While not a special day for the kids… but for Ken, very much so. With the cabbage rolls created the day before it was time to move onto potato soup and “gunk”… another Johnson family tradition. There are so many special things Ken has talked about EVERY year and things we truly could not recreate without the presence of his parents. It has been over a decade since Ken has last gotten to have Christmas with his parents, instead he has spent it with us and my family. Special, but definitely NOT the same.

Zander playing Candyland with Baba… somehow the instructions did NOT make it from Canada!

We have two days of family coming up… Christmas Eve will be spent with Ken’s mom’s brother and his family (they have two kids) here at the house with Christmas Eve dinner – the potato soup, cabbage rolls and gunk… we have not seen them since moving here as Ken’s uncle has been a little under the weather. Then on Christmas Day we have Ken’s brother and his family AND Ken’s dad’s sister and HER family. (Jim, Judy and kids) I think dinner will be ham! YUM!

Gunk… I am told it is “to go on top of everything”… trust me NOT healthy!

But YUM

The kids have expressed a little bit of sadness over missing some of the traditions and people we have left behind but we are so thankful to get to have these chances in Minnesota to really get to know and BE with the family from Ken’s side. We have been so lucky to be able to come here and live with Ken’s parents and take the time to find a real and stable life here in the USA. There is still lots to be done and hurdles to be jumped but we are starting to have a home again and that is a very precious gift.

Potato soup with unknown spelled Ukrainian name

The day before the day before Christmas has been a quiet one for the kids out of necessity. School stuff is put away, cleaning is being done… and most importantly to the kids — cookies are iced!! Butter icing on sugar cookies with sprinkles and M&M’s… though it was bemoaned that they are NOT the same as Smarties (Canadian, not those candy things).

Ice the cookies

In the meantime Ken and his mom had some bonding time on the iPads with a “jelly game.” It is looking like AFTER the new year these comfortable moments are going to be less often… at least during the week… for KEN… but I can’t say anything until January has begun so check back on that one!!

Gaming together

We sent most of the kids outside to play a bit in the afternoon but really I don’t think anyone is too motivated to do much more than wait for the Christmas festivities to begin, though the twins and I did vacuum the basement and tidy up toys and excess things that were out and in the way.

Front yard fun

A close up of the structure in the front yard

We ended the night with POLISH sausage (yum) and then some traditional Christmas movies for the kids (thanks again Sharon) and we are READY for Christmas Eve! 

A Santa out of Perler Beads… you can find the pattern on Activity Village

December 21-22

Finishing up the school week right before such a major holiday is a bit of a task but amazingly enough all the kids woke up Friday morning as ready and willing as I was to get things done. Before noon we had ALL our paper work finished up, pictures sorted, words printed… Talk about a surprise – BOTH twins got 100% on their spelling tests!!!

100%!!

Emanuel and his number line

We didn’t make it to BAKING cookies… but we did make dough… from scratch, in Nana’s mixer (yup Ken is drooling over that one)… the kids loved watching that work.

Working together

Reading the recipe

BUT amazingly enough I FINALLY figured out how to use the timer on the camera (one year later) and so the kids and I played around a bit with that after we did up their carols! It was a little crazy, somewhat silly and totally THEM!

Post concert picture (Gavin in red)

And then with Daddy when he got home from errands

Ken and the kids also finally found the time and supplies to make a pin hole camera… well two actually. Here are the instructions we used off of Activity Village.

the image inside one of our cameras. We made one with the lid in the middle and one without. Both work!

Our cameras

We got a package from Canada as well…  from the Bleau family – with COFFEE CRISP chocolate bars! Oh and Puss in Boots the movie among other things. BUT Sharon and Ken have conspired to ration my chocolate bars for me… hopefully Ken will be kind! Of course we had to watch Puss in Boots before bed! 

Guilty Pleasure

There was tons to get done on Saturday, well for the adults at least. Ken and his parents worked on a family tradition – home made cabbage rolls. Ken is writing out the recipe for future holidays!

Working with his parents

Putting them in the portable oven

The kids and Nana put up the window clings together. Even Echo got in on the decorating. 

Window Clings

The rest

Of course we had to kick the kids out into the sunshine to play in the snow for a while.

SNOW

I put the boys in charge of making most of the cookies from our nicely chilled cookie dough. I love watching them work together. 

Bakers

We are really getting to the end of the Christmas preparation. There are TWO trees full of presents, refrigerators filled right up and the kids are beyond excited! And tomorrow we get to DECORATE the cookies! Butter icing for the win! OH and a success on the reading – we were watching Gnomeo and Juliet with Nana and Baba before bed. There was a spot where a character talks “like a samurai” and a short line was printed on the bottom of the screen… THE TWINS READ IT!!! Without struggles or problems!!!! WOOOOOO!!!!

Dressed for singing

July 16-17

But wait, I can’t spill THAT yet!! So Monday… Well we figured the kids needed a down day as did the adults. And the morning weather was NOT conducive to splash parking anyway. Time instead to start the laundry and packing process… Oh and to have a last movie night with Sharon. (a definite must).

We had plans for a leisurely Tuesday that would end with the not too long drive to Karyn’s for the girls and Kristen and Fydo’s for the boys… But as with all Reinsch-Johnson plans… They change and change drastically.

Instead we had to cram Tuesday’s plans into Monday to make Monday a day of further travel due to unavoidable Ken type stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I got my movie night… We were determined on that one. Have you ever seen The Proposal? I can now say I have!

My time with Sharon has been so much fun! Her plans corresponded with ours only she left Tuesday afternoon and we scooted out in the morning, after we let the kids have some special playtime. Emma was a total sweetheart and gave Emanuel a penguin plushy he had fallen in love with.

Trinity and Logan

Zander and “his Emma”

Gavin, Ethan and Emanuel and a DS

We packed up our van, said goodbye and headed to the city one last time. After a successful errand it was time for a celebratory lunch at McDonalds. The last errand on the list really. Hard to believe we had worked through most everything we needed to get done in a mere two weeks!! But we did!

Echo playing with Trinity’s hair… more like back combing it with her hands!

My babies

So after the lunch it was time to head back to town and meet up with Chris and Chris for our dinner plans – homemade stew with good friends. A final hurrah before our big adventure.

Sunny hot day

Duke and Echo

With the Chrises

After supper we got in some visiting but Echo made it very clear that she was TIRED!! So back to our bedtime destinations… and for us girls some girly visiting time and a run out for a forgotten item or two for Karyn.

Note the HUGE Pepsi slurpee late at night, in my defense they had no smaller cups there… seriously! It has been hot!

Trinity and her special Aunty

And that was our evening. We had a great but rushed day and were packed and ready to go for the rest of our week. Echo had a rough evening – teething and growing pains… but we managed. And by managed I mean I slept in a single bed with BOTH girls… but that was ok too. After all we had a DOUBLE adventure to face the next day!!! Check back to read more! 

Echo saying bubye