Performed every other year by the grandchildren, this is one nativity scene that really comes to life! This year Hunter got to be Joseph and Caleb (being the youngest and all) was Little Baby Jesus. Aunt Anita provided some fabulous costumes, cousin Zach did a great job narrating, and cousins Ephraim and Gloria stole the show when they recited Luke 2:10-12 from memory. Unfortunately, Denver and Noah chose to sit the performance out, but hopefully we’ll see them in it December 2007.
We decided to bless Caleb in Ohio since we’d be with so much of Mark’s family. It was just a neat coincidence that it happened on Christmas Day. Mark, his dad two of his brothers and two of his brother-in-laws were all in the circle and it was a very nice blessing if I say so myself. Wish you all could have been there.
When Mark and I got married we spent our first New Year’s in Arkansas with his family and it was there that I was intoduced to their tradition of breaking apart a gingerbread house on New Year’s Day. It’s pretty much like breaking a pinata except we used our hands to demolish the little cookie house. The rewards are just as sweet. Anyway, as a result, when Hunter was just a wee lad, we started doing the same thing with him and it quickly became a tradition in our own home. Of course, in order to break a gingerbread house on New Year’s Day you’ve got to make a gingerbread house sometime before then. Now if any of you have seen the gingerbread houses that Mark’s family creates you’d be mightily impressed. They make the most fantastic gingerbread homes I’ve ever seen. A talent, I suppose, that comes with making so many throughout the years (I hear they used to make them and give them away.) Unfortunately, it’s not a talent that gets passed along just because you marry into the family. Still, every year we make our own little gingerbread house and the boys LOVE it! This year I simplified the whole process (since Mark had to work late and I had a baby on my hip)and I know it looks like just a giant blob of frosting and candy–but the boys didn’t seem to mind and at least we kept with tradition and have a “candy house” to smash to pieces on New Year’s Day.
This week while we were eating lunch, Noah and Denver and I were talking about being kind to the earth and ways we can take care of “Home Sweet Home.” Of course, we got on the subject of trees and how it’s important to not cut down too many trees, since we need them to make oxygen for us. As a result, this year we’ve decided to save the trees and post our Christmas letter here and only here. Of course there’s the added dimension that everything we’ve done this year has already been written about once and I didn’t want to waste the paper writing about it again. So . . . with that said, may I present to you our year in review minus the paper.
In January Hunter had his sixth birthday and celebrated it by duckpin bowling with his buddies. We also found out we would be having our fourth child, although we didn’t know what kind. We discovered mice in our cupboard and learned that Denver is allergic to penicillin. Denver prayed for his copy of Polar Express on DVD.
In February we drove to Kansas to visit Grandma and Grandpa Stout and enjoyed swimming for two days at Great Wolf Lodge and bowling and playing Laser Tag and eating out. We all got kicked in the pants by a nasty flu bug and Mark went head-to-head with some smokers in McDonalds. We hope Smiley and Jersey are having a happy, but smoke-free Christmas. Denver continued praying for his copy of the Polar Express on DVD.
In March we celebrated Noah’s fourth birthday with pizza and Monkey Ball and everybody came. We learned that Hunter officially has Benign Childhood Epilepsy and they kept him on his meds for a little bit longer. A leprechaun visited our house and left a pot of gold hidden in our stove and the stork left 24 fertilized chicken eggs on our doorstep. And Denver remained steadfast in his prayers for Polar Express on DVD.
In April we hatched four fluffy baby chicks: Hero, Lucky, Jack-Jack, and Wilbur. Hunter started T-ball and I was assigned his coach. Hero died. Mark tried out for Jeopardy and we enjoyed all the gifts of spring including some April showers, giant bubbles and Noah’s dandelions. And of course, Denver prayed for Polar Express on DVD.
In May Hunter continued playing T-ball and Mark stepped up to be Coach. We discovered the best waffle recipe in the world, a nest with eggs in it right above our front door, and Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser. Mark got a raise and the doctor told us we were having our fourth boy. Jack-Jack died and Denver prayed. . . for Polar Express on DVD.
In June we enjoyed Trumbull Days and the beach with Grandma and Grandpa Henrichsen, celebrated Father’s day with a Betty Crocker Bake-n-Fill, and had a baby bird hatch above our front door. Denver prayed for Polar Express on DVD.
We spent most of July in our swimsuits at Lake Mohegan where the boys took swimming lessons and I tried to keep cool. When we weren’t swimming we were busy visiting the library trying to tackle Hunter’s summer reading list and sitting in front of the air conditioner. We had a very fun Independance Day with the sister missionaries, got drenched at the Hill Cumorah Pageant, and picked a bunch of plump blueberries for blueberry pie. And Denver never forgot to pray for Polar Express on DVD.
