A California Christmas

For the second year in a row, Christmas was unseasonably warm. Last year got up to 55 degrees and sunny due to a tropical storm that rolled in on Christmas Eve. This year, it was a similar circumstance. Tropically rainy Christmas Eve, followed by a warm and sunny Christmas day. This certainly contrasts two years ago when we were hit with an ice storm on Christmas Eve that knocked out the power for four days! We hosted the missionaries for dinner for the third year in a row. I always appreciated the families that hosted me while I served in Houston. I feel honored to return the favor to do the same for the missionaries in our branch. We had our typical oyster stew, green salad, stollen bread, fresh fruit, and sparkling cider over a candle-lit table, followed by ginger bread and whipped cream. The kids (Madie) didn't want to act out the nativity this year, so we had to improvise a bit. Mal came up with an excellent alternative with using the kids nativity set to act out the reading of Luke 2. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't want to act it out, mostly out of tradition. But this turned out very well. The kids went to bed shortly after, and fell asleep quickly! I can't believe how fast they fell asleep. Madie has been so anxious for Christmas this year that I thought she would have a really hard time falling asleep. Mallory and I spent the evening laying presents underneath the tree, cleaning the house, and watching Arrow (our latest craze).

Although she fell asleep quickly, she was certainly the first to get up. I was somewhat awake when she trotted out of their room, and stared into our room. She had a huge grin on her face and big eyes of excitement. She was ready to run out, but I told her to snuggle with me in bed until Finn and Nella woke up. The first objective was to get the stockings. In our home, Santa is the one that fills the stockings. So I went out with Finn and Madie to get their stockings, and we brought them back to our bed. Madie was pleased that Santa pulled through on some things, such as the stick-on ear rings and candy canes. Finn was happy about the candy, of course. Nella was just happy. 

Onto the main event, our gifts to each other and family. We decided to go a slightly different direction this year. We wanted to make each other gifts using our amazing skills. The outcomes were phenomenal! Mal made Madie a cute dress from one of my old shirts (to be pictured in a future post), and Petranella some mittens. Madie made Finn a super hero cape, and Nella a bell-bracelet. Finn made Madie a sun catcher for their window. I made Finn and Madie a wooden sword, Finn a rubber-band rifle, and Madie a custom sweatshirt (see below). Of course, we did buy a few other things (bows & arrows, clothes, and some family games and activities), but we really wanted to try and simplify a bit this year and let the kids take ownership in making gifts. I'm hoping we can keep this going for them, because they all had really good ideas.

Grammy and Grampy gave us an apple picker, some lincoln logs, and farm animals. Nana and Papa gave Madie & Finn ice skates, and Petranella a toddler sled. We also got other gifts from Grandma Clark and Grammy Haskins. We are very blessed, and truly thankful for wonderful family that thinks of us.

 After we opened presents, it was time for war games! We went out and had a war with the bows, swords, and the gun. The kids got some good practice with their weapons.

 So what do you do on a warm Christmas day, you might ask? We pretended we were in my native land for a day and biked from the Schooner Head Overlook to the Great Head parking lot, and hiked to Sand Beach. Finn was getting a little tired toward the end of the bike ride. I think he will be ready to move on from his tricycle next summer. He does really well in it, but I think he wants to go faster and has a hard time keeping up. He certainly does more RPM's than any of us.

The kids walked bare-footed in the brook, and ran around in shorts and a t-shirt. Just being able to run around in the sun was a treat. The sunlight felt warm enough for me to lose the shirt for 20 minutes and get some sun for my vitamin-D depleted body. The kids tried making sand castles, then tried making sandmen (instead of snowmen). That turned into Finn flinging sand everywhere and getting out of control. 

Petranella was content on Mal's back for a few minutes, but was ready to be freed to explore the sand. She was threading the needle between some rocks on her way to the water and stumbled into a small tide pool. We had to lose her pajamas to keep her warm. She was loving her first time walking on sand. 

It was a fun journey back, with Nella all wrapped up in a blanket in our bike trailer. We came back home and had ribs for dinner (inaugural Watkins tradition), followed by a warm campfire and camping in the back woods with Madie and Finn. They loved running around the fire, chasing each other away from the light and back toward the fire. It was a full moon, so it wasn't like it was totally dark. But I'm so glad these two love to go camping and spend time outside. I think it helps that we are fairly ambitious when it comes to the outdoors. It doesn't matter the conditions, as long as you have the right gear and attitude. Madie declared this Christmas, "The best Christmas, ever!" Now if we could get some ice and snow, we will be able to try our new winter toys.

The day after Christmas, we got together at Grammy Haskins home with the Varnums, Easthams, Seth & Ashley Haskins, and Uncle Shawn. Good food, great company, and a fun time.

