December and Christmas

Yup, posting about Christmas six days before Valentine's Day. That's how we roll in the Hunt household that I call mine.

Let's set the stage.....

The two remaining lambs have been sent to the butcher and designated freezer homes outside of our garage. Side note: Morgan wouldn't hear of keeping any of the lamb, lest it be Nutmeg. Spencer, on the other hand, asked for a couple weeks when we would be eating the lambs. *sigh*

Abbie the Elf made an appearance and is up to her usual shenanigans - fishing in the tank, sitting on cactus and regretting it the next day, and hiding the in the best places.

Our neighbor brought over a beautiful gingerbread house that he created and which we proudly displayed the last two weeks of the month. It was broken apart and the edibles consumed by cousins Christmas night....

Both girls had concerts at school for music class. No great pictures obtained as we didn't have a great view. The back of someone's head with small children dots in the background don't make for interesting viewing. The music was great! The school has such an awesome, fun, and dedicated music teacher. The girls love her.

Morgan also had a piano recital, which she rocked. Mr. Bob has some amazing students under his tutelage and it was fun to listen to the varying levels.

New windows were installed December 20!! Three new windows in the bedrooms upstairs and one over the kitchen sink. Doing dishes has never been so beautiful.

End of December. The perfect Christmas tree has been chosen, cut, decorated, and losing needles by the handful for at least a week. Presents started accumulating under the tree, and Morgan has them all memorized - which ones are hers, which ones are new. We haven't had any snow since the beginning of the month (pictured below) and while there really isn't any in the forecast, we are all hoping against the odds.

Christmas Eve inched closer. School was released Friday. Chadwick had Sat-Tues off and we got to work making food, wrapping the final presents, and dreaming of snow. James, Jolynn, and their kiddos joined us for Christmas Eve smorgasbord. We ate and ate and played some games.

Then ate a bit more. I love the food of this season! Brings back so many memories of Christmases as a child. Christmas morning, I actually had to wake the kids up to open presents!! Well, that was after all three were awake from 3-4 am to get water, go to the bathroom, or be tucked back into bed. Wrapping paper was everywhere, there were squeals of joy with each one opened, and it was over too quickly. The girls and Spencer seemed to feel like they scored big, and we didn't see them the rest of the day as they played and played. (That is, perhaps, one of my favorite things - watching them play together for hours.) One of Chadwick's clients gave him a basket of gourmet dog treats. They were so lovely, I had to check the back twice to make sure it read "dog treat" as they looked too pretty to give to Darwin!

That night, we joined the rest of the Boise/Meridian Hunts, Austins, and Hambletons for dinner at Stephen and Tara's house. The lasagna was delicious and it was SO great of them to host the chaos.

The remainder of the month was spent playing with toys, playing with friends, and enjoying the lazy morning schedule of no school.

And that's December in a nutshell!

Lighting the World

At the beginning of December, the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints puts out what they call the "Light the World Initiative." The goal is to reach out to friends, neighbors, and strangers in a Christ-like manner in an effort to remember the true meaning of the Christmas season. (Find the link here.)

For our part, we hosted the Red Barn Nativity for the second year in a row. And added another session, one for the vets from IPH. We love this tradition - the gathering of friends and family, inviting them to dress up and participate in learning about the birth of our Savior, the building and strengthening of relationships through the process and after as we share a treat. The use of our barn in a novel manner. And even the way it teaches me to learn to manage my stress as we prepare, execute, and clean up after each activity.

We had a great turnout again and it was agony trying to decide which friends to invite for the second week. Our barn - and house - have limits on capacity which do not hold the friends I hold dear to my heart. Maybe we will need to start a lottery or drawing of names in the future (Erin, we will put your name in multiple times). Family the first week. Friends the second. Neighbors the third. And vets on the fourth week.

The Spirit is always so strong at the end as we sing "Silent Night."

I'm usually glad to be done with the final performance but wouldn't give it all up for anything. Chadwick agrees. Maybe next year I'll hire a professional to take pictures that aren't grainy and dark...and purchase a microphone for Chadwick so we can all hear him through the chaos of the event. =)

Thanksgiving

After our adventures to Arizona were complete, we spent a few days with my parents (who both returned to Albuquerque with massive head colds, courtesy of Spencer) and turned around to welcome Dessa and her two kiddos for a visit from Seattle. It was so fun to have our kids playing together...wish we lived closer so it could happen more frequently. She texted a picture of our children in my Pilot upon their arrival. He said it looked like a gathering of tiny terrorists.

We laughed, dove into serious how-are-you-actually-doing conversations as only old friends can accomplish, ate, and played. She wanted to visit the Birds of Prey and we took the kids one afternoon for an outing with the raptors. Spencer loved the bald eagle (which seems to be his favorite bird these days) and we met Bob, one of the many little falcons that live and teach at the Center. I also hired a babysitter for the 5 children one afternoon so Dessa and I could have an adult outing; we wound up at the Village for lunch, a walk, and stop at the cafe for a treat before heading home to the chaos. I am so grateful for that woman and her friendship. She makes my world a better place!

