2014 Prediction Results

Here's my results from the predictions I made last January:

1. Seahawks vs. Broncos in the Super Bowl! Man, I really hope this happens- it would be a dream come true! But, Denver needs a better defense, and Seattle needs more consistency for this all to work out. We'll see! It did happen- with the Seahawks winning. Not a great game, but still a lot of fun for me!

2. Ben gets a promotion at work. He's due for one, so hopefully that will pan out. He did! Yay for Ben!

3. Three separate family vacations. Ben doesn't like this prediction at all, but I LOVE it! We did it! One to Seattle, one to Bear Lake, UT, and one to Mt. Rushmore. 

4. Audra will be able to read chapter books, Claire will start easy readers, and Camille will be talking up a storm. All true! It has been a big year for reading (it has finally really clicked with Audra and Claire is doing a great job starting to learn to read). And, Camille is talking, and talking, and talking. It is super cute!

5. No major natural disasters in Colorado (this would be a true miracle, but Colorado is due for a break from all the weather craziness!) True!

6. I will find some new talents to develop.Cooking? Photography? I don't know. That's what helps to make this year so unpredictable. Not true. I haven't really started any new talents.
7. Audra will try t-ball and Claire will try Landsharks. Will they like them? I don't know. I kind-of hope that Audra doesn't like t-ball because I can't think of a sport I would like to watch less than t-ball, but we'll see. Neither is true. No Landsharks, no t-ball. Audra did try basketball, though.

8. I will keep off all the weight I have lost- I had better! So far, this remains true. But my current diet of cookies and Christmas treats may derail my weight loss for 2015.

9. Another government shut down and continued hate/anger in DC that results in nothing getting accomplished. No government shut down, but definitely continued hate/anger in DC.

10. Kaley Cuoco (from the Big Bang Theory- our favorite show) and her new husband the famous tennis player will get a divorce. I don't see this relationship lasting. Not true- they are surprisingly still married. Good for them.

Sledding!

We finally got some snow on Christmas Day and the next couple of days after that. It actually has been quite a mild winter, but this last week we have definitely had the cold (yesterday I think the high was -1) the last while.

Because yesterday was so cold we hunkered down and didn't go anywhere. When it gets that cold it hurts to breathe. Today was warmer (high of 27) so Ben took Audra and Claire sledding. Camille and I joined them for the last few minutes. After 2 1/2 hours of sledding, the girls still whined about needing to come home for lunch- I think they could have stayed all day. We only have one cracked sled- and there are absolutely no sleds in town to be bought as everything is sold out- so Ben is on Amazon seeking a good quality sled or two for the kids to enjoy.

 Camille refused to ride down with Claire, which was a little sad for Claire. She really wanted Camille to go down on her lap.

I did not go sledding. I hate being cold.

Daddy's Helper

Daddy has been put to work while on vacation for the Christmas break, but thankfully he has a little helper to help install new door handles:

Christmas Afternoon

After the morning festivities, we headed over to Mac and Ann's for lunch and more celebrations. We ate a wonderful ham feast. Then we opened gifts, and settled in for a nice afternoon of AirBud. The girls loved the new dress up dresses they got from Grandma and Grandpa as well as the new real dresses they got from Beth and DJ.

 Ben's favorite gift:

Santa NAILED It!

The girls were up very early this morning. They knew they couldn't wake us up until 7 AM, but we forgot to tell them they couldn't slam doors, yell loudly, or stomp loudly around the house. Rookie mistake.

At 7 we went downstairs.

Thankfully, we averted disaster. Claire desperately wanted a Hello Kitty car- one of those electric ride along cars. Unfortunately, Santa left a note saying he ran out of Hello Kitty cars- but he had a Plasma Car for her instead. Ben and I were OK with Santa being out of Hello Kitty cars because we were worried about where to park it (Claire said she could park it where Ben's car is parked) and about whether Claire would take care of it properly. However, when we saw the note, we also knew Claire might freak out- her tantrums and rages unfortunately continue. But, when she saw the plasma car she was super excited. She remembered when she rode it at Lollipop Park, and she took the replacement car completely in stride. Hallelujah!

Audra was very excited because she got a full size stroller for her dolls- the kid strollers were hurting her back.

Camille was just happy. She thought it was great to sneak off and eat chocolate from her stocking. However, this is what it looks like when it is not her turn to open a present:

The girls got lots of books, they each got a little stuffed dog, we got games, some Magformers, and art activities and more. They were spoiled- even Audra admitted she was spoiled. It's so hard, though- we don't spoil them throughout the year, and so it's nice to spoil them on Christmas.

Anyway, it was fun opening gifts. Ben got a new computer screen, and I got a desperately needed new lap top (mine has recently had the dreaded blue screen come up). The girls got tired out by the end and just wanted to play with their toys instead of still opening, but we persevered. It was great- the magic of Christmas!

