Through a New Set of Eyes

After failing his eye test last month in kindergarten, we took Nathan to a local ophthalmologist to find he has a very weak right eye resulting in the need for glasses all the time and daily patch therapy for 3-6 hours. Today the glasses came in, so without further ado, let me introduce to you our new and improved (is that possible?) Nathan Gerald Kempiak and his new set of eyes!


Isn’t he cute?

He was excited to show his classmates his new look too. Do you wanna know how very sweet his teacher is? She even wore her glasses (she usually wears contacts) today so Nathan and she could match. I love how sensitive she is to Nathan’s needs. Now that’s one special gal with a beautiful bond with my son!


His goal in picking out his new specs was one thing…to look like Daddy. I think he did a pretty good job doing that, don’t you?

On the Seventeenth Day of Christmas...a Cup of Yum!

I had a very special relationship with my Grandma Bailey. It wasn’t rare that I’d be with her for slumber parties most weekends and loving every minute of it. We’d stay up late playing cards and eating a snack before bed. It was always hot cocoa and toast with butter in my little birdie cup (that I still have today).

Maybe it’s the memory of my grandma’s that makes me love hot cocoa so much or possibly just because I am a chocolate fanatic, regardless I have my own homemade recipe that my family begs me to make every winter, especially this time of year.

Our family likes to make a smorgasbord of “extras” to add in our cup of yum from mini marshmallows; crushed candy canes, whipped cream, cinnamon sticks, and chocolate chips.

Go ahead, immerse your taste buds in this little bit of warm heaven, the Kempiak Party of Five style!

Kymberly's Decadent Hot Cocoa

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup hot water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix cocoa, sugar, hot water, and salt in a saucepan. Over medium heat, stir constantly until boiling. Cook, stirring constantly for one minute. Stir in the milk. Heat, don't boil! Remove from the heat and add vanilla, blend well and serve.

Plymouth Plantation Presents...

Baylee’s cottage fair was today, celebrating their study of Plymouth Plantation. Baylee really enjoyed learning about the early settlers, their hardships, journey, and community building process with hard work, courage, and perseverance. Mrs. Runyon had the kids perform a play in front of the parents today, each having special speaking parts. Baylee was a Native American with many friends, the other classmate friends were pilgrims. Everyone did spectacular!


(Baylee and Matthew Slattery)
(Delynn, Elise, and Baylee)
(Elise and Baylee)
(Baylee and Lucy)
(Kaelan, Baylee, and Aimee...second grade friends since kindergarten)

I videoed the classes’ production. Now I need to know how to transfer it online (I know I need some sort of program). If I get a “Christmas wish”, you’ll see this story updated in about a week so you can hear Baylee’s phenomenal job presenting her speaking part, loud and clear!

Baylee (and class family) you ALL did an EXCELLENT job! Thank you Mrs. Runyon for your patience and fun way of teaching. We appreciate and love you!

And to Taylor Finlayson...thank you for sharing your Native American costume with us. I know it's precious to you. Thank you for trusting Baylee with it and being interested in what she was learning. What a very sweet girl you are!

On the Sixteenth Day of Christmas

We have a new addition to our family, thanks to an early present from Santa! It’s one of his elves he dropped off at our door to keep an eye on the kids. He then reports back to Santa nightly on what he sees and hears, keeping the kids on their best behavior and Santa in check on who belongs on the “naughty” or “nice” list.

This silly guy, that we lovingly named Stewart Elfy Kempiak, is so sneaky. Each and every morning he’s hiding in a new, interesting spot around the home, which makes waking up a fun thing for us all as the kids’ race down to find their tiny red friend. They can’t touch him though, otherwise his power will be lost and his rule from Santa is that he’s not allowed to talk to us (just him). That doesn't stop any of the Party of Five from talking to Stewart though!

On Christmas Eve, Santa will pick Stewart up to head back to the North Pole, giving our little guy a much needed vacation. It’ll be sad to see him go but happy too, knowing Santa was here. Hopefully Santa will agree to have him back at our home again next year and all the years that follow, even when I have tons grandkids!

