Ginger, "The Entertainer"

Ginger has been practicing and practicing her piano. She has definitely surpassed my abilities and has a real talent for music. She wanted to share this song with all of you, especially all of her Zierenberg aunts and uncles who remember the player piano and this little song...

"The Entertainer" 1/7/08
She wanted to say sorry about the one, BIG, wrong note and apologize for the horrible sound that comes through on the digital camera!

Ringing in the New Year!

This year for New Year's Eve our Stake rented out the entire YMCA. We were a little skeptical about how much fun it would be, especially with trying to keep an eye on 5 children. But, as you can tell by the pictures, there was so much to do and we all had a really great time. The pool was open for the first 2 hours of the night...

There was a game room filled with pool tables, ping pong tables, fusball tables, etc. Then another room with tables piled high with all sorts of family games.

Each family was asked to bring a snack and a 6-pack of soda to share so there was tons of food the whole night.

We rang in the New year at 11:00pm (midnight for Salt Lake City) for those families who wanted to get their kids home. I thought that was VERY smart!

Continues on next post...

The Dance Floor (New Year's Eve continued...)

There was a dance floor upstairs for all the youth, and then a dance floor for the adults, which quickly became the family dance floor...



We really had such an enjoyable evening. They also had basketball courts, volleyball nets set up, raquet ball available, and every other indoor sport. It had it all! We left the YMCA at about 11:30 and headed straight to our friend's house to try out their new Wii. It was the perfect way to end the night, which lasted until after 1:00am, and everyone stayed awake, except for Ethan who crashed the second he sat in his carseat at 11:30. The following morning I woke up at 9:30am and EVERYONE was still asleep. Thank goodness. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Babysitter Appreciation Day

We have entered the WONDERFUL world of built-in babysitters! I can't even express how fantastic and freeing it has been since Ginger and Gillian have started babysitting for us. Ginger is only 10 and Gillian is 9, but they are 2 of the most responsible girls you will ever come across, especially when they work together. Not only do they do an amazing job keeping the peace and getting the 3 little ones to bed, but we come home to an immaculate home as well (their father has trained them well). They only started babysitting in the spring of 2007, but it was perfect timing for us with Don's new calling as Bishop. It became a NECESSITY for us to have a weekly (or bi-weekly) date and you just can't do that when you have to pay a sitter every time. So, since it was the end of their first year as babysitters, we decided they deserved a special outing with Mom and Dad. We got a sitter (the best in town, besides my girls) for the 3 youngest and took them for a nice lunch at The Victorian Rose Tea Room and then to see Enchanted, which was a darling movie. We really had a great time with our grown-up girls!

Christmas morning

The week before Christmas was a bit rocky with Ethan's accident and the flu spreading like wildfire through our house, but by Christmas Day, we were overall healthy and well! Don did wake up to get Davis some cough medicine at 3:30am Christmas morning and heading back to his room, he heard, "Dad, I can't go back to sleep!" That would be Gillian. That girl could hardly handle the day before, even the week before Christmas, she was so excited for Santa to come! She is our 9 1/2 year old and Santa's biggest supporter! Well she was right, he came...

I don't know what the rules are in your house, but in our house, nobody goes downstairs until EVERYONE wakes up, AND you DO NOT wake up the baby (who is now a 3 year old)! So, Gillian woke up at 5:30, then woke Ginger, Davis & Ryan up at 7:30. We heard some whispering at about 8:00 (I know, we are so mean) and decided to wake Ethan up and head downstairs! It was a wonderful morning. Slow and sweet and just perfect. The entire day was perfect, too. Early afternoon it started to snow, and by late afternoon it was a picturesque "white Christmas", which brought even more of a sweet, peaceful feeling into our home. We stayed in our pj's until late afternoon, just playing with the kids, helping them put all their new gadgets together and trying every game out. It was a very, Merry Christmas!

PS If any of you are surprised that our 3 year old got a scooter, you would be amazed to watch that boy in action. This summer as a 2 1/2 year old, he spent his days cruising around on the other kid's scooters. It is a crack up to watch, because he is so fast!

