Saturday, December 31, 2011

We Wish you a Merry Christmas!













Christmas comes but once a year! We had so much fun getting ready for the big day and celebrating it as much as we could this year. Kinley was out of school for a whole week before and I think the excitement of what was coming just about turned her into a basket case! Dolce got excited this year too and it was so much fun to see the way she interacted with her sister and did everything her sister did to get ready. She knew something was coming but she wasn't quite sure what.
For one of my work parties, we sponsored a Sub for Santa for a family and took the gifts to them at the end of the party. Kinley got to help give the gifts and she was so excited to give them to the little girl, which made me so happy.
Santa's workshop was very busy right up to Christmas Eve. We made a few of the gifts for the kids this year and there was so much to do! We made a play kitchen from a little desk, and I went and bought a bunch of play cookware at the thrift store. We also had a small bookshelf that David converted into a dollhouse. Dolce and Kinley and I are going to be painting it and decorating the rooms, beginning with a little rock fireplace. Perfect for the new Barbie wedding family set to move in to. I also made Baby Rome some Bow ties for Christmas including one that goes with his Christmas Sunday outfit. I don't have a picture of our family in our Christmas Sunday clothes yet, because Rome had a major blow out during church all over his white shirt. I was playing my violin for the Christmas program and was quite puzzled when I looked over and saw him wearing just his sweater vest, bowtie and diaper toward the end of the program. The revised outfit wouldn't do for a Christmas picture, so it will have to wait for New Years Sunday. Rome will be wearing a larger size of diaper than his big sister.
Christmas felt very different without my Grandma. I guess you have to notice how empty things feel when someone so special is gone. Merry Christmas Anyway!

And look who's sitting up!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

St. Lucia's Day

This year we wanted to learn a little more about some of the Christmas traditions celebrated in other countries. David has some Swedish ancestry on his side of the family, so we decided to celebrate St. Lucia's day. Celebrated on December 13, the shortest day of the year, Swedish families celebrate St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia was a young girl who was martyred in 304 AD. The most common story told of her is that she brought food to persecuted Christians who were in hiding in the Catacombs underneath the city of Rome. She wore candles on her head so that she could carry more food. Lucy means light, so this is an appropriate name for her. Today for the celebration, a girl member in the family dresses in a white dress with a red sash, with Lingonberry garland in her hair which represents new life in winter. She wakes up very early, before the sun is up to go to each member of the household and invite them to a breakfast of Saffron buns and coffee.(We used wassail) This begins the Christmas celebration in Sweden. Kinley got to be our St. Lucia. She took cinnamon roles and wassail to some neighbors. We thought this was interesting to learn about and a fun way to share a gift.

A funny face and a Grebe

This cute little face might be better explained by the fact that David always wears snowboarding goggles while chopping onions in the kitchen. Rome had apparently never noticed this little fact before and he was very shocked and bewildered about what had happened to Daddy. He normally has his jumpy seat all but flying to the moon, but when he saw David with the goggles on, he really seemed like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stopped jumping and just stared.
He is growing so fast! He's closer to being 7 months than being 6 months so here is a 7 month old update:

He seems to be getting ready to crawl. He always rolls from his back to his tummy and then pushes himself backwards.
He still gets stuck and can't roll from his tummy to his back.
He bounces like a crazy man in his johnny jump up.
He used to sleep really good at night, but he wakes up at least four times a night now.
He is still a really big kid. He's wearing 12 month clothes.
His temperament is very sweet. He's calm, like his Dad.
His red hair is finally coming in.
He doesn't seem to have a dominant hand. I wonder if he will be a lefty.
No teeth, yet!
He loves meal times, and eating baby food.
He's almost always happy.
He and Dolce wear the same size diapers and I think he will pass her up in weight soon.
He has been such a good baby, we've been spoiled.


On the way home from work yesterday, David noticed a bunch of these birds all over the place. Later, when he was shoveling snow in the driveway, he noticed this bird. He brought the bird inside because he thought that it must not be able to fly in this weather. We didn't know what type of bird it was. It's body looks like a duck, but it's beak is pointy rather than a bill like other ducks. It's feet are partly webbed and partly talon-ish. David called the Fish and Game office and they told him it's called a Grebe. A lot of these birds were migrating overhead when the storm came in and they couldn't fly through it. David took the bird to the fish and game office where they had a whole truck load of the birds and they took them to St. George to see if that would help them on their way to wherever they are trying to go. No duck soup for us.

Turning 6!




Kinley had a very fun birthday this year! In lieu of a birthday party, she got to have her first real sleepover! (And it was on a school night!) Oh my goodness, you can only imagine the excitement and planning that has come about in preparation for "the next sleepover."
I made Kinley a birthday crown full of lots of fun things. Yes, it was bigger than her head, but only a queen could stand under such a thing. She got to take a treat to her class, (remember those days?) And she got to go pick out her birthday cake. The cut made in the cake that you can see is the piece she chose to be hers.

