Opening presents

We opened presents on Christmas morning this year. This kiddos (and me) were quite spoiled as usual. Poor John...not only was he not feeling well but he was also on call and was slightly jipped on the gifts he received from his wife. I went practical this year and he got a work shirt, under armor and socks. I am such a Grinch.
This year was the first year that Katie Kat got to sleep by the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve night. I went to turn off the lights on the tree at about 10:45 and she was the only one still awake. I told her that if Santa Claus came down the chimney and saw she was still awake, he would give her a spanking. I love messing with their little minds. We told the kids they couldn't wake us up too early. They came and got us about 8:00 - not too bad and then the present opening commenced...

Gramma Hiemstra made Holly an afghan. She was so excited! Holly told Gramma what colors she wanted a long time ago and according to her, it was perfect.

Katie thanking Holly for her new baby car seat.

Sam got lots of Legos this year - he is getting really good at building things all by himself.

I love this!

Gramma Haan got Katie one of books were you can record yourself reading it. She thought it was so neat! I think we all have the book memorized by now she's played it so much. In this one, Holly is showing just what she thinks of John getting work calls during our gift opening...

Diapers aren't all bad

A funny story for you...
This morning I decided to be very brave and take Sam and Katie to the library even though we are in the throes of potty boot camp. I let Katie wear her pretty princess panties with strict instructions to keep them dry. Guess what? She did! However I did find out that diapers are not just good at catching excrement...they also help hold up your britches. I left her in the kid's section for just a minute to help Sam get a video and when I came back she was walking around with her jeans (and pretty princess panties) around her ankles. I guess diapers aren't all bad!

Christmas Eve

I bribed my children into taking a few pictures before our Christmas Eve service by telling them they could each open one present when we got home from church. I believe that bribery is a parenting technique far too often overlooked. I am currently using it in coordination with potty booty camp. I tell Katie that I will buy her a pony as soon as she's all done with diapers. I tell Holly that we can get a Shark (some vacuum cleaner that ever since she saw the info-mercial she is obsessed with) if she helps me with potty boot camp. I digress. Back to Christmas Eve pictures...

WARNING...this post contains graphic images that may not be suitable for those easily grossed out

I have lots of Christmas pictures to share but thought I'd do a little catch-up post before I get to all of those. I cannot believe we are in the second week of Christmas break already. Where did last week go? The weekend before Christmas we were invited to some friends for dinner and games. We played a silly game called "Beat the Parents" that was either a.totally invented by kids or b. invented by some adult who thought kids needed more self esteem. Supposedly the kids ask the adults "kid questions" and the adults ask kids "adult questions". It was totally rigged. The kids got questions like, "What color is an orange?" and us adults got questions like, "Who was the fourteenth tsar of Russia?". Surprise, surprise, the adults lost. Here's a picture I stole off my friend Julie's blog...

These little darlings beat the parents and they aren't afraid to show it. So much for building up their low self esteem.

Here's a picture of my new laundry room light...

I love it. It makes me smile every time I go in there. Actually, John completely re-did my laundry room for me but it's not quite done yet so I will wait to share the rest of it.

The kitchen is next. This bad boy completely quit working on Christmas Eve...

So I get a new stove. And you know how that goes...if you get a new stove then you might as well get a new fridge and if you get a new fridge then you might as well get a nice one with ice in the door which means that you will have to rip out some cabinets which means you might as well re-front the rest of them and get new counter tops, sink, faucet, and flooring.
I was a little nervous that John was going to say that my new laundry room or kitchen was my birthday present so yesterday I bought tickets to Arizona to visit my folks. So far, we've had a pretty nice winter but I'm sure I will need a little get-a-way by the time January is over. This will be an adult only trip so in preparation for Kerri babysitting for us, I started potty boot camp again (the first attempt being anything but successful). It's going well. Last night we had a major break-through...

You were warned. I got a lot of nice Christmas gifts but this little surprise was one of my favorite.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from the Hiemstra Family!

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Christmas Happenings

As of a couple of hours ago, Holly and Sam are on Christmas break. Wowza. Where did 2010 go? This week we've been busy with Christmas happenings. I love this time of year!
Tuesday night was the middle school band and orchestra concerts. All the kiddos did a fantabulous job but this violinist was my favorite... Not a great picture but the best one I could get since when she was sitting down that music stand was right in my way. She is standing up because she is tuning the rest of the musicians which is pretty funny to me since she has an ear infection and is as deaf as a doorknob lately.
Here's one of the whole orchestra...

