Emma 29 Months

Sweet Sassy Molassy! This girl is giving us a run for our money. If there ever was any money in parenting... The above picture almost says it all. She got opinions and a new-found will and she's armed and ready to use them. I'm pretty positive she's been quietly observing our life up until this point, memorizing every crack in our system. And now apparently felt like the perfect time to pounce. Good thing she's completely adorable and hilarious as she presses each of our buttons and keeps us on our toes! Here are a few tidbits about her this month.

-Has become quite the talker

-Says "what else?" when you tell her what's for dinner 

-Throws "maybe" or "yet" at the end of sentences: "In 2 or 3 minutes maybe"

-Sometimes it makes grammatical sense but often it doesn't which makes me laugh

-Lots of "What's that thing? What's that for? Some of that thing??" too

-Drinking milk like crazy these days

-Brave around spicy foods
-Sees high windows, trees etc and asks "climb up there?" (?????!!!)

-Occasionally assists with clean up and usually accompanies the task with singing

-Not interested in potty training yet but has Hello Kitty undies when she's ready

-Super napper the past few weeks

-Wakes up singing or saying "can you come help me?"

-Still in crib but fully capable of big girl bed

-Sings when I come to feed Jack in the middle of the night 
-Calls him "Jack Attack"

-Has the most gorgeous, thick hair

-Hits Isla when frustrated

-Loves to tease her and drive Isla mad

-Has learned the powers of screaming high-pitched at the top of her lungs (unfortunately first discovered this when we were in the very back of Barnes and Noble...)

-Frequently ignoring simple requests of her unless they are made into a game these days

-I guess you could say she's two... 

-Asks for music so she can dance

-Loves to accessorize: gloves, headbands and sunglasses are her specialty
-Requests the "Oh Oh Oh Song" (Your Name High by Hillsong) every time we get in the car

-Enthralled by dinosaurs

-Not making it through her class at MOPS and is growing more tearful at church too

-Often asks to "nuggle" (snuggle)

-Has become quite the techie with our phones and puts on a Netflix movie if ever we leave them unattended in reach

-Great at self-entertaining 

We love this girl and are hanging on for a wild ride as we figure out what speaks to and motivates her!

Isla 53 Months

This busy beauty is almost 4 1/2 (and trust me, she can't wait to celebrate!) Here are a few tidbits from the past month:

-Super outgoing with people

-Got an extra "+" on her report card for her social participation at preschool :)

-Also got an extra "+" for her confidence (LOVE this about her!!!)

-Still enjoys crafting but I think her bin of dolls and gear trumped art this month! 

-Loves dress up

-Usually makes Emma be the boy but the other day they told me they were both the "beard boys"

-TERRIFIED of elevators (an accidental solo ride up 2 floors at Bellevue Square can do that to a person...)

-I thought I was a morning person but there is seriously no topping this one

-Enjoying our memberships at the Science Center, Imagine Children's Museum and the Zoo

-Fighting with her sister a lot these days

-Desiring "special Mommy time" (asks if we can drop Emma off at others' houses)

-But then has moments where they play together really well too

-Epic meltdowns and lots of screaming

-I guess I heightened emotions would be a good way to summarize (it's been a hard month)

-After a much-owed apology from me one day, told me "Mom, I will ALWAYS forgive you"

-Her hair is in ringlets, even when braided!

-Very opinionated on what she wears

-Only kind of cheese she will eat is parmesan

The other night she melted me when she asked to talk for a bit at bedtime the night before Graham and Jack and my recent trip. She wanted to chat about what we were going to do and what color our rental car would be. I am so grateful for these moments (though much more rare) when I can give her the undivided attention she thrives on! This girl is so sweet and so caring and kind. Watch out world, she is gonna go places!

Beef and Butternut Squash Pot Pie

I'm on a roll.

Two recipes this week that I practically made up! Well, or at least parts of them. I can't actually take a tremendous amount of credit for this one as I more or less just threw a pie crust on top of a delicious stew recipe we had last month, but still. It's progress.

This creation also was a half birthday request from my dear husband. You see, it all started with a bottle of winter ale we had in our fridge. He wanted to drink it and so worked backwards from there. What would pair well with it? English pub food of course! Only one slight problem: we hate English pub food. Ordinarily we hate stew too except that we happened upon this gem of a recipe (below) from Giada De Laurentis last month. Prior to this point, beef stew always tastes like beef stew and nothing could be less enthralling to me than the flavors of beef, potatoes, carrots and onion and mushed together into, well, mush. Seriously, gag me (sorry all you beef stew lovers!) But this stew recipe has changed my life (or at least my strong opinion). 

