Christmas Traditions

My kids think that the day after Thanksgiving is the perfect time to haul out the tree and all the Christmas Decorations.  I, for one, would like to wait a little longer, but oh well.  They persuaded me.  We set up the Christmas tree and put out most of the decorations.

I do admit that it is fun to watch them even though they are getting older.

 

 Another tradition the kids look forward to every year is putting their handprints on our Christmas tree skirt.  I made the tree skirt in 2001 and each year the kids put their handprints on it with the year, their names and ages. 

They love looking back and seeing their tiny hands.

I just can't believe how fast time has gone. 

The tree skirt is filling up fast!



Thanksgiving Whitaker Style

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving with Aaron's family.  His older brother Quin and wife Jodie were in charge. 

They decided to have the dinner at a church close to their house so that we would have plenty of room.

Here are some photos of the occasion.

 

Some of the Whitaker cousins enjoying Thanksgiving dinner:  Caitlyn, Enoch, Abbie and Samuel.

Pyper had a fun time playing in the gym

Colin - of course- was the center of attention, being the youngest grandchild.

hmmm, are these two girls related?  Could they possibly share some DNA?? You be the judge
(Kiera with cousin Megan)

Everyone celebrating together:  Front row:  ME, Kiera, Aaron with Enoch, Sam, Abbie, Josie, Lauren, Pyper, Caitlyn, Jamie, Matt with Colin, Nathan and Chris.
Back row:  Jodie, Quin, Shenna, Ryan, Dallen, Leah, Megan and Britton.
Absent:  Mom Whitaker and Jim (they had already left for home), Braden - on a mission in Guatemala, Suzanne and husband Christopher - didn't make the trip from Oregon this year, and Madisen who spent Thanksgiving with her boyfriend.

 

Music Anyone?

We've had a lot of music going on lately.  This past spring Shenna auditioned and made it into the madrigals at the high school.  She also sings with the accapella choir. 

Recently they had their fall concert.

 Obviously I wouldn't be able to capture the whole choir in the picture and still be able to see faces, so I just zoomed into the section that Shenna was standing in.  For this concert they wore casual.

 The madrigals didn't go as casual in their dress.  They got to wear the pretty dresses and tuxes.

 Mom even came to listen to the concert since it wasn't too late in the evening.

 

Marching band has also taken up a good chunk of the girls' life.  Both Shenna and Kiera were in it again this year.  This was Kiera's first year for doing the field show and I think she really loved it.

Shenna is an "old hand" at it now, this season being her 3rd.

 

The flute section in the back.  Shenna is right to the left of the middle flag.



Another picture of the flute section during a competition

Kiera plays the mellophone and loves it.  She is on the far left.

Yes, Enoch still plays soccer!

It has been awhile since I blogged about soccer.  I purposely didn't for fear that I talked about it way too much.  However, now with the fall season over, I need to share the team's accomplishments.

 

 

 This year, Enoch was on the U10 premier team.  The team was made up of some great players and as always, we enjoyed watching all his games. 

 

 

 As an individual player, Enoch is so passionate about the game.  He works really hard to improve himself and loves learning new skills.  He simply loves the game and you can see it as he plays.

 

 

Where Enoch shines is as a team player.  He truly understands that in order for the team to succeed, they need to work together.  He had quite a few assists this season, and wasn't afraid to pass the ball to a teamate any time they were in a better position. 

Don't get me wrong, he had his share of goals too!

 

 

I made the mistake of mentioning to Enoch how much I loved  admired Nick Rimando - the keeper for Real Salt Lake.  Ever since then, Enoch has really taken an interest in goal keeping.

I call it a mistake for the sheer fact that I can't stand the pressure when he plays goalie. 

Too much stress for this mom!!

 

He does really well though.

 

Good Job Enoch!  The season was great!

 

 



Halloween is a Fun Affair!

I can tell my kids are getting older.  Sunday afternoon Kiera and Samuel decided to carve pumpkins and I didn't even know until they were half finished.

Enoch had already carved one for a cub scout activity and Shenna didn't seem to care to participate this year. 

 

I just have to laugh and Sam.  He loves carving the pumpkin, but as you can see, he hates cleaning them out.  Yes, he is wearing surgical rubber gloves, and he has his shirt over his nose because he can't stand the smell.

 

I told them to look at the camera for a picture....hmmmm....interesting result.

 

Halloween was a bit different for us too.  I only have two kids who go trick-or-treating.  That just seems strange. 

Samuel was a Zombie.

We had a good time tearing his clothes and putting on his makeup.

 

 

Enoch dressed up like one of his idols, Jason Kreis.  For those of you unfamiliar with that name, he is the head coach of Real Salt Lake. 

 His costume was very easy, and I thought he looked extremely handsome.

I added a security pass to the outfit with Coach Kreis's name, picture and position on it so

that people would at least know he was dressed up as "something" and not just running around in a dress shirt and tie. 

I let them go around the neighborhood all by themselves with some friends this year.

I think they really liked not having to have a parent tag along.

 



Samuel and Enoch with their friend, Hunter...er..Darth Vader.

 

They of course came home way after dark with lots of loot.  I would call that a success!

Is There a TWELVE year old in the House?

We had an incredibly busy day on Samuel's birthday this year.

Usually the kids pick what we have for dinner and then open their presents afterward.  However because of everyone's busy schedules, Sam got to pick breakfast instead.

 Aaron still had to leave before anyone else, so he didn't get to see the presents opened.

 

 

 Sam wanted to buy the next book in the series, but I wouldn't let him.  Now he knows why.  I had already bought him one for his birthday.

 

 He also asked for a new skateboard.  We picked out a nice long board for him.  It will be a nice replacement for the one I ran over this summer.

