Christmas in July

My parents are visiting us in the Arctic this week. We've been looking for things to do, and I figured since one of my favorite childhood memories is decorating Christmas cookies with my mom, why not share the memory with my children. Audrey was the most excited about Christmas in July and kept asking, "We're really making Christmas cookies? When it's not even Christmas??"

She was so excited, she sorted through and played with all of the Christmas cookie cutters last night, discussing the merits of each one with Grandma. She couldn't wait to cut the dough.

I set the mood with some Christmas music:

And even the boys who were busy building a treehouse with Dad took a break to come in to decorate.

Although we were all in the presence of the Master Decorator,

the kids still did things in their own style: a la lots-o-icing.

And that's only because a la lots-o-icing tastes so delicious.

Roots Run Deep

Maybe it's because I am adopted and have no way of knowing my biological heritage. Or maybe it's because I grew up so far removed from family. Whatever the reason, I have never given all that much thought or interest to my family roots. But today was a fascinating day of digging deep into the ancestral roots of my husband's family.

Mark's dad was born and raised in Connecticut, and his family made quite a name up here. His father was known for his chicks...of the poultry kind. He owned and ran a successful hatchery. And in his generosity, he donated my father-in-law's childhood home to the Baptists of CT. It was my grandfather-in-law's vision to see the development of a place for the elderly, and so the P- Memorial Home was established and renovated in order to accommodate a nursing facility.

Today we had the opportunity to visit the town where my father-in-law grew up. We stopped first at the little town museum, which features a wall of information on my husband's grandparents, the hatchery business, and the homestead.

 After a stop at the cemetery to visit the grandparents' graves, we were then treated to a beautiful luncheon at the retirement home followed by a tour of the home.

The second and third floors of my father-in-law's childhood home have not been touched, so we were able to see his bedroom,

run our hands down the bannister he slid down numerous times, and get a feel for what life was like back in the 1930s.

 

 

 Following our trip to the Memorial Home, we stopped by another home which, from the outside, just looked like a normal home. Arrangements had been made with the current owners of the home to visit because this was the home Mark's great-grandparents owned and one which they then passed on to Mark's grandfather. He took his new bride there.

Although the interior of this home was a mess, the preserved history was absolutely amazing. The house was built in 1782, and much of the original interior is still intact. From the flooring and ceiling beams to the doors and fireplaces, even the smell of the home, you could just feel all of the history in that home. The current owners are farmers, and the orchards in the back stretch out over an amazing view.

The beautiful fall colors, amazing sunny day, and intriguing stories all made for a lovely, perfect day. And we came home with a couple of bags of apples straight from the orchard.

A Weekend in NY

It's been difficult keeping my Chapters up to date for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it's been busy, and between settling in and getting back into a school routine, it has been difficult to find time to write. Aside from that, though, I honestly haven't felt like it. Not that our transition has been that tough all things considered; I just haven't had the writing bug or photography bug for that matter. But seeing as how this is the biggest change to date in our lives as a family, I thought it is about time I get back to recording the details. And, since trying to "catch up" seems like quite a daunting task, I will treat this as I do my scrapbooking and just start back where I am rather than backtracking.

We've had a special weekend this weekend. Mark's family has quite a history at a private college in New York. Recently, the college added a Nursing School, and they honored one of my wonderful sisters-in-law by naming it after her. This weekend was the dedication, so as much of the family as could make it met for a mini-reunion and to support my sister-in-law. She gave a wonderful speech at the dedication, and we were all very proud of her as she accepted her honor both beautifully and humbly.

It has been a fun time of reconnecting with members of the family, and we have had the chance to enjoy the beauty of New York as well.

This Week in Numbers

1148: Miles from our doorstep to Columbus, Ohio (round-trip).

10: Hours spent in the car. Fun hours, of course. Hours filled with arguments over which movie to watch. Hours interrupted by potty stops. Traffic jams. Whining because we aren't there yet. Actually, I have to give the kids credit. They're really good travelers. I'm probably the worst whiner.

6: Miserable nights spent in a hotel bed with my aching neck and back.

2: School days I marked on the calendar for the week. We spent one day at the Columbus Zoo and one at the science museum.

0: Number of giraffes and zebras at the zoo. The Columbus Zoo is supposed to be the best in the world, but no giraffes and zebras? Perhaps they are as tolerant of cold weather as I am.

1: Celebrities I met. Although I wasn't expecting it because I know he's busy, I was pleasantly surprised to find Jack Hanna at the zoo.

He wasn't the friendliest man I've ever met, but like I said, I know he's busy. Plus it must get tiring having people practically stalk you. PLUS, as I pulled up to him with the children, he was turning away to go back to his work. "Mr. Hanna," I yelled, "would you mind taking a picture with my children?" I know he rolled his eyes in his mind.

