Willy Thanksgiving 2017

I may have gotten carried away with desserts, this year. I made an Italian Cream Cake, a Pumpkin Pie with the famous Emily L. pie crust, an Apple Blackberry Pie, and a Layered Chocolate Mousse Pie. 

My dad smoked a turkey and my mom made pioneer woman stuffing and sweet potato casserole. I made homemade rolls, fresh cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. We had my parents over for dinner and board games, and then Jimmie and Kasey M. And the  Missionaries came for dessert. We’ve got the sweetest set of Sister missionaries right now. I could just adopt them right up into my family.  Love them, and their efforts to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the world.   

I’m grateful for the intentional season of gratitude. I have much to be thankful for, starting with these beautiful people I live with. 

I’m thankful for Aaron’s sense of humor, love for the Savior, and always quick obedience to God. He is selfless and generous, and humble. He is a wonderful husband who lifts me up and supports my endeavors. He is funny and makes me laugh everyday. He is honest and responsible and compassionate.

 

I’m thankful for Reese’s patience with me as I learn to parent a teenager.  I’m thankful for her sentimental love of tradition, her gentle and compassion heart. She is a fiercely loyal and uplifting friend. Im thankful for her love of service. She is always thinking of ways to bless others, from acts of kindness to leaving positive notes out for siblings to find. She is an excellent missionary and knocked on every door in our cul de sac to personally invite all of our neighbors to the Live Nativity and Noel. I also love her sense of humor. Reese drops perfectly times applicable movie quotes and song lyrics like a dream teen. It’s hilarious and a talent she inherited from Aaron that I love. 

I’m thankful for Quincy’s honesty. She is bold and brave. I’m thankful for her confidence in her maker and her belief that everyone was created perfectly. She recognizes Heavenly Father as an artist and sees people exactly how they are without trying to change them. I’m thankful for her big ideas and for her recent discovery that she can change the tone input home by choosing her attitude about things. She makes an intentional effort to play with her younger siblings and I love listening to her interactions with them. 

I’m thankful for Corbin. He is so good at being a boy and a little brother. If there is a screen, a ball, or food in your hands,  he will gravitate toward you like a moth to the flame.  I’m thankful for these easy routes to Corbin’s heart and his attention. I’m thankful for his love of facts, logic, and strategy.  I love to listen to him read out loud, or be in the same room when he watches a funny movie, because his laugh is so great. I’m thankful for the way Corbin watches and learns from examples, because I know he will grow up to be an attentive father. Corbin loves fun, loves to play, loves to win, and loves to keep moving.  

I’m thankful for Soren. He is such a pal. He appreciates beautiful things. He loves art and creating things. He is very self reliant and generally just an easy guy to be around. He is very coordinated physically and picks up new skills quickly with confidence and determination. He pals around the neighborhood with anyone who wants to play, but also is quite content to play alone. I’m so thankful for the invaluable peace he adds to the chemistry in our family. 

I’m thankful for Sloane. She is full of life and attitude and a million things to say. She is so funny. She loves everyone in our family and is a tiny bossy mama.  Sloane can get our entire family rolling in laughter. I’m thankful for the way she puts my face in her hands and speaks to me eye to eye, and the way she moves my shirt out of the way to put her cheek against my skin. I’m thankful for the flexibility she has shown this year, being usurped as the “baby” of the family, and sacrificing a lot of my attention for Wren, and then jumping right back into the roll anytime mama needs a baby in her arms. 

I’m thankful for Jaycee, for Allie, and especially for Wren, for sharing their lives with us. 

I’m thankful for my parents. Their move to Ar made it possible for us to stay in the home we love in a neighborhood we love without going completely insane trying to get everyone where they need to be. They make it possible for me to go to the dentist and court appointments, and take little ones to bio family visits. They’ve really saved me too many times to count. I would still be weeping over how to get kids home from school of it weren’t for their help. I’m so thankful my kids are getting to make memories with grandparents like their cousins have been so blessed to have. “Ride your bike and take _____ up to Lady” is  a regular phase around here and I love. I grew up living far away from grandparents and was always a bit jealous of friends who had grandparents at their piano recitals and school plays. I’m so thankful my children will have the experience of grandparents cheering them on at a game or performance. 

It’s good life 

Holiday Crafting

Willy Christmas Crafting is turned up to eleven, this year.  It started when I saw this Christmas bed on Pinterest...

Here’s my “design on a dime” version. All that’s missing is....ok almost everything, but changing my sheets sure made my room look so happy and Christmasy... 

Our ward relief society activity was a super Saturday of crafting. I didn’t sign up for anything, and had mom commitments in the morning, but cut and stapled some boards together and went to the last hour to visit and put on a coat of red paint. My mom has a silhouette machine and shared her vinyl stash and we had so much fun making a few things with it. I’m stoked to hang it over my own Christmas bed!  The boys and Reese made rag trees with fabric scraps and wood craft leftovers in our craft bins. They turned out so cute! 

I saw this giant Merry Christmas sign at Kirklands, but it was a fortune. I had enough wood lying around to make myself a smaller 12x24inch version (bottom)for free. I posted pics of some crafts on Instagram and my friend, Jenni, saw them and asked me to put together some things for her shop, The Lovely Ambition Mercantile, in downtown Eureka Springs. The shop opens in January. I’m pretty excited. 

 kids painted ornaments and Corbin spent hours on  a tiny nutcracker. 

Valerie C. taught my mom and I how to make felt flowers and now we’re putting them on all the things! My mom put hers on a yarn wreath and mine ended up in a wreath but on this piece of barn wood. I love it! 

