Naughty & Nice

All these pictures were taken at Scott's Santa party at his work early in December.

You better watch out

You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice;
Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
O!
You better watch out!
You better not cry
Better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
Santa Claus is coming to town

If Santa Claus was real and had been watching my kids night and day here are some things he would have seen them do during the month of December. The question is, would he leave them stockings full of fun gifts and sweet goodies or give them coal and reindeer poop?

Nice Julianna: Singing twinkle twinkle little star, and singing Jingle Bells. Giving us all hugs and kisses. Snuggling and playing nicely with the kids. Sharing her food with Lucy ;) "Helping Mommy" with her chores!
Julianna's new favorite sitting spot is INSIDE the fridge.

Naughty Julianna: Learning to hit her siblings, in the face, quite hard sometimes. Biting mama. Screaming to get what she wants. Throwing fits. Running away at diaper time. Sitting inside the refrigerator. Pulling Mommy's hair really really hard! Needing time outs when she cries and screams on and on and on for no good reason!

Nice Angel: Giving hugs and pats and telling us she loves us. Playing nicely with her sisters. Being kind to Julianna. Whenever Julianna cries, Angel hugs her and sings her favorite song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Helping Mommy in the kitchen. Being cute: Whenever you ask "How are you" she answers "I'm Three!" Doing kind favors for other members of the family without being asked. Being the Angel of the family!

Naughty Angel: Not eating her dinner, but asking for dessert, and then crying at bedtime inconsolably because she's "HUNGRY!". Wetting the bed, after we had tried to wake her up in the middle of the night to go, but she refused. Throwing fits in the car because she doesn't want to let anyone buckle her. Kicking me when I'm trying to help her get dressed for the day.


Nice Courtney: Playing nicely with Julianna. Doing helpful jobs around the house for Mommy without asking. Once she did all the dishes after baking cookies (by hand! by herself!) Doing kind acts of service. Helping in the kitchen. Playing well with Christopher. Being thoughtful to her friends. Playing quietly during quiet time. Using her "sunshine smile" to bring us happiness! Cleaning up her own spills with a good will.

Naughty Courtney: Jumping off of furniture, jumping on beds, climbing up bookshelves, doing other dangerous dare-devil things like standing on top of the plastic play kitchen's highest point and then claiming "I forgot!" when we remind her of the no jumping/no climbing rule. Scaring Angel on purpose("Angel, there's hot Lava in this house!" and Angel believes her!). Fighting with Dorathy. Sneaking candy before breakfast. Asking "Why is it ALWAYS me?" Whenever we ask her to do something.

Nice Dorathy: Doing all her jobs without being asked, so quickly, and with a good attitude. Helping in the Kitchen. Taking Angel potty for me. Taking good care of Julianna"babysitting". Reading quietly during quiet time. Making nice arts and crafts as presents for other people. Being a good friend. Thinking of others.
Naughty Dorathy: Fighting and crying when she doesn't get her way. Complaining about food she doesn't like. Eating her boogers. Pinching Courtney...really...really HARD! Stealing Courtney's blanket and then hiding it from her. Trying to punish her younger sisters for minor infractions when I'm not looking. Staying up late till 10 O'clock reading books when she's suppose to have lights out at 8 p.m.

Nice Christopher: Taking good care of me when I sprained my wrist. Telling me to "rest" and "go read a book, Mom!" and "I'll take care of it, Mom, don't worry!" Being so happy to "babysit" the younger girls. Putting his sisters to bed. Putting on silly plays and telling stories. Changing diapers and helping the little ones get dressed. Making his sisters laugh when they are sad. Running errands for Mom & Dad. Doing extra chores and acts of service. Being a great helper to Dad. Being a good sport when he doesn't win a game. Having such integrity and strength of conscience.

Naughty Christopher: Arguing with lawyer-like precision on exactly why he SHOULDN'T have to do the dishes or clean his room. Begging for computer games and playdates when he hasn't earned them. Crying, whining, and pouting when things don't go his way. Being Angry. Saying "Why Me?" when I ask him for help.

I guess to be fair, I should post when I am naughty and nice, right?!?

Nice Laura: Not yelling at the kids when they aren't listening. Disciplining them with patience and love. Practicing What I preach instead of being a hypocrite. Being true to what I say (consistency!) instead of falling through. Reading them lots and lots of books. Letting them help in the kitchen and do all sorts of projects, even when it makes a huge mess. Getting up early and being organized so that the day runs smoothly for everyone. Cooking good nutritous food. Planning playdates and other fun family outings. Letting the kids be kids instead of demanding perfection and driving everyone, including myself, crazy.

