TheHenrichsens.com

With a new year upon us I’ve decided it’s time for a new blog too. I’ve tried for months to get help changing my blog template but my hands have been tied because I don’t know HTML and I don’t host my own website. So a few weeks ago I started playing around with Blogger and have finally designed my own blog all by myself (with a little help, of course, from The Cutest Blog on the Block.) I’ve finally got it just the way I want it and I am quite proud of myself. So, if you want to continue keeping up with us Henrichsens follow us over here and have yourself a very happy new year!

As per Henrichsen tradition, tonight we broke in the New Year by smashing this

to smithereens!

Noah’s ice skater that he made at school during his Second Grade Gingerbread House-Making Fest ended up looking like she skated herself into a pie toss.

And Mark and Hunter fondly named these pink mints “urinal mints.”

And Justus, who now has the stomach flu instead of Jericho (who had it yesterday) quickly recovered when he saw the abundance of candy and I don’t even want to imagine what his barf is going to look like tonight around 3:00am.

And when we were done stuffing our faces with candy and we had a giant gingerbread fight, threw it all over the kitchen and each other and then, threw it in the garbage. And now if you’ll excuse me, I think I have several pieces of gingerbread still stuck in my bra. Happy New Year!

I think the church does a great job telling the youth NOT to have sex until they are married. I think the church does an even better job telling already baby-hungry girls how wonderful motherhood is. So while the young women know they aren’t supposed to have sex until they are married, they also know it’s like the best thing ever to have a baby and they can hardly wait to do it. And they do cute little service projects like making baby quilts for all the newborns in the Ward. And they babysit all the perfect Mormon barbie housewives’ perfect little children in their perfect little Mormon homes and the girls are ready to get married by age 16. I don’t necessarily think this is bad. I married young and had lots of babies young and I am practically perfectly happy in every way. Motherhood is wonderful and joyful and blissful. But it’s also gross and messy and awful and not fun and exhausting and frustrating. And while making baby quilts and attending casserole-making classes are great ways to prepare, I think Young Women leaders everywhere might do good to consider some alternative Mother Prep activites. Some of the following might include:

Washing diarrhea out of a small child’s underwear, helping the newly potty-trained child go diarrhea in the toilet, and then cleaning up the small child’s bottom. Yesterday while we were out and about, Caleb had just such an accident. Did anyone prepare me for such messy disasters? Not so much.

Another fabulous idea might be some quick-thinking activities. Church members are great role-players, beginning in Primary. For example, a young woman could imagine she has six children, three of them are 3 and under. She decides to take them to the Aquarium for the day because that’s what a regular Mormon Barbie Housewife would do to stimulate her children and encourage intelligence. A few minutes into the visit, she allows the three older children to wander ahead as long as they stay together. Then, the 3-year old runs after them. Should this young gorgeous mother leave behind the twins and the stroller to snag the runaway? Or should she let the 3 year old wander ahead, praying no one nabs him, while she gathers up the other two babies and their belongings? And how ’bout that diarrhea incident? How exactly does that young mother deal with the mess with the other five children in tow, two of which are sound asleep in their car seats and the other three our busy eating their lunch and the bathroom is across the parking lot in the museum you haven’t paid to enter? Knowing how to make a quilt is great but knowing how to deal with these sorts of situations are invaluable.

You could spend an entire YW night on stain removal. Invite a member’s toddler to the church, have him step in some ketchup and walk around for awhile. Then teach the girls how to remove the stains as well as clean the child before he makes another mess. That will never happen in real life? It did in our home, just last night. You could also give a set of twins some green acrylic paint and let them go at whatever their little hearts desire. Mark and I are doing some painting in the bedrooms, a much needed chore after seven years of little sticky fingers running around the house. Last night while Mark was busy painting the ceiling in one of the bedrooms, I was playing Othello with Noah. Neither of us were paying much attention to the twins. When one of them finally appeared with green stuff all over their hands it only took me seconds to realize what they had gotten into. They had poured paint in a dish just like their Daddy and with pint-sized rollers painted a masterpiece of their own which included the carpet, my Sunday dresses and the wall. I really could have used a lesson or two in paint cleanup.

