Expectations, Exceeded!

As tradition would have it we had our annual chocolate dipping day on Saturday!  It was so much fun with lots of laughs, and not so much fighting from the kids!  They are all growing up so fast and seem to really enjoy spending time with each other, even if they are a little hyper!  I am so happy all the kids are good friends, I see them all wanting to spend time together even as they get older!  Anyway, back to the weekend!  It started Friday evening when Myrna, Lalainia, Char, Rachel and I all went to Breaking Dawn Part One!  It was so good, but I knew it would be because of how closely they have followed the previous books, and they were all excellent too!  After the movie we went to Streetside Eatery for the yummiest turtle cheesecake, where our laugh attacks started!

Armin sat in his chair for 2 hours, and probably would have sat longer too, but he finally started to complain!

The grandkids carrying on the tradition and getting a lesson from Grandma!

I think Emry may have done more tasting then actual rolling!

Saturday morning we started rolling fondant at 8:30am and didn't stop until well after 6pm!  This year all the Puzey girls made 4 batches each of fondant so all we had to do Saturday was roll and dip!  We always seem to get into a rhythm and it continues on until we are completely cleaned up!  If there happened to be a little down time for one of us we would wash dishes or chop chocolate to be melted or switch trays when some got full, whatever needed to be done it always seemed to get done!  Last year we dipped 18 batches of fondant, this year we did 21 batches plus a batch of turtles!  And throughout all the busyness we even had some comic relief!  Rachel's middle finger would keep dislocating (not the comic relief!!), and Lalainia always cracked up over it (of course, she would only start to laugh once she knew Rachel was okay!!).  The kids provided us with lots of entertainment as well!  They would come into the kitchen several times throughout the day to help us!  And were they ever big helpers!  Cora stayed right with us the entire time except when she took a break to look after Armin.  Leah, Emry, Ashton and Bowen all tried their hand at rolling fondant and all did an excellent job!  Our chocolate's are all pretty much the same size this year!  I have to give credit to Jason, he took care of Armin for most of the day and I really appreciated it, although Armin is so good all you really have to do is make sure he isn't putting his fingers in electrical sockets or trying to roll down the stairs!  Oh, he did go over to little Jonas while he was in the exersaucer and give him a kiss on the forehead, although he now has one tooth on the top which he imprinted into Jonas' little head!  He just loves his little cousin so much, he had no idea his little tooth was hurting him!

Topping!

Chopping!

And dipping!

Armin and Jonas!  As of Saturday November 26th, 2011, Armin weighed 19.2 pounds at 12 months, and Jonas weighed 18.2 pounds at 5 months! 

Lots and lots of kisses!

It was truly a wonderful day, a weekend I always look forward to.  Even though it is a lot of work and by the end of the day my feet and back are aching, it is so worth it!  Not just for the yumminess after but for the time spent as mom and sisters!

Everyone played so good together! 

Best Buds!

Stopping only to eat!

There are actually more chocolates than seen here, there are some on the floor under the table and some out in the entryway, and more on the deep freeze in the garage!

Unfortunately Calum found where we put the chocolates to set, thankfully he has forgotten about them today and hasn't tried to get into the laundry room!

As a side note, while we were at church today the power went out half way through our Sacrament Meeting!  It was actually kind of neat!  I focused on the speaker better than I usually do, and I think it was because both Emry and Calum were scared into being quiet!  His talk was about the Plan of Salvation and how this Christmas season we really need to remember the true meaning and look past all the commercialism of the season!  At the end of Sacrament Meeting we sung Silent Night, and it was really meaningful singing it in the dark!  When we got home the power was still out, and stayed out until just after 7:30pm!  It was fun sitting in the basement by candlelight with the warmth of the fire from the fireplace!  Although the kids were a little bored we were able to find things to do!  Jared picked up his guitar and was playing soothing type songs, but when he started playing a Led Zeppelin song Calum said, "Ohhhh, cool!" and got up and started dancing.  He then found his little plastic Woody guitar and started to jam with Jared!  I really enjoyed sitting as a family even if we didn't "do" anything!  I am thankful for the land we live in, wind and all!  And I am thankful for the wonderful family I have!