December 10th

This morning I put the rest of my ornaments on the tree. There was just enough room on the top branches to finish off the tree with the White House ornaments. Brad's brother used to send them to us every year when they lived in Virginia. They are really unique and fun to have. Every year I envision reading through the story of each one with the kids, but I don't.

After the kids were off to school, Merek and I headed up to the Y. I read the most recent BYU Magazine while walking today. Only made it about 2/3 of the way through before the 65 minutes were up. Read some wonderful articles--my favorites were speech excerpts from politicians calling for more civility among Americans.

Merek's friend, Andrew, came over to play when we got home. They built their standard bird's nest out of the couch cushions, built legos, played spy, and rode the rocking horses together. We do weekly playdates with Andrew. He and Merek get along really well. Then it was time for Merek to go to preschool.

I had a camp meeting at 1pm. This is my last year as one of the camp directors. The years have gone by quickly. We have quite a bit to do before our first January meeting with the staff. But it's hard to think about or focus on during the holidays. I need to just set aside a particular time to be "camp time".Miranda arrived home during our meeting. She was excited to tell me she got 26 out of 21 on her Science quiz. That has been the hardest class for her this year. (There was extra credit on the quiz).

The kids worked on homework and reading when they got home. I had two piano lessons to teach. The girls took a birthday invitation down to Hope. We made pasta for dinner. Lina had musical theater. She got the part of Mrs. Bucket in their Willy Wonka production scheduled for March. I think she was a bit disappointed at first to not have a bigger part. But she told me tonight that she has a solo in the play. The instructor said they changed it from a trio to just a solo for Lina because she has such a beautiful voice. I hope Lina enjoys the class and the preparations for the performance.

Lina was excited today to get a Christmas card from her 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Beattie. There was even a handwritten letter to Lina on the back of the card. It really brightened Lina's mood when she read it. She immediately wrote back to Mrs. B. I hope this is something they can continue to do. It makes Lina feel special and important that her teacher still cares about her.

My piano recital is THIS Saturday. Things are finally finalized for the location. I have a TON to do to get ready. But it is all good and I'm thrilled that there will be almost 70 people there. Usually we have it at our home because there have only been 4-5 families in the past. But this year with 21 students, a few more families are involved. Since I changed venues and have more space, I invited the kids' school teachers along with some friends. It will be great. Hopefully, the students are practicing hard so they can perform to the best of their ability.

Today was the submission deadline for a publication that I felt I really had a good shot at getting some projects published. But I finally just decided it wasn't going to fit in the schedule, without me sacrificing some time with the kids, to get the submissions in. It always surprises me how long it takes to submit something. And then there is no guarantee that what I submit will even be published. So I decided to just let it go and not wait until the last minute next time :)

Brad and the kids watched "Prep and Landing" tonight. It seems to be the season for holiday movies (and the season for a lax in the "no TV on school nights" rule). Our Elf on the Shelf arrived this morning. In the mailbox on the tree was a note from Santa. He left Wish Lists for the kids to fill out and Hershey Kisses hidden in one of the kitchen drawers. Krish helped Merek fill out his list. As Merek thought about things, Krish suggested "clothes". How many 9-year-old BOYS think of clothes for their Christmas wish lists?? I guess Krish does have "pants" on his list. He wears holes in the knees of his pants faster than lightning. He plays so rough at recess and at home. Always falling to the ground, sliding on his knees. I need to find some sort of pants with triple-reinforced knees.

When I tucked Bird in, he said he seems to be waking up really early in the mornings and not getting enough sleep. I suggested that he go to bed earlier so he can wake up at his normal time and get more sleep that way. But he said he would only wake up earlier. I mentioned that maybe if he woke up early and tried to go back to sleep without watching the clock every few minutes to see if it was 7am then maybe he would actually be able to go to sleep.

Krish and Brad read aloud from the 3rd Harry Potter tonight. They have been reading it for awhile now. It looks like they are a little over 1/2 way through. Krish is looking forward to watching the movie when they finish. It's one of our rules that they cannot watch the movie before reading the books.

Going to head to bed a little earlier tonight. When I put Merek to bed he asked what we were having for breakfast. This is a ritual that happens every night. And if we do not have what I told him the night before, watch out! So I told him maybe eggs or cereal, but I wasn't really sure because I might make muffins. He asked what kind. Blueberry, banana, and pumpkin were suggestions I gave. He said, "how about ones with chocolate chips?" :)