Christmastime

 Our Samuelson Family get together where we made "gingerbread" houses from rice krispie treats. Probably not a good idea because I like eating Rice Krispie Treats. Also, it takes an entire recipe for one house. Super fun to design with, though.

 Instead of a white chocolate nativity, we decided to do a gummy nativity. Watermelon flavored nativity.

 Christmas Muffin delivery.

 Love my cute family.

I got next to no pictures on Christmas, but I guess that is a good thing since I was playing with the kids and helping them to set up their new toys, etc.
We really did have a great day. It was mellow and everyone was happy with the outcome.

Christmas post

 We had such a nice Christmas break. To be clear, kind of a rough time for me through Christmas break. Don't know how much detail to include, but I will vaguely say that it is a really dark time mentally. But even though I had to forfeit some expectations I had for Christmas (things I wanted to do, etc.) the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves.

 Also, it was so nice to have family around. I know some people find that family causes stress and anxiety, but my family is so awesome that they alleviate stress.

 We had Steve and Shawna and my mom and dad to enjoy Christmas morning with us. We had Richard and Laura, Ethan, Gabe, and Logan and Elisabeth later that night.

 It was the first Christmas (probably the first holiday) that Felix was actually able to enjoy. Usually he gets really over stimulated and hates the whole ordeal. He finally "got it" and kept saying "I like Christmas" or "I like my scooter". It was so thrilling to finally have him have a positive experience with a holiday.

 Zoe was so sweet to make Christmas gifts for EVERYONE!

 Over the break we went to the church and used Liam's RC helicopter and the PVC bows and arrows that I made the kids for Christmas.

 My dad brought stuff with which to make terrariums. I have always wanted one and was excited to make it.

 We enjoyed some cousin time!

So, when I say that Christmas break was nice, it reflects the feelings of love and support and peace surrounding our family during that time, not necessarily my mental state. Just so that I am never accused of painting an unrealistically rosy picuture.

Take Potluck

 We didn't have any visitors for Thanksgiving. A friend assured me, "No one wants to eat at your house for Thanksgiving!" With reference to our present vegan status, it made me laugh really hard. It is true, we had very little to offer by way of the usual Thanksgiving fare.
This was the best Thanksgiving meal in many ways. It took about 40 minutes to prep, 30 minutes to clean up, and it was super healthy (I know that isn't super attractive in a Thanksgiving meal).

 I had lots of help cutting, decorating, and getting ready.

 By final count we had 16 different veggies and 9 different fruits. The kids also requested rolls, mashed potatoes (Zoe), salsa and guacamole and chips, popcorn turkey (Lydia), and a pizza Lunchable (Liam).

 Here I am carving our lovely turkey.

 Popcorn inside!
I DID also make pie.
We also decided to go to the Boise downtown Christmas tree lighting. It was great. We don't usually attempt things like this, because some of the kids don't like it (okay, none of them do). I got some insulated paper cups and got hot cocoa for each of the kids. It was raining. We timed it so beautifully. We parked, walked a few blocks, stood around the tree for 5 minutes, they lit the tree, we left. We rewarded the kids with doughnuts afterward.

Lydia was sick from too much hot cocoa, but still HAD to get a doughnut!
We also got our Christmas tree and decorations up! More on this later.
This Thanksgiving marks 3 years since we moved into our home. It has been an adjustment but we truly feel that this is our home. We are so grateful for so many blessings in our lives. I will name a few. Healthy children, resources for Felix, schools, abundance of food, warm home, Travis' job and his willingness to go to work each day to support us, being married to my best friend, my opportunity to be at home, the help we receive in raising our children, our extended families, freedom, the good news of the gospel, and our Savior, Jesus Christ. We  are so blessed!

Necessity is the MOTHER of invention

I had a lovely Mother's Day. While I only spent a few hours with my husband and children (traveling back from Utah) I felt celebrated, honored, and loved.
Lydia drew me 7+ pictures and brought a flower from school. One of her pictures is a illustration of Travis gazing at me with his head in his hands. Obviously a great thing to her that someone so wonderful is in love with me.
Liam made a lovely card at school and a "All about my Mom" book. The words he said and the illustrations are invaluable. I would scan some of them, but they are all so adorable. One quote that melts my heart is, "Mom, I try to be helpful when something goes wrong, so you can be happy". Oh my gosh! Also, he said "when something goes wrong" instead of "when you are about to take a bus to Crazy Town". He also mentioned that if he could give me one gift it would be "a huge hot tub and a book that you would love". Well done.
Zoe wrote me a sweet note. One quote: "When it is summer break I would love to hang out with you and go on a vacation with you maybe, not to Hawaii or anything, but maybe if you are going somewhere I could come with you to spend time with you." So sweet. She has also been sooooo helpful around the house. Especially with the Orange One.

Travis gave me a super awesome card. Usually for Mother's Day I go to a nursery and buy a bunch of flowers to plant in my pots outside and lots of starts for the garden. That was soooo fun! I went with Steve and Shawna a few weeks ago and it was such a treat!

So, yes, basically I was super spoiled by my family when I got home, but I had a lovely morning also. I got to go to church with my sister and parents and nephews. It was a wonderful meeting! I got all sorts of chocolate and lotions from my sisters.
Okay, I hope it doesn't sound like I am patting myself on the back or anything. I just wanted to record this outpouring of love from my family and those I love. It means so much to me. It is said that parenting is a thankless job. It may be, most of the time, but I consider myself very blessed to have such wonderful children and husband and support system.

Sibs

 These are our beautiful kids.

 We are so blessed to have them. Even when they are rotten and I forget that I am blessed to have them.

 They really are wonderful.

See how cute they are when they are getting along? and are still and quiet in a picture? I have been struggling as a Mom lately. It is hard! They each have their phases and stages that are difficult to deal with. Sometimes their needs overlap and I am not feeling up to meeting all their needs. I am grateful for Travis who helps with their needs and especially being mindful of mine.
This wasn't going to be a grateful post, but that's okay. I guess I needed that.