I made this advent calendar a few years ago with Katie G. Each day has a picture of Christ on the back that you flip over.  I have wanted to put a title on the top and finally did one this year. 

I embroidered names on most of the stockings last year, but once I brought Wren home, I never had free hands to finish!  I’m working on adding Mama and Dad to the last two stockings. I cried when I pulled out Wren’s stocking and was relieved I never got around to stitching his name. I would have bawled picking the letters off.   The children insisted we hang it anyway, I think partially because it feels right to put it up, and partially with the hope of having another sibling in our home before Christmas.  I assumed we would have another placement in our home “any day now” for months. We just missed out on two infants the week of thanksgiving, that were placed within minutes of receiving the texts. One went to my friend’s family (a perfect fit!) and the other call came while I was at the hospital getting x rays with Soren today (that’s another post) and couldn’t answer the phone. But Aaron saw the text and HE made the call back to accept, but baby had been placed just moments before he called. The days before Christmas also were a roller coaster of emotions when we were called back on another placement, the caseworker wanted come to our home, but after talking with another family about how strongly they felt he should be placed with them, we couldn’t accept the baby knowing another mother wanted him oh so badly. Who am I to break up that kind of connection? Lastly, on Christmas Eve Eve, we prepared all day for a little boy Corbin’s age to join us for a few weeks. We changed the bedding and filled the bookshelf by the bed with Pokémon and Star Wars. I picked up clothes and made a late night run to Walmart for Christmas pajamas and ethnic hair products.  At the last minute, a miracle, the foster home where his sisters are placed opened a spot and he was able to join some of his family for Christmas. 

I just cannot imagine one of my children being pulled away from the others, especially over the holidays. Gut wrenching. The kids still are disappointed that they “cleaned his room for nothing” but someday, they’ll understand and be grateful for the miracle.  Our part wasn’t and is never about what we actually accomplish, it’s about keeping our hearts open and being willing to love and lift God’s children any time that he asks. 

Anyway, Mama’s stocking is almost done and we still have one hanging and ready to fill with love. Our next family members will come to us when they are supposed to. 

Happy 1st Birthday, Wren!

Tonight we celebrated with ice cream at the Spark (because dessert first!) and takeout for dinner.  Reese pulled up her favorite and most recent picture of Wren on her phone and set it up on the table and we sang Happy Birthday to him. It should have felt awkward, us singing to a person who was there, but it wasn't awkward. It was good. 


I did a kickboxing workout with sons girks in my ward this morning. I'm not very coordinated, or maybe they've all taken dance classes or something, but if was way difficult for me to get the arm and kick combinations down! Not. Easy. It was great for me to do something totally new and feel so much vulnerability all at once. And j got a workout in, so bonus!   Laura O, Ali F, Mary S, were there, and Katia M taught. Girlfriend is very talented and crazy strong!  I had a great morning. Thanks ladies!  


After a shower and some time at home with my littles, I had thanksgiving lunch with Corbin at Cooper, then raced down to Fayetteville to take Donuts to the nicu nurses and parents of premies at Washington regional to honor our premie Wren, who is now a great big one year old!  I talked with several families and a nicu mama in the nicu family lounge, and one nurse came out of the nurses lounge to see ms because she remembered me and remembered Wren. 

Oh how I long to see this baby boy again.  He is so special and we were so lucky to be his family, this year.  I love you, Wren. Happy First Birthday, angel. 

Buttermilk Syrup

I've probably posted this recipe before, but I can never seem to find it when I need it, so here it is (again). 

Caramel Buttermilk Syrup (from Carly P) 

1/2c buttermilk 

1/2c butter 

1c sugar

1T corn syrup

1 t vanilla 

1 t baking soda

Mix first 5 ingredients in. Large sauce pan (go big! As you can see in the pic, it foams up when you add the baking soda.) 

Bring to near boil, add baking soda, cook one minute while stirring. 

Remove from heat and let cool. Add pancakes. :) 

Gold Slip for Corbin

Last week, Corbin's Cub Scout leader paid a big compliment to my parents about how well behaved and respectful Corbin is at Cubs, each week. 

Corbin's teacher said he is a model student in the classroom at school. 

Yesterday, Corbin brought home this gold slip from his PE teachers, expressing the same compliment. 

At home, I've noticed a significant improvement in Corbin's obedience as well, especially when he does something the first time he is asked. He has added a lot of peace to our family, and his relationships with Quincy and Soren have benefited from his efforts.  Thanks Corbin! Nice work! 

Independent Play

I caught a moment of Sloane playing with some little toys, this morning. She does voices for all her characters, who today, were sharing pretend ice cream cones on a little people airplane. Pretty precious. Its a good life to be two. 

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Hal

My incredible dad celebrated his 73rd birthday last weekend. He is such a great father and grandfather. Because of my dad, I learned to recognize and marry a really good man, who loves his wife and family more than anything in the world. I'm so grateful for the gift of how he lives his life. So much of my own happiness has come from the examples of compassion, hard work, sacrifice, obedience, love, service, logic, responsibility, creativity, and faith that he has set. 

We made a ham dinner with homemade rolls, scalloped potatoes, and bread pudding. 

Here's the bread pudding recipe from Julie Shaw. Instead of cinnamon bread, I used the sourdough from the centers of the bread bowls that my neighbor brought to Bunco night at my house. Best not wasted bread ever! I sprinkled cinnamon on the bread pieces and let them

dry out a day or two. I also added a big handful of fresh cranberries for some tartness. Delicious. 

Here it is with the vanilla sauce poured all over it. Yum. I will make this again.