Into the Holidays

While the house emptied out a bit with Provo kids back to college and our Logan kids back to school, things did not come to a quiet standstill after Thanksgiving. (Here we are 15 days from Christmas, and I still am nowhere near having Christmas presents wrapped--nor even all purchased, and all because time has been hurtling on with happenings--as the holiday weeks do at this stage of life--and I am boggled as to how we are in December at all yet--much less nearing its half way mark!)

The very Monday after our full Thanksgiving week we all met in Provo for the Peter Breinholt Christmas concert. I have never enjoyed any concerts more than the two of his we've gone to. Of course, that might not be true if his music wasn't attached to so many memories for us but seeing as it is! ...

Just prior to all of Thanksgiving shenanigans we had Anders' and Mette's piano recital:

And during the week after Thanksgiving, we plunged into more Christmassy things not only with Peter Breinholt, but with Goldie's Utah State Choir Christmas concert:

By sheer luck she happened to file in almost directly behind where we were seated. 

I'm sure she loved Mette distracting her with photo taking. :)

Hansie got a bit tired. Bless him.

We also had Summer's orchestra Christmas concert:

Multiple elementaries combined for this concert--hence the huge group of performers.

And finally, somehow a week into December, we managed to go get a tree. We bought a blue spruce with roots intact in hopes of planting it at the farm. Fingers crossed that having it in the house this long won't take it from its dormant winter state into one that won't be able to withstand the cold once we put it back outside!

I have spent much of these last Christmases sort of waiting for the craziness to calm down enough to be able take it all in and fully appreciate the traditions and joys of the season. But as my home shifts and changes, I am beginning to see that by the time it slows down to any degree ... much of the tradition and magic I love ... will be past altogether for me! I suppose it's a bit of a sad thought, but it also makes me realize that there is no magical future day, in this mortal life anyway, where the demands on my time and energy will be small and I will still be experiencing the fullness of children, and picking out trees, and recitals, and reading Christmas books, and cutting out sugar cookies, and opening the advent box to see what fun activity is in store. This is it. It always has been. The magical things that are happening all mingled in with the groceries needing purchased, and homework needing helped with, and dishes needing done, and laundry needing folded, and presents needing figured out, tantrums and squabbling needing borne, and stresses over house things gone wrong, and moves and all the accompanying packing looming, etc. There's no way to have tease the things apart or experience them consequentially. It's all just here happening together. What a mad and wonderful time it is.

(All the kids were with Mike at Lowe's or Home Depot one evening. See above picture. I'm not sure exactly where Mike was--as I think he would have put a prompt stop to this--but, at one point, Anders texted me a video of some goofy singing/dancing Christmas toy. In front of the one he filmed for me I could see Hans and Starling giggling as they turned on and set out on the store floor about 20 more of the figures. Haha. Goofy children.)

Anywho! On with the season!