Christmas Eve with the Spanglers

Christmas Eve with the Spangler clan is wild and crazy, but so much fun! We all take turns hosting and this year, Steve and Stacy were the lucky ones. Each family brings one appetizer and one dessert to share. We eat and talk and laugh and eat some more. The kids (all 19 that live in WA) draw names and exchange a $5 gift. They love it! Then the adults have a white elephant gift exchange. This is always such a riot because the Spanglers actually prepare and search for the perfect gift all year long. This year, Don gave a beautifully framed picture of this...

And it was stolen the maximum number of times. Ridiculous.
Yes, that is a "polly pocket" doll holding a slug.

A funny

This morning Ethan handed me a picture he had just created...all scribbles.
Ethan: "Here, Mom, I made this for you!"
Mom: "Oh, I love it! What is it?"
Ethan: "Um...Um...I scribbled on it for you!"

Ethan's Tooth

By now, I am sure most of you have heard this story, but since this is for posterity and a few of you haven't heard, I will share the gory details of my poor baby's little mouth. On Thursday, 2 days after Ethan's b-day and 5 days before Christmas, I was feeling good. Shopping was finished, most of the presents were wrapped, the stockings were hung, cards were out, we were way ahead of the game. I was caught in a weak moment and allowed four of my children to invite a friend over for the day. It was actually great. They all played well together and everything was happy, until.....Ethan comes inside through the back door, covered in blood, crying a very sad, painful cry. Davis had been outside with his buddy practicing swings with his metal golf clubs, and yep, Ethan walked in the wrong place at the wrong time. Smack! Right in the mouth.

Of course, my friend had just arrived with her four children, so we had a house full! I grabbed Ethan and noticed his lip was split open, thinking this is okay...lips heal fast. Don reminded me, "Check his teeth". My heart sank because I knew there was too much blood for just a split lip. I peeked inside and there was his tooth (the size of Texas) sitting in his mouth and a cavernous hole was in it's place.

That meant TWO of my five children lost their teeth at a very young age! Why does this happen to me?? Oh yeah, because I have obsessions with teeth. That's why. Anyway, we calmed him down and I called my dad, forgetting he was recovering in the hospital. I called my dentist friend who said there was nothing we could do to save the tooth. Ethan finally fell asleep in Don's arms.

Hours later he woke up and didn't want dinner. I figured he would be getting "sick" soon because I was sure he had swallowed too much blood. He did get sick, but it didn't stop! He couldn't keep anything down and was so sick for almost 3 days. At first we were worried it was from the trauma of being hit, or something, but when his sisters started throwing up, we realized it was just the flu. By now, it was Sunday, and Monday was Christmas Eve. Poor little Ethan had to deal with being so sick on top of all the pain and trauma of his little mouth. Thank goodness we were "ready" for Christmas because all we did those 3 days was hold him.

I took this picture of him sleeping because he slept more in those 3 days than I thought was possible. Poor baby. Even though it was such a sad, horrible thing to watch him go through, we know it could have been SO much worse and know that he was protected from any major harm. Sure he'll be toothless for the next 4 years, but we've already dealt with that one!

Family Pictures

All I can say is... Is there anything I am more happy to be done with than planning and preparing and taking family pictures? I LOVE to have them, but boy are they stressful!

The Creche

For any of you Moms out there who still have time for a meaningful Christmas craft, here's one that is fast and easy and so sweet. This was a station at our Stake Creche Exhibit. All it is, is a peanut shell sliced lengthwise in half, then wrapped in gauze. Draw a little face on and place the baby in a bed of straw and a manger made from toilet paper rolls. So cute. My friend Trudy created it and every child got to make one. They also had a room decorated like a Nativity with clothes for children to dress-up like Mary and Joseph, or angels and shepherds. I didn't bring my camera! It was such an amazing exhibit and the kids loved it.
(this is Ginger's. She was so cute to make a little pillow for baby Jesus. The sample there was wrapped more like a baby, covering the head a little more)

The Nutcracker Ballet

I got to go see the Nutcracker Ballet last weekend! My sister-in-law, Kelly and her mom-in-law, Rusty were going and had invited Don's mom, but since she was in Nebraska helping take care of our new little niece, I got to go in her place. To be honest, I thought it was going to be fun and neat to watch, but I was a little concerned that I would get tired of watching ballerinas for 2 hours with no dialogue. Boy was I wrong! It was thoroughly entertaining and fascinating to watch. The scenery was incredible and the dancing and music were sensational. I loved every minute of it! The drive there and back with Kelly was half the fun, too. We got lost a million times, but laughed and laughed and had so much fun together. Thanks Kelly, Rusty, Mom and Dad for the experience!

