lapa lapas, pa’u skirts, poi balls, pearly shells, ami and farapu drills, live music, and dancing barefoot with flowers in our hair. We have learned a lot, but had to say talofa to our teacher and her ohana as they moved to Texas. We say mahalo to them for all they gave us. We will always be a part of the Hula Halau O’Makua!
S - Sunbeams will welcome Daila to their class in January. She is 3 years old!
T - Time flies . . . Janae is 7 and Anna is 8. They are both looking forward to the Achievement Day program in our church.
M - Many visits with cousins. We had a great gathering in June for Anna, who thoroughly enjoyed our house guests. We also gathered in St. Joe this year for a romping good Thanksgiving. We have many sleepovers with Aunt Karyn since we live so close to her fiancé. And Daila and her cousin Julia are attached at the hip. We love you all! Thanks for your love and support.
A - Always keeping busy but pausing long enough to enjoy the moment.
S - Sending lots of love your way. We hope and pray your 2009 is filled with success and many fond memories.

Sweet Sister Moment

Janae was sitting on her stool on top of the couch eating animal crackers. Well that just looked like way too much fun to her little sister, Daila. So what does Janae do?...Tell her lil sis to go away? Nope. Janae sweetly got the other stool and helped Daila sit right next to her. She is telling Daila what animal her cracker is and together they bit off the heads. Ahhhh . . . so sweet.

O Christmas Tree

Daila loves our christmas tree and I just couldn't help myself . . . so I am posting another video. (They're sooo much fun, though. Aren't they?!) When I first turned on the tree's lights, Daila quietly drew a breath and put her hand on her chest. It was so adorable and reverently in awe and so unexpected (or I would have caught that on film instead of being alone with her). And when we decorated it (the first time) she kept singing "O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree." Well we bought some Christmas tree cupcakes the other night and Daila sat down with hers at the table almost immediately. But she wouldn't eat it. She just looked at it and made it dance and smiled and sang, "O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree . . ." Well I had learned my lesson and I wanted to attempt to catch the moment. So here is a short video of Daila and her precious Christmas tree:

Christmas is Here

I just read a post about stealing. Stealing moments from life. Those moments life gives you that "feel so good and wholesome, so deeply satisfying that it almost makes you feel like you're cheating, like you stole it." Then I read a post about bringing in the Christmas season with a wonderful Christmas concert. And then I remembered . . .
This past Friday I went to visit family in Sullivan. I was helping Dave and Amanda by babysitting Julia and Ethan. Ben wasn't able to come with us, so it was one of those "looong" drives with the kids. I got there just in time for their Relief Society Christmas dinner. Husbands were invited and a nursery was provided and I stood there feeling a little awkward at first. But the branch quickly embraced me, making me feel welcome.
There was a short program following dinner. My sister, Karyn, was playing prelude music when I entered the chapel. My mom and dad sat on either side of me (my mom on the end so she could conduct the music), and my other family members sat on the rows just in front of me. A couple of sisters read some stories and excerpts and then my mom had a turn to read. And then my brother read. After each reading we sang a Christmas hymn. And at that moment, sitting in the chapel with the adults from my family, listening to their stories, singing Christmas hymns, I felt it . . . Christmas is here. Now . . . Christmas is here. Finally I felt the Christmas spirit. It was in the songs and harmony of my family. It was there all along. It is always there.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I just love Christmas. Here is a photo of our live, 8 ft Christmas tree. Yes, we actually got a live tree this year. A Hamblin tradition. And apparently it has a very crooked trunk. We enjoyed this big, beautiful, natural tree sooo much . . . we decorated it twice. These pictures were taken before it fell down this morning. (insert big sigh) Only a few ornament casualties and the upside . . . we got to decorate the tree again!

Did the Girls Like the Snow?!