Favorite color: Pink
Favorite food: Macaroni and Cheese
Favorite thing to do: Go camping and go on a train.
Favorite treat: Snickers
Favorite toy: Rapunzel Barbie
What are you going to be when you grow up?: A Mom.
Favorite thing at school: Watch movies and play on the playground.
Best Buddy: Riley and Jonas.
Most proud of herself when: She turned 6!

I still can't believe we have a grown up 6 year old! She is such a sweetheart! Happy Birthday Little Jane!

More Elfing around!

Jingles, the Elf has been up to more trouble at our house. Here are his latest escapades.

18 Days to go!
Wow Children! I never would have guessed that these Barbie movies could be so good! I especially loved the Nutcracker! Keep the good days comin'! Love Jingles.

17 Days left!
Happy Birthday little Miss! You have been such a good girl this whole year! No one knows how to help and share and be a perfectly wonderful little sweetheart quite like you! Somehow I got myself wrapped up in this gift while it was being wrapped! You're going to be great at being 6! Love, Jingles.

Only 16 days til Christmas!
Just out for a nice night of sailing on Bathtub Lake! The North Pole is all a bustle with getting ready for Christmas. You are all still on the "Nice" list, so keep up the good work.
Love, Jingles.

15 more Days!
Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum! I love candy! Anything sugary, chocolatey, carmelly, fruity...I love it all! Be sure to brush your teeth really well! Santa checks your teeth too!
Love, Jingles.

14 more Days to go! Only 2 weeks away!
Hey Kiddies, I turned this horse into a reindeer so that he could fly me to the North Pole and back! Keep Being good!
Love, Jingles.

13 more Days!
I found this Christmas CD and wanted to listen to it really loud! I've been jamming to it all night long! Have a listen!
Love, Jingles.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

The Naughty Gong!



Desperate times call for desperate measures. You know what I'm talking about. At our house we're implementing the highly sophisticated, intensely elaborate latest design of the Naughty Gong. Now, you may think that what you're looking at is little more than simply a hanging wire wisk and a platter. Little do you know you're gazing at Santa's rapid response unit, the one and only aid for defenseless parents with nowhere else to turn. Cordlessly wired into Santa's very own bluetooth headset, (which he wears ALL THE TIME by the way) one little bang of this magical gong directs Santa's full attention to your location and whatever current " situation" (incident) you may have on your hands. That's right, bang this little baby, and you become Incident Commander with the full capacity to dock presents and pass out coal as you please. Read it and weap kids! The parents are fighting back! Be afraid, be VERY afraid:)


And this is another component of decking the halls. I made this banner after seeing it on Pinterest.

The Elf on the Shelf

We have started doing Elf on the Shelf this year. I had never heard of it before this year, and I love all the little ideas I have read about what the mischievous family elf does in other families. Our elf's name is Jingles and he has been very busy checking the list twice at our house. We decided to do an advent count down with our Elf on the Shelf beginning on December 1st. Here's what he's been up to so far:

24 Days left until Christmas: (Inside was a note that said) Hi Holmgren Children! Your dad was having so much fun putting the Christmas lights on the Christmas tree last night (yeah right) that I decided to go pick out a tree for myself. I stole this one from the village, just like the Grinch! Heeheehee! Keep being good! I'm watching! Love, Jingles!

23 days left of being good!
Hi Kids! I think Polly Pocket and I are just about ready for the big day! We put up the Christmas tree last night, and with all this snow, we're planning to stay inside and drink Hot Chocolate for the weekend. Here's some hot cocoa for you too! I'll be watching!
Love,
Jingles


22 days to go!
Help!!! I got tired of waiting for you to decorate your tree, so I decided to toilet paper it. Now I'm stuck! Be nice, not naughty! I can still see you!
Love,
Jingles

21 Days away!
Ahhhh... after a long flight back from the North Pole, there's nothing like a nice, hot, bubble bath to relax in. Remember, be your best!
Love,
Jingles

20 More Days!
Hello Big Elves! All the lights were out last night and I needed a place to read...Good thing you made this cozy Christmas Village. I even finished my book...And I don't even know how to read! haha! Keep being good!
Love,
Jingles

19 LONG days!
Brrr!!! The North Pole was chilly tonight! To warm up I thought I'd do a little ice skating. But the ice cracked and I fell right through! Be sure to mind your parents or you'll be skating on thin ice too! So far, so good though!
Love,
Jingles

That's all for now but I'm quite sure there will be more mischief on the way so stay tuned!