The kids were on track break by then so we went into break mode - staying up too late, sleeping in even later, and not living by any resemblance of a schedule. I crave this mode for a few days then find myself wishing to be out of it for my own mental sanity. Cleo tore up bits of paper sitting around, we were invited last-minute to a BSU football game with friends (and went to the most amazing tailgate beforehand - who brings tables, a generator for lights, and firepit for warmth to these things?? These are serious fans; they do it before every home game), and the kids played hard together.

Thanksgiving was spent at home with the Westbrooks. Chadwick built a leaf for the kitchen table I was super excited to put to use for the first time.

We enjoy this family and were so glad they could come for dinner, games, and outdoor time for the kiddos. Chadwick spent the entire morning (literally) putting together a tire swing for the willow tree out back so I was glad that the kids took the time to play on it despite the cooler temperatures. Their oldest daughter, Hannah, created the most amazing cheese board and the food was delicious. A perfect way to celebrate the day and the start of the holiday season.

Saturday found us meeting up with Stephen, Tara, and their crew in High Valley for the 2nd annual Christmas tree cutting. We hiked all over the place - in snow! - and chose a tree that Tara really wanted for their house. Unfortunately for them, their ceilings are too low and we took it home. Seriously, it is the most perfectly-shaped forest tree I've ever seen. Symmetrical with thicker branches to hold the heavier ornaments but not such a bush that we couldn't decorate at all. This tree received a lot of compliments over the course of the month and I was sad to see it go.

Lunch was at The Triangle and then home to start decorating. Historically, Black Friday has been my day to bust out the Christmas music and get started with the Christmas decor. In recent years, my enthusiasm has waned to the point that I feel sadness while pulling out the stuff. I haven't been able to pinpoint what started the transition and why. Perhaps this coming year I can start to unravel the mystery.

Our thankful tree made its annual appearance as well, though I neglected to take any pictures of it. My parents, Dessa and her kids and a few other friends were able to contribute to the leaves. It's been fun to watch the girls' evolve into more spiritual and "older" items of gratitude over the past few years. One of my favorite November traditions.

I also put my faith and the accuracy of the Pilot's gas gauge to the test....one of these days, I'm gonna end up stranded. Morgan had been sick off/on for a couple days and I wound up taking her to the pediatrician for a strep culture last minute. Her being sick had thrown off my schedule and I didn't get out to put gas in the car. By the time the appointment was made and a sitter arranged for the younger two, I didn't have time to fill up the tank before driving the 6.8 miles to the clinic. Our car as a feature that tells you how many miles remaining until Bingo. I'm pretty sure we started out on like 6 miles. Halfway there, on the freeway, the miles went to 0 and stayed put. I prayed and prayed and asked Morgan to pray that we could make it to the appointment. I didn't care if I had to hitchhike after, I just wanted to get there in time. We totally did!! She didn't have strep, and we made it another 1.5 miles to the gas station. I love that there is a built in amount of gas remaining for those of us who choose to push the limits. I'm also grateful for the chance to strengthen my testimony of prayer and hopefully do the same for my daughter. As in times past, I promised myself (again) this would be the last time.

Boston-Bound

Chadwick has a goal to run a race in every state. To run a race every few months in general. He has a goal to run a marathon once per decade. And he has a goal to qualify - and run - in the Boston Marathon.

The road to Boston thus far has been scattered with potholes. Hours training, running early and often in the dark. Running despite of and through a painful, lower leg tendinitis. Running with a cold. Running in the cold.

The sum of his qualification, in the numbers:

• 5,000 feet: The drop in elevation from the start of the race to the finish.
• 1,046 miles: Distance from Meridian to Tucson, AZ
• 26.2 miles run: Chadwick had to be at the base parking lot by 4:30 am to catch the bus to his start at 6,000 feet. It was a short night. 
  
• 12 pints of Gatorade: Both of us, and the kids, were nursing head colds the week prior to the big day. Chadwick woke up for our early flight Friday morning with a fever, chills, and body aches. He declined as the day wore on but continued to pound yellow Gatorade in an effort to stay hydrated. We both napped under the shade of a tree in a park while waiting to check into our hotel. I was quite worried about him running the next day. 
  
• 5 letters:: One of the "swag" items at the registration included wash-on tattoos. I wanted to demonstrate my dedication for the runner at my side and chose a "REVEL" one, placed on my biceps. I spent the weekend flexing and saying with a Spanish accent, "Revel," with the "v" pronounced as a light "b" as is typically done. 
  
• 2 races paid for: Turns out the Petrified Forest Marathon in Holbrook wasn't being run on November 3rd like we thought. He found out October 22 that the race was finished October 20. Whoops! (No, Mom, he doesn't still get the t-shirt even though he paid the entry fee.) Onto the second choice, Mt. Lemmon. 
  
• 2 nights in a hotel: One the night before the race, and one back in Phoenix because we missed our Sunday evening flight by 15 minutes. Poor time management to blame.
• 1 fortune cookie: Trying to "carb up" for lunch so we ate at Panda Express. The fortune was about the first positive we had since the trip began. 
  
• 2:59:40: The time it took my hubs to run his second marathon. Ever. I cried as he crossed the finish line.

YES! We are Boston Bound, baby!!