Why did I even make beef stew if I hate it so much, you ask? There is nothing like buying 1/6 of a cow to get you to change your ways and break out of your comfort zone. Especially when one of the packages of frozen meat comes with "beef stew meat" stamped across it in giant red letters. I even Googled "beef stew meat recipes" to try and determine an alternative use but, wouldn't you know it, I only encountered beef stew recipes.  

Oh but what a sweet surprise when I discovered the use of butternut squash in beef stew! And with an Italian twist! Seriously amazing. You can make just the beef stew and serve it as is along with crusty bread and it's delicious. Or you can continue on in the recipe and go all English pub on it and throw a pie crust on top like my husband suggested. Your choice. Both are winners!

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew (or Pot Pie)

Beef stew:

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup Marsala wine

1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

3 to 4 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

Crusty bread, for serving

Beef stew pot pie:

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1 (9-inch) pie crust recipe (or cheat and use Trader Joe's frozen ones like I did - I love them and they are transfat free!)

To prepare stew:

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

To prepare pot pie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare stew recipe through seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste step. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and stir constantly to brown for ~1 minutes to create a roux. Pour off stew liquid into the the flour/butter mixture, whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Bring to a low boil and simmer until thickened, ~7-10 minutes. Return thickened stew liquid to beef and butternut squash mixture and combine gently (I discarded ~1 cup of liquid to keep liquid to solid ratio desirable). Pour pot pie filling into a greased, deep-dish pie pan. Top with pie crust, crimping edges and poke holes to vent. Place pie on cookie sheet and bake for ~1 hour, until crusted is golden brown. 

Serves 6

Beef and Butternut Squash Pot Pie

I'm on a roll.

Two recipes this week that I practically made up! Well, or at least parts of them. I can't actually take a tremendous amount of credit for this one as I more or less just threw a pie crust on top of a delicious stew recipe we had last month, but still. It's progress.

This creation also was a half birthday request from my dear husband. You see, it all started with a bottle of winter ale we had in our fridge. He wanted to drink it and so worked backwards from there. What would pair well with it? English pub food of course! Only one slight problem: we hate English pub food. Ordinarily we hate stew too except that we happened upon this gem of a recipe (below) from Giada De Laurentis last month. Prior to this point, beef stew always tastes like beef stew and nothing could be less enthralling to me than the flavors of beef, potatoes, carrots and onion and mushed together into, well, mush. Seriously, gag me (sorry all you beef stew lovers!) But this stew recipe has changed my life (or at least my strong opinion). 

Why did I even make beef stew if I hate it so much, you ask? There is nothing like buying 1/6 of a cow to get you to change your ways and break out of your comfort zone. Especially when one of the packages of frozen meat comes with "beef stew meat" stamped across it in giant red letters. I even Googled "beef stew meat recipes" to try and determine an alternative use but, wouldn't you know it, I only encountered beef stew recipes.  

Oh but what a sweet surprise when I discovered the use of butternut squash in beef stew! And with an Italian twist! Seriously amazing. You can make just the beef stew and serve it as is along with crusty bread and it's delicious. Or you can continue on in the recipe and go all English pub on it and throw a pie crust on top like my husband suggested. Your choice. Both are winners!

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew (or Pot Pie)

Beef stew:

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup Marsala wine

1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

3 to 4 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley

Crusty bread, for serving

Beef stew pot pie:

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1 (9-inch) pie crust recipe (or cheat and use Trader Joe's frozen ones like I did - I love them and they are transfat free!)

To prepare stew:

In a large soup pot heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, rosemary, and thyme and saute until the onions are tender, about 2 minutes. Toss the beef cubes in salt and pepper and flour. Turn up the heat to med-high and add the beef to the pot. Cook until the beef is browned and golden around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir up all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the butternut squash and sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add enough beef broth to just cover the beef and squash. Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Season the stew with additional salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread alongside.

To prepare pot pie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare stew recipe through seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste step. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add flour and stir constantly to brown for ~1 minutes to create a roux. Pour off stew liquid into the the flour/butter mixture, whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Bring to a low boil and simmer until thickened, ~7-10 minutes. Return thickened stew liquid to beef and butternut squash mixture and combine gently (I discarded ~1 cup of liquid to keep liquid to solid ratio desirable). Pour pot pie filling into a greased, deep-dish pie pan. Top with pie crust, crimping edges and poke holes to vent. Place pie on cookie sheet and bake for ~1 hour, until crusted is golden brown. 