Today was Sam's school Christmas program and his class party. For the program, all the kids in kindergarten through fourth grade file in and sit on the bleachers and there is a time of utter chaos when the kids are all trying to find their moms and dads in the audience and moms and dads are all trying to get their kid's attention. I really should have taken a picture of all the parents taking pictures.

Yes, they all wear white capes and crepe paper bows. Even the fourth grade boys who march in looking like a male dog that has just been to the groomers and got pink bows tied to his ears. It is a tradition here in Lynden that has been around for hundreds of years and you don't mess with it.

Here is Sam and his girlfriend Becca. The white cape she is wearing was also worn by her mom and uncles many, many years ago. Sing it with me, "Tradition....TRADITION!!"

Here's Sam eating his snack and trying to make fart noises with his armpit at the class party...

And here he is decorating his ice cream cone angel...

Today was a half day so after school I took the kids to McDonalds for lunch. Mom, aren't you just so proud of me?

Happy Birthday Gramma

I haven't really been acknowledging too many birthday this year in my blog but this special lady turned 89 today and I couldn't resist using this picture... I know everyone thinks that they have the greatest grandma in the world but I really do.
Some of my best childhood memories are times I spent on her and Grampa's farm. It was my favorite place to be. We lived about six hours away but it seemed to take FOREVER to get there. I would get so excited when we finally went over the last hill on the gravel road and I could see the house. No matter what time we got there, she was always waiting in the kitchen to give me a big hug.
My Gramma has had lots of hardships in her life and yet her faith is so strong. After my Grampa died, she would let me sleep in her room with her and I can still see her kneeling beside her bed to pray every night.
She was the only person I told that we were going to have a little boy when I was pregnant with Sam and I completely trusted that she would keep it a secret.
When we were living in Iowa she would take the Greyhound bus to visit us and while we were at work she would iron John's shirts, make supper, make ham and cheese sandwiches to freeze for our lunches, and later on, babysit.
My Gramma is adventurous and has a great sense of humor. John and I once took her to a restaurant where if you order a shake the waiter would make you put the cup on your head and then proceed to pour it into the cup while standing on a chair over you. John ordered her a strawberry shake and she didn't hesitate the slightest when the waiter told her what she needed to do. We also built an anatomically correct snowwoman outside of her house and then put one of her headscarfs on it. She let us take a picture of her by our creation before she took a butcher knife and chopped off the the things that make the snowwoman a snow-woman.
My Gramma adores her family, makes the best chocolate pie, can mend ANYTHING, has a servant heart, and is one very good looking senior citizen.
Gramma, have a very happy birthday! I am so bummed to miss your party tomorrow...I WILL be there next year!
I love you.

Tuesday List-o-rama

I have so much to do today. I woke up this morning and was so overwhelmed by my list that I decided I needed to go have coffee with my good friend Julie to get myself motivated.
I've decided to post my list here and then report back later tonight how much I accomplished...kind of an accountability thing ya know?
1. Tackle the laundry. I know I won't get it all done today but I need to at least put forth a valiant effort. Sam had to wear the same jeans he wore yesterday which wouldn't be that bad of a thing if they didn't have grass stains all over the knees. TACKLED BUT NOT COMPLETED (4 loads to go in case your interested) but Sam does have clean jeans for tomorrow.
2. Write a letter to my gramma. It is her birthday on Thursday and her birthday card will be late but that's okay because my mother never gets birthday cards out on time and I have inherited that gene from her so it's not my fault. DONEBesides my gramma is understanding as well as good looking...that gene was obviously passed down as well. He He.
3. Go grocery shopping. We have no food - enough said. DONE
4. Make egg bake for coffee break tomorrow. DONE
5. Go have lunch at John's work. There is a party there because the new doctors start today. YEAH. I hope this means that my husband will not have to work quite so hard???? DONE
6. Cuddle with her... DONE
Because it's just not a good day until I do.
7. Find a better spot for the Christmas presents that are just sitting out in the open on my bedroom floor. I guess it would be better if I could actually get them wrapped and under the tree but I really don't like wrapping presents and I got enough other things to do. DONE
8. Make spaghetti sauce and a dessert for the hot lunch that I am serving to Holly's class tomorrow. DONE
9. Call my friend Susie. I haven't talked to her in forever and I miss her. DONE
I wish we were in Mexico again.
10. Call someone in the Midwest and listen to them tell me how cold it is there and how much snow they got and then tell them that my grass is still green and I went outside without a coat yesterday. DONE
11. Clean my bathrooms. This absolutely needs to be done...I will leave it at that. DONE
There it is folks. Wish me luck. I have to go party at John's work now....it's on my list after all.