The Birthday Boys

Don's b-day was on the 13th and Ethan's was on the 18th. Poor Don was gone for most of his birthday, but flew in from Maine at around 7:00pm. We didn't do much celebrating (with the kids) that night, but definitely partied the day after instead. We did stuff like tow both of our cars to get fixed, prepare and take our family pictures, and visited our Stake creche exhibit. Poor Don. We did go to our favorite Mexican Restaurant in Port Orchard, Los Cabos, and then had our little family party at home and another party at Don's parents. I am struggling with the fact that I have a 35 year old husband! Yikes! Thank goodness I am MUCH younger than him.


Ethan got a bit gypped for his birthday, too, but he didn't even know it. Why do I have TWO December birthdays? We actually had to celebrate his b-day a day early because with church meetings and school functions, we weren't go to be together as a family on his birthday. All he asked for was Spiderman cupcakes and I couldn't even deliver. That day was the craziest day and I didn't have time to go all over the place trying to find the stuff I needed. So, in a pinch, I offered chocolate cupcakes with a Spiderman sweatshirt. He was thrilled. Thank goodness for 3 year olds. I went to go wrap his presents and realized I really only had stuff for Christmas, except for one hand-me-down big one. So, Don told all the kids to go find something of theirs that they would like to give to Ethan and wrap it up. They were so excited and so cute, trying to find something they knew he would love. It was really a sweet thing to observe. Ethan LOVED every gift he opened and the kids LOVED giving it to him. Whoever said you need to spend $ to make a birthday special? You can see the hand-me-down gift from his cousin Hank...the Shake N Go race track. That is the coolest, most perfect toy for little boys. We all spent hours playing with it. You have to shake the car to get it powered up and then the 2 cars race around the track so long, depending on how long you have shaken it. His birthday ended up being so much fun and so special for our little family.

"I'm THREE!!"

Highly Unusual

How many of you have ever had TWO cars towed out of your driveway on the same day? Probably none of you. Well, we are lucky enough to be having problems with BOTH of our cars right now...enough problems that they are undriveable. Don's car has needed a new alternator for weeks, but he has been gone or so busy that he hasn't been able to take it in...until the very day my car starts acting up! I drove the kids to school and on my way home the 'check engine' light started flashing and the engine started to sputter. I was worried I wasn't going to make it home. Well, I did and when I called the dealership, they said I shouldn't drive it, and that they would send a tow truck and check it out. Luckily, it's all under warranty and should be taken care of at no charge. It will just be an interesting day trying to handle kindergarten pick-up and other errands that needed to happen today, and of course, our scheduled family Christmas picture this afternoon. It just might not happen this year...

Our Little Guitar Man

It was Davis' turn to show off at the school Winter concert last night. He was incredible on that guitar! (He takes after his Uncle Rod)

It's inevitable!

Why is it that the SECOND I schedule any important picture, someone gets a black eye? We decided to take our Christmas family picture this week, and hours after that decision was made this happened. I was babysitting my little nephew, so I had to switch the car seats all around in the car and didn't know that Ethan was sitting on the floor of my van. Whack! He caught the sharp corner of the bottom of the car seat right in the face. Poor baby. Don't tell anyone, but he will most undoubtedly be wearing make-up in our family picture this year.

Gingerbread House Making Time

Last night for Family Night, our good friends, the Bushmans, invited us over to make Gingerbread Houses. John and Tina have five children and I was amazed that they were willing to take on five MORE children with such a sticky activity. It was definitely a welcome invitation since Don is in Maine for the week and I needed the diversion. To my children's delight, they each got to create their very own house! It was a major discussion on the way over to their house..."I wonder if we are all going to be making one house together, or if we each get to make our own little one, and even take it home...that would be AWESOME!" Well, the Bushmans are pretty awesome and my kids were thrilled to get to make and eat their very own creations. Ethan DID NOT want to make a house, but I think he inhaled the equivalent of at least a house, or two! My five children created quite the sugary, sticky mess over there, but John and Tina were great and we all had a wonderful evening. Thanks again, Bushman Family! (pictured with Ginger is her good friend, Emily, and one of my new primary kids!)

