Journal Jar

So...am I the slacker. I guess so since it's Friday. Anyway, for those who haven't seen my sister's blog, she started a Journal Jar Thursday and she has asked us all to do it with her. Here is the question...

What are your favorite childhood traditions? What are your traditions with your family now?

Childhood: Many of my favorite memories have to do with holidays. Before Christmas we would get out all of our decorations and deck the halls. We (mostly Emily and I) would choose where we were going to put our stockings. We chose our "spot" based on the location with the most room for presents. We didn't hang our stocking above the fireplace instead we would put them on a chair or section of the couch. Every year, close to the big day, we would go out and drive around town and look at Christmas lights. It was so much fun (plus there were a lot of ohhs and ahhs). On Christmas Eve we would eat clam chowder by candle light. We would use our special Christmas candles (and any others we could find in the house). I remember one year (not too long ago) we were eating our special clam chowder and I commented that my bowl didn't seem to have any clams. My mom gasped and looked over at the counter where the opened (but not empty) can of clams was sitting. Christmas Eve was also fun because we were able to choose one present to open. There was a lot of thought and sometimes a little "research" that went into picking which present to open. By "research" I mean holding it up to the light or looking if all of the corners were secure. By the time Christmas Eve had arrived, our gifts were under the tree, neatly arranged by person. We knew exactly how many presents each person had. It's so funny how little I remember about what was in those gifts but I remember a whole lot about them being under the tree. I think we were really blessed growing up. I know we weren't rich but we always had what we needed and usually what we wanted.

Current Family Traditions: Around this time every year Jacob and I go to Thanksgiving Point and go to the Corn Maze. They also have old fashioned games and slides. It's fun to rope a cow (made of hay), go down a PVC pipe slide, ride a cow train and watch pig races. This year I'll even get to jump on the giant pillow (last year I was too pregnant). You can check out the website at www.cornbellys.com to see some of the fun stuff they have going on. We also love to go camping and travel whenever we can. We will be adding a lot of new traditions as our young family grows.