December (Part 1)

I am almost scared to write my blog again, and have been putting it off... over a month to catch up on, and it has been one heck of a month. If I have ever said I was busy before, I lied... this has been busy, and not only busy, but emotionally demanding too.
Jack had his 11th birthday party on 27th November in advance of his birthday on the 8th December - a sleepover with some school and church friends. They decorated his birthday cake (I like this new tradition which seems to be developing - saves me a job!) - it's a desert island in case you were wondering.
By the morning, I was vowing never to have another sleepover ever again... Jack managed to stay up ALL NIGHT! This has been a very cold month! We are a bit fed up as a family that we seemed to miss virtually all the snow that the rest of the country got - this picture was of pretty much our only snowfall, at the end of November. (Scott walking down our street.)

Harry was ill, and missed playing out in it, so we made mini snowmen on the bedroom windowsill instead. The lowest daytime temperature we saw on the car thermometer was -8. I did enjoy all the white that stuck around for ages though. Very pretty. We all enjoyed walking to school a lot. (Though the first week of December I had a child at home every day - Harry, Tom and Lucy for 3 days - she was really quite poorly.)Harry turned 5 on December 3rd, and that was also his school fair day. I am a member of the parents' association, so was helping out with the fair, including making the cake for 'Guess the number of Sweets on the Cake'. Harry also won the colouring competition for his age group, on his birthday!

In the evening I went ice skating with all the 12-18 year-olds from church, the Youth leaders and some other parents. It was so much fun!! I laughed SO much... One of the boys did challenge me to see if I could skate a whole lap without screaming though, and followed me to make sure!A week into December, and we managed to get some Christmas decorations put up (mainly on the kids, by the looks of it.)

I was busy preparing for the first big event as Stake Young Women's President - a Youth Celebration Evening (which I also had to speak at, and prepare the refreshments for, including making over 100 cupcakes!) I travelled the hour to our Stake Centre 4 times within a week of being called, and after my hand-over with the old President felt well and truly overwhelmed! I think I am slowly getting an inkling of what I am meant to be doing now.

We also adopted a missionary. Friends of ours who are responsible for one of the New Zealand missions, told us about some of their missionaries coming from very poor backgrounds. As a family we have 'adopted' one, to write to while he serves his mission. The kids and I had fun choosing Christmas gifts to send to him, and writing letters!
On Saturday 11th December, we travelled to Scott's parent's house for a get-together with all Scott's family, including Trevor over from Estonia, and Scott's cousin Andy over from California. We did have a lovely time together, but with an underlying sadness over the recent news of Scott's Nan having lung cancer.

Mum rang me on Sunday to say that Grandma had stopped eating and drinking, and probably would not last very long.

On Monday 13th December, while my Visiting Teachers where over, Mum rang again to say that Grandma had died. I have already written about Grandma on this blog, but it is strange to feel happiness (for her), and relief (for my parents) and sadness all at once. Mum asked me to speak at Grandma's funeral.

On Wednesday 15th Harry took part in his first ever school play. He was 'Herod's Helper'!! It was wonderful to watch a school play without struggling to keep a younger child quiet for the first time, and the play itself was very entertaining!Also that week we were busy getting gifts made for teachers and friends. Lucy made this lovely lot for her friends. She is getting very proficient in the kitchen.
Tom was 8 on the Thursday 16th December (and I had a meal out with my book club girlies that night), and then Tom had his party 2 days later. Tom also wanted to decorate his own cake (hooray!), and I think he did a great job with this football pitch cake.

Also on Tom's birthday (just as the kids and I had all piled in the car to take dinner to some friends who's Mum was in hospital), my car broke down - something to do with the immobiliser. We managed to get it sorted out a day or two later, in time to take Tom and his friends to the cinema for the party (they wouldn't have all fit in Scott's car).

Got to go with Anna and see the latest Harry Potter film at the cinema on Friday night. (We were meant to go earlier in the week but were both ill.) Thought it was very good, but not the most cheerful film ever created!

On Sunday 19th Tom was baptised. (People are at least 8 when they are baptised in our church, so there is some understanding of just what it means, and of knowing right from wrong.)

He was interviewed by the Bishop, and then after church was baptised by immersion by Scott. It was a lovely simple service, and afterwards lots of my family came home for food.Harry getting tickled by Grandad!