School Christmas Programs

I was so glad to have a few vacation days left in December, which allowed me to be there for both Joergen's and Liam's holiday programs at school.  First up was the Valley Forge Presbyterian program.  They decided to change up their previous tradition and rather than having the kids perform, bring in someone to perform for them!  Magic Marcy of Giggle Magic was absolutely fantastic, and I have never seen a group of preschoolers so completely and utterly entertained.

When Magic Marcy asked for a couple of volunteers to assist her with a magic trick, I was proud to see Joergen quietly, bravely raise his hand-- and very excited to see him chosen!  That took guts for him to get up there in front of all of those kids, teachers, and parents, and he did a fantastic job.

Yeah Joergen!

After a very silly, funny show, the party began. Joergen showed me all the sugar cookies they decorated in Mrs. Tenney's class and picked the one with the biggest pile of frosting to taste.  If you try not to think about all the little hands that touched those cookies, they really are pretty yummy!

Joergen and his teacher, Mrs. Tenney.

A few days later, it was Liam's turn at Candlebrook Elementary.  He had been practicing his program for weeks at school, but he was very careful to not spill the beans about what they'd been working on.  All I knew was we had to send in a big wrapped cardboard box for him to wear like a present.  I was so curious to see what those kindergartners were up to!

Getting ready to perform

What could be cuter than this?!

After their performance, I stuck around to volunteer at Liam's classroom party.  It was so fun to get to see him with all of his classmates.  They enjoyed a snack and made a holiday craft, and then Christmas Break began!

Hunting for a Christmas Tree

It's time for the annual Derry-Rubin tree shopping excursion!  And if there is one thing we've learned about this outing each year, it's that... we just never learn.

So despite the fact that we swore we wouldn't return to Varner's after both of our families' trees lost a million needles last year, guess where we went tree shopping this year...

It really is a lovely place.  And at least it wasn't 15 degrees out and snowing this year!  But after an hour or more of trudging through the farm in search of a tree, we realized that their trees are just not that lovely.  Our standards are really not that high, either.  Just, you know, one that isn't dying.  Too much to ask?

We were about to throw in the towel and hit a pre-cut tree lot when we heard Dad yell from off in the distance that he found what could be The Tree!  We followed his voice to the far corner of the farm (bordering someone's actual backyard, I think), and lo and behold, a real live tree-- that would even fit in our living room!  The boys were so proud of his find!

Nope, no safety violations here...

After all that searching, we decided to go warm up in the barn with some hot cocoa.

Joergen and I then went upstairs in the barn to go check out the trains, and while we were up there, I happened to look out the window. Do you see what I see?  Hi Liam!

The Rubins did end up finding a tree there, too, but between our experience there at the farm and the shenanigans that ensued once we got home, let me say it here and now... and for real, this time: we are not going back to Varner's next year!

Now what are these shenanigans at home I speak of, you ask? Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words...

... then this one would say, "HELP!  THE TREE IS FALLING!  AND THE TREE STAND TIPPED AND THERE'S WATER EVERYWHERE!!"  And the other 986 words would be expletives (but those would be silent, because we would never say a bad word in front of the children...).

In the end, though, the tree went up.  And stayed up.

And it was lovely.

Thanksgiving in the Dells

In honor of Uncle David's 75th birthday, the entire Rasmussen clan invaded Wisconsin Dells, WI, to celebrate over the Thanksgiving holiday.  For Liam, Joergen, and I, it was our first experience with the Dells-- but I can pretty confidently say I don't think it will be our last.  It was one of the best trips we've taken as a family, and we can't wait to go back!

We flew from Philadelphia to Chicago on the day before Thanksgiving, and then rented a car to drive up to Wisconsin.  Our trip got off to a fun start when Liam won some Eagles swag from 94 WIP's live broadcast in the airport that morning!

Despite traveling the day before Thanksgiving, we got there without a hitch. Everything in the Dells was covered in a blanket of snow, and it looked more like January than November!  We were so excited to have finally arrived, though, and no sooner did we get out of the car at our resort when we heard the Peoria Derrys calling for us from an outdoor hot tub!  Liam pretty much jumped out of his clothes and into a bathing suit, and ran off to go join the fun.

So for those who may be unfamiliar, Wisconsin Dells is the waterpark capital of the world-- and this title is very well deserved.  I have never seen so many waterparks in my life!  We stayed at the Wilderness Resort, and with its 3 indoor waterparks, massive arcade, go-kart track and laser tag arena, let's just say we were certainly never bored!

We spent most of our time in the waterparks (admission was included in our overnight stay... best idea ever!).  Joergen was in heaven at the WaterDome, which was a little quieter than the other parks and had the best area for younger kids, hands down. It's hard to believe it was 27 degrees outside!

Liam, on the other hand, wanted to be wherever the "big kids" were going to be, and braved all kinds of water slides with his cousins.  They had a blast!