Here are a few snapshots of our special treasure directly from the North Pole. Check out some of the spots he’s been hiding!



(Here he is, in his sleeping bag right next to the couch where Owen was crashed out during his slumber party with Papa John, Grandma Pat, and his brother and sister. What a crack up, he didn't want to miss out!)


(He arrived in this box with candy canes...his favorite food, a handwritten letter from Santa, a green fuzzy sleeping bag, and book introducing the new tradition.)
(Since we can't touch Stewart, Santa's rule, we left him in his box and went to bed. The next morning, this is what we first discovered!)



Isn’t he adorable (and mischievous looking)? I can’t tell you how much our three kids LOVE this guy!

We're curious, how many homes have "An Elf on the Shelf" like Stewart?

Family Traditions Cottage Fair

This quarter, Nathan’s “cottage” (theme) was “traditions around the world”. Every day the kids would get in their imaginary planes and travel into a new countries like Japan; Germany, Israel, and Holland, learning customs and doing activities (arts, eating, games, etc.) from that area, getting their passports stamped along the way. Mrs. Zavisch did a great job opening up the world of all the kids in classroom number one. Tonight we celebrated, having a cottage fair. Each family put together a display explaining a Christmas tradition; ours was a birthday cake for Jesus. It was neat to hear and see what all the families do to celebrate this special holiday. We have an amazing classroom community; each family is precious to the Kempiak Party of Five!

(homemade stockings each kid made)
(his buddies...Kaydon, Michael, Andrew, and Nathan)
(Nathan loves his teacher!)


I can’t believe that Nathan is half way though kindergarten. Can someone please stop time?!

On the Fifteenth Day of Christmas

We love celebrating birthdays and don’t stop at the people just living in our home. It's Christmas time, honoring the birth of our king as a baby…in other words, Jesus’ birthday and this too, needs to be celebrated. Every year we have a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas night which accompanies the “Happy birthday song”, once all the gifts are opened and played with. It gives us a beautiful time to ponder and praise God.

Well, for Nathan’s class project on “Christmas traditions”, due today, we shared that we make a birthday cake for Jesus and the symbolism we use to teach or remind us of what the Word says.


Owen and I got the cake ready during school (so much fun) then brought it to Nathan’s cottage fair along with handouts for classmates to take home with them, and plates, napkins, and utensils so they can have a yummy bite. Nathan was so excited to share this favorite tradition!

Here’s the recipe for those that didn’t get it four years ago when I had it on our Christmas card…

Begin with a chocolate cake, to symbolize our sin, dark in God’s own eyes (Romans 3:23). Next, layer it with white frosting just as Christ’s purity covers our sins (Isaiah 1:18).

On top of the cake put a yellow star to signify the one that shone over Jesus’ manger (Matthew 2:1-2), an angel to indicate the first glad tidings (Luke 2:9-10), and candles to show that Christ is the light of the world (John 8:12). Make sure there are 12 candles to remind us that Jesus is the light of the world throughout the 12 months of the year, not just at Christmas and make sure they are red, symbolizing His blood shed for us (Matthew 26:27-28).

Finally, put some evergreens on the cake to signify everlasting life (John 3:16), God’s gift to those who receive it.

Don’t underestimate the shape of the cake too. The entire cake should be shaped circular to demonstrate that God is “eternal”, He has no beginning or ending (Isaiah 4:6, Revelation 1:8, and 1 Timothy 1:17).

Enjoy it as a family on Christmas day. Don’t forget to sing a round or two of “Happy Birthday” and possibly leave a seat of honor at your dinner table celebration, as God is always with us (Matthew 28:20 reminds us, “Surely, I will be with you always…”).

Ketchup!

