Pay it forward

Today the boys and I had to do a Walmart run, so we stopped in at Subway before we started our shopping. While we were eating, I noticed a lady smiling at me. Almost kind of laughing with that "I can remember those days" look that I get sometimes when we're out. I didn't think much about it, but then after she got her sandwich she came by our table and asked if the boys could have cookies. She had bought them (us) chocolate chip cookies. We thanked her and told her she didn't have to do that. "I just wanted to. They're cute boys" she said. The boys were kind of bewildered as to why someone would do that. After a few moments Elliott said "We should do something nice like that for someone shouldn't we Mom? Like that lady gave us cookies. We should do something nice for someone else." Aaahhh...a teachable moment! I was so excited and we talked about how that is called "paying it forward". When someone does something nice and unexpected and then that person does something for someone else, etc. Of course, they're both confined to their rooms at the moment for assaulting each other one too many times today, but I think they really learned something from that sweet lady today. Thank you, whoever you are!

Dancing Lights

One of our Christmas traditions is going out one night with hot chocolate and cookies in hand, driving around some of the neighborhoods to look at all the Christmas lights. This year one of the moms in Elliott's class was telling me about a house that has lights that dance to the music near the theater by our house. She promised that it was a must-see, and she was right. It was really cool (and a lot of work for someone). I noticed that besides the lights, it looked like the only other decoration in the yard was a manger scene front and center, which I thought was really neat.

I debated which video to upload (we caught two of the songs), because the second one was a version of the First Noel and you can hear Elliott singing in the background - love that. But I chose this one because I thought the light choreography was neater.





And the funniest thing, I thought, was that as we were driving by I looked into the upstairs window and saw this:


If you've ever seen A Christmas Story, you're laughing your head off right now.

Brrr...

I just want to say that we just got home from a fun evening at our friends' house (thanks Skip and Janji!) and the temperature is 6 degrees outside. But it feels like -13 degrees (which I guess is mild compared to the -80 wind chill I experienced my freshman year at U of I - did I really go to class in that weather? Yes, I am a rule follower!). Did I mention how much I love this weather? Actually it hasn't bothered me that much as long as it isn't icy and I am blessed with a warm car or house to shelter me.

Took this picture this morning before church. They both insisted on spiking their own hair today. And Elliott was not amused with my attempt at cuteness with their matching outfits (thanks for the sweaters, Aunt Meemer). They were both totally fine with the pants and sweaters, but that was the end of the line for Elliott. He was not wearing the cute argyle matching socks I had gotten a deal on this fall. And he was not wearing the nice brown shoes we had purchased for church and other "dress-up" occasions. Okay. You win this time. White socks and tennis shoes for you - and you let everyone know when they would make nice comments about how you and Ethan matched "Not my socks. Or my shoes - see?"
And they were not excited about having to get a picture either. They tried to be as silly as possible, but I actually think it worked out well cause I love this picture of them.

Tuscan Chicken

I made this a couple of days ago and was reminded of how much we like this, so I thought I'd share the recipe:

Tuscan Chicken Breasts

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. each chopped sweet yellow and red peppers

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. minced garlic

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4-6 oz each) flattened to 1/2-inch thickness

1 can (14.5 oz) Italian diced tomatoes (plain diced tomatoes work fine, too)

2/3 c. chicken broth or white cooking wine

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp. pepper

hot cooked pasta

1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion and peppers in oil for 4-5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in garlic; cook 1-2 min. longer or until vegetables are tender. Place chicken over vegetables. Add the tomatoes, broth, vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper flakes and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear and sauce is thickened. Serve with pasta. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

(From Simple and Delicious Magazine)

We made it with gnocchi this time - yummy! Enjoy.

Oh I Want a Hippopotamus....

Ethan's preschool Christmas program was today and it was a "Pajama Party for Jesus". They celebrated this morning with breakfast for Jesus' birthday and then at 10:30 filed into the sanctuary for their program. One of the songs they sang was the Hippopotamus song and the kids in front had these hippo masks - too cute! Of course, every time Ethan saw me hold the camera up he tried to cover his face. I'm surprised I even got this shot! The kids and teachers did a fabulous job!

I'm so thankful for Appletree and their focus on teaching the kids about Jesus. The Christmas party centered around a birthday party for Jesus - not the presents, candy, etc. All of that stuff is fun, too, of course, but I like knowing that the kids are being taught the real reason for Christmas and instilling values and priorities that we try to teach at home, also.

Let it Snow....

The boys were so excited when they saw snow this morning. It really wasn't enough to play in, but they wanted to go out anyway (of course!). Somehow they even managed to sled down the hill a few times. But they were most proud of these snow angels.





I couldn't believe they wanted to stay out for so long - the wind chill was something like 8 degrees. But then I remembered how much I loved going out in the snow with my sisters and our neighbor, Abby, when I was their age, coming in to get some hot chocolate and let our scarves, gloves, etc. dry in the dryer and then being ready to go right back out!


This is my sister Erin and I with a snowman that I'm sure my dad helped us build. According to the back of the picture this was in 1978 so Erin was 2 and I was 3.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Each year I get a new building for our Christmas village - when we saw this Walmart Supercenter we had to get it. No it doesn't really go with the other Dickens-looking facades, but it had to be part of our village. Notice that a few of the train cars have been derailed and covered with snow - yes, boys put this together!

And the sugar cookies - the boys have been asking for a couple of weeks now when we were going to do the "icing cookies". They always help cut them out and then decorate them, and I really enjoy doing this with them. Since we've been iced in for the past 2 days we decided that this was a great time to do the cookies. And, no, for some reason Ethan chooses not to wear a shirt even when it's below 20 outside (he does dress appropriately when he goes outside though!)

Nana and PaPa sent these Advent Calendars to the boys at the end of November, and they've been a hit! I don't think they've forgotten a day yet!