Nathan and Michelle

Right now I'm home all day with Nathan and Michelle and I always have little things that I notice about them that I tell myself I'm going to write down, but never seem to have the time. This post is dedicated to them and some of the funny things they do.
Right now, Nathan is obsessed with cutting things. Everyday he asks me if he can learn to cut something new. It was so annoying at first, because, really I don't trust him with knives, but he has proven himself to be pretty good at it (supervised of course). One day when I was making stew he wanted to help with everything! He cut up almost all of the vegetables for me. It was pretty awesome. He didn't survive the onion though. He's such a funny boy. When he decides that he wants to do something and that it's worth it to follow all the rules, he will be the most obedient, sweet, charming child. . . . I love Nathan.

Now on to Michelle. She is so different from Samantha, it's mind boggling. When Samantha was 2 she would only wear dresses, even in the winter. I had to beg and bribe her to wear pants. Michelle is just the opposite. She hates dresses. Every Sunday we battle it out so she will go to church in a dress. It just cracks me up, because I really thought they would be more similar. She also really hates having her hair done. So did Samantha, but at least when it was finished she could appreciate they way it looked in the mirror and would keep the bows in. Not Michellle! However, Michelle still loves make up and she loves being told that she's beautiful. Maybe not when she's wearing a dress, but when she picks out a sparkly top and anything with Dora on it she beams when she wears them. I love Michelle.

Christmas 2009

Our Christmas Eve this year was really special. I decided to do a shepherd's dinner since it was just our family. WE all dressed like shepherds and ate dinner on a blanket under the Christmas tree with the lights off and the tree lights on. I made roasted beef kebabs, pita bread and hummus, oranges, and rice. It probably wasn't that authentic, but I was trying to make something that the shepherds might have eaten that evening. During dinner we talked about the shepherds and a little about what their lives were like. After dinner Samantha came dressed as an angel and quoted the bible "for unto you this day . . ." During dinner I had hidden our "manger" (baby cradle) in one of the bedrooms. I put a nightlight above it. The lights were all off and the kids had to find the star and the baby Jesus. It was really neat. Then we went back downstairs and read the rest of the story. It was a really sweet experience. I think the kids had fun too.

Earlier in the day we finally put together the gingerbread house I made. I made the gingerbread from scratch, but I didn't measure very well and one of the roof pieces didn't fit quite right and fell and broke. We had fun eating it anyway, but it wouldn't win any contests.




Of course, you read my other post and know that Michelle was making mischeif later on Christmas eve. Christmas itself was really relaxed. We ate, played with toys and watched movies. Then a few days later we drove to Washington to see my parents and siblings. We only had a few days, but it was a lot of fun. I'm just kicking myself because I forgot to bring my camera. Both Maia and I are pregnant so it would have been fun to get a picture! Too late now! Next time I see her, she will have already had her baby.