Our  hearts melted when we saw that Camille had made a picture for Santa:

 When it was her turn, Camille was perfectly happy:

 Audra got a locket- something she has wanted for quite some time.

 

 I made us all t-shirts for when we go on family field trips: Fuzzy Giraffe Elementary (the name the kids came up with for our homeschool)

 Ta-da!

 The after MESS. Not our favorite part of the day...

 Claire out on her plasma car. Notice she brought her dog out to watch her. Also, notice the weather. It was very warm and sunny, but by the time we went to bed there was 2 inches of snow on the ground. Only in Colorado!

 I'll post about our afternoon activities later. But, just know- it was a great day (outside of about 3 massive tantrums from Claire that involved hitting and scratching her sisters for one reason or another. We're working on that).

Aebleskivers!

For Christmas this year I decided to make Aebleskivers. I have had an Aebleskiver pan since we got married and never made them. My sister makes them every Christmas and her kids love them, so I figured- why not? I'll give it a shot.

They turned out great! I made a homemade chocolate ganache and lemon curd for filling, then also used strawberry jam for a third filling. All three fillings were excellent.

Here are some tips for when I make them next year:

-However little batter you think you need to put in, cut it in half and put that amount in- it expands by A LOT while cooking.

-However much oil you think you need, double it.

-NEVER, under any circumstance, double the recipe. The recipe makes about 49 Aebleskivers- and that is a lot. We barely ate half of them.

-It does take about an hour to make all of them. Perhaps next year I can streamline the process, but my pan only makes 7 at a time, so I don't know if I can or not.

Here's the recipe I used. It came with the pan, and it was delicious. I'm posting it here so I can throw the packaging from the pan with the recipe on it away:

AEBLESKIVERS

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
3 eggs- separated

Optional: Apple slices or other fruit for filling (I used the fillings mentioned above)

Stir together flour, salt and baking soda. Add buttermilk and egg yolks. Beat egg whites until light and fluffy, forming soft peaks. Gently fold egg whites into batter.

Heat Aebleskiver pan on medium heat. Grease each cup (little butter or oil, or spray vegetable oil) and fill 2/3 full. Cook for approximately 1 to 1-1/2 minutes (per side) until golden brown, flip using a toothpick. When both sides are done serve with a sprinkle of confectioner's sugar. Best when served warm.

Optional: Fill each cup only 1/3 full with batter. Place a small amount of fruit in each cup and cover with an additional 1/3 batter.

Even though we all liked these a lot (though breakfast started with a tantrum from Claire because she wanted "flat pancakes" and what would Christmas be without massive tantrums from Claire?), I believe these are only a once a year meal. They are a lot of work! But delicious.

Matching Matching Princess Squared (well, tripled!)

We always let the girls unwrap one present on Christmas Eve. This year, we let them unwrap pj's. They LOVED having all matching pj's- and they all said (well, ok, not Camille) that they wanted matching pj's every year.

With cuties like this, we may have to oblige:

After the pj's, we watched Charlie Brown's Christmas. Then it was time for bed. For the first time in awhile they went to bed without any problems.

I think I am as excited as the kids for Christmas! It's as if all the tantrums and whining and complaining all switch to an air of complete happiness- and the reward for a year of hard work is about to culminate into a wonderful family experience of magic and joy at the Christmas holiday- making it all worth it.

Night In Bethlehem

Normally on Christmas Eve we go to my cousin's house for a big family dinner. This year it didn't work out, so we found ourselves with the entire night with our little family. While we love the tradition of going to my cousin's house and we would have loved for it to have worked out this year, it was nice to just be with us and do our own Christmas Eve.

We decided to do a night in Bethlehem. A number of my friends have done this, so we thought it would be fun to give it a shot.

It was a huge success! Audra, Claire, and I dressed up (Ben was a party pooper, while Camille just didn't know what was going on).

I tried to get foods that would be somewhat consistent with what the Jews would have eaten 2,000 years ago. I am certain I failed miserably, but I don't really care. I tried. We ate pitas, hummus, various cheeses, olives, coconut dates (the girls were not fans), couscous, and sparkling Apple Cider for the wine. I bought fish sticks, but forgot to make them. Oops!

We ate on the floor and talked about what life would have been like in Bethlehem. It was a nice night. This is a tradition I want to continue, but- I think it would be better to do earlier in the month. It was nice, but it was a little confusing to have Night In Bethlehem followed with Twas the Night Before Christmas and opening of a Christmas gift. It's not a big deal, just something to modify next year.

Christmas Cuties!

We LOVE this Mrs. Claus dress. My brother got it for Audra when she was 2, and we have LOVED all the girls wearing it. How could we not? It's so precious!

I asked Camile to pose and she got on the floor looking as cute as cute can be.

 She was incredibly insistent that she wear this green bow.

 Notice the shoes on the wrong feet:

 Then, we tried for another family picture. This one turned out much better!