 

I picked up Samuel a little early from school in the afternoon.  In turning twelve, he had the opportunity to go to the temple with the other deacons in the ward for baptisms. 

He had to be ordained first, so we took care of that just before he went.

Aaron ordained him with the help of our hometeacher, Mark Stanger and my brother Daryl.

It was very special to do it at home.

 

 

It is nice to have Grandma here to share in all these special events.

 

After all of that, Sam even had play practice.  It wasn't until about 8:30 pm that everyone was home to enjoy his cake - which I made in the shape of a lego brick.

 

 

It is so hard to believe that this boy is 12 now.  I think he enjoyed having the celebrations all spread out throughout the day.

If there is a Scrooge of Halloween, I must be it!

For some unknown reason (I still haven't figured out)  I have never been a fan of Halloween.

I generally just pull out the little decorations that I've used year after year after year, plop them on the entryway table and call the decorations finished.

 

However, this year, when one of my children -who will remain nameless- called me the

 "Scrooge of All Hallows Eve",

I decided that this year I would put forth a little more effort to get into the spirit of the holiday.

 (every pun intended).

 

So, with a little help from "gasp!"  PINTEREST, I came up with a few new decorations this year.

 

 I'm actually really proud of my mantel decorations.  They had been in dire need of change.

I just took the old candlestick holders and put in black candles and tied orange ribbon around them.

The pumpkins are my favorite.  I actually painted on the "BOO" with acrylic paint - it is NOT vinyl!  AND, I did it freehand....not bad for my rough artistic talent I thought.

 

 

I saw a lot of frames with things like "EEK" or "TRICK OR TREAT" in them. 

 Having minored in english literature, however, I came up with my own stolen quote from Shakespeare's MACBETH.

My neighbor did the vinyl lettering for me and I had the frame just collecting dust in the basement.

I paired it with a couple of old standard decorations I've used for years on top of the computer cabinet.  WallAH!  A whole new look!

 

 I was actually hoping the orange lights in the halloween decorations box wouldn't work and I could throw them out, but just my luck, both strands were in perfect working order.

What could I do with them?

 

Aaron recently cut off a couple of branches from a tree out front.  I thought one of them would be great as a "halloween" tree. 

So, we ripped off all the old leaves, Aaron staked it in the front yard and I strung the lights all over it.

I think I will eventually add bats, or maybe crow sillouettes.

 

Here is what it looks like at night without the flash.

 I added some ghosts and staked them around the tree.  The ghosts also glow if you look close.

 

Here is the same picture with the flash on.

 

I must admit that I really have been having fun coming up with new decorations for Halloween.  Maybe I will become a fan of the holiday....oh wait, we haven't even begun to think about the costumes!  No, I still don't think I enjoy it that much!



Who Says Marching Band isn't a Sport?????

 

"The physical challenges and demands of participating in competitive high school marching bands are similar to those experienced by athletes who compete in sports, according to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine's 56th Annual Meeting in Seattle."

"Performers are constantly moving, and often running, at velocities that reach 180 steps or more per minute while playing instruments that weigh up to 40 pounds."

More than 95 percent of surveyed band members reported muscle soreness or stiffness after practice, and nearly half said they were "frequently tired" after practice.

"In addition, more than 38 percent said they had suffered an injury as a direct result of participating in marching band"

 

 

Yes, Shenna is now among those 38%.

She just loves being a statistic.

She's SEVENTEEN!

 

THE LOOT

 

Shenna seems to be a tad hard to buy for lately.  I never know what she is going to like.

This year I decided to get her a piano book to play.  I never can fail with new music to try out.

I added some sheet music for the flute for good measure.

Then, I actually found her a cute shirt that I was pretty sure she would wear.

I paired that up with her favorite thing of late....crazy socks.

Then, for what she asked for ....a really nice straightening iron for her hair.

 

 

 

 

THE CAKE

 

She asked for "chocolate. of course".  So chocolate is what she got!

A whole lot of chocolate!

 

 

 

 

 

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL

 

Seriously????  Someone told her she was allowed to turn 17??

We love you Shenna, and we're so proud of all you do!

Ball Boy!

With soccer in full swing our lives have definitely taken on a busy edge.

With at least two practice sessions and two games per week, it would seem that Enoch's team would have no time for anything else.

Not true.

They recently had the chance to be ball boys at the women's soccer match for our local university.

We wish there was a men's side, but oh well. 

Enoch ended up on a corner that saw quite a bit of action. 

He was able to throw the ball in to the players a good 1/2 dozen times.

 

Enoch walking out on the field with his teamates, Braden, Kason, and Paul.  Enoch is third from right.
 

At half time, he came over to say "hi" 

 

He said he had a good time!

Welcome Back Grandma!

For the past couple of days we have been moving things around

 and getting ready for Grandma's big return.

 

I moved her bed back in and her pictures are back on the nightstand.

Aaron and I have officially moved back downstairs.

 

We put the TV back into the family room so that she can watch her shows

whenever she wants.

 

Her puzzle table is officially put up and ready to go.

Enoch, Sam, Kiera, Shenna, and Lyssa ready to eat some cake with Grandma

 

 

To top it off we had a chocolate "Welcome Back Grandma!" cake.

 

We sure do love having her here with us!

My life is about to get CRAZY!

With Samuel moving up from elementary school this year I now have

 FOUR kids

in

 FOUR different schools!

 

 

 

 Shenna didn't have enough fingers, so she made herself a sign. 

I can't believe she is a Junior!

 

.

Kiera is excited to be in ninth grade this year! 

 

 

Samuel is starting sixth grade at a new school.

 

 

 Enoch is left at the elementary school beginning fourth grade.