Naughty Laura: Staying up too late at night, and then being grumpy and short tempered. Reading fun books instead of cleaning house. Letting the car get so messy it has become thoroughly scary. Sleeping in and then having a sloppy day. Eating too many sweets and then getting a sugar headache. Yelling at the kids when I should just put myself in a time out. Not being sweet and affectionate to my husband like he deserves.

Nice Scott: Changing all of Julianna's stinky diapers for me when he's at home. Cooking dinner for me and all the kids before he leaves for work. Playing with all the kids. Putting up with my nagging. Patiently teaching the kids something new. Taking great care of me and being an all around terrific husband and provider.

Naughty Scott: Wanting to stay in his pajamas all day and play computer games!


Hhhmmmmmm.......I guess I'm glad Santa Claus isn't out there watching us all the time. I think all of us would have made both the naughty and nice lists! But I'd like to think that the good won out over the bad! No Coal this year!


I sure am glad that God is always watching over us with his tender mercies and that he loves us despite all our faults and weaknesses! We all have the light of Christ in us ( our conscience!) and a divine nature within (our heritage from our Heavenly Father) which enables us to use our moral agency to overcome the "natural man" and make good decisions. I am so grateful for the Saviour's atonement which allows us to repent when we make mistakes (since I'm making them daily...no, hourly!) But I know, that as long as we are all doing our best day by day, we are on God's "Nice" list....and that's good enough for me!

Meet Thankful

I know I haven't blogged hardly at all these last 2 months. Been busy with kids, books, and other projects! I probably won't be blogging too much in the next month either, because I'm starting some very exciting projects at home! I am finally getting to work in compiling all the information I've been gathering for years about Marlene Stoker Dotson. (Scott's Mom who pas

But, I just wanted to introduce you to Ms.Thankful Dotson, our Gratitude Turkey.



During the Thanksgiving Holidays, we made this turkey, and everyday we posted some feather on her back and wrote on them what we were thankful for. It really helped us feel an increased sense of Gratitude during the Thanksgiving Season, and it was a great segue into the Holidays.

The kids were sad when we finally had to take her down!

My Top 10 favorite things about Christmas!

My Top Ten Favorite things about the Christmas Season!

1. Christmas Caroling withmy family to neighbors and friends.

2. Christmas music playing in the house morning, noon, and night.

3. An excuse to bake all kinds of treats, and even better excuses to eat them all!

4. Having a great time getting and making things for the people you love.

5. Decorating cookies with the kids. Reading Christmas stories to the kids!

6. Having work, church, and family parties to attend. I got to see some excellent Christmas performances as well, including a play of THE CHRISTMAS CAROL.

7. Being inspired to find ways to serve others.

8. Listening to the Messiah, and pondering the life and mission of Jesus Christ.

9. Taking the extra time to spend with family and the people we love most.

10. Feeling extra close to the Savior, and experiencing the sweetness the Christmas Spirit brings as we focus on all those things that are truly the most important. I wish I could remember that all year long!

This has been our best Christmas yet! In past years, I have been so ready for Christmas to be over. But this year, I wish it would never end! Perhaps I have finally discovered the true meaning of Christmas...it only took me 33 years!

Christmas Family Letter 2009

I sent this letter out to lots of family and friends, but I wanted to post it here as well!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


Dear Family, Friends, and Neighbors:

We hope this letter finds each of you happy, healthy, and well. This has been a busy year for us, filled with a multitude of blessings. The seasons come and go so swiftly, and I find myself surprised to be sitting down once more to write out our yearly family missive. This past year has seen many troubling changes in our nation; economic challenges abound. We have felt, however, a tremendous spirit of thankfulness entering our home as we realize more fully the many things we have to be grateful for. So in my letter this year, I wanted to share some of these blessings with you all!

Homeschooling: Everyday I find myself so grateful for the adventure of teaching my children at home. It has blessed me more than anyone else as I have fallen in love with learning all over again. My children have sent me on quests for truth. When my children ask me a question that I don’t know, we research it together till we are satisfied. Libraries are our favorite haunts. My children love learning; they choose to fill their free time with great books. The best thing to do with a great classic is share it with someone you love! Our evenings are filled with reading our favorite stories together. I love having my kids at home with me. I get to know my children’s strengths and weaknesses in a way that would not be possible if the bulk of their learning were delegated elsewhere. We have enjoyed Science Fairs, a History Girls Club, a Science Boys club I organized for Christopher, and an incredible array of fantastic field trips. We have just completed 2 years of intense world history study, and we are excited to be moving into American History in 2010. My children now dream of touring Europe. They have been enchanted with the Renaissance, and they fantasize about saving up a few thousand dollars so they can see the great works of Michelangelo in person. Anyone have any great fundraiser ideas?