Monday Yuck

The week is not starting out well. Katie decided to get up at 5:00 this morning. This is very un-Katie-like. I'm guessing it's because she was sick and pretty much slept the entire weekend. She's obviously better now judging from the way she was pushing her doll stroller up and down the hallway this morning like three million times while I am lying in bed thinking, "Should I get up? Is it bad to let your two-year-old just roam the house in the wee hours of the morning? What if she gets into some sort of poison or gets ahold of a permanent marker? Why isn't John getting up" etc etc etc.
After I got the other two out the door I went to make myself some coffee and I am out of coffee filters. Who runs out of coffee filters? Don't you get like 47 zillion in a package or something like that? One should never run out of coffee filters.
My house is messy, there is a bunch of gross dishes in the sink, I have laundry to do (I always have laundry to do), and the sun is not shining.
Because of the afore-mentioned sick kid, I was not able to go to Holly's violin recital on Saturday. Worser still, John was working so he was not able to go to Holly's violin recital on Saturday. Talk about feeling like a bad mom. Thanks Aunt Sally for filling in and thanks Julie for recording her performance for me!
Feel bad for me yet?
Oh yeah, and then there is this...
Translation: I do not like my mom. I found it when I was cleaning Sam's room this morning. I suppose it should have made my Monday even yuckier however I burst out laughing and immediately had to call John and tell him all about it. I know exactly when he wrote it. Saturday morning I packed up the Wii and told him it wasn't coming out until after Christmas vacation. I was just tired of him ALWAYS asking to play it and perhaps I was just a little hormonal over having to miss my daughter's violin recital. I am a mean mom. I am a mean mom especially because he had a friend over to play Saturday afternoon and now ( and I quote), "WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSE TO DO ALL DAY LONG?!"
They survived.

There was playing of board games.

Wrestling.

Making of sugar cookies.

Eating of sugar cookies.

And flying down the stairs on couch cushions.

Just lic in the olden days.

Totally unrelated here...here's me and my little girl sleeping on the couch together.

Now, I'm off to take my uncaffeinated self and seize this day!

This ones for you... Aunt Jen and Aunt Jan

My blogging penance comes to an end today. I was looking back over my pictures and spotted these cute ones of my Katie Kat. She got this "I'm a Little Princess" shirt from my Aunt Jan and Aunt Jen who just happen to be some of my biggest blogging fans. I am pretty sure they miss me the most when I don't blog for a while so I am dedicating this post to them.
Aunt Jen and Aunt Jan are two of my most favoritist people in the world. They both love my kids so much and spoil them rotten whenever we visit in the summer. I have to admit that they spoil me too and I kinda like that.

I'm hoping they make it to Washington one of these days...I'd like the chance to spoil them too!
Aunt Jen and Aunt Jan we miss you lots! Thank you for the cute t-shirt...Sam did wonder if you couldn't find one that said "I'm a little destroyer"??

Merry Christmas to Me!

I must have been a good girl this year because look at what Santa brought me!It is beautiful and warm and I'm going to go lay on my couch and watch it now.

I ain't got much folks

Oh my. It's nearly ten o'clock and I almost forgot to blog today. I am now wondering why I decided to commit to blogging every day for 16 days. That's a lot. My life just isn't that exciting folks. Yes, my kids sometimes say funny things and sometimes I get a cute picture of them that I want to show off. Sometimes I have something somewhat profound to share and sometimes it snows which makes me mad and so I verbally vomit my disgust to you all. But mostly, life is just here and there isn't a lot to say. Which is maybe okay.
In church this morning we were encouraged to use the "gift of silence" during the service as way to reflect on preparing and waiting for our Savior who has come and will one day come again. That's my hope for this Christmas season - that I would just take time to "Be still and know that He is God". Hey, look at that....I guess I did have something to blog about today.
And, because a blog post without pictures is just a blog post (not too profound, I know...it's time for bed)...here's what I found when I down loaded pictures today. Apparently Sam borrowed my camera again.

This one's my favorite...