Winter called and said it will be a few weeks late

The severity of the past two winters have been well-documented. I guess after getting beat senseless with old man winters ice club has made me come to the realization that I need to either accept it, or move. I have opted to accept it, and try to embrace it. Heading into winter this year, Mal and I came up with a game plan to combat some of the winter blues I sometimes experience. Time outside is my number one medication. So naturally, we planned to do more outside. Most of our Christmas gifts this year revolve around this (snowshoes, ice skates, sleds, snow gear, etc). We have discussed getting the family into downhill skiing or snowboarding, and planning an annual trip as a family for a new tradition. All of these plans...ways to look forward to the season. And I can honestly say that making these plans have been helping me look forward to a potential repeat of last year. But, we are still waiting for our first snow...I don't want to complain though, we have certainly been taking advantage of this beautiful weather we have been having. I've basically come to terms with the weather situation and decided that we just need to play the cards we are dealt. When it snows, we'll go ice skating and skiing. When it's warm, we'll go climbing and canoeing. Here are some highlights from the past couple of weeks. 

Just Madie and I went on a hike up Flying Mountain. The views were great, and I got to talk to Madie about school, and marine life. She has taken a special interest in whales lately. She says they are her favorite animal.

Nella favors her left two fingers for her mouth, which frees up her right hand to grab either her ear, or the ear of the person that is holding her for comfort. I've joked with Mal that we should get a rubber ear for a stocking stuffer this year...

We have caught Santa a couple of times so far this year. This event was in Northeast Harbor. In all of Madies life, I still don't think she has said more than five words to Santa. She is very interested in Santa and his elves though. She asks a lot of questions about Rophy, our elf on a shelf.

This moment warmed my heart. Our kids love to plop down on the couch and look a books. It's cute to watch Nella climb the couch with a book in hand, settle herself down and thumb through her cardboard books.

Last weekend we sent for a hike up the west side of Champlain. It was beautiful up there, with granite boulders, steep terrain, and dramatic light setting in the southwest. You can really see how early the sun is setting in this photo, which was taken around 3:15 pm. Winter solstice is coming soon, which means every day after will only be getting lighter.

Yesterday was over 50 degrees! I had been looking forward to it all week, thinking about what we were going to do to take advantage. I don't know why, but I just really had the itch to go canoeing. Finn and I made a Man-Day out of it and took it up Northeast Creek. We saw a lot of Canadian geese and ducks. Today I asked Finn if he had a good time yesterday, and he said, "Yup!"

A couple of geese we were able to sneak up on.

Outrageousness

It's been a while since I've posted any of the incredible things said in this house, so I thought I'd share a few today:

Me:
"Finn, I'm wicked tired. I'm going to lie down and rest for a little bit. You can sit on me, just don't jump too hard."

Me:
"Why would the wisemen give a baby boy a perfume they put on people who died?"
Madie:
"I'm not sure, but I think maybe because little boys are stinky when they come out of their mommas."

Madie:
"We need Jesus because without him you can get all washed-up."

Me:
"Please don't kiss [the dog] on the bum."

Me:
"Please don't share your drink with [the dog]."

Me:
"What's the number one rule about helping Mumma in the kitchen?"
Finn:
"Don't pick your nose."
(Which, by the way, makes sense, so 'Only Do What Mumma Says When She Says' is now #2.)

Christmas Prep

Thanksgiving week was a week off from school, a week of baking, and a week of Christmas preparations! The kids wrote letters to Santa Claus. 

I love Madie's fancy-pants lettering for "Santa."

They drew pictures for him, too.

"Dear Santa, I love you. I want stick-on earrings, and a candy cane and lipgloss, and of course a doughnut and (we think...) a big stuffed bear and I want it to be colored rainbow. A mini cupcake. I can't wait to get my elf! Love, Maddy." (The elf is our elf on the shelf--Rophy--he comes Dec. 1st.) 

Via dictation: "Dear Santa, my brother wants a truck that moves by itself, and a bow and arrow, and a tractor, and candy and a chocolate orange. Love Finn."

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we picked up our tree. I love lounging in front of a lit tree.

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

From one of my favorite days (Thanksgiving) to the next (going to cut down a Christmas tree), this has been a great week. We went to Maine Mountain Man in Franklin for the second year in a row. Growing up, I remember it taking a lot longer for Mom and Dad to find a tree go cut down. We are literally in the farm for less than ten minutes. Part of that could be the cold temps in Maine? Not sure. But we got our tree, bagged it, and enjoyed the hot chocolate and cookies. When we got home, I started a fire, Mal turned on some Christmas music, and the decorating began. The kids had fun decorating the tree, but I had to sit down with them (Finn) to explain why we don't hit our ornaments with hangers. Our ornaments are an accumulation of places we visit, and years/milestones in the kids lives (thank you Nana). I don't think it sunk in with Finn, but I'm really appreciating Madie and how she has been starting to grasp the importance of things like this lately. She has been asking lots of questions, almost to the point of annoyance. I have to remind myself that this is a stage, and she asks these questions because she has been trying to put the pieces together and make sense of 'why' we do things the way we do. She really has grown up a lot these last few months.

