Christmas Day

I've learned a few things having a large family.

Anything that is chaotic for a normal-sized family is exponentially so for a large one.  I like to have a labeled gift bag with each stocking so they can immediately put their gifts in a bag.  This prevents their little breakable gifts from being stepped on.  I can't tell you how many candy canes got broken.

Christmas is all about eating cookies and candy, so I can only expect rotten behavior from anyone under the age of...oh, let's say nine years old. 

This was the best picture we got of Ian. 

Some kids weren't happy with what they got, but sorry Ian. I'm not buying you a new phone.  And Daniel? You asked Santa for a drone.  He brought you a drone.  Crying about not getting $30 and a video game just isn't fair.

This is the hat that I made for Daniel for Christmas

This is Daniel not wearing his hat!

 I crocheted or knitting little presents for all my kids that I knew would wear them.  Genna got my Afterthought Socks.  Fiona got socks and a hat to match.  Daniel and younger got hats.  It was fun making things. 

Genevieve and Fiona got to make things too! We were gifted a special dollhouse from a friend who is moving.  This house was built for her by her grandparent's friends when she was a little girl.  She wrote her name in puffy paint on the roof and when her little girls started playing with it, their names were added.  She would like us to add our names to hers and keep the story going.  Of course! The girls painted the bedrooms, added rugs made of scrapbook paper, and built furniture out of cardboard and clothespins. 

Our favorite gifts-well, mine and Mark's-were puzzles from the dollar store.  I bought six.  The 500 piece puzzle didn't match the cover picture, so it was really fun putting it together. Together.   The kids' favorite gifts were Forza 5 for the Xbox, the Kindle, and the drone.  Mark also replaced a broken RC car that Daniel got from the local Santa event.  All the boys loved playing with it, but Shane blew out the wiring when he tried to modify it to run off a 9V battery and go really fast!  Ha-science!

Christmas Part 2: Cookies! And Snow!

Jason made his own cookies this year

Genevieve's are on the left, Jason's on the right.

She didn't like Jason's mess, but she's a good sport and filled with Grace

The SSS Odyssey Cookie

As long as they are quiet and not asking to watch a movie or play video games...

Special cookie, just for me!

Red frosting, red sprinkles, RED 40 ?!?!?!?!

He was so careful and deliberate on where he dumped the rolling out flour.

Gingerbread Boy

Cookies were messy and tasty, but I think next year we'll do a different kind.  Some of us have been cutting and frosting cookies for almost two decades.

The first year I've been able to make a full four loaf batch of Yule Kaga!

Mark's sister sent a cheese and sausage box, but someone else did too...and didn't leave a name!  I sure loved watching all my big kids crowding around the box for meat and cheese.  Grandad would have been so proud.

Meat and Cheese! Ian is meat, Genna is cheese!

 And then.........IT SNOWED!  A WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

These little gloves were supposed to be in stockings.  I kept them out just in case!

Ian successfully landed several back flips on the icy trampoline.  I'm glad I waited until just NOW to realize he could have easily broken his neck slipping.  If I live through his shenanigans.... I'll still have seven more teenagers to kill me off I suppose.....

 We were supposed to have goose for Christmas dinner.  Sadly, several geese that were slated for eating disappeared and/or died and all that is left is the breeding stock.  I joked it was the snowy camouflage that kept them safe and alive.  We ended up eating.... meat and cheese.

 This snowball was the first shot fired between the older kids...

Revenge is a dish best served....cold.  And frozen.

Will she hit him? Will he dodge?

A direct hit!

Better run!

Shane was stuffing a snowball in her hood and smashed it in to her hair when he looked over and saw...

Slam dunk snowball!

 Ian planned his slam dunk attack pretty well, but didn't take into account that people might move to get out of the way, so he landed on Genevieve and made her mad.

 Shane and Ian volleyed snowballs back and forth for awhile...

 ...some finding their mark, some not.  And Genevieve, who is a very patient person....

"Hey Ian, wanna build a snowman?"

Face smash!

Ian can pass it out, but can he take it?

 And then while I was taking a few pictures of the little kids and their penguin sledding (because no one could find the sled)...

the battle between Ian and Shane got a little more tense.  Shane picked up the old wading pool and used it as a shield...

 ...and just kept going and knocked Ian down.  Look closely at Mark's face.  We all were pretty darn surprised.  And then Ian went after Shane.

 They are both smiling, but I was pretty sure I would never see Shane alive again after they ran into the house. I'm pretty sure the fact that they tandem nursed as babies keeps them from actually hurting each other as teens.  Most days see them arguing about everything, with Ian being the more dominant one (in his mind) through strength and force, but Shane being the dominant one through peace and quiet strength-the kind that realizes that not owning other people's problems is strength.

And that was the fun of Christmas Eve.

Christmas 2017 Part 1

December is such a long month.  Not only did I have regular, every week lessons and activities, homeschooling, and work, I had Christmas parties and potlucks AND getting ready for Christmas.  Now that I've crossed the finish line for this marathon, I feel like I can finally sit and think for a second...

We had: Christmas parties for MOPS, Homeschool Co-op, Cub Scouts, Vaulting. A end of the year potluck for football.  Shane's black belt test.  Genna, Fiona, and Daniel's color belt test in their class.  Visiting Santa at the local Christmas event with Santa picture.  Santa coming to the end of the driveway on the fire truck. Shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping and did I say shopping? Also, four dentist appointments.  Who in their right mind schedules dentist appointments in December??? Caroling at the Assisted Living Facility.  Cookies and butchering on the same day (whose idea was that? The kitchen is crowded enough as it is).   And then Christmas Adam, Eve, and Day.