Serves 6

The "Purple Chopped" Salad

We aren't typically people of repetition when it comes to dining. I was once asked to write down the top 20 meals I like to prepare for my family. I literally couldn't do it. I think I ran out of steam at #12. I'm the trier-of-all-things-new when it comes to food and there are only a handful of favorites that I have ever repeated. The same goes for restaurants. Life is short and you sometimes just want to try them all. But then you find that place you love, the place that hits a home run every time you go. And so you break all your rules and return. That's the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar for us. We've probably been there at least 7 times. SEVEN TIMES! A personal record for us. 

I'm pretty sure every time but once, we ordered their Purple Chopped Salad and I so totally regretted not getting it. It's filling and delicious and packed with so much topping good-ness that you hardly notice you are eating a salad. I always look forward to it with as much anticipation as dessert. Almost.

Imagine my delight when Graham requested the infamous Purple Chopped for his half birthday this week. Why had I never thought to attempt to recreate it before? I'm a by-the-books-follow-the-rules kind of person so making it up recipes and trying to mimic flavors has never been my forte but I'm trying! And I'm quite proud to report, I totally nailed this one. So, without further ado, my "Purple Chopped":

My "Purple Chopped" Salad 

Salad:

3 hearts of romaine, chopped

1/2 small red onion, chopped small

1 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

3 pieces of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 avocado, diced

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing:

8 large garlic cloves, minced (~2 Tbsp)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Kosher salt, to taste

To prepare salad:

Fill large bowl with lettuce and layer next 6 ingredients over top. Finish with a generous douse of fresh ground black pepper.

To prepare dressing:

Combine garlic and red pepper flakes in a large jar or salad dressing bottle. Cover with balsamic vinegar. Let sit for ~5-10 minutes. Add olive oil, brown sugar and salt, to taste. Shake well. 

To assemble:

Toss salad with a generous amount of balsamic vinaigrette. Save remaining dressing for a later use (there will be dressing left over). 

Serves 8

3 Month Photo Shoot

 I will let the pictures speak for themselves! I love this kid!

Jack 3 Months

This sweet boy is 3 months old! Here are some highlights from his third month of life:

-coos and gurgles 

-very interactive with faces

-loves his binky

-has partied until at least 10 PM every night since birth

-except for that one time he fell asleep at 9:30 PM

-fussy evenings the past couple weeks

-lots of bouncing, shooshing and swaying

-usually wakes once/night to eat

-only after putting him to bed over and over at least three times

-celebrated his first Christmas

-slept his first 9 1/2 hour stretch the night before Christmas

-slept through the night again the night before the Wilson Christmas celebration

-I guess we should just always pretend it's Christmas

-loves to be swaddled

-has begun to grab toys

-and snuggle his Corduroy bear

-laughed for the first time on New Year's Day (11.5 weeks)

-moved in with Emma into his big boy crib (at 12 weeks)

-first found fist to suck on (Jan 2)

-has cradle cap something fierce

-going bald

-likely do to his mother's exfoliating attempts at aforementioned cradle cap  

-a major spitter

-as in constant dampness from neck to belly button sort of spitting

-takes a bottle like a champ

-totally and completely adorable in every way

-loves his doting older sisters

-did I mention he is laughing?

-there is honestly to better sound in life

Aushak

Have you read Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl? Simply put, I adore this book. In fact, it single-handedly sent me spiraling into continuous Google searches for terms like "foodie novels" or "best books for foodies" for a while there. As it turns out (this may be no surprise here), I love me a good food memoir. This book in particular is my all time favorite and I have yet to find a foodie book I like better. I guess that could be because I secretly want to be a food critic. Like really badly. Oh to get paid to eat and write about delicious food! All this to say, if you like reading and you like food, find yourself a copy ASAP!

The book incorporates recipes, two of which have become regulars in our repertoire. I wouldn't necessarily call this one easy but I wouldn't call it complicated either. It's mostly just a bit time consuming but if you have friends or a spouse or small children with eager helping hands, the dumplings come together in no time. I haven't done this myself but I would imagine the sauce would freeze nicely if you made a giant batch and put some away for later.

Aushak is an Afghan dish often served on holidays or special occasions. I altered Reichl's version of the meat sauce slightly, mostly to accommodate the neatly portioned 1 pound packages of ground beef in my freezer (her recipe only called for 1/2 pound). In my opinion, my version provides a better meat sauce-to-dumpling ratio. I'll better the sauce would taste mighty fine made with lamb too. WARNING: the dumplings have some kick if you include the full teaspoon of red pepper flakes. My girls cried their way through the meal. Just a little. The yogurt sauce really helps calm down the spice though if you happen to overdo it. 