Ready for action!

Literally the only shot I got of Madie's face. Still eluding the camera.

The Bella Nella.

Bean boots? Check. Flannel shirt? Check (under the jacket). Cutting down a tree? Check. Yup, she's a real Maine woman alright. Just missing a rifle slung over her shoulder.

Bringing home the bacon.

This years tree.

Turkey Month

A few highlights for November, as we have quite a few important things that occurred this month. Number one, Nella started walking! About a week before she was officially a 'walker', she was showing some persistence and heavy interest. She kept trying to get up to her feet, take a step or two (sometimes pivoting on her right foot), and inched forward. Until finally, she took off! She really took off taking steps when Mal and I were in the kitchen. We were both working with her, and I was sending her off to Mal when she confidently took one, two, three steps on her own. This girl has an agenda, a motor, but doesn't seem to have any caution or fear. She clearly loves the freedom walking has provided, because she can now pull cups of water off the table and onto her head, carry things like tablets and phones while she tries to run away, and has become a much better climber. The other day she had climbed out of her high chair and fell onto the floor, with her upper lip smacking her water bottle. Madie and Finn were much more cautious. One fall like that for either of the first two, and they learned to hold back. Finn used to sit at the top of the stairwell and wait for Mal to get back after doing laundry. He didn't dare go downstairs at her age. The stairwell door opens for her? She's pushing everyone out of the way to get there in-time before it closes. I love her drive, and feel it will propel her to do many things in life. It will be interesting to see what interests she takes to as she gets older.

At Grammy Haskins, we went for a quick Sunday visit after Stake Conference and her and Nella happened to be wearing almost the same identical outfit. I didn't notice it until I snapped this photo. The rocking chair just happened to be next to Grammy, and Nella loves climbing in (and standing up!), so I thought it would make a good photo. Then the outfit thing hit me, then they made eye contact...BINGO!

For Madie's birthday present, I promised to take her rock climbing a few times. She has really taken an interest in it this year, and not just for the shoes (which she has requested multiple times already). She is really strong, and is also a very self-driven girl. I took her on a special date to go climbing at the indoor gym at Camp Beach Cliff after I got home from work. She literally climbed for nearly two hours straight. Most of the other kids climbed for 5-10 minutes, then went off to do something else for 20 minutes, then came back for a final climb. Madie stuck with it, and really caught onto the lingo, and how to tie in. Afterward, we went to the Somesville One-Stop for an ice cream treat. It was after 8:00 pm, so well beyond her 7:00 pm bedtime. We sat at the little nook, chowed on some ice cream, and headed home. In the car, she said, "Dad, can we do that next week too?" We did go again the next week, only I brought all three kids (Nella on my back, Finn and Madie taking turns).

Did I mention Madie is a self-starter? She checked out a 90 page chapter book about Disney's Frozen, and read it all on her own. Mal gave her the sheet music to Let it Go (again, from Frozen), and she taught herself the right and left hand of the entire first sheet, without assistance from Mal. She has been very impressive at the piano. She even played a piano/violin duet at the Primary Program in October.

Mr. Finnman has been as fun and jovial as ever. He has also had his screechy 3's moments, which hit Madie especially hard at this age. I don't think he has been as difficult to deal with as Madie was at 3, but there have been some rough patches. His challenges arise mostly with accepting when it's time to stop watching a show/movie. He has been getting much better at being gentle around Nella, and is probably our most vocally polite kid by always being quick to say please, thank you, and is great at sharing. He has a big heart, and loves to watch and play Octonauts. I actually really like this show because the kids learn so much about marine life. That is one huge difference between shows I watched growing up, and shows my kids watch. They are so much more focused on education and learning, and much less on entertainment.

For Christmas, he told me he wants "a sword, a gun, and a bow and arrow." I'll do my best Finn, but no guarantees. To make a bow and arrow, he has been taking two equally sized sticks, crossing them (as an arrow would cross a bow), and throws the 'arrow' stick at his target (usually Elvis). I love watching the imaginations and creativity kids have. I think in todays world, many parents are doing their kids a disservice by feeding their interests with toys the kid may seldom use. It's a difficult balance, because I feel that need with my own kids. But I also love to hold off feeding those interests to see what they come up with on their own. Finn expressed interest in a bow, but I couldn't give him one right a way. But in his mind, he created a bow and arrow. I think that if I took a step back to admire my kids imaginations more often, I would probably find more examples like this. I love it.