Hey Cindy, this one is for you . . .
So in answer to your question, yes the girls liked our recent snowfall and no I don't think it is ever too cold for them here. Idaho . . . maybe. But not here. Too cold for me, maybe. :)
On Monday, Daila and I walked the girls to the bus stop and when we got home, Daila wanted to play in the front yard and walk in the snow. I was getting cold, but she didn't want to come in. She was so cute, and I had no one to share it with, so I took this 2 min. video that I figured would be too boring for anyone else but me and Ben. Just in explanation, Daila is making "triangles" by walking in the snow. If you get bored, just turn it off. But I wanted to share Daila's enjoyment as a reply to your question. This is my first video so I hope it doesn't take to long to load . . .

The First Snowfall

We had our first snowfall last night and some snow showers throughout the day! Tis the season. Bring on the soft stuff! :) (We still miss Utah snow.)

Thanksgiving in St. Joe

We didn't take any time off for Thanksgiving this year so we found ourselves making a whirlwind trip to St. Joseph, MO (about a 4 1/2 hour drive for us). We left around 6:30 am and returned at 11:30 pm. And jam-packed between those hours we had lots of fun, family, and food. It was great to get to visit with everyone. But alas . . . even though I took the camera (a huge accomplishment for me), the only pictures I have to chronicle our trip are these two that I took on my new phone. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

I love this one of Grampa "wrastling" with Haley. I'm just sorry that I missed the action just before this shot when Haley was carrying him around. Oh well . . . maybe next year.

Ben's Day "Off"

Ben has been working at Home Depot part-time and this is the first Saturday he has had off in a while. So it was the perfect opportunity to cut down the tree on the fence line. Here is a little tour of our back yard and some pictures of our tree removal process.

Just a pile of wood from the branches we cut down during the week. We started this project a few weeks ago. (Thanks John and Mary for letting us borrow your chainsaw and thanks to our neighbors who let us borrow their extension ladder.)

A stump in the middle of our yard from our first tree removal.

The corner of the yard that was once the home of the killer poison ivy. Ben was my hero and removed all evidence of the offending plant. I am extremely allergic to poison ivy. It isn't pretty.

Just a few of the bricks and rocks we have had to remove since moving into this house. The yard was very overgrown and contained some various decorative elements that may have been beautiful at one time, but were old and worn out. Just behind this pile of bricks you can see a remnant of our statue of Mary that adorned the center of our backyard. That's a story for another time. It is common in this city to have statues of saints in your yard to bestow certain blessings for your home.
Ummm . . . this is our fire pit. But of course it is illegal to burn anything in the city.

This is a picture of our ancient cottonwood tree that is a humongous monster. Ben cut down the "smaller" tree pictured the lower left. This cottonwood blankets the neighborhood in downy cotton in the spring and showers the block with leaves in the fall. And we are all going to have to deal with that, because there is no way Ben is going to climb this one to cut it down. It is a pretty tree and we do enjoy the shade . . .

And now the real adventure.....

I am at the other end of the rope. My job was to provide the counter-weight so the branches wouldn't just come crashing down on the neighbor's chain link fence or garage or swing back into Ben. But that was pretty easy really since Ben strategically used the rope and saw. He did all the hard work and the fourth graders think he's Spiderman. Now that I'm using my camera more, I need to make sure it doesn't distract me from the other things I'm supposed to be doing. At one point Ben said, "Linda!" "What?!" "Pull!" "I'm just trying to document our adventure!" And with conversation like that, perhaps I should title this blog, "When Blogging Can be Dangerous." Oh well . . . He'll appreciate the pictures later.

Daila's Thumbelina Dance

Ben has just taught me how to upload pictures from our camera to the computer. (I know. It's shocking that I have gone this long without learning this very important 20th century skill. But better late than never.) So I will try to post decent pictures from now on. But habits are hard to break and I am still not used to carrying my camera around with me. So here are some photos from my phone of Daila dancing to Charo (who plays a toad on Thumbelina). If you are unfamiliar with our favorite movie, Thumbelina (or with Charo), here is a picture of her . . .

Now imagine Daila dancing impromptu in the style of this lovely entertainer and you will understand why I just had to capture the moment.