Best Brothers

I love Saturday morning. It is my day to be lazy and sleep in...'til 9. The kids are really good about either sleeping in, too, or getting up quietly and letting me sleep. Last Saturday morning, I heard the boys up early, like they usually are on Saturday morning. It's amazing how EXHAUSTED Davis is everyday before school, but on Saturday and Sunday morning he is up at the crack of dawn with endless energy, and just can't seem to resist waking up Ethan. This past Saturday, I awoke to the sound of the boys on the trampoline. I was positive that as I peeked out the window I would find them both in their pajamas, but to my delight, Davis had them both all dressed, complete with matching beanies. (Davis is acutely aware of what he puts on everyday and tries very hard to match Ethan, or his Dad.)


Davis is SUCH a good big brother to Ethan. This past year has been so fun to watch Ethan get a little older and see Davis and Ethan play together more and more. Ethan worships the ground Davis walks on, too. If you ask Ethan what he wants to be when he grows up, he says, "I'm going to be a soccer player like Davis." And anytime Ethan wants to do something it's, "Can Davis and I go", or "Can me and Davis do that?" They are the best of friends and I love my boys!

It's working...

Tonight our Home Teachers stopped by and brought with them a Lifesaver Sweet Storybook for each one of our children. So cute of them. Unfortunately, our kids had JUST finished brushing their teeth and were on their way to bed when they stopped by. I quickly informed them that they could open the box, read the story, put their name on it and then hand it over to me until tomorrow. They were all totally fine with that (except for Ethan, of course) and did just as I asked. As soon as they finished, I told them to go sit by the Christmas tree since Don would be home any minute to do our Christmas scripture reading and singing with us. Ginger promptly came right over to me, wrapped her arms around me and just gushed with love, "You are the best mom, you are the coolest mom, I love you so much, we're so lucky you're our mom", etc. (I figured this was prompted by my allowing them to sit and wait around the Christmas tree, instead of in their beds??) So, I replied "thank you, Ginger, but why?" She answered, "Any other Mom would just let us pig out on all the lifesavers and our teeth would rot and we would be ruined for life".

My first child is officially brainwashed. ONE down, FOUR to go...

My Talented Girls

Ginger and Gillian have been working hard! As part of their Activity Days they have been working on quilts to donate to the Humanitarian Aid for Christmas this year. The quilts were already put together, but they tied them all by themselves. Gillian came home from one activity night and said, "That was so much fun, Mom. We just felt like old ladies, sitting their, talkin' and sewin'!"
Tonight the girls had a concert at their school called "South Colby Stomps"! They sang a million songs and played various instruments. Ginger's class played "Oh When The Saints Go Marching In" and Gillian's class performed "Taps" on the guitar. It was quite impressive that the whole class could play a song on the guitar, when most had never touched one. Their music teacher is so great and she LOVES my girls because if any of you have ever been in primary with them, you know they like to sing, really loud!

Winter Wonderland

We woke up this morning to boring, old, dark and dreary day. No rain, just very cold. Don left early this morning for a full day (8-5pm) of Tithing Settlement, so we were just going to be hanging out all day at home. Well, at about 12:30 this afternoon, the sky started to flutter and within a half hour, it was a full-fledged snow storm. What a way to welcome in the month of December! It snowed for about 2 hours straight and finally created enough of a playland for the kids. I was talking to my sister on the phone and before I knew it, they were all decked out in layers of snow gear (even though we don't really have snow gear). I ran outside with my camera to catch a few shots in a short-sleeved shirt and no gloves and the next thing I know, I am helping build a snowman, while frostbite is settling into my fingers! Yikes! I ran in and got dressed and really enjoyed the fun day the weather provided. It really got us all in a holiday mood! "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"...