Top of a Hill

Last week we returned from our family vacation to Captiva Island, FL. We planned this trip with our friends the Knechts, who have three girls around Izzy and JoJo’s age. We stayed at the family friendly resort of South Seas. If you’re a parent with young kids, you’ll take note of this resort. It has zero entry, heated pools, a couple water slides, suites with kitchens, extra bathrooms or closet space (which you can put a pack and play in), a kids indoor play center and daily kid activities like face painting or building sand castles. There’s a nature center with a big tortoise, a bunny, parrots, and a couple other small animals. The beach, with awesome shelling, was just a short walk from our rooms and there was a trolley that could take us across the resort. There was also a dangerously fun candy store and ice cream shop. There was also a bike rental shop and water sports rentals which we didn’t take advantage of.

We packed scooters for the three older girls which they rode through the resort. Every day, we would hit either the beach or a pool and watch the girls wear themselves out playing and swimming. Izzy and JoJo are complete opposite of each other in the water. Izzy is overly cautious and JoJo is overly zealous. Izzy wears a life jacket at all times, JoJo refuses and runs into the water until it’s up to her mouth. Izzy hates putting her face under water, JoJo would keep “bobbing” until I was afraid that she had swallowed too much water!

Part of Luke’s Christmas gift from me was a sailing lesson while we were at Captiva. We took Alex, and the two oldest girls with us on the 40 foot sailboat. The guys got to learn how to steer the boat, raise and lower the sails. We even spotted dolphins while we were out.

This trip was SO relaxing because we literally did nothing but sit at the beach or the pool. The weather was amazing, anywhere from 70-80 degrees every day. And of course we loved the company of our fellow vacationers.  It was a cruel call back to reality when we landed in the 35 degree weather in Denver after spending the first part of the day at the pool in sunny 80 degrees. Now it’s back to real life and a normal routine.

This week, it’s Izzy’s 4th birthday on Thursday and her birthday party on Saturday. More on that later!

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This year we were home for the holidays. It was nice to not have to travel and fight the crowds. We just stayed home, went to the Christmas Eve service at church, made Christmas cookies and opened presents on Christmas morning. I’ll admit it was somewhat boring, but it was nice to have this Christmas with just with our little family. I for one enjoyed a quiet Christmas =)

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Every year I make gifts for Izzy’s teachers/coaches. This year, time got away from me and it was only last week that I realized that I forgot to get that together! This year I needed to include JoJo’s teachers meaning double the number of gifts. So I threw some things together. I bought some cute squatty mason jars, decorated them with scrapbook paper and filled them with treats. For the ladies I made a cinnamon sugar scrub (recipe below), and for the men I made peppermint bark (probably the easiest treat to make). For other random people like our milkman and postal carrier, a friend turned me on to gingerbread caramels (they’re addicting!).

Cinnamon Sugar Body Scrub

6 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, making sure to mix everything well. Label a jar with instructions to use in the shower or bath and to keep water out of the container to prevent unwanted bacterial growth.

In other random thoughts, while I was scrambling to get gifts together I happened to stop by Big Lots (otherwise know as the product graveyard) and browsed through their scrapbooking section. Typically I cringe at shopping at Big Lots, but this one tiny section is worth it. I scored some stamps, Martha Stewart labels and an acrylic stamping block.

And here’s what’s happening with the girls. Izzy and I spent some time together a couple weekends ago. We went to my fav spa in town and got our nails done. Izzy was SO excited. She picked out her favorite colors (pink and purple) with glitter! We’ve started talking about what she’d like to do for her birthday party in January. So far we have the guest list and the fact that everything MUST be pink and purple.

JoJo is the talk of the 1 and 2 year old class at her school. Every morning when we walk through the halls there’s at least one kid who will stop and greet her. Today, JoJo brought home a love letter from an admirer at school. This little boy in her class who is also around her age had his big sister help him write a note to JoJo (picture is below). Apparently Claude talks about JoJo all the time when he’s at home, and is constantly trying to hug her at school. It’s pretty funny because he’s 1! Hello!! I wonder what he’ll be like when he’s a teenager!! At this rate, we’re going to have to keep our girls locked up when they’re older!! =)

This year I was determined to have a “homemade” Christmas. That meant that I was going to make all my Christmas decorations, make all my ornaments, and make all the stockings. Originally, I thought it was a good idea, however once November hit, I realized that I didn’t give myself enough time to get everything done. So I pared it down. Here’s what I ended up with.

Friends are such an important part of life. They are your community. They can be your lifeline. The best of friends will lovingly tell you how it is, call you out when you need an attitude change, encourage you to do the right thing, and stand by you during the hardest of times. This year I’m incredibly thankful to be surrounded by faithful friends who have challenge me to be a better mom, adopt an attitude of servitude and to pray constantly. So there you have it. I’m so thankful for each one of my friends this year, both near and far, who have challenged me to change for the better, prayed for me and spent time with me.

