Sledding!!

Backstory:  I hate the cold.  Thus, I don't take my kids sledding.  That's daddy's job.

Backstory #2: I have an extremely sweet Belarusian friend who I absolutely cannot say no to. It is impossible to say no to someone so sweet, friendly, and amazing. She has two boys who are very close in age to my kids. Story: So, my Belarusian friend says to me, "Nichole, you will want to take your kids sledding today at the church by my apartment?" I think to myself, um, no. However, as stated before I can't say no to her. Ugh. "Yes, Iryna, sledding sounds great!" So, we bundled up and off we went. I ended up surviving an entire HOUR in the 20 degree weather.

"You will want to sled, too, Nichole. This sled is very soft and warm," Iryna says. Gahd! "Okay, I'll get on the sled." And I did. And I survived. And I sort of had fun.

After we were all sufficiently cold, we headed back to Iryna's for snacks and tea. Iryna always has some Russian cookies and fancy tea for us. She's a lovely hostess. Thank goodness she's also a good influence, because I'm pretty sure she could convince me to just about anything.

Two Christmases

With our Countdown to Christmas in Norfolk complete, it was time to load up the van and head out of town.  I taught yoga on Christmas Eve morning, so as soon as I was showered we left.  The kids could hardly stand it knowing that they would have two straight days of grandparents and food and presents.  Of course, grandparents did not disappoint.  It was the year of hunting, with all the kids receiving fake machine guns and real archery sets.  Soren got two electronic dogs.  The boys got lots of video games.  Oh, what joyful faces!

But Mama got the best gifts of all:

That's right, a mixer and some mace.  It's a Vescapades Christmas.

In all seriousness, Christmas this year was filled with smiles and joy, especially for our children, who are more oblivious to all the turmoil in our family.  We try to make their lives as normal as possible even though Mom and Dad are unbelievably stressed out.  It was hard for us to find Christmas joy this year, even though the world went on as normal around us.  Still, my husband has no job, we have no security, and my ability to work a job that supports six people is basically zero.

We are not religious folk, but the prayers of others have been appreciated.  I can surely feel all of the positive energy created in the universe by our friends and family.  Let's hope 2013 brings us many blessings, especially a new job.

Fun With Kittens

I post a lot about our kittens, and it's mainly because they are so funny.  Well, they are funny to us anyway.  While I was wrapping up all of our Christmas presents with a huge roll of brown paper, the kittens were all over it like it was the best thing ever.  In an effort to keep them away from the paper I was using to actually wrap the presents, I cut the kittens a few squares of their own.  Nichole: 1, Cats: 0.

Hanukkah, Vescapades Style

No, we're not Jewish.  We aren't Christian either.  However, our kids enjoy the holiday stories from many different cultures and religions, and Evelyn is particularly interested in Hanukkah.  She checked out lots of books detailing the story of Hanukkah, and when she saw this menorah on clearance last year, she had to have it.  I figured for $2, it's no big deal if it never gets used.  Little did I know that the menorah would find a home on Evie's dresser for the next year just waiting to be used this season.

When I went to Target to buy candles for the menorah, they were all gone. I was quite confident Wal Mart would not carry the candles, so I decided to just use some old birthday candles instead of hunting all over town and burning gas. We ended up with a very festive (if not a bit gay-pride) menorah that Evelyn was very excited about. We lit all the candles each night and the girls took turns blowing them out.

Although we didn't stay true to the Hanukkah traditions so beloved by our Jewish friends, the kids loved seeing the stories they read come to life with their menorah.

Christmas Countdown Continued

The kids have been enjoying opening their special treats each night during our countdown to Christmas Eve.  Mostly they've found candy canes and processed food treats that I never buy them otherwise, but they've also received a game called Suspend.  It's pretty fun but a little difficult for the younger kids in the family.  Here are some photos from our continuing countdown:

The countdown isn't the only exciting event taking place at the Vescapades home.  Dade also had his winter concert.  He and the freshman band did a great job!

Christmas Eve Countdown

Many folks have advent calendars or Santa countdown calendars.  Here at the Vescapades house we have a countdown to Christmas Eve/Day in Norfolk.  Why countdown to Santa when grandpas and grandmas are way more generous with the Christmas gifts?  This year, I found a neat idea on Pinterest to put little treats in numbered lunch sacks counting down to Christmas.  So, I threw together some treat bags at placed them up on the pantry.

Soren got to open the first bag because she's the youngest.  Trust me, this was not without a series of complaints from the others.  "Why does SHE get to open the first one???!!"  Seriously, I'm over this whole sibling rivalry thing, and I have lots more years left.  Anyhow, here's the baby with the bag:

She was quite excited when she opened it up and found the soundtrack to our favorite Christmas movie, Elf.

Dade has his winter band concert tonight, so we won't get to watch Elf.  However, I did pop the cd into the stereo while I got supper ready (and typed this blog post). 

It's hard to believe that it's time for a Christmas countdown!  Where did the year go?  We are very excited to begin a new year with a fresh start.   The usual requests of Christmas have long been forgotten by the grown-ups in the Vescapades house.  I didn't get to fill my Etsy cart with ideas for Colby.  All we want in our Christmas stocking this year is a job.  How wonderful it would be to wake up Christmas morning with the prospect of a paycheck and health insurance.  I guess we'll see if we have been good or bad this year; perhaps a lump of coal awaits us on Christmas morning.  Either way, we'll be waking up with four little kiddos eager to see what Santa has brought for them (and thanks to our generous neighbors Santa can still come!).  

I Make Breakfast

In an earlier post, I bragged about the amazing breakfast my man makes.  Today, I made the weekend breakfast.  What else would a chocolate-lover like myself make??  Chocolate donuts with chocolate glaze, of course!  Store-bought donuts are no longer in our budget.  Besides, who knows what's in them?  These homemade ones have only a few ingredients, they are baked, and they are really easy.  Best of all, the kids loved them!!

Here's the recipe. It makes about 11 donuts in my donut pan. Enjoy!