The Concert

Lilly had a concert. Her very own. There isn't a more spoiled 2 year old around!!

My little's and I before we left for the concert. (The bags under my eyes are compliments of
Mr. Henry waking up several times through the night, crying out for his best friend (Jared).
Seriously.























The program that was handed out to the audience.















































Calming the nerves before the show started.


















It was a wonderful concert.
Complete with twirls,























sashay's


















and beautiful smiles.























And at the end, the performers critiqued their act.























Well done ladies!!! I've never seen a more amazing concert!!!

Christmas Eve

We follow a tradition on Christmas Eve. One that started when I was a kid.

*We went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner (this isn't part of the tradition, we just had coupons and I didn't want to cook!!).
*We got a flat tire (not part of the tradition either).
*We drive around and look at all the Christmas lights. And even though I despise snow, it was pretty to drive around and look at the lights in snow covered front yards.
















Once we arrived at home, Ben lost his 1st tooth!!!!























We were afraid of any problems this might create later. . .














Just kidding!! The kids don't believe in either. They are not concerned where the presents/money come from. They are just happy that it comes!!!

Pete reads Luke 2


















with the sound of our Angel Chimes in the background.























And the kids get to open one present that is for all of them, usually a game.


















And we drink hot cocoa and eat cookies while we enjoy playing the game.


















Our family Christmas Eve 2010


















And we finish the night off with some laughs while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas.


















I love it!!! It is the calm before the storm of Christmas Day. . .

The Babysitters

One night last week I was not feeling well and Pete had to go out to his office to work.
Pete told our 2 oldest boys that they needed to help out and take care of the little ones for the evening.
So let me introduce you to THE BABYSITTERS.

Their 1st task was to change a smelly mess that the littlest little made.
The used bribery and candy. They knew what they were doing.























The next task was snack time. Red popsicles = no problem.















The last event was bed time. The babysitters got the kids dressed and brushed their teeth.
One babysitter was happy to see his bed.


















The other babysitter read a book to the little ones before lights out.


















A job well done BABYSITTERS!!!!!

(In case you are wondering. . . they do not get paid for this. Since they are a part of our family they are expected to help out.)

MONDAYS

I love Mondays!!!!
Why, you ask????
My mom takes the kids! All 4. From 9am - 7:30pm. EVERY Monday.
I know, I am VERY blessed.

So here's a glimpse of what I do. . .

This past Monday, I helped a friend of mine move.
It was cold and there was a lot of snow! Despite that, I had a great day and enjoyed being with her and her family.


















But the Monday before that, I worked and worked.
After dropping the kids off, I went on a few errands and I found these cute shirts for Lilly for $1.75 each!!


















Once I made it home, I started on some Christmas presents. Henry loves Robin but I did not want to spend the time or money on making or buying a costume. So I bought a red t-shirt for $1.60 and took apart a costume I had made when Henry was 14 months old.
It only took about 10 minutes.























I can't wait to see his face when he opens it!!!

Another present I am making is a castle for the Angel. One of my stops was to Lowe's to buy PVC pipe.























I found a new queen duvet at Goodwill for $6 and sewed it together to fit over the pvc. I am adding a few more details to make it really special. (This will probably be something I am finishing Christmas Eve so I will show the finished product after Christmas.)

The next projects I worked on were for Lilly's room.
A friend gave us this bed last Spring. It was her son's and needed a little bit of TLC to make it look fit for an Angel.























I painted it and added a new piece. Then I sanded.























I also took off the foot board. She has a small room and the foot board just made it feel crowded.























I also painted her dresser pure white. I got this one at a garage sale for $20 about 6 years ago and it has been many colors! I think we will stick with white now!








































































And my last thing in Lilly's room for that particular Monday was the chest.
It came from my Grandma. It was wood when I brought it home several years ago but got damaged. I painted it and then sanded down the edges. I still can't believe I painted over something this old, but it really did look bad.






















And this is how this area usually looks. . . princess dress hanging up and Brutus guarding things.























But, here is a view all cleaned up.























So even though a lot of work goes on during my Mondays, it is quiet work. . .

Weekend in a whirl

As Christmas quickly approaches it seems that our weekends are full of activity.
On Friday night we had 3 young guests spend the night.
This is an accurate picture. They were moving ALL night!!


















I thought it would be fun to do Fruity Pebble trees. It was a sticky mess. But the kids thought it was amusing.














Then on Saturday we headed to the Creation Museum with dear friends.
(Henry is in the middle)


















The usual family photo in the Garden of Eden.


















And with all of our visits here over the years, the kids are really starting to feel at home.
Moments before the photo below was taken, Henry was caught actually climbing into the garden!!! Maybe he wanted to give Adam suggestions on animal names. . .


















Lilly was unsure about the dinosaurs.


















But with the help of her friend, Jada, she rode on a Triceritops.























Once it got dark we headed out to see the live Nativity.
(FYI - hearing the words "due to inclement weather. . . " are never good when you are planning an outdoor activity!!)
Last year it snowed. This year it rained. Next year we are not going. Just kidding (maybe).
Also, Lilly & Pete are not pictured in the rest of the museum visit. Lilly was on her 10th meltdown of the day. The looks we were getting were frightening us enough that they hid themselves in the van until the rest of us were done.


















Even in the rain, this was fun. The soldiers were talking with us. Everyone kept saying "Shalom" to us and Henry would look at them and say, "yep".
The day was complete when Henry spotted a bobcat.


















It was absolutely beautiful.
















image aig.org

















image aig.org

And on Sunday, it snowed and snowed and snowed. We were able to creep down the road to attend my 2nd cousins birthday party.
And after that my grandparents gave Lilly a cradle for Christmas.
My grandpa made it just for her. It has my grandpa's initials and Lilly's name with the date burned into the bottom.






















A priceless gift.

I Wonder Who. . .

Put this hole in the wall????


















Everyone seems so surprised to see it. Amazing.

Free Time

What do children who are homeschooled, allowed NO video games, very limited computer time, no TV and can watch 1 movie per week that is dated pre-1975 do in their free time?????

Use their imaginations!!!

Ben - Revolutionary War soldiers with a bugle and guns.


















Peter - Animals escaped from the zoo ( reindeer, jaguar, elephant)














Peter - alien coming to earth























Peter - dune buggies for sale!!!


















Peter - "weeeeeeeeeee! I love to go for rides on this 4 wheeler!!!"


















Ben - " this airplane is going to take a lot of work before it's ready to fly again."


















Peter - "Just hold still while we get your parka buckled tight. It is cold out there on the Alaskan tundra. That guy over there is getting your raft blown up."


















Ben - "This plane is broken. She will never fly again."


















Peter - Henry's excavator


















Peter - "This dinosaur skeleton is like putting a puzzle together."



















The phrase "I am bored" is never allowed at our house. The only reason you are bored is because you are choosing not to use your mind.

P.S. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the person that invented modeling clay!!!