Finn hasn't taken to climbing quite yet. He took one look up the wall and said, "Dad, I'm not climbing up there." To be fair, we happened to go climbing on a bad day where a really bad cold was just setting in. We'll shoot for another time.

 We participated in the Bar Harbor pajama sale again this year. It's essentially a tradition now. We get up, run to town, hit up all the shops that offer free and other highly discounted items, and head home for a big breakfast. This year was definitely the warmest pajama day sale since we moved here, which made it easier to be outside. But the kids enjoyed the hot chocolate, free fudge, salt water taffy, and the toy store (Stone Soup).

At the Pajama Day Sale

Mal made a mincemeat pie for Pie Night this year. It was almost as good as this crust looks perfect. She is quite the baker.

For Thanksgiving, we bucked tradition a bit and headed to Dover-Foxcroft instead of Brooks. It's great living near so much extended family in Maine, but we ultimately decided to spend it with Grammy Haskins at her home. The kids love going to her home, and we love seeing Gram. I'm always impressed with her memory. Although she often mixes up the names of the people involved in the story, she has a great memory for the actual chain of events of the story. And she is always good to tell Madie stories from her past or fairy tales. Madie loves listening to stories read or told. She is a really good listener. Uncle Shawn joined us for dinner. The kids, of course, at the rolls...Finn ate some Turkey...and pie. That was about it. Even Nella, who fights me for the garbage disposal role was picking up the food on her tray and tossing it to the ground (her way of saying 'I'm done', after which our 'cleaner' (Elvis) usually comes and cleans all the food off the floor). We also got to help Grammy set up her Christmas tree and FaceTime with Grammy & Grampy.

Take Pride in Acadia Day

November 7th was Take Pride in Acadia Day, which means volunteers join together to rake the carriage roads clean in preparation for winter. There were over 400 this year, and some people even came from southern Maine to join in. We decided to participate because Madies Girl Scout troop signed up for it. Since Mal was gone all day to the temple, I decided this would be great to make the day go really well. Some hard work to keep them busy, and a free lunch afterwards, I'm all in! And it did make it much easier. Petranella loves being in the pack on my back, and sleeps at will. Finn loves using tools and working shoulder to shoulder with me. And Madie loves the social aspects of these activities. Mike for the win! Although there were moments that were tough, like Finn falling and scraping his knee while I was holding Nella and holding his hot chocolate, or 5 minutes later when Finn spilled his entire cup of hot chocolate on his pants. That last one was our cue to leave. The rest of the day was peaceful. Kids were too tired to fight each other or argue with me. 

Raking between these boulders is what they call "flossing Rockefellers teeth". 

I was impressed to see how hard Madie worked. Not that she isn't a hard worker, but she isn't one to do a lot of yard work at home. Again, the social aspect really helped. 

Finn loved helping lift the tarp of leaves, and even got to be the leader a couple of times. He also loved running in the deep leaves. 

Madies Girl Scout troop.

Raw Apple Cake

This morning while I was standing in the kitchen glancing through the cupboards to see what we needed, I caught sight of a blue-gingham boarder on a large recipe card. It was propped up against the back splash and tucked behind a slightly smaller index card. I pulled it out and low and behold, the recipe I had searched for just a few weeks ago, and before that, last year when Mum was visiting: Grammy Alexa's Raw Apple Cake, for which she was well known, written on a card and given to me at my bridal shower. I haven't had the chance to make it yet, and now I've finally used all my apples.

But it was nice to see her scrawl again.

Finishing October in Style

October festivities have been great this year. Pumpkin carving, camping, corn maze, trick or treating. We even fired up the wood stove a couple times. All of life in Maine revolves around seasons, which add a significant variety to our lives every month of the year. 

Madie designed her own pumpkin (upper left) with 'creepy eyes,' which turned out really well. Finn and I carved the boogie man from The Nightmare Before Christmas (bottom). Finn and Mal carved the other (upper right) a few days before at a friend's house. 

The kids and I camped in the backyard on a Friday night. It got down to 32 degrees, but they stayed nice and cozy. Finn downed like 8 marshmallows before I realized what he had been up to. He still doesn't take to an entire s'more, but would rather eat the parts all separately.

Treworgy Orchards is probably going to become a new Watkins tradition after this year. The kids had a blast. 

Here is the corn maze, bird's eye view. 

After the maze, we got ice cream and pet some goats. 

Halloween included the Branch party, Madie's school parade, trick or treating, and a post trick or treating party at our house. Finn was Kwazii from octonauts (but wanted to be Spider-Man for trick or treating, even though he hold everyone he was still Kwazii). Madie was Elsa from Frozen (even though she would never admit it), and Petya was Snoopy, even though she refused to wear the ears. The kids made out well on their candy, and our party was a lot of fun. I'm excited for Thanksgiving, probably my favorite holiday of the year.