Brooklyn's ThirTEEN

Birthdays...they're kind of an annual thing.  So in some ways the candles and cake on December 16th were pretty standard procedure.  In other ways, Brooklyn's 13th birthday was a BIG deal.  After all, for the very first time, our family officially had a teenager in the house.  If my calculations are correct, this redoubtable condition will continue all the way until the year 2033.  WOW.

To be completely honest, our introduction to the world of teenage-dom has been delightful.  Like the rest of us, Brooklyn occasionally has rough moments, but overall she is hard-working, helpful, and happy.  A talented foodie, she planned and baked her own birthday breakfast--a crockpot egg bake with yogurt berry parfaits.


Can I tell you how lucky I feel that our thirteen year-old chose to spend her birthday hanging out with her family?  After breakfast, we all ventured to Red Butte Gardens for their winter solstice celebration.

Due to poor air quality, the yule log wasn't burning, but we still got to make bird feeders.

Hot cocoa warmed us as we listened to the storyteller.

Inside, the kids made the cutest beeswax candles.

Oh, and let's not forget the crowns.  Plenty of fun for all ages.

After Red Butte Gardens, we tried to catch lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant, but headed to the Pie Hole instead when Sawadee was unexpectedly closed.  NomiAnn, you would love these floppy New York slices.

My favorite part was when Annika tried to slip out the back of her chair and got her head stuck.

Oh, and let's not forget how we all took Spark to PetSmart to get his photo taken with Santa.

Rest assured, we take our pet ownership seriously.

Next stop, the Marmalade Library for Beethoven's birthday bash.  Pretty great person to share a birthday with, particularly if you are as musical as our Brooklyn.  Eli won an engraved Steinway piano hammer for winning the Beethoven trivia contest, but was most excited about the decadent cake after.

We had to be careful not to spoil our appetites because Sawadee opened just in time for a celebratory birthday dinner.  Soooo tasty!


Presents and cake at home made the perfect finale.  Ruby, Justin, and Brianna joined us for the party.

For her birthday, Brooklyn requested boots.  Wowza, my baby's all grown up.

Annika and Ruby just happened to be dressed all matchy matchy.

Dogpile on Jason!

Last but not least, Brooklyn's Peruvian Crema Volteada cake.  She initially requested twelve candles instead of thirteen because 12 was such a great year.  Not to worry, thirteen is on track to be just as delightful.

Our birthday celebrations didn't end until the next day when Brooklyn made us all french onion soup in the "new" crocks she received as a gift. (Hopefully my kids aren't permanently scarred by how often I shop at D.I. and Goodwill.)


Life sure is tasty with such a great chef in the house!


Seventh grade was tough for me growing up, so I worried as I sent Brooklyn off this year.  Fortunately, the Extended Learning Program at West High has been a great match for her.  She's excelled in her classes and made some great friends.  She worked extremely hard organizing a tutoring program at Jackson Elementary for her Bettering Utah project, and showed a great deal of dedication in volunteering there regularly.  She loves Young Women, and I know her Young Women leaders appreciate her great attitude.  Musically, she studies piano, plays cello in the Youth Chamber Orchestra, and adores singing in the International Children's Choir.  Best of all, despite her busy schedule, Brooklyn still loves to play, imagine, and create with her siblings.  While they certainly argue at moments, they are truly each other's best friends.

Sure love you, Brooklyn!  You're the best teenager we've ever had.

Christkindlmarkt

Jason's in Atlanta, so I'm on my own tonight.  If he was hoping for respite from winter, the poor guy must be disappointed.  The high in Salt Lake should be around 45 degrees tomorrow, but Georgia is predicting 36.  Brrr!

When Jason leaves town, I am often uber-productive, finishing up projects to take my mind off his absence.  Today, not so much, unless you count sorting legos by color to find the missing pieces to our Tangled set.  Once the munchkins were in bed, I topped off the evening by leaving the dishes in the sink and heading to a friend's house for Craft Night (more accurately, a gab fest.)  And so, before calling it a night, I thought I could toss up a few photos.  You know, to justify the day's work, or lack thereof.

In early December, we discovered the Christkindlmarkt at This Is The Place Heritage Park.  Brianna had heard about the event, and invited us to all to join their family there.  It was especially perfect since Charles and Susie happened to be visiting Salt Lake.

I have to say, I was super impressed by the market.  It felt very authentic and brought back all sorts of happy memories about the Christmas I spent in Austria as an exchange student.  I left craving both Weisswurst and the German language.


This Raclette booth certainly reminded us of France as well.

Here are Annie and Ruby, listening to the choirs sing.

Brooklyn decides to take Ruby for a ride.


Annika had the chance to tell St. Nikolaus what she wanted for Christmas--a stuffed snake.

Santa seemed to find that pretty amusing.

We even found the Andrus Halfway House and Farm, run by Milo Andrus's wife, Lucy Tuttle.

Eli smiles in the home of his great-great-great-grandfather. Tinsel, anyone?

Who knew a stove could possess so much charm and character?  Even so, I prefer the convenience of my modern kitchen.

Last but not least, a quick trip in Santa's sleigh.

Brianna, thanks for introducing us to this marvelous Christkindlmarkt, and Jason, schlaf wohl, mein Liebster.  Du bist mir einen Kuss schuldig.