We discovered pluots in August and Denver got tubes in his ears. We visited the Bronx Zoo for the first time, enjoyed lots of yummy tomatoes from our tomato plant and I had my first ever baby shower. Denver turned three and Wilbur died. Denver prayed for Polar Express on DVD and Mommy starting praying too.
In September Hunter started first grade, Mark won an Ipod Nano, I attempted to teach Preschool at home, we finished rearranging the furniture to make baby number four fit, Lucky laid an egg and I went into labor. The entire family started praying for Polar Express on DVD and an early release date.
In October, Caleb Allen joined us at a whoppin’ 8 pounds 11 ounces. Noah started Karate, we made pumpkin pie with a real pumpkin and we went trick or treating with Darth Vader, Captain Hook and a witch! We started begging Denver not to pray for Polar Express on DVD—but he persisted!
November was filled with excitement. Noah learned to crochet and got his yellow stripe in Karate. We discovered the Garbage Museum and visited it several times. We raked 66 bags of leaves and made applesauce from apples. We enjoyed a Stout Family Reunion down in Florida and visited Magic Kingdom and SeaWorld. Grandma and Grandpa Henrichsen and Uncle Michael came to visit us for Thanksgiving and Mark made a super yummy turkey. Oh, and Denver finally got his hands on a copy of Polar Express. . .24 hours before its release date and 1100 prayers later! Hallelujah!
And here we are, back to December. We’re keeping busy wrapping presents and eating Christmas cookies. We’ve enjoyed a couple of snowstorms and have been sledding already. Caleb has started sucking his thumb and giggling. We are reading the Book of Mormon as a family and we’re almost finishsed. We’re planning a trip to Ohio in a few more days and can’t wait to see everyone there and rest and play. All in all it’s been a wonderful year. We look forward to next year and the excitement that awaits us in 2006. We feel truly blessed and know that the Lord has watched over us in every event of our lives and that He will be there watching over us in the year to come. We hope your year has been as splendid as ours and that you have a wonderful Christmas and an even better new year!
Love, The Henrichsens (Mark, Shana, Hunter, Noah, Denver and Caleb)
This is what I felt like today while I was trying to find a pair of jeans that fit. Oh, how I hate being fat! But Mark just brought me a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup with caramel and how am I ever going to resist? Hmmph!
Every year for the past three or four years we’ve had the same FHE during the month of December. We talk about The True Meaning of Christmas as well as the Legend of the Candy Cane. Several years ago I printed pictures of Santa, a star, a candle, a wreath, a bell, a present, a Christmas tree and a candy cane; colored them in and laminated them. I’ve used them every year since. Anyway, we talk about how each of those things can remind us of Jesus. After the “lesson” we have a treasure hunt. Mark and I hide the eight pictures around the house with clues and set the kids free. I try and make the clues a review of the lesson with fill in the blanks–so they have to work for their treasure. At the end they get some kind of treat or present–last night it was a little bucket of candy. Then we have FHE treat and send them to bed. Now I’m not telling you this to make you feel inadequate or whatever. It’s like the one big FHE we have every year. Usually we read a story from The Friend and scream and shout at each other for awhile and use it as an excuse to eat some really yummy and especially fattening treat. But tonight, as soon as the boys heard we were having a treasure hunt they got really excited and started getting ready for the big event. And by ready, here’s what I mean:
They spent at least 45 minutes taping electrical tape and yarn to their faces and pajamas, making colored jerseys and even a checkered racing flag for me to use. They were so excited for FHE it was almost a little scary. Anyway, they seemed to have a blast and I suppose this is one “collective” tradition they will remember for many years to come.
Everyone says that Caleb looks just like Kathy. What do you think? No matter what, he definitely has the Stout nose and will eventually end up looking just like my Dad. . . I’m almost positive.
So the kids are getting a little excited about Christmas and what awaits them under the Christmas tree. I caught Hunter doing a Christmas Gift Inventory the other day–counting who had how many presents and who’s got the biggest presents and wondering why he only has two and Noah and Denver have three. Then they all started begging to open one early and that reminded me of when we were little and how Mom and Dad always let us open one a day or two early and how exciting that was. Unfortunately for the boys. . . they are going to have to wait, at least a little while longer.
I LOVE snow days. We don’t have to get up early and rush around the house, digging through piles of laundry for clean underwear and snarfing down breakfast. No. . . on snow days we laze around in bed until our tummies start grumbling. We stay in our pajamas all day and watch movies and snuggle under blankets and it’s pure bliss! Today was no exception. We ate Monkey Bread for breakfast around 9:30 am while we watched our neighbors build a snowman. Then we bundled up ourselves and played outside till our toes were frozen. I managed to shovel the sidewalks and left the driveway for Mark. Then we tidied up the house and played and watched TV and had a wonderful day. Who knew Heaven could come in snowflakes?
