Winter wonderland

Yes, this is another tobogganing hill. Only this time, Luke and I refrained and let the kids have their fun. Titus has been going down the hill by himself and tends to get more than the usual amount of snow in his face, which makes for a lot of drama. Of course, Caleb and Ethan are consumed with hitting all the jumps and getting the most air. The strategies they come up with! Christmas holidays combined with loads of snow have made sledding a part of our daily lives. If it isn't at the hill, it is on the piles of snow in front of our house. The boys are sure making up for last year when conditions weren't quite as perfect! I even drove a snowmobile for the first time since before I got married.

Christmas was a lot of fun! The two older boys got remote control trucks that are still only when the batteries need recharging. Titus seems thrilled with his semi and loader. I got Luke a Home Theater subscription and I got (drum roll, everybody) ... an Ipod! I've spent the last four days fooling around with it, loading on my music and podcasts and sermons (don't laugh). It's the perfect gift. I am not one who likes housework, as my husband can attest to, but a distraction sure makes the work go fast. This is probably a gift for both of us, come to think of it. What a sneaky man!

Christmastime

Well, we here at the Willms' household have actually managed to get some decorating done. It ain't all pretty, and it looks a little bit like someone puked up Christmas decorations on our tree, but they are there. The reason things are so random is that the tree has had some mishaps. In a creative mommy moment, I decided the boys would love to put candy canes on the tree. And I was right! Except that putting things on the tree means putting them on every branch, including the top ones. Now, when a seven-year-old stands on a chair and stretches up and reaches out, gravity inevitably kicks in and takes matters into its own hands. As a result, the tree fell onto our TV. Then mommy tried to put it up and managed to throw it against the window. Sometime after that it decided to commit suicide and fell over in a totally new direction while we were all reading a book. Sigh.

Some other Christmasy goodness in our house is the obligatory gingerbread house. So far, no little candies have gone missing. The piano has gone festive and the banners are beribboned. Yet another thing is the Advent calendar. Last, but not least, are elf shoes - a new tradition for this season. A combination of a Coke box, hockey tape, and socks that will set you apart from all others during the holidays. Wear them to the family gathering, the office party, and, of course, the neighborhood carolling. Comfortable and versatile, these shoes could be yours for the low price of a couple candy canes. Buy now, they are going fast!

Finally!

I have finally finished a monster quilt that took me, dare I say, three years from start to finish. It was one of those block of the month things, and every time I received a block, I set it aside. Two Christmases ago I pieced it all together and then was sick of looking at it. It waited in my unfinished quilt pile until last year when I managed to sandwich it together. I had finally started on the actual quilting when we moved and it got put on the backburner again. Then I got mad at it because it wasn't going the way I wanted it to. I finished it only because I really needed my sewing machine for other things and it was taking up to much room. So here it is. And am I ever glad it is finished. Now on to the next three year project...

And the hubby of the year award goes to...

Last weekend we went to Edmonton for Luke's Christmas present. Poor guy had to ride in the back of the 'burb because of his tailbone. We went and inflicted more pain on him for the ride home - Lasik eye surgery. Yep, he can now see unassisted by glasses or contacts of any kind. The only problem is that fluorescent lights are now this superman's kryptonite. Want to rob his wallet? Put him under the fluorescent. Need to torture him for Christmas present information? Fluorescent lights are your best bet. Have to tell him that the kids broke his projector TV? Fluorescent, fluorescent, fluorescent!

As a result of the surgery, his sleeping schedule got all messed up. Monday morning rolled around and he was up at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. Around 7:30 a.m. I groggily rolled out of bed to a household of organization. Children were clothed and fed, lunches were made, and everyone was smiling. Not our usual morning. The boys actually had about an hour of playtime before Caleb and Ethan had to go to school! I was told to go back to bed, and being the submissive and dutiful wife that I am, I did. After a lovely sleep-in, I was treated to breakfast in bed. Of course, the day didn't end there. Supper was wings and fries - which are Luke's specialties. Now, if there is one thing I like, it's a man who knows his way around a kitchen. And mine does. Can't you tell from the kids' faces?

I'm sorry, ladies, but this guy is all mine. I don't know how I landed him or what I've done to deserve such treatment, but I sure am grateful. Not every day is like this one was, but I always know I am loved and appreciated. Not much more that a woman needs!

The new niece!

Well, well, well. There is a new little baby in the family and I couldn't be more thrilled! Nyola was born December 9, one day before her due date (why, oh why, didn't that ever happen to me?). 7 lbs and a few ounces (3 I think, but don't quote me!). We heard direct from the proud papa this morning, but Luke talked to him so I didn't get any of the interesting details - all you women out there know what I mean! All I can say is congratulations, Dan and Jocelyne. I am so happy for you!

Christmas baking

I don't really know what we were thinking. Between us, Heather and I have five, I repeat, five boys. And yet we felt up to the challenge of tackling a boat load of Christmas baking. It didn't start off that badly at all. The sugar cookies were a snap. Three kids outside and two inside made for a pleasant morning. There was no whining from the kids and no whining from Heather and I. It was fun.

We had lunch and then started on the pepper nuts. They were fun - make little snakes out of the dough and then chop them up. With both of us working at it, it didn't even take too long. I only got in trouble once from Kyle (Heather's youngest). Little mister Kyle really liked the pepper nuts. I tried taking them away and he looked at me and said, "Carmen! No!" with attitude only a two year old can give.

The final cookie of the day were spritz cookies. I was so excited to use my cookie press for the first time. As you may notice from the picture above, my cookie press wasn't exactly successful. After much frustration, Heather finally got her cookie press out. By this time, neither of us were feeling that optimistic and for good reason. Apparantly good ol' Martha (Stewart, that is) had steered us wrong in the flour department. We finally ended up pressing it into pans and cooking as is. The best thing, though, about baking with your best friend is that instead of slamming cupboard doors and sniping at the kids like I would at home by myself, we laughed our heads off over the whole fiasco. I sure am glad I moved close to home again.