The most remarkable thing about this Christmas was that it was WHITE! So while dad was working and we were waiting for the Randall Google Hangout, we played in the snow!
The girls went to the backyard to play and missed out on some good tubing. Ben and I had fun at the park with some of our neighbors.
The Randall Google Hangout was fun and chaotic. David and Atza were there, so they brought the spanish traditional pooping uncle log. You hit the log and then presents appear under the table (or piano bench) in this case. It is a strange and fun tradition. The Randall gifts were a big hit. We got Harry Potter wands and Light sabers!
One Harry Potter wand was from the Rathburns. Ben actually got 2 wands, so he generously allows Libby to play with one.
One of my favorite pics from the whole christmas.
Then we went to brunch at the Norton Grandparents' house. Since last year they have refinished their wood floors, cleared out lots of stuff and made their front room really beautiful. It was lovely!
Waffles with bacon, sausage and OJ. Yum!
After the Norton presents were open, it was time for more playing in the snow outside!
Brett took the brunt of a snow ambush. But I think he enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed photographing and not getting wet or too cold.
Derek, Paige and Paul all got there before the gifts were opened.
The most exciting gift was the most "a-doorable" (I know, so cheesy, but I love it). The Norton home is looking so good, but the budget ran out before they could replace the doors off the main room. There are 5 doors in their little hallway. Derek and Clark damaged one years ago playing football in the house. Derek's dog damaged another. So all the kids went in together to buy them all 5 new doors. We only bought one and gave a gift card for the other 4. Geneva was super happy.
It was a very Merry Christmas! I enjoyed the break. I wrote myself a schedule--worked on taking down the decor a little every day, 2 hours on school every day, and then just had some time to relax and shop for the home projects coming up. I really want to paint the kitchen/sunroom before I go back to school on Wed. Picking a paint color has been a headache, but I am taking a day off from thinking about it (trying to anyway) to enjoy the Sabbath and New Year's Eve.
This year Christmas Eve was the first party at our house (as opposed to party number 4 like the last couple of years). That was a nice change. We played 2 new games from a pack I found at Target. "Hum that Tune" and "Christmas Trivia." They were a hit. We enjoyed the traditional clam chowder and veggies with donuts and hot chocolate for dessert. We were a much smaller crowd than we have been, but there was still plenty of holiday frivolity.
We called my dad at the end of the program so we could have a FaceTime "The Night Before Christmas." It was a nice wrap up for the program.
Maren forgot the olives for the veggie tray. So Libby opened 2 cans and dumped them on. I got a picture as fast as I could, but the kids had already swooped in and eaten most of them.
The candy cane ring toss was quite popular again. I told them they could go again to trade for a different candy cane. Ann played many times until she got the candy she wanted.
Remember the first year I hosted Christmas Eve and I got all new fancy dishes? Yeah, no more of that! Paper all the way. Made clean up much better!
Ben played Jolly Old St. Nick--he did a great job. He sang it so nicely for practicing, but wouldn't sing for any of his performances.
The girls wanted to sing "O Come All Ye Faithful" in Latin (they learned this with their choir). They did a nice job. I'm so glad they are in choir!
Ben wanted to be Joseph. He chose Libby for his Mary. They were so cute and funny.
Sheep and Shepherds. Note to self: next year Maren is not a sheep. This is like 4 years in a row.
The whole cast. Almost everyone played multiple roles, since we also had the bell choir going during the nativity. Another note to self, that didn't' work out too well.
I feel so blessed to be a Norton. What a great bunch!
The evening ended with Grammy pulling out her gifts to the grandkids...pajamas. But wait...she forgot our kids PJs? Guess they have to go with Grammy to her house to get their PJs (again). This happens every year that Derek has to work on Christmas Day. Libby and Sarah have noticed this pattern. I'm not sure that Ben has picked up on it yet. That's when our Christmas Eve really starts out...
They went to get their pajamas and Santa came while they were gone!
We spent the whole month preparing them that they weren't going to get much. It looks very sparse compared to earlier years. But it felt so good not to have too much new STUFF around. This is Ben and Dad's new lego set from Santa. The Batcave!
Libby and Sarah both got bath fizzies and new bathrobes. Ben and Sarah needed new headphones, so they both got those. Libby just recently got headhphones, so she got a box of candy canes. She said very matter of factly, "I noticed that Ben and Sarah got new headphones and I didn't. I know why."
They also got a new (used) wrestling mat. We hadn't opened it before hand. It was super dirty. But we got it cleaned up just in the nick of time. On the mat was a tiny gift leading to a scavenger hunt. Santa's elves had wrapped and hidden 5 big luggage tags that led them around the house and to the sunroom to unwrap two gifts that revealed where we would be going on a trip for mid-winter break. Seaside OR! With Mimi and Papa. This was actually not a surprise because Grandpa Brion didn't know it was a surprise and was asking/telling Libby about it last week. But it was still fun and a tradition I'd like to keep up. The gifts they unwrapped to reveal the location were a Seaside puzzle and Seaside visitors guides. I put together the puzzle while Derek and Ben built the Lego Batcave and we watched all 3 Santa Clause movies over the next few days. It was a great puzzle. And the kids all loved the Santa Clause(s). (I came in and out, but the movies all seemed really fun!)
Opening the "Seaside" gifts.
Santa's other big gift was delivered a few days earlier, a new reclining couch for the sunroom. It has turned into a redecorating the Sunroom project that is eclipsing the redorcrating the family room project and is making me crazy. I keep telling myself it is fun and I should enjoy the journey. But I'm not sure I have time to enjoy the journey right now.
This is the back of the new couch. See all those chords? Well you will see a photo in the weeks to come of the project to hide that :) I sent this to my designer so she could help me figure out what to do to hide it. I didn't look at the back of the couch when I bought it. Ugh.
