In our Wilcox family, there are 5 birthdays in December. My Mom and Dad decided that instead of giving birthday and Christmas presents this year that they would give each grandchild $50 to spend in the giving machines that the church offers. The kids had fun and their choices definitely reflect their life experiences and stages. Ada chose menstruation and hygiene packs. Sam bought meals for people. Evelyn bought backpacks and school supplies. Seth bought chickens, and if you ask about it he will tell you that it's 9 chickens!
This week was hard. One of my daycare kids had just gotten used to being in daycare when her family had to quarantine because an aunt she lived with had Covid. By the time it was safe for her to come back, she wasn't used to being away from mom again. She screamed for almost 5-6 hours of each of the 5 days that I had her. I was so done! Then Saturday, I had to put together my monthly food claim and made us late to the Wilcox get together. Sunday Seth was having a fever, so he stayed home with Jer and I took the rest of the family to practice for the Christmas choir program. Sam and Evelyn decided to have a giggle fit and when I asked them to go to the hall until they were done, they chose not to. I was playing the piano with the new Violist and the new Choir director, so I had to really pay attention. After them giggling for about 15-20 minutes, I turned to them and said that if they wouldn't go out into the hall then they would have to stop right now. Sam got really rude and started talking back to me. I told them to be quiet and kept playing. After practice was done, I pulled them both aside and told them that they were being really rude to me and to the choir director. Evelyn said sorry and moved on. Sam decided that mom was the bad guy because I was getting mad at him "for something he couldn't change". So I grabbed his shoulders and said to stop being rude to me. That was the end. He spent the next 2-3 hours fuming on how mom was mad at him only because he wouldn't stop giggling. (I wasn't. I was mad because he didn't leave to calm down when I asked and because he kept being rude to me anytime I said anything to him.) Ada was trying to paint Evelyn's and her nails. She got them done but kept touching them before they were dry. So she lost it and was bawling when I was supposed to be at church playing the organ for prelude music. Yeah. Sunday was fun. One with a fever at home with Dad. One super clingy because she feels bad for getting in trouble earlier. One stomping around with a scowl on his face and one hiding in the bathroom bawling. Ada did finally calm down and come to sacrament meeting, but I think that we have some puberty things going on.... both her and Sam were being very not themselves and extreme for the situation. After church, Ada made homemade tortillas with Dad and I hid in my room and cried. I haven't had to hide from my kids and cry day for almost 10 years. It was weird, but they are turning into teenagers I guess.
We also went to Baums and found a beautiful tree within just a few tries.
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Seth is doing a flat stanley project. He's supposed to take pictures of him and flat stanley doing different things. Then he's supposed to print them out and write a story about it.
Seth decided that it was his turn to put the star on the tree. He was so motivated and LOVED that he was able to do it.
While we were at the Giving machines, we went to see the candy house competition. Some people are really good...This one is Hogwarts, but there were all sorts of buildings.
We also had the opportunity to take care of Peter for the night so that Emma could get a really good night sleep before baby Rosie is born in the next couple of weeks. He was cute and liked playing with all the kids.
