Excuses & Youth Party Goodies

I keep meaning to blog… but then a day or two goes by and I realize that I forgot! Lame. I know. My excuse this week is that on Saturday I fell and twisted / sprained my knee. It has been pretty painful and by the time night comes, all I want to do is get off my feet! So - there you go. I will try to do better. On with my post…

Wednesday night was our Youth Christmas Party!

From what we have heard about the past Christmas Parties…this one was a bit different. We hoped that different would still be good. And I think it was.

Nik put together (which he has done for many years now) a Video Scavenger Hunt!

And then, of course, everyone gathers at our house to watch the videos and eat goodies.

For the past few years, I have taken pictures and shared what I served. Let me tell you…I think that is more for me than you! Ha Ha. Every year, when it comes time for this party, I look back and see what I have done in years past. After a few years of making goodies, I learned what would go over well with our teen group and what did not.

This year was all fresh people. I had no idea. So this is what I made: Peppermint Cookies, Peanut Clusters, Red Velvet Cookies, Reindeer Pretzels, Christmas Trash and Christmas Ritz Crackers. I also made Christmas Punch, Wassail, and served German Chocolate Cake Coffee.

And here are some pictures in case you are interested!

The Before: everything I bought at the store to make the goods!

The After!

And the drink stations:

A few other pictures I took:

This is where I would insert a picture of our great group…

But I did not take one!

Remember, bum knee. Plus there were a lot of people in our house and it took a long time to watch all the videos - therefore the party ended late. Bummer. I know.

I’ll just say - It was a really fun night! We are happy to be here, working with this group of teens and getting to know their families. Great people!

Christmas Memories

This week my mind has been flooded with Christmas memories from my past. Two especially come to mind:

1) Decorating sugar cookies at our kitchen table. If I remember right, my dad was the one behind this tradition. My mom was there, I’m sure, but he kind of took the lead in making and decorating! I remember it always being such a fun time!

2) Putting up our Christmas Tree. Every year my dad would pull out the tree and all our decorations. He would then put on hundreds of lights until it was the brightest tree ever. Once that was complete, his job was over…he would sip some iced tea and sit on the couch to watch the ladies of the house do the rest of the work! My mom would always unwrap each ornament and put hooks on them while my sister and I put them on the tree. With every ornament would come stories, laughter and memories. We always had other decorations out as well…which was equally as fun to pull out year to year.

Also this week I have read numerous articles, blogposts, Facebook rants and such about the way people celebrate Christmas. Many have been centered around The Elf on the Shelf, Santa Clause, and gift-giving.

Our Sunday Service at church even centered on Christmas Traditions and this historical significance behind them.

Then we attended a Christmas Party in which people shared something they do every Christmas that is tradition and meaningful to them and their family.

All this talk about Christmas, tradition, and why we do what we do has had an impact on me. I think traditions are important and I want Jaxen to grow up with a few traditions that we do every year. Something he can look forward to, and look back on fondly. But I also want these traditions to have meaning. I don’t want to do them just because that is the socially popular thing to do at the time. Know what I mean?

I’m not exactly sure what that will look like for our family. And I’m sure some of the things that we do will change or be forgotten about after trying them. And really we are still in, what I consider to be,  the “baby phase” of Christmas (he is too young to do/understand most things).

But - that doesn’t mean I haven’t tried!

Take a look…

I want Jaxen to enjoy gift-giving. And wrapping.

I want him to grow up wearing Christmas pajamas, watching Christmas movies.

This time we watched a Thomas the Train Christmas movie - it was a hit!

And I want to carry on the tradition of decorating sugar cookies.

Although this year instead of home-making them I purchased the roll that you cut and bake. Easy!

I am excited to begin our family traditions!

How about you? What are some of your favorite traditions?

Throwback Thursday

I love good throwback pictures that you see floating around Facebook on Thursdays…so I thought I would give you a December Throwback Thursday!

But keep in mind - these are not from that long ago…!