And we all know how great a lesson on what to do when your baby has the stomach flu would be. Wait until a family in your ward has the stomach bug and invite them to church for an evening of free babysitting. Let their kids drink lots of red koolaid and run around with lots of reckless abandon. The girls will surely learn how to catch barf in their laps and hands, remove vomit from clothing, carpets and furniture, and you can even make cute little handouts about how to feed sick kids teaspoons of fluid every fifteen minutes and what B.R.A.T stands for.

Really the ideas are endless. Multi-tasking like cleaning up vomit while making dinner and planning homemaking would be another excellent idea. Or how about a sleep-deprivation summer camp? You could put one of those newborn infant dolls in each of the Laurel’s tents and they could get their “I can still function on 15 minutes of sleep” badge if their baby is still alive by the end of the week. Want more ideas? Need to borrow a set of twins or a rambunctious toddler for an evening? We could totally help. Jericho just vomited on my lap about an hour ago and Denver sympathy barfed on the stairs. We could provide so many wonderful opportunities for your Young Women to fully understand the responsibilites of motherhood and just exactly what they’re getting into when they decide to become sexually active. And maybe instead of handing out condoms to the Young Men (which we all know the church is greatly opposed to) we could hand out Wet-Vacs and have them assist the Young Woman on an occasional joint activity. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

We went to the aquarium today. I don’t think any of us set foot outside last week except to go caroling on Christmas Eve. We just vegged out in front of the Wii and ate all sorts of junk food and got really fat and lazy. So this week I decided we have to get out at least every other day. At least! So today was “go to the aquarium day” because I had two free passes that expire like right now. We had all sorts of fun. And it only cost us $19.00 versus the usual $50. Denver loved petting the sting rays. Noah had a flounder fall in love with him–honest. The twins loved just about everything and Caleb was very curious about the sharks and whether or not they wanted to eat him. We stopped at the Jellyfish exhibit because the shark exhibit was at capacity and sat down for a moment. The kids whipped their snacks out of their pockets and we all sat in the dark, watching the jellyfish pulse up and down in the tank. Oh, if only I could have laid down and had a nap. It was very soothing. Anyway, Hunter wandered away for a few minutes and returned to ask me what a remedy is. I explained and then, in a little, quirky half-smile Hunter informed us all that “urine is a remedy for jellyfish stings.” Lovely. So then our nice, quiet moment turned into all sorts of giggles and snorts about who they’d have pee on them if they got stung and if it would be better to carry a bottle of white vinegar or meat tenderizer (healthy alternatives to urine) in our beach bag or just drink a lot of water before setting off to the beach. Gotta love that aquarium!

Several weeks ago someone asked Mark if the boys would sing for the Christmas Program in Sacrament meeting. They’ve been practicing for quite sometime now and yesterday they did a fabulous job. For those of you that didn’t get the pleasure of hearing them perform at church you can see them sing here. Of course, you get the added bonus of seeing Hunter sporting Denver’s manly spy moustache which he didn’t get to wear to church. Enjoy!

I love it when we spend $600 on a Wii System for Christmas and the very first day the kids get to play it they say, “This is the worst game system ever!”

And I also love it when the kids are playing our brand new very expensive Wii and they throw the Wii-mote on the floor in anger.

But what I love most of all is when they say, “Oh yeah, if you’re so smart, you beat it!” And then, I do. I know it shouldn’t but it feels soooooo good!

As per tradition, I give you the matching jammies picture. Merry Christmas!

Every Christmas we make gingerbread houses. It’s a tradition for Mark’s family so we’ve tried to make it one in our family. The Original Henrichsens are really good at it. I guess they’ve had lots of practice. Us knockoffs aren’t so good at it but we do it anyway cause you know, tradition! If I were smart I’d make Mark take over this production. He does everything much better than I do and it probably wouldn’t end up so disasterous every year. This year was no different–the dough ended up a bit soft and proved a bit difficult to work with. Probably because I let the babies help make it but look how cute they are when they help. How can I resist? Jericho and Caleb are scooping like champs and Justus once again can’t help but taste everything. Grandma Henrichsen said he gets it from her. And here’s a a pretty cute video of the twins licking their fingers when the job was all done. They make it look good.

Speaking of the twins helping me in the kitchen, here they are helping me make Swedish pancakes. It’s probably the cutest video I have of them yet! There’s nothing they can’t do, or at least that’s what they think. Those pancakes were especially frothy that day–definitely light and fluffy.