Aushak

Meat sauce:

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp diced ginger

1 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Yogurt sauce:
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
Kosher salt, to taste (~1/4 tsp)

Dumplings:
2 scallion bunches, green tops finely chopped (leave out the white part)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 pkg round gyoza wrappers

Garnish:
Chopped fresh mint

To prepare meat sauce:

Heat oil in small skillet. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until golden. Add beef, garlic, coriander, and ginger and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes until meat is no longer red. Add water and cook, stirring often, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir, and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To prepare yogurt sauce:

Blend ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare dumplings:

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Lay 1 tsp mixture in center of each wrapper and moisten edge. Fold over and press edges to make semicircles. 

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add dumplings and cook for 5 minutes.

To assemble:

Spoon 1/4 cup yogurt sauce onto a serving dish and cover with dumplings. Spoon remaining yogurt sauce on top and garnish with chopped fresh mint. Spoon meat sauce all around, and serve at once.

Serves 4

Aushak

Have you read Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl? Simply put, I adore this book. In fact, it single-handedly sent me spiraling into continuous Google searches for terms like "foodie novels" or "best books for foodies" for a while there. As it turns out (this may be no surprise here), I love me a good food memoir. This book in particular is my all time favorite and I have yet to find a foodie book I like better. I guess that could be because I secretly want to be a food critic. Like really badly. Oh to get paid to eat and write about delicious food! All this to say, if you like reading and you like food, find yourself a copy ASAP!

The book incorporates recipes, two of which have become regulars in our repertoire. I wouldn't necessarily call this one easy but I wouldn't call it complicated either. It's mostly just a bit time consuming but if you have friends or a spouse or small children with eager helping hands, the dumplings come together in no time. I haven't done this myself but I would imagine the sauce would freeze nicely if you made a giant batch and put some away for later.

Aushak is an Afghan dish often served on holidays or special occasions. I altered Reichl's version of the meat sauce slightly, mostly to accommodate the neatly portioned 1 pound packages of ground beef in my freezer (her recipe only called for 1/2 pound). In my opinion, my version provides a better meat sauce-to-dumpling ratio. I'll better the sauce would taste mighty fine made with lamb too. WARNING: the dumplings have some kick if you include the full teaspoon of red pepper flakes. My girls cried their way through the meal. Just a little. The yogurt sauce really helps calm down the spice though if you happen to overdo it. 

Aushak

Meat sauce:
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp diced ginger
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Yogurt sauce:
1 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
Kosher salt, to taste (~1/4 tsp)

Dumplings:
2 scallion bunches, green tops finely chopped (leave out the white part)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 pkg round gyoza wrappers

Garnish:
Chopped fresh mint

To prepare meat sauce:

Heat oil in small skillet. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until golden. Add beef, garlic, coriander, and ginger and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes until meat is no longer red. Add water and cook, stirring often, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, stir, and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

To prepare yogurt sauce:

Blend ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare dumplings:

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Lay 1 tsp mixture in center of each wrapper and moisten edge. Fold over and press edges to make semicircles. 

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add dumplings and cook for 5 minutes.

To assemble:

Spoon 1/4 cup yogurt sauce onto a serving dish and cover with dumplings. Spoon remaining yogurt sauce on top and garnish with chopped fresh mint. Spoon meat sauce all around, and serve at once.

Serves 4

Shoes

I wish I could say that when my kids walk in the front door, they quickly remove their shoes and coats and put them in the closet but nothing could be further from the truth. Usually we're a mud-tracking tirade of Northwest wetness slopping across the kitchen floor when we enter. Shoes kicked in all directions. Coats landing in piles. Stuff everywhere. EVERY time. One would think after the one thousand and fifty second time hearing "OK kids, let's take off our shoes and coats and put them in the closet" that a habit might form. One would think. But the only habit that seems to be forming over here is the shoe kicking, coats landing one. Tirelessly (OK, really tiredly) I bellow my line again but it seems to fall on deaf ears. This is my homecoming.

These days, so much of my life is like this. A poor system, seemingly on repeat until I finally have a break in the malaise to realize Ha! Something about this is not working. But finding a solution takes energy, energy that is in short supply. So often I just let the cycle run it's course, hoping one day a magical solution will dawn on me. Please tell me you've been there? I think it must be the third kid thing!

We struggling a bit over here with siblings battles. I think my kids have discovered the holes in my system and are starting to take advantage of them faster than I can keep up. They know how to really irk each other and they know how to irk me. People always told me that with three kids, you're outnumbered but for some crazy reason I thought my organizational skills would prevent that from happening to me. Ha! 