2012

My little boy was just 6 months old then…

2013

This time last year, he was 1 1/2...

These pictures just kill me! 

They are such good memories of my sweet growing boy.

And…after seeing these, I remember how easy it was to get a good picture.

So. Much. Harder. Now!

Jaxen’s Speech - Update

It is very snowy here today! And I love it! I probably love it because I am inside, warm, with a fire going, a Christmas candle lit, surrounded by all my Christmas decorations and kept company by two of my very favorite boys. And yes, I’m fully aware that I sound like a Hallmark Special!

Just so you can get a taste of our weather!

**********

It has been awhile since I have given an update concerning Jaxen’s speech. So this is that update!

His speech has improved.

He can say more words now and does so unprompted at times! Some of his words are: up, down, more, please, no, drink, hi, bye, thank you, phone, show, milk, ball…

Some of the words we are working on is: open, close, yes, tree, chair, blanket, on, off, light… there are many more, but those are the ones we work on multiple times a day.

He does not use words in phrases yet. The only times he puts two words together are: "more please” “thank you” and "I know". And he says “I know” all the time - it is so funny!

Along with working on his actual speech, I have been working with him on listening, obeying and him doing multiple commands (i.e. take off your jacket and put it up).

We have been working on some fine motor skills (which have never been a problem) but I just want him to continue learning (like holding his crayons correctly, stacking things…etc.).

What has been a big encouragement to me in this area is working with one of my friends here, Jenny. Jenny is a very talented lady and has many gifts in teaching. She has offered for Jaxen to come to her house once a week (when it is not snowing and there are not other things planned) and work with him on his speech and other motor skills. I have learned a lot from her - just by watching what she does with Jaxen and how she teaches him. It’s pretty great…she can get him to say and do things I could not before! But after seeing her work with him - and her talking with me about all this - things have been improving!

Even with all that… Nik and I still feel that he could benefit from speech therapy, and so I have started the process of getting Jaxen evaluated again.

Ok…I think that is everything. It’s kind of hard to explain and it is hard for me to see improvement sometimes because I am with him all the time and I forget how far we have actually come since June - but when others point it out, it helps me to see it too.

If you can think of something I might have forgotten to mention or give an update on, please leave a comment and I will answer!

It’s Monday!

Well the first week of December did not disappoint! Nik thought I was a little crazy to be so excited on December 1 - and really, my week just got better and better!

Jaxen and I had one whole day (uninterrupted) at home; Jaxen had a playdate with a friend; I cooked all day Wednesday for a fundraiser; my Bible study group met after a few weeks off; We spent a morning at a friends house; Nik and I had a double-date at a new restaurant; I had a wonderful time at an Advent Tea; I baked some cookies and attended a Cookie Exchange; and lastly, our small group met on Sunday and we had the best time - full of laughter!

With all that excitement last week…I only took a few pics - here is what you get!

 Jaxen and I spent time painting and working on colors - he loves painting!

Our “homemade” flashcards we use to work on colors

I let Jaxen take an afternoon bath and then have his snack in front of the fireplace,

all decked out in his snowman pajamas. I think I even gave him some m&m’s!

After we finished all our Christmas shopping (you heard that right, all done!)

I began wrapping. I love wrapping presents!

Jaxen and his friend, Clay, were playing “Night Night”

It was so cute - except for the glob of ketchup that is on Jaxen’s face - Ha ha!

This is what my house looked like Thursday morning, after cooking all day Wednesday. A mess!

Our dessert from our double-date. I don’t even know what they were…

some kind of funnel cake fries with raspberry sauce…but so good!

White Chocolate Cranberry cookies for the win! 

This is what I took to the cookie exchange. A new recipe, but it turned out great!

And…our Sunday Selfies!

Jaxen always looks sad to take pictures at the start, but he is totally acting - 

look at this crazy, happy boy!

It was cold here this weekend. Cold. But I think I still like the cold :)

They say snow is coming this week…so I have to go stock up on groceries and run all our errands

so we can hunker down and stay warm!