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone again! This year we had Luke’s side of the family in town to experience a really American Thanksgiving. Grandma Knowles came into town over a week before Grandpa Knowles and GiGi came. We were glad to have her around helping with the girls while I tried to prep for Thanksgiving. Cousin Steen also joined us for Thanksgiving.

Then, in true American tradition, I took Grandma Knowles and GiGi to Toys R Us on Thanksgiving night at 9pm for their Black Friday opening. It was pure madness. Something I will never do again!! But now my Canadian family has experienced a TRUE American Thanksgiving.

However Thanksgiving night, I received a text from my high school best friend, Julie Briggs, saying that her mom had passed away, without warning, before they sat down for lunch. Susan Hamel was a wonderful woman of God, who hosted us (loud and silly) teenage girls at her home so many times in high school, rented me her basement shortly after college, dedicated her time at the Life Network and who supported her husband through rounds of chemotherapy over the last few years. I’m so sad for Julie, her dad (Mike Hamel) and the rest of the Hamel family. Susan will be greatly missed.

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Last week I worked my one and only preschool workday for the semester. I expected to be covered in paint, shaving cream and to be completed exhausted by the end of the 2.5 hours. Surprisingly, I wasn’t! Now that the kids have been in school for a few months everyone seems to have their schedule down and knows what to do and what not to do. When the kids were asked to clean up they all jumped up and cleaned up! When they were asked to sit on their little pillows they all sat. It was amazing. Now if I could figure out how to get that to happen at home we would be golden.

Well, I’m officially one year older, and thank you to everyone who got dressed up and went out on Halloween to celebrate my birthday! I have one year left in my twenties to “live it up” before hitting the big 3-0. Here’s the thing about a Halloween birthday though. Things get weird if you go out at night. So, Luke decided to take me away the Friday night before my birthday. He booked a room at the Ritz-Carlton in Denver, arranged for us to see a comedy show, set up couples-massages at the Ritz Spa and booked our babysitter for 24 hours. It was a wonderful get away!

On Halloween, we enjoyed some amazing weather. It was almost 70 degrees! I took the girls over to the CSU student center for our yearly tradition of trick or treating through the center. We ended up with four or five other families with us which made it even more exciting for the girls. Izzy was Sully from Monster’s Inc. and JoJo went as Boo. For those of you not familiar with Monsters Inc. pictures of the characters are below.

Later that night, the girls trick or treating stash was recycled to the trick or treaters that came to our door. Izzy helped me carve an owl into the big pumpkin we got. The girls slathered their little pumpkins with paint (much safer than arming them with sharp objects to carve with!)

I’ve started to teach Izzy some piano on my own. Teaching is not my strong point, I just don’t have the patience. But I’d like to try to get Izzy started on some basic piano skills before she transitions into group piano lessons are her school. So far she’s completed two lessons successfully, but it’s hard to get her to sit still and listen for longer than 3 minutes at a time. JoJo on the other hand, loves sitting at the piano with me and banging on the keys.

A couple nights ago a random package arrived at our doorstep. There was a piece of paper stuck amongst the fun Halloween treats. On the paper was a poem:

The phantom ghost has come to town
To leave some goodies… I see you’ve found.
If you wish to make this a happier fall…
Continue this greeting, this phantom call.

First, post this Phantom where it can be seen,
And leave it there until Halloween.
This will scare other Phantoms who may visit.
Be sure to participate, you don’t want to miss it!

Second, make two treats & two copies
Deliver them to two neighbors, try to stay calm.
Don’t let them see you, be sneaky, no doubt
And make sure they put their Phantom Ghost out!

Next, you have only one day to act, so be quick!
Leave it at doors where the Phantom hasn’t hit.
Deliver at dark when there isn’t much light…
Ring the doorbell and run, and stay out of sight!!

And last, but not least, come join in the season.
Don’t worry, be happy, you need no good reason.
This is all in good fun and we are just trying to say…
Happy Halloween & Have a Great Day!

What a fun idea! I had wondered about these random outlines of ghosts on doors that had started appearing around my block and now I get it. We’ve been “boo-ed”. Even though I actually am fairly opposed to what Halloween has become, I kept the “boo” going. But this got me thinking, wouldn’t a better time of year to do this sort of thing be Christmas?

Lo and behold, there is a Christmas version called “You’ve Been Jingled”. I’m going to “jingle” people in my neighborhood this Christmas using this printout.  After all, Christmas is the season for giving and a much better holiday to celebrate =) So who else is going to start the “jingle” in their neighborhood?