I spy... 8 Derrys/Rasmussens in the wave pool!

Abby, Toni, Joer, Aidan, Grace, Liam, and Kate in Klondike Kavern

On Thanksgiving Day, we hit the buffet at Wild Canyon Cafe and let someone else do the cooking... and clean-up!  It was the most relaxing, easy-going Thanksgiving, which I think was quite a feat given that there were 27 of us in our party!

Toni, Aidan, Grandma, Liam, and Gracie

(Some of) The girls- Jacie, me, Surabhi, and Beth

(Some of) The guys- Jake, Anthony, Uncle David, and Andrew

After dinner, the kids found their way to a giant indoor fun zone and got serious about gaming.  I laughed when I saw how many kids they crammed into this one!

Liam, Kate, Joergen, Toni, Joseph, and Grace

Once we pried them away from the video games, they discovered the go-kart track, and hey- why not?

Liam and Uncle Andrew, with Grace and Jud in the car behind them

Grace and Jud weren't behind them for long, though! 

On Thanksgiving night, we all gathered in one of the condos to celebrate Uncle David's milestone birthday.

Best buddies Liam and Gracie. They are two peas in a pod!

In honor of Uncle David, Grandma helped all of his great nieces and nephews put together an acrostic about their favorite uncle, and each kid was responsible for reading a line.  They did awesome!

After a special evening of gift-giving and story-sharing, we took some family photos with the man of the hour.

David with all of his Rasmussen great nieces and nephews

This one cracks me up-- Joergen, what ARE you doing?!

David with all of his Rasmussen nieces and nephews, their spouses and children

Papa, Aunt Lyn, David, Aunt Jan, and Grandma

And while on this theme of family photos, I love this one of the Peoria Derrys from the weekend too!

The Derry grandchildren:

Even with so many fabulous amenities at the resort, I think my favorite moments that weekend were those from right in the condo, which offered the perfect space for our large group to gather, play games, share stories and lots of laughs!

An unforgettable evening playing Cards Against Humanity... lol!

Watching football and playing games with Uncle Andy

Cousin time! Liam and Kate

Joergen and Toni (twinsies!)

And don't forget about the random fun that just happens when you are vacationing with this many people.

No officer, I swear we did not operate this vehicle with 5 kids and an adult crammed in the trunk!  Really! I mean, at least it's a hatchback, right?!

For our last night all together, Uncle David and Aunt Lyn treated the family to the Rick Wilcox Magic and Comedy Show, which was just a few miles from our resort in the Dells.  The show was fantastic, and certainly one that we will never (ever) forget!  Guess who was picked from the audience to go up on stage...

I laughed so hard I cried at Liam and his antics.  He was terrific- and had some pretty awesome comedic timing, too.  Between putting on the magician's coat (when he was simply asked to hold it for him) and then actually trying to climb into the box himself for the disappearing act, I could have died!  It was the perfect end to a fantastic trip.

Happy Birthday, Uncle David, and cheers to many, many more!

Hanging with Nana

We had been LONG overdue for a visit to York, and especially to visit Nana as she is recovering from surgery!  So we donned our ND gear (it was a game day, after all), gathered some holiday crafts, and headed off for a very fun day trip to see our favorite patient.

Liam and Joergen had each picked out the craft they wanted to do with Nana, and she very patiently helped them assemble and decorate their creations.  Joergen chose a "gingerbread house"...

... while Liam opted for a nativity set.  I wish I had a pic of the finished product-- it was really sweet! Mary's nose and all!

This is not the best picture, but it makes me laugh-- it pretty much sums up the experience :)

Fun with VFPNS

I was so thankful this fall to be able to take some time away from work to be with Joergen for some fun with his preschool class.  In October, Joer had his first field trip to Freddy Hill Farms to go pumpkin picking.  We scored a hay ride, a corn maze, a cool pumpkin, and perhaps the best soft serve ice cream I've ever had.  We are so going back there!

Look Grandma and Papa!  It's the right color!

VFPNS 2014

I spy my little guy!

Thanksgiving at VFPNS brings the annual Thanksgiving feast, and a "feast" it most certainly was! Seeing all the preschoolers reenacting the first thanksgiving just makes me laugh.  Could they be any cuter? 

Joergen proudly wearing his macaroni wampum

The best part of the feast is the kids' handmade placemats.  I smiled when I saw Joergen's...

...especially as I remembered two years ago, when Liam's said "I"m Thankful for... Eating Roast Beef."  Alrighty then!

When Joergen came home from the feast with his coffee can drum and his little headdress, Liam got nostalgic for his preschool days too.  Although his headdress was long gone, we did still have his original coffee can drum (my pack-rat tendencies save the day!), and some scissors, tape, and cardstock took care of the rest.  And you can guess what ensued for the rest of the evening!

Ear plugs, anyone?