We had all intentions of going to bed at 9 tonight. For those that know me you are probably jumping out of your skeletal system right now, I know. Night owls don’t normally know how to “go to bed at 9”…for us, we though it was much needed. We can “catch up” tomorrow. God had other plans. 5 minutes before bed, we got a much-deserved frantic call that Jon’s dad, Dick, was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital due to a possible stoke. Jon rushed out of the house and needless to say after praying and reading scripture, I’m trying to pass time…so I’m blogging (again), playing catch up. It occurred to me though that I’m probably confusing some of you by my strategy. Because I like things in chronological order, you are still experiencing gaps in my blog. I have some very recent things I wrote, however I have over 12 more to write that fall before the “recent”. So…when you log on, even if you’ve read the first few “stories”, I urge you to scroll down a bit and see if there’s anything new. Chances are there are! I still am typing late November and most of December (and I’ll just post date it so it falls chronologically). Sometimes there is total purpose to what I am typing for the time being and other times, it’s a “time management” thing. Thanks for bearing with me! Hopefully I can say soon that I’m up to date.

On the Fourteenth Day of Christmas

Have you ever heard of the Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg? In December of 2004, my amazing cousin and friend Laura gave us the book which was a welcomed addition to enhance to our Christmas library and family tradition we’ve had for quite sometime.

We love to read it at the beginning of the month while sucking on these confection treats. Afterwards we remind ourselves what we just read, thus what they stand for…

Shape = a “J” for Jesus as well as the same shape as a shepherd’s staff since Jesus is our Shepherd.
The stripes = the prophet Isaiah said, “By his stripes we are healed.”
Red = to represent the blood that Jesus shed suffering to save us from our sins
White = to stand for the pureness of Jesus, making us white and pure as snow.
And finally, its hardness = to remind us that Jesus is the rock of all ages.

We then tie small candy canes to a piece of paper that explains this then place it by our front door. Anytime someone comes to the door; a postman, delivery person, friend, or sales person, we present them with the paper and candy cane, telling them, “Merry CHRISTmas!”


Isn’t it so cool how something as simple as a piece of candy can share in the truth behind its symbol, the truth of Christ’s birth and redemption, and the merciful gift of his love?!


(Thank you again Laura, for the gift that keeps giving!)

On the Thirteenth Day of Christmas

Not all the trees are up yet this year, but honestly I don't know if they all will be since we only have 12 days to go and so much else to do. The living room and family room are complete along with Baylee's tree in her room. I know that probably sounds like enough but the truth be told, I ADORE Christmas trees all light up at night in a darkened home and seriously, I don’t think there’s a number that would be too many to have, even in tight quarters! Our home by far, is not big…just to let you know, I just love Christmas and decorating!

Our living room tree sits tall in front of our front window. Although it probably sounds a little “backwards”, it’s our “family”, anything goes tree. There’s no color scheme or anything, just ornaments we’ve picked up since Jon and I were dating and a few hand-me-downs from childhood. Also on this tree are our “photo” ornaments, some of my most favorite ones. I get at least one made a year for this tree (and one or two for each kids’ tree) from a local guy working out of his home called, Stand Up Photos. My homemade advent ornaments are on there too numbered and ready to be opened each day in December which are full of prophecy scripture from the Old Testament then New Testament to prove Christ is indeed the King!
(daytime in the living room)
(living room at night)

Then there’s our “family room” tree. See how we have it raised? I had this idea to perch it up high when Baylee was first born because I didn’t want her touching it. So, Jon and I constructed a white wooden platform box that is lined with rows and rows of white lights. To cover that, we carefully placed two rows of glass block all around it, making an “ice cube/igloo” type look. It’s really cool and fills the room with such beauty! For decorations, this is our “themed” tree with the color scheme of the room (burgundy with a touch of pink) with accents of clear glassed ornaments and gold. These are older ornaments now and each year we worry that they’ll be the last, having to replace them all the upcoming year. I can’t imagine that expense though!
(family room during the day)
(family room at night)

Each of our kids have their very own four foot tree in their bedrooms. It’s their very first Christmas present they receive from Mommy and Daddy. Their homemade ornaments from school go on there, along with their photo ornaments we have made and special ones they receive every year from us that encompasses something special about their year. They have garland the color they like the most and different odds and ends. Baylee, Nathan, and Owen take huge pride in their trees and go to sleep with them light every night all warm and cozy in their beds. By the time they move out (no, I’m not rushing things), they’ll have tons of ornaments to take with them and fun memories to reflect back on!