Here are the finished gingerbread houses. I glued the houses together wrong so Noah’s didn’t have a door and Denver’s had two. And Noah was tired of decorating gingerbread houses because he’d already made one at school that very same day. So he didn’t stick a whole lot on his and he continues to whine about it to everyone that comes by. Last night the Sister Missionaries came by and were looking at the boys houses and Noah said, “Mine’s not very good” only like a million times. Probably didn’t help that I glued them together wrong. But despite all the hiccups, I still think they turned out cute. Since the kids are still young and don’t like to share I make mini houses and we turn them into a gingerbread village. It’s kind of fun cause then we get to decorate the surroundings too which I like even better than decorating the houses. From left to right is Hunter’s then Noah’s then Denver’s.

The babies have all been in very festive moods lately and can be found singing all sorts of Christmas songs almost all the time. It blows my mind how many holiday songs they actually know because I haven’t been teaching them any specifically. The other night after we made the gingerbread dough Justus was feeling especially festive and broke into this song. Man, I got cute kids!

Church was cancelled Sunday. We had a wintry mix. I really wish it hadn’t been because I like the Sacrament Meeting Christmas Program to help me center and focus on the real reason we have Christmas. But that’s just me. Instead we stayed home and Mark got the kids addicted to another new game and I got Caleb’s scrapbook completely finished at least until the next round of pictures get printed. I also worked on the ninth treat of Christmas. I made an extra batch of caramel last Friday thinking I could give it away as gifts to friends but it ended up just a little too soft. Guess I had too many babies begging me for breakfast so it didn’t have my complete attention. Anyway, instead of letting it go to waste I remelted the caramel and made Caramel Marshmallow Rice Krispy Treats. All you do is melt some caramel and cut some big marshmallows in half. Dip the marshmallow in the caramel and roll it in rice kripies. Sounds a bit odd, I know, but they are totally addicting.

Monday Mark made the tenth treat of Christmas, English Toffee. It turned out almost as perfect as Mark himself and just as delicious. I have yet to try making that one myself but as with the gingerbread houses, it’s probably better if I don’t. Disaster in the making if you ask me.

And that brings us to Christmas Eve. I’m exhausted. I’ve worked so hard the last few weeks to make it feel all festive and homey and Christmassy around here that I’m feeling a little tired and grumpy and ready for the holiday to be over. Right about now is when I start wishing we were at Mark’s parents’ house in Ohio, delivering Secret Santa gifts for them and Christmas caroling and fighting over space at the dinner table with a million cousins and aunts and uncles. Sure it’s crowded and there’s never enough food and too many parents parenting my kids but there’s no place I can think of where it feels more like Christmas than stuffed in their living room on Christmas Eve watching the kids perform the Nativity or caravaning from house to house to sing Christmas Carols. No one sings quite like those Henrichsens. I’m not sure what I do wrong in preparing for Christmas but it never feels like Christmas unless we’re in Ohio (or wherever Mom and Dad are living). At least not for me. Mark’s Mom sure knows how to do it right. Wish I knew her secret and if she ever feels like me when it’s all said and done–ready for a long winter’s nap.

We took the boys sledding this weekend because we sort of had an abundance of snow and not much else to do. I think I’ve told you that already. Anyway, Caleb was in snow-eating heaven once again and everytime the sled stopped or it wasn’t his turn to be on the sled he was shoveling the white fluffy stuff in his mouth as quickly as his little mittened hands could go. Most of the afternoon he wandered around in the snow sporting a very hip white goatee. Once I shoved him down the hill on the sled himself and then ran down after him only to find him sitting at the bottom of the slope, snarfing down handfuls, unphased by the freezing temperatures. I think if there was a snow-eating contest, Caleb would win, frost-bitten hands down.

Speaking of cuteness, I just climbed in bed next to Caleb. I’m exhausted and coming down with a cold, just in time for Christmas. My favorite. Anyway, Caleb rarely goes to bed in his own bed. I know, I know–I can hear you all screaming Super Nanny’s name. But you can relax. We’re working on it. Sort of. First we’ve gotta get Noah sleeping in his own bed. Then we’ll work on Caleb. One thing at a time. But the point is, Caleb usually falls asleep right next to me, whether it’s on the couch or on my lap or in my bed. I sort of like it. He is so delicious to cuddle with, you know. Usually I bring a bedtime snack with me, like ice cream or cereal, that we share. Tonight I climbed in bed next to Caleb but I had my computer with me instead of a bowl of ice cream. Caleb snuggled in and said, “You need ice cream to share with me.” And I told him I didn’t have any tonight and he said, “Go get some.” “Nope,” came my reply to which he said, “You need some food to share with me, Mommy.” I wonder what he’d do if I brought a bowl of snow to bed with me. Bet I wouldn’t even get a single bite.