Do I have a Latina bombshell in the making, or what!?! :) She can sure shake it! Now we just have to teach her how to sing very fast, because as Mrs. Toad says, "We don't do ballads!"

where do they come up with this stuff?

So I've been blog stalking and leaving comments and I just had to wonder . . . who comes up with those "security" words? How much do they get paid for that? And where do they get their ideas? I just typed in "founduck" and "bummocks". I mean, really . . . are they just getting silly with all of us now? "Hey Fred! Let's make everyone type "bummocks" to verify their identity and communicate with their friends." Sheesh. ......Well actually, if it pays well . . . could be a pretty fun job. :)

Ahh Technology . . .

I am working on my "Tagged" project (which I will be posting soon) and was taking some pictures of the girls to illustrate it. After every picture, of course, the girls all said, "Can I see? Can I see? Can I see?" And this was starting to slow down the process because you have to stop after every picture so everyone can review it. So I was starting to let it irritate me and I said, "You guys can see them later. . . . You know, there used to be a time when you couldn't look at your pictures right after you took them. You had to wait until the film was developed and just hope you got some good ones." I wanted them to just be grateful they got to see any at all and stop asking. I think they got the jist of the meaning and could tell I was getting annoyed because they were quiet for a minute. Then Anna asked, "What's developing film?" I had to laugh, "Exactly my point!"

I've Been Tagged

Thanks for "tagging" me Cindy.
I am . . . an awesome substitute teacher who is highly sought after. Reserve me in advance, or you'll lose your chance. :)

I know . . . how to hula.

I have . . . 3 daughters.

I dislike . . . leftovers.

I want . . . to make a difference.

I win . . . word games.

I lose . . . my patience.

I miss . . . eating out.

I cry . . . in secret.

I feel . . . "pretty, oh so pretty . . ."

I don't . . . like cops and I don't want anymore speeding tickets.

I hear . . . kids calling me Mom, Mrs. Voelkel, and Teacher . . . incessantly.

I argue . . . when I really shouldn't.

I smell . . . clean kiddos just out of the bath.

I search . . . for macthing socks.

I listen . . . to Christmas music before Halloween.
I crave . . . baked goods. I am such a sucker for bad carbs . . .

I need . . . shoes. All the time. Lots and lots of shoes.

I regret . . . not being more generous. (and those speeding tickets)

I love . . . flying with Ben.

(I love Missouri.)

(the Mississippi River sparkles from the sky and doesn't look muddy at all.) :}
I care . . . about education.
I wish . . . I had energy efficient windows.

This picture is illustrating the lengths we have to go to in order to regulate our home's temperature. Behind our thick curtains you can see the plastic that covers our 100 year old windows to help reduce the draft. Without the plastic, you can actually see the curtains move on very windy days.

I can usually be found . . . wearing Ben's U of U sweatshirt.

I am scared . . . of crunching spiders. yechk

(1. Monster spider . . . in my sink! Unacceptable. 2. See how ugly he is?! Problem: I can't crush spiders . . . they make an icky crunchy sound. Plus, Ben said he wouldn't come home from work just to kill a spider. So much for Prince Charming. :{ 3. So I boiled some water and poured it on him. Squirmed . . . and died. I felt awful. Very traumatic experience. I think I will seek counselling. Stupid yucky spider.)

I worry . . . too much.

I remember . . . my first kiss.

I believe . . . everyone means well. It is just as easy to assume the best of people as it is to assume they mean to offend.

I dance . . . with the Young Women. (and when I make dinner, but that's a secret)

I write . . . with my left hand.

I forget . . . my keys. (I do NOT want to get into details here. But I WOULD like to thank my many friends and family, and the Venita Park police officer, who have helped me out in the past. I promise I will make a copy and wear it on my neck.)

I am happy . . . in the peace of a good book, all alone, or surrounded by the commotion of my extended family.

I tag . . . April, Kara, and Aleshia. If I can do it, I know you can. Let's have some fun.