Living in the Great Northwest: Instead of traveling to distant alluring tourist attractions, this year we chose to use our vacation time to embark on several camping trips within a day’s drive of home. We have discovered all over again the beauty and majesty of the Great North West. We spent a week in the Redwoods, camped at the beach, and saw the Oregon Caves. We enjoyed picturesque Astoria with its museums, historical points of interest, and nearby beaches. We spent a week touring many of the Cascade volcanoes, including Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. We even hiked in a lava tube! Then Scott and I got to take a trip all by ourselves to Central Oregon. Scott adores the High Desert in the Bend area. We saw so many beautiful vistas, including the Three Sisters and Newberry National Volcanic park, that I plan on making another trip there next year. There was too much to see in only one visit! Other benefits of living in the paradise we call home are: wonderful gardens, bounteous flowers and fruit, Scott’s Beekeeping endeavors, all the berries you can eat, fun beach trips, clean mountain air, lots of wildlife, and a cool breeze even in the hottest summer days. It’s the positive side to having 6 months or more of rain per year!

Family: Our life revolves around family. It is such a joy to watch our children learn, grow, and progress. I have seen them grow in maturity as they learn to work together at home. I appreciate how well the older kids take care of the littlest sisters. Christopher is becoming babysitting age! (Scott and I feel like we have finally ARRIVED...oh, what a state of bliss!) I’m filled with sweet satisfaction when I see how good he is at caring for his 4 younger sisters. Christopher is still in love with science, music, & reading. He’s my Mr. Fix-it when Scott isn’t around. He loves getting into deep discussions with his cousin, Sanford, and coming up with new theories about how the universe works. Those two boys make very convincing philosophers. At 11, he says he is in no hurry to grow up, and wants to enjoy being a “kid”for as long as possible.
Dorathy turned 8 this year and got baptized!!! She continues to write new books, poems, and music. She creates cards, designs dinner menus, and researches recipe books for every occasion. She is determined to grow up to be a great artist, composer, baker, singer, and author. She writes collections of books and then “publishes” them (spiral binds them) and puts them on her bookshelf. Dorathy says that someday she’ll have a whole bookshelf of stories authored by herself. If anyone can pull it off, she can!
Courtney (6) is a cute tom-boyish princess who loves animals, art, gymnastics, and all things pink. She is progressing in learning to read and write. She knows the names of all the birds and fishes in her books better than I do! Courtney has a keen interest in life all around her; no detail escapes her. She is a great help in the kitchen, and loves to stick around to wash the pans after we finish baking cookies.
Angel (3) is still the “Angel” of the household, bringing sweet smiles, cuddles, and coquettish looks wherever she goes. It’s been fun to watch her imagination bloom. Angel’s world is alive with magic and wonder, but for her sensitive mind, it is also filled with fears whether real or imagined. She is Mommy’s little follower, and she stays within arms reach almost all day long.
Julianna (18months) has become a toddler at last, but she is still the baby of the family! She is so much happier now than when she was a baby. She loves being independent and free. She learned to walk very late, and is now making up for lost time by running, climbing, and taking apart EVERYTHING! It takes about 60 seconds for her to turn an organized room into complete chaos. The kids call her babyzilla. She has curly blond hair, sparkling blue eyes and is filled with all kinds of impish mischief. She is as quick as lightening at getting into trouble, so I have to watch her every minute. Even though Julie can talk, crying and screaming (LOUD AND HIGH) are still her preferred methods of communication.
Scott and I are pressing forward in trying to learn what it means to be good parents, mentors, and leaders. We are all works in progress, and our goal is take joy in the journey! We desire to apply the principles of Leadership Education in our home. (www.tjedonline.com) Scott has been blessed with continued steady employment, and I love the privilege of being a stay-at-home-Mom. If you would like to see some great family pictures and learn more of what we’ve been up to in 2009, please check out our family blog. (www.littlehouseinthebignorthwest.blogspot.com)

The Gospel of Jesus Christ: Finally and most importantly, we are so thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ and the atonement he wrought for all mankind. We are continually blessed by His unconditional love and the innumerable gifts that he so freely bestows on us. We have a beautiful world to live in which he created for us, his children. We have His words of peace and wisdom in the scriptures. We treasure His supreme example of a life of love and service.
May you all be filled with love and joy as you celebrate the birth
of our Lord and Savior this Christmas Season!
Love, The Dotsons
( Scott, Laura, Christopher, Dorathy, Courtney, Angelia, & Julianna)

The Joys of a Wood Burning Stove!

I am SO grateful for our wood burning stove!

We are SO blessed to get near-free heat all winter long! I don't know how we could afford to heat our house otherwise. We'd probably keep the thermostat at 55 and then walk around in our coats all day long.

