Star of Bethlehem

Tonight we saw the "Star of Bethlehem." It's where Saturn and Jupiter appear extremely close together and look like one big star (only it didn't, it still looked like two stars) and it hasn't happened since something like 1121 AD. People call it the "Star of Bethlehem" as they suggest that maybe this is what the wise men followed. I don't believe that, but it is still pretty cool.

We went to the park to see it, but there were clouds coming in and I didn't think we would see it. Another family came with a telescope. We didn't see anything and started to drive off, and then I saw it, so we turned around and enjoyed it.

Then, we had our 3rd annual Jerusalem dinner. This year we made a Jerusalem Olive Oil Cake, which was surprisingly delicious if not in any way authentic. Claire also insisted on making our dates bacon wrapped, again not very authentic, but it was delicious.

To round out the evening, we watched "The Nativity"- a video our church put out which beautifully depicts the birth of our Savior. I love it because they speak Hebrew the entire time- unlike our dinner, it really does feel authentic to watch the video.

Here's a couple of professional pictures of what it looked like if you had a really expensive telescope:

And, one that really shows the planets- you can see Saturn's rings which is cool. We didn't see the rings.

Downtown Denver

It turned out one of our tenants needed us to go and replace a lock today. Since it is so close to downtown, I suggested we should all go and then head to Downtown to see the lights. A friend of mine has been, so I called her to get more details about safety, crowds, etc. 

With her details in mind, we decided to go for it, and I'm glad we did. It really was very cool what they have done to try and make Christmas memorable for us. They had a light show on Union Station, and because they couldn't do the parade like they usually do, they had several floats- including one with Santa!- throughout downtown.

I'm glad we went- it really felt like Christmas. Everyone was wearing a mask, and I never felt unsafe.

The only thing is that it was really, really sad to see how many business have closed down, and to see so few people out the Saturday before Christmas. I hate Covid! The sadness of seeing the difference between this year and the usual festive crowds seen this time of year was really disheartening and a stark reminder that we are still in the middle of a really crappy pandemic. 

It was still fun. And next year, I want to go to the actual parade with all of the people and bask in the glory of a large crowd gathering downtown! I will never take the excitement of being with people and celebrating as a community for granted again!

"Carry On- Denver Strong"

Santa!

 Santa was pretty different, coming to us via Zoom. But, the girls still got to see the same Santa they have seen the last few years. The library gets him, and he is fabulous. He sang songs, answered questions, and the library had bags for us to pick up with jingle bells, and cookie, reindeer food, and a "coin" from Santa. It was pretty cool, even if it was very different.

Christmas Service!

 It's Covid, so finding opportunities to serve has been a little harder. But, The Shiloh House reached out to me with lots of requests for cakes, cookies, and goodie bags. I went to my group of awesome women and reached out to them for help, and we were able to fulfill their wishes.

Then, today we were able to play Santa and deliver gifts to refugee families for Project Worthmore. Other people donated the toys, but we got to do the fun part and drop them off at 6 families' houses. The girls said it was their favorite service and they want to do it every year. 

Snow Forts!

 We have had a bit of snow, so we have spent a lot of time outside playing in the snow. This snow fort was a huge hit!

Gingerbread Houses

The girls had a blast building their gingerbread houses. They made a pond with a bear fishing and a rope swing. So fun!

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Via Zoom I met with the girls' Cloverleaf teachers. Even though they have only seen my girls 7 times this semester, they know my girls pretty well because they have actually had them for several years.

I especially wanted to talk to Audra's teachers as we are planning on Audra going to the local high school next year. I think that Audra is a straight A student and should take honors for English and History next year. I told them my thoughts and said, "I don't know if I am just being a mom or if I am thinking correctly on this, and I would love your professional opinions."

There were three teachers all in on the call and immediately Ms. Penry said, "Audra is the best student we have ever had at Cloverleaf. She should absolutely be in Honors, 100% that is where she belongs." Her science teacher was also there. That is one area where I don't feel as strongly that Audra is Honors level, but her teacher immediately assuaged those feelings. She immediately said, "Yes, for honors- she is an honors kid. She will be challenged, but she will excel."

It was pretty awesome to hear what they said! I was feeling pretty confident, but that truly made both of us certain that Honors is the path for her to take next year. Her art teacher said that she hopes Audra continues with art because she has a real talent.

When it came to Claire, it was really sweet. They said, "And, likewise with Claire. She is a wonderful student, one of our best. She and Hannah are so great together and work so well together. They could speak up a little more in class, but they are top students." They also talked about her Animaker skills- a computer program they use to make PowerPoint type presentations. They said, "She was by far the first to finish the project and she really excelled in her ability to use it." Her art teacher talked about what a special talent she has for art and how creative she is- which is definitely a gift of hers.

Camille's conferences were also excellent. Here is what her PE teacher said: "She is a very respectful student who always participates in class. She does a great job in all the activities we do." Camille is very shy, but her science teacher said that because of the smaller classes she is more willing to speak up so she is enjoying seeing Camille's personality more. 

So, it was pretty cool to hear how great these kids are doing! They really are pretty special!