Christmas in Lewisburg

Some pictures from our time in Lewisburg. Had lots of fun, played in the snow, played lots of Wii!!!!!

Gratefulness

Right now I am in Lewisburg, visiting with Cindi and her family. We just returned from a hike in the snow, taking her two dogs for a walk. Tonight it is supposed to sleet, but I'm still holding out, hoping for more snow. The boys tried to sled today, but we really need more snow to be successful.

Yesterday we opened our presents in the morning . I have a video, but can't post it until we return home and I have the correct cords to connect to the video camera. (oops) Bust what struck me most about yesterday was the kids gratefulness. We began by opening the Wii. Somehow we managed to keep it a total surprise, and they were shocked. Benjamin looked at me and said, "a Wii???" He just couldn't believe it. I think he and Alexander thanked me about 20 times yesterday. They were so appreciative to us and everyone else. It is nice to see them enjoying their toys while THANKING others for them.

I'm not sure exactly how we taught them this. Maybe it is partly because we haven't had much for many years and they don't expect much. I just know I was very proud of them. And again this morning, when they thanked us yet again. What great kids.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!!

When we arrived in PA, we were greeted with a white ground cover. The boys were so incredibly excited. At 9:15 at night, they were running wild all over the yard. Each day they go out and play. We even shoveled both of the driveways. It's fun when you don't have to do it all the time. Plus it's a good workout!

New York City

Times Square at night was quite a view!

Yesterday we spent the day in New York City. It was what will probably turn out to be the coldest day of the year, as you can see from our dress. We began at the Museum of Natural History, then went on to St. Peter's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center.

We used public transportation the whole way, which of course thrilled the boys, especially Jonathan.

Craig and Liz, along with Mom and Dad Weinrich, met us there.

One down, two to go

Well, the inevitable happened today. Benjamin beat me in a 5K. We were running together for almost the whole race, but then at the last half mile a friend of mine (who had already finished) ran back and paced Benjamin and Tanner. They beat me by about 20 seconds.

On the bright side, Chris won a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant, and I came in second in my age bracket!!! It's the first time I've won an award. I kept looking at the results board, unable to find my name. I'm usually near the bottom of the 35-39 year olds. Turns out I was at the top! I won a trophy and a free appetizer at the same restaurant. Yea!!

Jonathan's field trip

Yesterday I took the day off to go on a field trip with Jonathan. The three kindergarten classes went to the mall to see Santa. I've been feeling a bit of "mommy guilt" about not being around Jonathan's kindergarten class, so I decided to join them.

Of course, one of Jonathan's favorite things was riding the train. Here he and his friend Jimmy are having a grand time.

Chick-fil-a provided a lunch of chicken nuggets, fries, sprite, and ice cream.

Jonathan sat on Santa's lap. Santa rushed through these kids - he posed for a picture and then on to the next kid. No asking what you want or anything...

Jonathan's class and his teacher Mrs. Hopkins

Christmas program

On Saturday afternoon, Benjamin and Alexander were in a Christmas program at school. They sang Advent and Christmas songs from all around the world. It was a great program - the kids sounded wonderful. Jonathan, however, wasn't impressed. He fell asleep during the first song and slept until it was over and I said "It's time for cookies!" Suddenly, he popped up and went to the fellowship hall.

Brian Larson, our cantor.
The whole group, grades K-5

The new Star Trek trailer.

Thanks, Susie, for sending this our way. Can't wait to see the movie, but unfortunately it looks like it won't be appropriate for the kids!!

A study in birth order psychology....

At the boys' school, they had a "gift fair," where students could buy really cheap (price and quality) gifts for others. I didn't give them any money, but the school gives each child a dollar to spend.

So, that night they came home and told us about it at the dinner table. What they decided to do with their money epitomizes their personalities.

Alexander took the money and used it to buy a gift for Jonathan and a gift for Benjamin. He tried to find the right gift for each of them. He often thinks of others and their feelings.

Jonathan took the money and bought 3 plastic lizards. At the dinner table, he pulled out the package, opened it, and made a big deal about giving one to each boy, including himself. He loves to be the center of attention, doesn't he?

Everyone then turned to Benjamin, who hadn't shared anything about the store. "What did you do with your money," they asked him. Turns out Benjamin used the dollar to buy a "popper" for himself. "I didn't see anything you would like!" he protested. Quite a firstborn.

Now, in his defense, Benjamin has already purchased a Christmas present for Alexander. He about had a fit when I told him he had to use his own money, but he came around and chose a present, using the money he had earned at Grandma's house.

Chris and I had a good laugh over this situation, for we have three children who had three totally different responses. And those birth order books probably could have predicted their purchases.

What not to buy...

I got this from my father-in-law. Chris and I had a great laugh...enjoy, especially all of you married couples.

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The cousins are here!!

Time for a photo shoot...we thought the backyard would be easier than Penney's.

Race pictures

Pictures from the 10 miler race on Thanksgiving. The boys ran, too, but didn't have the camera. I was still out on the course, running for 1 hour and 39 minutes!!

Now that's better! Icing that stays put!

This year, I was assigned desserts for Thanksgiving. I was searching for ways to make them (a little) healthier. I consulted my Healthy Cooking magazine and found some recipes to try. Here are the finished products.

• 
  First, I made pumpkin bread made with whole wheat flour, canola oil, and applesauce. Very moist and tastes almost like pumpkin pie. We ate this with the dinner, and I doubt there is any left. The kids kept snatching it up.

• I then made two pumpkin pies. One was the traditional pie (with fat free condensed milk) and the other was an apple pumpkin pie. That one by far got the best reviews. I also made one of Grandma's flappys. I was actually going to skip the flappy this year, but the boys begged me to make just one. Pies are hard to get healthy - one thing I did was make my own pie crust with canola oil (not crisco, as in Grandma's recipie). I love this pie crust recipe because you don't have to roll it out - you just press it in the pie plate. Although it has fat and calories, at least it doesn't have any transfat.

• Lastly, I made a marble bundt cake, partly to prove that I can do a chocolate drizzle. On my first attempt, I accidentally used unsweetened chocolate. Luckily, I tasted it before I poured it on the cake. I quickly discarded that and made a new glaze, this time with the semi-sweet chocolate the recipe requested. The cake was very good, although it was overshadowed by the pumpkin pies. We have enough leftovers for at least 2 more days, so we'll all get a chance to sample the desserts not eaten.