One of the best parts of using wood for your heat is that your kids get a chance to have a meaningful chore. It is so good for them to be responsible to bring in the logs and kindling everyday. They have a real chance to contribute to the whole family, and that is a rare opportunity nowadays.

We recently (early December) experienced a severe cold snap that set record lows. It hadn't been that cold in Oregon since 1998! We had a long 2 weeks of days were the highs brushed 35 degrees, and it would dip down to 9 degrees at night. It was clear, not a drop of snow in sight, but we did see lots of ice. Every morning the dew would freeze, crystals of ice glittered on rooftops and on the leaves of our rhododendrons. My kids delighted in finding icicles everywhere.

There was this one patch of continual ice on the sidewalk down the street where a neighbor had the automatic sprinklers on everyday. A large part of the side walk as well as portions of the street had a good inch or two of ice on it. My kids called it the ice skating rink, and had a ball slipping across it.

Then Christopher came up with the grand idea of filling the kiddie pool with water and letting it freeze over so he could really ice skate. Thankfully, all our hoses were frozen solid, and so he couldn't get any water into the pool. I caught him dumping huge bowlfuls of water all over our back patio in trying to get his own ice play area. After being severely chastised, he was down in the dumps for the rest of the day. The cold clear weather was beautiful, but my kids were just LONGING for snow! (they didn't get it!)

The annoying part of the cold was having to defrost frozen rabbit water bottles twice a day. Christopher would have to collect all the frozen water bottles and soak them in hot water till eveyrthing melted far enough for the poor rabbits to get a drink. My kids would beg to got outside and play, and then come back in after 5 minutes with purple fingers and numb toes. (You can tell we are spoiled with mild weather...we almost never even need gloves!)

In this kind of freeze, wood heat can only do so much. Even with keeping the fires roaring all day, we were always cold. If I sat still too long, my toes began to get numb. When the cold snap finally broke, our house felt like a furnace!!! We were used to keeping the fires roaring all day, and when the temperature shot back up to the 50's our house temperature flew up to 75 degrees! I caught my kids undressing to their underwear and spraying themselves with water bottles while standing in front of a fan! Now, that is really odd behavior for the middle of December!

Ah, well. Wood heat is hard to control without an available easy switch thermostat. It's usually too hot, or too cold. I'm grateful for it, anyway. Despite the mess. Despite the wood chopping. Despite the splinters. Despite our neighbors complaining that we're destroying the environment. Our wood burning stove is a real blessing to us! I'd be very sad if the Oregon legislature succeeds in banning it.
P.S. I'm so grateful to have a working Camera again!!! I've REALLY missed getting to post pictures on my blog!

Fantasy Tour of Europe

Ever since we started learning about World History, my kids have dreamed about seeing the things we've read about in person...up close, FOR REAL!

Two years ago they wanted to see Egypt and the Pyramids.

Last year they wanted to tour Greece and Rome, and see the Pantheon.

This year they fell in love with the Renaissance. They want to go to Italy! The kids want to see the works of Michelangelo, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the canals of Venice. Dorathy has always wanted to go to Italy because she adores Italian food. But now Christopher is on board, fantasizing about a European tour!

A few weeks ago, we were reading about a little obscure town in Germany. In one of the last outbreaks of the Black Plague, (1600's) this little out of the way village prayed to be spared from the dearth spreading across the land. The plague was so terrible, that some cities lost half their people, and some towns were entirely wiped out. They prayed and fasted, promising God that if their town was spared they would put on an all-day play reinacting the entire life of Christ every 10 years.

Their prayers were heard, a miracle happened and the town was spared. Not a single soul was lost to the plague. With Joy and rejoicing, they stayed true to their word, and over 400 years later it is still going strong. With very few exceptions due to war, their town has continued putting their local people into an all day 10 hour long play about the life of Christ. I believe it to be the biggest outdoor pageant in the world!

My kids were so excited when we researched it online and found out more about it! They were thrilled and wanted to go see it in person...then we found out that the next Passion Play will be this summer, in 2010! Wow!

So my kids said, "Let's plan a trip to Europe!" and I said "Sure, you guys go right ahead. Do some research on the internet and find about how much money we have to save." (I felt so sneaky and cruel doing this, because I knew what they'd find out and what it would do to their morale.)

2 hours later they were crying when they discovered it would cost our family close to $20,000 for all of us to make a trip to Europe to see both Italy and the Oberammergau Passion Play. They were so disheartened by the seemingly unsurmountable task. Saving $100 seems impossible to them, let a lone even a thousand.

Poor kids! Maybe if we got some real great fundraisers going, we could go in 2020. Try telling a kid that "We'll go in 10 years." And they look at you just like you're speaking a foreign language. 10 years is an eternity to a child!