Moran Family Fun

Day 27 - If you ever want to find Madison, she's usually here at the piano playing one song or another.  In the last six months, maybe longer, she has really started to take off with her piano skills.  She will play and play and play a song until she has it perfected and memorized.  I've bought her a few piano books this year so she has more to play than just the music in her lesson books.  We've all enjoyed hearing her play the themes from Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean as many other popular songs.  The most recent book we've gotten for her is  a book of Christmas songs and she already has most of the songs learned.  Sometimes I wish she wouldn't play so much because it just adds to the noise level in the house, but I love seeing her improve and develop her talent for music.

Day 26 - We went to our first REAL Christmas Market of the year in Bernkastel-Kues.  It was a great day in a seriously beautiful town.  So here's some of the pictures I took at the market; I definitely needed more than one picture to capture this day! Most of the buildings around the market were half-timbered like these.  The building on the left is a giant Advent calendar, the windows are numbered one through twenty-four Most markets have at least one ride for kids, and this one was no exception.  The promise of a couple of rides at the end of the day is a great incentive for good behavior from the littlest ones. The market wasn't confined to just one square but instead was spread throughout the center of the town.  It was fun to wander up and down the little side streets and explore.  At the very end of one street, through a large arched doorway, we found this beautiful castle model being guarded by a wonderful variety of nutcracker soldiers. ...

Day 25 -  I made this fun little hat (is it a hat?  I'm not sure because it doesn't cover an entire head) for Samantha.  She refused to model it for me but Emily was happy to humor me.  It was a quick, easy, fun project that I was able to complete in less than half an hour and made using things I already had here at home - felt and ribbon.   It seriously cute on Sammy's little head, but I think it will quickly become a dress up hat.  A hat that doesn't do much to keep you warm isn't exactly ideal in the wintertime.

Day 24 - We don't have a theme for our Christmas tree as far as color or anything, but I do like it to look as if everything just goes together.  Before we decorated the tree this year I went through our box of decorations and got rid of the ornaments that have seen better days or that I just don't really like and without meaning to I sort of did create a theme for our Christmas tree.  The majority of the ornaments that made the cut and got put on the tree this year are red, white, or silver.  There are a few other things here and there, but overall when I look at the tree I see those colors. This is a little bit of a continuation of the picture and post from day 23.  Every cute girl in our family (so all the girls in our family, including me) got to choose a new Christmas tree ornament on Wednesday.  I mostly liked the choices the girls were making at the store.  Madison chose a red and white felt stocking with a little bear inside.  Emily decided o...

Day 23 - We finally finished decorating the rest of the tree today, the day before Thanksgiving.  I have to say that I've felt kind of guilty decorating before Thanksgiving this year.  The rest of the house will have to wait a little longer, but the kids were really anxious to get that tree decorated.  As we were putting on the decorations the three older girls were excited each time they would find one of "their" ornaments.  They each have a few ornaments that they've been given or have made.  Natalie and Samantha were feeling left out because they don't have any special ornaments to call their own.  My first thought was that we should go down to the craft area and make some ornaments with them right away, but since Jared told me yesterday that he thinks I have a problem and need to spend less time being crafty and sewing instead we hopped in the car and went to the store so each of them could choose an ornament of their own.  I set a limit ...

Day 22- Since we weren't going to a Christmas Market last night and had all that time to be at home, I talked Jared into getting the boxes of Christmas decorations out of the attic.  Many of our neighbors have already started decorating for Christmas since Advent starts this weekend and I've been itching to follow their lead.  Last night we got the tree up and put together and the lights on the tree, but that's all we accomplished before the girls needed to go to bed.  Here's what happens when you don't have the entire day after Thanksgiving to decorate the house, but instead just one family night to decorate: The rest of the Christmas things are strewn all over the living room and the next day the whole family will be together to decorate isn't until Friday.  So much for my great idea.

Day 21 - Our original plan for Family Home Evening last night was to go to the Kaiserslautern Christmas Market. It was going to be the first market of the year and it's one we always enjoy because of the children's bakery and the amazing Kindergluhwein. Unfortunately, it just wasn't meant to be and we'll have to go to the Kaiserslautern Market some other day. Madison and Abigail were both home sick from school yesterday; Abigail with a fever of 104* and Madison with pneumonia. I offered to stay home with the sick ones and let Jared and the rest of the girls go to the market, but Jared in all his wonderfulness came up with an even better plan. We could have our own Christmas Market here at home. We had bottles of Kindergluhwein in the basement, a waffle maker, and it's easy enough to go the little market in Wallhalben and buy anything else we'd need. So Jared started making the waffles while I drove to the market to get bratwurst, brotchen, applesauce, and ...