I'm reading a couple of parenting books to get some new ideas but I've learned to hold all concepts I encounter loosely. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Sometimes they are helpful and sometimes they can make a parent feel completely incompetent. By golly this parenting thing is complicated but I am working on giving myself a break. And on a lot of days I am getting better at it. What I really want is a set plan I can follow and voila, problem solved! But instead I'm learning (not necessarily achieving yet but learning) to lavish myself with grace and pray hard for extra doses of wisdom!!

Chinese Chicken Salad

After a rather indulgent December, a couple of us were feeling the need for some hearty main-dish salads around here. It just so happened that I had everything but a head of napa cabbage on hand to throw this one together tonight. I'd forgotten how completely delicious and easy it is! The original recipe came from our friend Lacey who delivered it to us after Emma was born. Ironically, she was the salad's biggest fan tonight, dishing up sevenths and even eighths - a first for any of my kids which ordinarily rarely touch salad! I think it was the sweet dressing that won her over. It probably helped that she just received a handmade bunny blanket and I told her bunnies like cabbage....

I made a couple of minor adaptions to the recipe and next time I think I'll throw in a dash or two of sesame oil for a more savory flavor but I was all out tonight. I served the salad with Nutmeg and Fresh Black Pepper Popovers (totally random and not Chinese whatsoever but I've had the recipe lying around waiting to be tried for ages and an all-salad dinner seemed like the perfect opportunity...) The whole meal was a hit with everyone. Enjoy!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Dressing:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Topping:

2 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

2 pkg dried ramen noodles, crushed

Salad:

1 head napa cabbage, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

3 mandarin oranges, peeled and broken into segments

3 cups chopped, cooked chicken (I used rotisserie from a meal earlier this week)

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

To prepare dressing, combine ingredients (sugar through soy sauce) in a small saucepan and bring to a low boil until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool.

To prepare topping, melt butter over medium high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add almonds, sunflower seeds and ramen and saute until golden brown.

To prepare salad, combine cabbage, green onions, oranges and chicken in a large bowl. Add topping and toss with dressing. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Crozier Christmas 2013

 Christmas morning started off wonderfully, as every morning does when your favorite baby boy sleeps all the way through the night (his first 9 1/2 hour stretch!!) Unfortunately the girls woke up crying so I didn't get to sleep through but close enough! We kicked things off the "right" way with stockings first.  Emma was in a bit of a mood (she was "hungy") but she turned around once she saw the presents.

This girl got an awesome new bike, which I neglected to photograph. Our goal is to get her up to running speed so we can totally take over the trail with our moving family of five: 2 on foot, 2 riding in the double Bob, and 1 pedaling on her bike.

Helping Grandpa and Grandma open their new picture calendar. 

 My kids' beautiful auntie 

 Both Tash and Canon had been sick leading up to Christmas too so we were glad they were well enough to join the party (they missed Christmas Eve).

 Great Grandma Juna spent the day with us

 After presents, Graham cooked up his famous duck with cherry port sauce in full feast fashion. 

We walked it off with a trek to the beaver pond and then spent the rest of the afternoon doing puzzles and playing games before we packed up a FULL van load and headed home. We were spoiled!!!

Christmas Eve 2013 (continued)

After an afternoon power nap for Emma, we rushed our little hinies off and somehow managed to make it to Bethany's Christmas Eve service, fighting (*cough* I mean jingling) all the way. As Graham would say it, I put the kabosh on him doing the music this year as he so rarely gets the holiday off and I just felt the need to be together for as much of Jack's first Christmas as possible. It was lovely to sing carols together by candlelight and have our kids participate in the service.

 After the service, we joined the extended Crozier clan at the senior Crozier homestead for a traditional Christmas Eve fondue dinner. I apparently neglected to take pictures of this portion, likely because all I could think of was the mutual germ sharing that was going on as each of us dipped into the pot of bubbling cheese. Had we not just concluded the tail end of the worst stomach flu experience known to man, I don't think I would have thought twice about it, but I was petrified we might get it again and those are days I don't care to repeat!!!! 

As a side note, look at Graham's awesome shirt! It was the one and only of all the presents I got him that he kept. Until it shrunk in the dryer....Never again will I attempt to buy him clothes! I learned that early on in our dating relationship but foolishly thought nearly 7 years of marriage would have helped me better understand his taste preference. Wrong. 

  The extended family switched it up a bit this year and trialed a white elephant exchange. We knew it was sure to be a riot with this group... Below you see picture the most sought after gift of the night: the Ostrich Napping Pillow.

 So stylish, so many uses. 

 After the party died down, the immediate Croziers hung out for a bit and then stayed for a sleepover to welcome Christmas morning.

 'Twas just another normal night

And Scott gave me a lesson on how to do crazy things with my camera. With this family, it's always a party!