"Make it quick," he said a little too gruffly.

I made it quick.

Which is why the picture looks like this.

I'm still a fan.

1: Grand-nephew I got to meet for the first time. He's the first great-grandchild.

5: Nieces and nephews I reconnected with, plus 2 of their spouses.

3: Wonderful sisters-in-law I got to see and hang out with.

1: New sister-in-law I gained at my brother-in-law's wedding.

1: Cute little flower girl.

Our Christmas

Our Christmas began about a week prior to December 25 when we exchanged gifts with the kids' uncle

who spoiled them rotten. Remember how I'm too cheap to buy my girls American Girl Dolls? Uncle John and his fiancee got Alex Kit.

Audrey received an Itty Bitty Baby. She also got a couple of other babies. She is quite the harried mommy these days.


It's a little confusing 'round here because the babies' names are Sally, Alex, and Audrey.

The boys also received gifts from their lists.

We enjoyed a lovely Christmas Eve service at our new church. Afterwards, I made the kids pose for pictures. "Your cooperation will be your Christmas present to me," I explained. Two of the children were more giving than the other two.

We did, however, manage to get two half-family pictures. And since two halves make a whole, we can actually say we took a family Christmas picture this year. Sorry...no cards. We aren't THAT together!

I've already described the utter Christmas anticipation in this household Christmas morning. It doesn't need to be said that they all enjoyed tearing into their gifts. And they were especially cute doing so in their brand new robes.


We had Christmas at our house with both sets of grandparents. We were also reunited with one of Mark's sisters and her husband who just returned from Africa as well as their grown children, two of whom brought spouses as well. It was a fun house full!

It's hard to believe another Christmas has gone by. Now it's on to the mysteries that 2010 will inevitably hold...

More Perks

As difficult as it sometimes is when TravelDaddy is absent, his travels come with perks. Like our lodging this past weekend in Kentucky. When we checked in, he requested his usual upgrade when he is accompanied by his brood: a suite. And a suite they gave us--a lovely suite with a full living area and kitchenette/bar area along with a master room and bathroom. And then they took care of our $20 per day parking fee. And then they gave us $200 in vouchers to cover our breakfasts. Very nice perks indeed. 90+ days in Marriott properties per year pay off!

We had a wonderful weekend in the charming city of Louisville. The occasion was the bi-annual Christian and Missionary Alliance conference. My in-laws were missionaries with CMA as were many of my friends at boarding school (my parents were with the heathen baptists). So this was a weekend for spending time with Mark's sisters who are missionaries in Africa and the Middle East and with many other missionary friends I have not seen for years. We were also able to be part of the commissioning of a very dear friend who is heading to Africa shortly.

A relaxing, fun weekend...and now if only my husband's perks would provide for a substitute VBS teacher so I could sleep in tomorrow morning.

Children's Museum

Unfortunately, I spent all of Sunday night and early in to Monday morning hanging over the toilet, thus securing a spot on my sister-in-law's couch for the duration of the day. Thankfully, we suspect food poisoning. Probably that Chicago-style pizza...another reason to stick to southern-style-New York-style pizza. I say thankfully because the flu would have meant 4 little people coming down sick about the time we left Chicago, and, well, I prefer my road trips vomit-free. Anyway, because I was out of commission, Daddy and Uncle Joel got the privelege of spending the afternoon with the kids at the Children's Museum. Along with the rest of the children of Illinois. Oh, how we miss the typical homeschool crowds during vacation time!

Redneck Snow in Chicago?

OK, so snow in Chicago isn't quite like the redneck snows of Georgia...at least in amount. In longevity, however, this one was a match. When we arrived yesterday afternoon, there was a lot of snow on the ground. By this morning, though, most of it had disappeared in torrents of rain and near-60 degree temps. Knowing through forecasts it would soon disappear, the kids wasted no time in heading out into it as soon as we arrived yesterday.

The trip from Nashville to Chicago was a long one with lots of fog, traffic, and potty stops. In fact, the Princess informed us in Indiana, "I really need to go potty." The only options were industrial ones, so we told her to hold it. When we got to my sister-in-law's house, though, she was so excited for a romp in the white stuff that all things potty were forgotten...until about 10 minutes after we had dressed her in all of this:

My sister and brother-in-law were so kind to gather all of the kids' "snow stuff" we needed...boots, gloves, snow suits. They were unable to find boots for Jacob, however, but he did just fine. The answer? Redneck snow boots:

As much fun as they had, I don't think it would have mattered to any of them if they had been wearing plastic shopping bags from head to toe.