The sweet little singers

More Christmas

This year our extended Kleven Family Party was a breakfast/pajama party, so I let the girls open their Christmas pajamas early for that night. We’ve never done the pajama thing before, but I thought I’d start it this year when I found some killer deals on pj’s on Black Friday. The girls were so cute and felt so funny going to the party in their pajamas.  We had dinner/breakfast and then there was a small program with some talents and songs, then a nativity presentation with some songs mingled in. Natalie and Brooklyn sang “When Joseph Went to Bethlehem” at the appropriate spot and did so well! I was impressed, especially because Brooklyn learned all the words that very day leading up to it.

 

Our tradition of singing “C is for the Christ-child,” a lesser known Christmas song, is one of my favorites. The kids hold up their letter when we sing about it, and there are plenty of stars for lots of other kids to hold as well. Natalie and Brooklyn got letters this year!

Hannah entertained herself for quite a while sliding around on the smooth floor.

Natalie’s class had a reindeer party and I went to volunteer for it. The kids rotated around to different stations doing different crafts or activities that had to do with reindeer. They were so cute! Some things I learned about kindergarten teachers: They must have a lot of energy and a sense of humor. Wow. It was fun to see Natalie interacting with the other kids. SOmetimes I wish I could be a fly on the wall and watch my kid all day but since I can’t, this is the next best thing.

The temple lights were beautiful as usual. We were chilly but it wasn’t too bad. I picked up some hand warmers at Target a few days earlier and they were most helpful.

One of Emily’s favorite things it to walk along a curb and here Hannah is helping her along.

 

The models. Hannah was swinging her hair around.

Here is the annual Hatch Family Christmas party. It happened to be on the same night as our stake Christmas concert that I was playing my flute for, so I couldn’t make it. But Mark and the girls went and had a great time! The talents were wonderful, food delicious, and company just splendid. I was able to pop in for the last few minutes and got to say hi/bye to many.

Some cute little reindeer.  Uncle Randy has a tradition of leading the kids in “Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer'” and this year they all wore antlers. They are all getting so big!

Christmas

The thought of blogging about Christmas is slightly overwhelming, so will just do it a little at a time. There’s no rule that says I have to make one giant post!

 

 

We made Christmas sugar cookies! Yes, they are vegan. I made them with the regular sugar cookie recipe only I replaced the milk with almond milk, the butter with Earth Balance (vegan butter), and the egg with egg replacer powder (from Sprouts).  They turned out sooooo delicious! They were soft and pillowy just like the nonvegan version, and the frosting was perfect as well (regular recipe but with almond milk and EB). We have not done sugar cookies in the entire year we’ve been plant-based (mostly because I avoid added oils or fats) but we threw health into the wind for this particular afternoon and it was quite enjoyable. The kids had a great time sprinkling and we were able to share a plate with some of our non-dairy friends.

Here we are at the ward Christmas dinner. Aren’t my little sweeties (and one big sweetie) so adorbs?

Natalie sang in a little children’s choir for our stake music concert, and they performed at a rest home one afternoon prior to practice performing. Natalie sang great and it helped us realize where we needed to practice our words!

Mark’s mom gave us tickets to A Christmas Carol at the Hale Center Theater as an early Christmas gift. It was so amazing! We loved every minute and it was fun to see some quality live entertainment as well as spend time with each other (and Mom!) without kids around.

Like my green trench? I got it on clearance last spring and this was my first time wearing it.

Graham cracker “gingerbread” houses with Grandma Simonson. We used Rice-Mellow cream (like marshmallow cream but vegan) but it was too runny and gooey so we added a bunch of powdered sugar and that stiffened things right up. Even so, some bits and pieces were sliding off at the end of the night. Luckily the kids didn’t care as long as they were stuffing their faces with candy.

Hannah’s house got the worst of the destruction.

 

Emily didn’t care one lick about making a house. She just wanted smarties! “mo! mo tanny!” (more candy)

Thanksgiving

Since I totally missed blogging last year’s holidays, I want to make sure I get this year’s, even though it means playing catch up. So here’s the recap of our Thanksgiving this year!

We ate at the Albrecht’s house (Mark’s aunt and uncle) and here is the shot of the kids table. We couldn’t believe Spiderman could actually make it. We all got autographs.

Below is Mark’s grandparents with their 5 children, all growed up and some of them grandparents as well. Mark’s mom is second from the left.

 

Natalie and I goofed around.

 

She got into the modeling mood and gave me this lovely little shot with her crimped hair.

This is Natalie and one of the favorite older girl cousins, Megan. I think Natalie wants to be Megan when she grows up!

We posed uncomfortably on some rocks. Mark needs a tan.

 

After dinner we headed over to a park so we could carry out the annual Thanksgiving Day field hockey game. I’ve never seen it or have been a part of it because they usually play on T-day morning and I am usually cooking!

The Game.

The moms, grandmas, and kids hung out at the playground.

Hannah figured out how to button her own shirt so she proudly did it over and over. Way to develop those fine motor skills!

Such a fun time hanging out with the family. I love the after dinner part where everyone lays around with no agenda. We play games, chat, laugh, and enjoy the weather (usually). This year I made vegan mashed potatoes, vegan gravy, vegan banana cream pie, and vegan pumpkin pie. Oh, and sweet potato/apples. They were all very yummy if I do say so myself, except the sweet potato dish was too runny. Next year I’ll do something to thicken it up. Or maybe I’ll just be a rebel and make it sooner. I didn’t particularly care for the banana cream pie. It didn’t set right and was more like runny pudding than an actual slice. The topping was called “mimic Crème” and it’s a whipped topping made out of almonds and cashews. It was ok tasting, but the texture was too heavy to be whipping cream. I will use sweetened whipped coconut milk next time I make it. Incidentally, the omnivores really enjoyed that pie. I LOVED the pumpkin pie. It was amazing, and only 4 ingredients!! Will definitely be making that one again.