(The boys have some cleaning to do before their two trees enter and our room, well...the same story! No pressure on anyones part though, honestly!)

Here are some quick pics of the kids in awe of the trees and ornaments. I love it!
(Sweet Nathan)
(Cutie Owen)
(Precious Baylee)

I Want To Know Who You Are

I'll be out and about when people stop me to say they’ve visited my blog and follow it pretty regularly. It’s cool but kind of strange at the same time, if that makes sense. This was happening quite frequently in early October so later that month, I decided to put a “counter” on the blog (near the bottom) to see how many “hits” I’d get. Truly I was shocked, to say the least. So in a little over a month, I have over 1,700! Crazy! Well, I want to know who you are! Please! Scroll down and you’ll see a new feature, a photo guest book. If you plan to visit me more than once, please, please, please, sign it and show me your beautiful face! It’s truly intriguing, this mystery! Be part of the solution.

(By the way, you don't have to be a blogger at all to sign the guest book or leave a comment after the "stories" you read. Did you know that?)

Shark Attack

It’s over now. Nathan has officially completed his first season of “coach pitch” baseball, playing on the “Sharks” with 13 eager teammates! It’s been so fun cheering him on each week and watching him grow over the season into a great baseball player, full of confidence and excitement for the ‘game’. We are so very proud of his dedication, determination, and great sportsmanship. Look at the smile on his face. I’d say he’s rightfully proud of himself too! Way to go Nathan! We love you, our baseball player!


The winter season will be here in no time and Nathan’s ready to continue his momentum with a whole new team, a whole new look. He’s already wondering what color he’ll be starting January 10th!


(Nathan's always eager to run...it's his very favorite part of the game!)

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

I think I've established the fact that I LOVE Christmas cards, photos, and newsletters. I race home every day in December to the mailbox. The last few days I've had a TON of cards in our box and I just love opening them all! At dinner I share the cards, letters, and photos then we pray for the families that have sent them our way. Once Christmas is over and the cards have to come down off display, I can’t bear to throw them away, not even the Christmas annual letters! I keep them in special keeping and each day we pull one out (again) and pray for that family. It keeps us busy all year long practically!

I need to do something with all the years of cards and letters I have. Maybe I’ll put them in a scrapbook of some sort, I don’t know. It’s so fun for the kids and I to look back and see how much everyone has changed. I know, I’m a sentimental sucker! So my question to you readers is, what do you all do with the cards you receive?

(Oh how I need to get my Christmas cards done...ugh!)

Flashback Friday- An Awesome Stocking Stuffer!

Just a week old, I took Nathan for his first photo shoot. I think he's the best "stocking stuffer" in the world!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas

My dad passed down a tradition from his childhood to me that is so much fun. We take oranges and stick a candy cane though the rind into the juicy orange’s center. Next, you suck on the candy cane as if it’s a straw. In fact, the acid from the orange creates a hole in the candy cane, in essence transforming it into a straw. The yummy peppermint orange flavor is so great!



Today we read the heartwarming book, Christmas Oranges to go along with the tradition activity. In addition to sucking the juice out of the candy cane, we also ate orange rolls and planned out our donation to the local orphanage (relates to the story). So…a few days after Christmas, once things settle down a bit, we’ll head to the local orphanage with a request they’ve made, gift cards for local fast food restaurants and batteries for all the toys they receive for Christmas from sponsors. I can’t wait. Between the money our Brownie troop and our family has put forward, they’ll have a nice stash.


Merry Christmas. Isn’t this a great month?