Friday we got about six inches of a very white powdery snow. It was beautiful. It completely transformed our cold and gray neighborhood into the most festive Winter Wonderland. Anyway, out here in CT if you don’t shovel PDQ (pretty darn quick) you can get a ticket for like $200. Our poor old lady neighbor got one a few years back and 24 hours hadn’t even passed since the snow had stoppped. Plus, Mark had piano lessons Saturday morning. So as beautiful as the snow looked outside covering the sidewalks and stairs, it had to go. Usually the shoveling falls on my shoulders. Yeah, I’ve shoveled almost every winter storm we’ve had out here on my own, minus the driveway. Mark always does the driveway, or at least part of it, usually after he scrapes my frozen, frost-bitten body off the driveway where I’ve fallen, completely exhausted. I’ve gone out into the bitter cold faithfully, with every snowstorm, three babies strapped to my back, fresh c-section wounds still bleeding. Okay, not really, but you get my point. Shoveling around here is just like washing laundry or cooking dinner or cleaning the toilets or paying the bills. My job. Mark will always do it but not in the timely fashion I like him to do it in–a.k.a. before we get a ticket. So I do it.

Yesterday however, a true miracle happened. It’s called a snowblower. Mark, who very rarely gets out of bed before eight, was dressed and headed out into the Winter Wonderland by 7:45a.m. And by 9:00a.m. he had cleared the snow not only from our driveway and walkways but also from our neighbor’s driveway and walkway! I’ve never seen him so happy and excited over a piece of machinery in our entire 12 years together. He loved it so much that after we got back from sledding he just had to get it out again to remove the 1/4 inch of snow that had fallen between 9 and noon. The family we bought it from (for 100 bucks–you can’t beat that) even called because they’d heard we’d had a snowstorm and wanted to know if we’d used it yet. Darin was clearly missing his piece of machinery and probably would have come and snowblowed for us if he wasn’t living all the way down in Texas. Anyway, looks like my shoveling days are over and if we move anywhere, it’s gonna have to be a snowy place and the snowblower will definitely be the first thing on the moving van.

Besides snowblowing and piano lessons and sledding, I also managed to make the eighth treat of Christmas which is basically called “anything you like to eat dipped in chocolate” but not steak or mashed potatoes. I made chocolate dipped Pringles and chocolate dipped Pretzels. Just melted some chocolate chips in the double boiler and dunked in the salty stuff and let it dry on some waxed paper. Then we ran over to the church so we could decide if the boys need the microphone for their musical number or if they could do without. We hit the mall for dinner and a few random items from Target and then headed out to see Christmas lights. We’ve found a few awesome displays here and there and the boys, especially Caleb and the twins, love them. We went to see this one a few weeks ago (thanks to a tip from the Cousins) and Noah said, “Wouldn’t it be awesome if it played that song (Wizards in Winter) like that house on You Tube?” And then like two seconds later, that song came on. He was thrilled! And then there’s this house just a few blocks away from us that puts up this huge display every year complete with a toy train that circles the house. Mark also found another awesome house not too far away, but my camera didn’t work so too bad. Really someone oughtta start a website where people can post videos and addresses of houses with awesome Christmas light displays so we’d know where to find them all. That would be really cool.

We ended the day running to the grocery store for two things–hot chocolate and peanut butter sauce. Yesterday after sledding we came home and had hot chocolate. As an experiment, I tried squirting a little Reeses Peanut Butter Ice Cream topping in my Stephen’s Hot Chocolate. The results were delicious. Any of you Reeses Peanut Butter Cup lover’s have got to try it! And attention all you East Coast Residents: I just discovered Stephen’s Hot Chocolate at Shaws. Hurray for us! No more mail orders from this chic or loading my suitcase with the stuff everytime I visit Utah. I can get it here. And trust me, if you haven’t tried Stephens Hot Chocolate you’re totally missing out. It’s the best.