Somehow I have never realized just how much time it takes to make gingerbread houses--and I don't even make the gingerbread! The awesome kits make it easier. But you still have to shop for candy, build the houses. Wait, then decorate. Then clean and clean and clean.
But seriously, it is still my favorite thing!
I didn't get too many pictures, my hands were too covered with frosting!
We had our new neighbors over--okay not that new. They moved in 6 months ago. But this was the first time our schedules matched up to hang out. The kids had so much fun. They established a "Norton-Hardie" Colony where Ben and their daughter Wren got married. It was so cute. I think they spent more time on their enormous blanket fort than they did on their gingerbread houses. It was a fun morning.
(The cleanup went until afternoon of course.)
The spread.
We invited our cousin Ann to join us too.
Somehow I didn't get a picture of Ben's, but the theme of his house was tootsie roll snails. Hilarious.
Libby was really excited to make a wafer bench.
When I finished cleaning, I went out to do a little more shopping. The girls ate their houses while I was gone, and I never got a picture of their finished houses.
This was my first house. I seriously love decorating. I could do this all day. I was particularly proud of my red hot well. I'm sure you would get cinnamon flavored water if you drew from this well!
Then there happened to be another house left over from the kit. So I decorated this one too. Not as elaborate, but still fun. We used them for our christmas table decor. (You can see Ben's in the background of both pictures.)
The Alderwood Dance Spectrum puts on a fun holiday show. This year we were represented in 3 dances. I was super proud of Sarah's hard work in ballet. She isn't loving it--it is harder for her than other dance has been so far. But she nailed it!
Libby loves the Acrobatics class--and loves that she gets to perform again. After 2 years away from dance, she was ready for some stage time again.
Sarah is in the far back left. She does move to the front eventually.
Libby has her hair all slicked back in a pony. Without her glasses I barely recognize her!
This is our first year with the Seattle Children's Chorus. We LOVE it. The director is amazing. The other helpers and volunteers are wonderful and welcoming. I hope that this is the first of many years to come. It is also helpful that they practice at a church quite close to home/school.
I didn't get any actual pictures or videos of the singing. But you should all come to one of their next concerts in March (Saturday March 3rd to be exact) or June (Saturday June 2nd).
The beautiful choristers. They are learning to sing parts (and they don't sing the same part, so I'm looking forward to many beautiful and harmonious numbers in years to come.)
Getting ready for this piano recital was the toughest thing we have done as a family in some ways. Whew! The girls are both at the point where the easy books are too easy. And the next step up are pretty hard. There were lots of tears. There was maybe even some shouting. As a result, this is Libby's last recital.
She is going to take a break from piano to "focus" on clarinet (meaning actually practice clarinet, which she hasn't been doing).
Anyway, the hard work and sweat were worth it. The result was pretty great.
Sarah's number was "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus". She played it with such vigor (and had lots of trouble mastering it--so also with lots of mistakes). Her recital performance was the best she'd ever played it. I never want to hear it again in my life.
Libby's song is really beautiful. "Silver and Gold" from one of those classic stop motion Christmas movies. She got the first page right away and it sounded great. Then she kept playing only the first page for several weeks. Finally Sarah tattled on her. So I had to supervise and help with every practice that I possibly could after that. It was a hard song. And we worked hard. Whew! She went out on a high note I guess.
Ben had just learned to play with both hands about 3 weeks ago. He started immediately on his Christmas songs. I was proud of his willingness to learn Rudolf. It even has a flat!
Ben gets pretty bad stage fright. He sobbed the first time I had him practice saying his name at home. But we practiced that many times too, and he nailed it. You wouldn't have even known he was nervous at all!
We are thankful for our great piano teacher--Laurie Shorten. Libby will miss spending time with Laurie much more than she will practicing piano! I expect Libby will still sit down and improvise from time to time. That has always been her favorite part. Anyway, Nortons don't quit. Unless the time is right to move on.
This was a very intense week. In addition to wrestling practice after school on Monday and Wednesday (where I am admittedly checking in more than helping this year) we also had a scrimmage on Saturday, and Rhino Night on Tuesday. When I was on the board before, we started all these events that are now a tradition. It was really fun to see so many Rhinos decked out in their red (and the black shirts are kids who placed at State last year). These Rhinos wrestle at 3 different locations, so it is fun to get them all together.
We bought 40 pizzas, tons of veggies and water to feed this crew and their families. We ended up with 3 slices of pizza and some veggies left over. It was a fun event!
Rhinos wrestling on the big mat at Edmonds Woodway before the Intra-Squad scrimmage.
Since we have dance on Monday nights where we don't get home until 8:30 and Rhino night made Tuesday also a late night, I was pretty tired by Wednesday. But working moms just power through!
We were at Edmonds Woodway again by 7 am ready to wrestle.
Sarah putting in a half nelson on one of her frequent partners from the MP club.
The whole crew.
Ben wrestling one of his partners from Einstein Rhinos. On the way to the scrimmage he said, "I can't wait to go beat up on some little kids!" So funny coming out of Ben's mouth! Ben did end up to be the first one crying at the scrimmage. But he pulled it together and had a fun outing. It was especially fun that Derek was there with his HS team, so he got to watch too.
Ben for the pin. This cute little girl Ben got to wrestle was fun to watch.
They did a takedown tournament at the end. Two kids wrestle. The one with the first takedown stays in and wrestles the next kid in line. The first time Ben only stayed in for one takedown then lost out. The second time through, Ben set a record with 4 takedowns! After he lost, a Rhino girl came in and stayed in for 7 rounds! She and Libby would be great partners if Libby was wrestling again this year. Libby opted out, and since she has enough on her plate, I was okay with it.