This post will be the BC pictures (Before Christmas) that mostly came from my phone. I will include every. painful. detail. so I can laugh and remember when I am old and gray and have forgotten everything.  Just like The Notebook, only about parenting.

First, the Homeschool Co-op Christmas party.  Co-op has become one of our favorite parts about homeschooling.  It's so fun! We've never been to a Christmas party with them, so we were really excited.  I was supposed to bring a potluck dish, but I can hardly cook for my family, so expect something store bought for any group meal I attend (largefamilyFUNctioning).  I brought a big box of goldfish cracker snack bags and a big bag of Chicago style popcorn.  Just as I was setting them on the table, Heidi started to barf.  On the table, on the floor in front of the table.  All we could do was stare in shock.  I threw my purse to one girl (Genna?) and my keys to another (Fiona?).  I pulled Heidi's coat off and turned it into a bowl just in time for her to lose the rest of her breakfast.  I was able to get her and Fiona to walk to the bathroom where I dumped her coat-bowl contents in a toilet and made the two girls stay put until I got back from cleaning up her mess on the floor.  It was really really embarrassing. And smelly.  I may have held back tears.  And I had five other kids that really really wanted to stay with their friends for the party.  So Heidi, Jason, and I sat outside in the parking lot for two hours.  She ran and played and threw rocks and acted NOT sick for the rest of the day.  Could she possibly get carsick?

Heidi acting NOT SICK after puking on the snack table

The best thing about Santa and the firefighters this year was meeting our new neighbors! And at the last minute I called another new family that lives nearby and had them come meet us too!  So instead of waiting in the dark at the end of our own driveway, we waiting at the end of the new family's driveway with new friends!

After seeing Santa, we rushed off to the Cub Scout party (while Ian was at the football potluck and Genna was at vaulting) where Heidi had so much sugar that she fell flat on her face just walking and then freaked out and ran out into the parking lot because she wanted to skate on the frozen sidewalk.  Fiona tried to grab her before she got run over, but Fiona slipped on the ice.  We were all calling her and she just wasn't hearing us because her brain had quit working.  I swore I would never take her to another after-dark event that involves sugar.  She is just too Downen (along with Daniel and Mark and probably some other kids in this family).

This is our free picture with Santa!  I love each and every kid in all the ages and stages they are in.  I love my grumpy teen that would rather be doing streaks on Snapchat.  I love my two year old who is freshly weaned from his binky.  I love my crazy four year old and my super happy five year old.  I love my seven year old who changed his mind at the last minute about what he wanted for Christmas and threw a fit and sobbed for hours on Christmas Eve. And all the nice kids too.

I have a complicated love/hate relationship with MOPS.  I mostly don't like being around other moms, especially young moms with only one or two kids who think large families and homeschooling are weird.  But I also feel like I've been called to represent large families and homeschooling on the KP.  I don't like the KP though.  I went to the Christmas party even though I would have rather had stayed at home next to the fire knitting.  Bless those moms' hearts, they surprised the kids with a visit from another Santa!  I'm glad I didn't bring my kids.  Only on the KP does Mrs Claus have bleachy red hair, a baseball cap with fake fur and feathers, gold fillings, and a terrified bull terrier on a chain. My friend joked that the sleigh had a blue tarp duct tape window.

The next post will be the belt test at Mark's school, so stay tuned (hahaha)!

Shane: 1st Dan

Neatly tucked in between regular activities and the start of Christmas festivities, Shane tested for his 1st Degree Black Belt.  He was tested as an adult and will be Kukkiwon certified.  A person needs to be 15 years old to be eligible for Kukkiwon certification and Shane is 14, but the Koreans count birthdays differently and he is 15 years old in their system.

Mark brought Genevieve up to record the test.  Shane did eight poomse twice each, punching and kicking techniques, sparring techniques, and board breaking.  Shane looked amazing.  The poomse in both schools are the same, but Mark changed the count and combined some of the moves.  Shane, the kid who had trouble paying attention and hearing his name being called when he first started ten years ago, had no problem whatsoever going along with Master Siwon's count.  I was so impressed.

Master Siwon from their old Taekwondo school tested Shane.  He was testing other students the same night.  They weren't used to how.... active? no....serious?....Mark and Shane can be.   Master Siwon was going to partner one of his own students with Shane for the sparring techniques.  After Mark saw Master Siwon's students perform, he whispered that he had better step in; Shane is used to "going to the ground."  I love the looks on their faces in the picture above.

Shane broke over forty boards, most on the first try.  He was so good that one of the other students (who wasn't going to pass anyway) let it get in her head and she really struggled.  I did feel sorry for her.

He kicked right through the board and into Mark's chin

Check out that high kick!

Shane, Master Siwon, and Ian on Shane's very first belt test in 2007.

In addition to the physical test, Shane had to write a 500 word essay on his Taekwondo journey.  His journey started in 2007 when he was four years old, which is the exact age Master Siwon was when he started.

 In 2010, Shane earned a child's black belt...and he grew a few inches in the process!

 And look at him now!  Taller than Master Siwon and inching up on his dad!  I can't tell you how proud we are of him.