Thanksgiving, 2011

Mom hosted a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner at her house in the mountains.   I wish I had thought to take some pictures of the table spread or some nice group photos but I was to busy with all the children and forgot.   I did get a few pictures of “the kids” all playing Candyland-  Bob’s daughters Jackie & Kileigh (22yo and 20yo, I think), Alec (13yo) and the four little ones- Mary (7yo), Nathan (6yo), Savannah (4yo) and Lyra (20 months).

Alec in the background, Nathan in Kileigh’s lap, Mary on the right.

Savannah and Jackie.

Jackie, Alec & Kileigh

Kileigh & Nathan

Mary getting a piggyback ride from Uncle Mikey.

What else did we do?

-Ate a lot of good food and a lot of pie.

-Played games- Candyland for the kids and SET for the adults.   Shira was banned from playing because it’s like playing basketball with Michael Jordan.  No one else has a chance, least of all us regular folks.   Kelly, Sarah & Mike ended up arguing over the game.  Mom said “It’s just like old times!”  haha!

-Went for walks

-Played hide-and-go-seek

-Pinched Lyra’s fatness.

-Played with the cat.

-Kids made puppet crafts.

And last, but certainly not least, I brought these funny glasses.    You wind up the nose and it makes the eyebrows waggle.  Hysterical.   I made everyone take a picture with them on.  I’d post Mom’s picture but I think she’d kill me if I did.    FYI: Bob & Nathan have one of those gherkin pickles. 

~~**~~ADVENT~~**~~

I love Advent.  After several years of Advent failures, I feel like we’ve finally figured out how to do Advent in a way that works for our family.

Advent starts in two weeks and I’m so looking forward to it!   Here are a few of our favorite resources or activities.

1.  The Advent Book  is amazing.   The illustrations are just gorgeous.   The pages are made out of sturdy cardstock and are made to last.   This is definitely an heirloom book and one that will be passed down to your children.

2. My second favorite is One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham.  Beautiful illustrations, beautiful telling of WHY we needed Christ to come.

3. We will probably do a few activities from The ADVENTure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in our Holiday Traditions.

4.  I’ve made two new purchases this year- the first is  The Jesse Tree  by Geraldine McCaughrean.   I’m planning on reading it and using the ornaments that Ann at Holy Experience gives away with her  FREE Advent Devotional Book every year.    Kip always cuts down a little branch from a pine tree to use as our Jesse Tree.

And I just ordered this!   Isn’t it lovely??!?    I’m so excited- I love it.   I’ve wanted to do an Advent wreath for years.   I thought about making my own but when I saw this last summer I just fell in love with it.   It should be here sometime next week and I can’t wait.   I just need to track down some pink & purple tea candles and we will be all set.

In the center I am thinking of doing some pine greens, maybe a pillar candle… I’m not sure yet.  I have some cinnamon scented pine cones that I will use in some of the little holes.

5. We have a Fontanini Nativity set that I bought when I visited Rome with my Mom in January 2003.   I bought it at a little store right in front of St. Peter’s Cathedral.   It was steeply discounted, probably because they don’t sell to many Nativity sets in January.     Every year we set it up in the bay window in our kitchen and we put the three wise men upstairs in a far corner of the house.   Each day they move just a little bit closer to the Nativity.   Baby Jesus also doesn’t come to the Nativity until Christmas morning.

This year we are moving our family devotional time to right after supper.   We will begin with lighting our Advent candles and then open one door in The Advent Book, read the scripture & put an ornament on our Jesse Tree.    Then we will read one chapter of The Jesse Tree from Geraldine McCaughrean.    I’ll read One Wintry Night and do some of the Advent crafts during the day with the children.  Each night, after the children are in bed, I move the camels a little bit and so they run to find those in the morning when they are searching for Jingle, our Elf on the Shelf.

Savannah, Lyra, Nathan & Mary- Advent, 2010

Halloween, 2011

This year we have a Colonial Era Soldier….

 A Beautiful Princess…

A Delicious Bunny Rabbit… 

And a Pretty Little Butterfly!   (she’s on the wagon for our neighborhood hayride.   Kip hooks up lights and drags it with his suburban- very fun!)

Surveying the loot… 

Mummy Cupcakes and Candy Apples….

10/30/2011  Carving the Jack-O-Lantern.   My Dad & Sharon arrived for the night on their way to Florida.   We had a quick dinner, carved the jack-0-lantern, ran out to pick up hay for the Halloween hayride, and listened to Dad tell the kids stories from his childhood.   Fun night but a late one!

This was Mary’s design!   She drew a picture of how she wanted the jack-o-lantern to look and Daddy, our chief artist, carved it. 

Listening to Pap Pap.

It’s (almost) impossible to get a good picture of all the kids!  Here they are at our church’s 4th of July picnic.  We are inside because there was a torrential downpour outside!

I think Lyra wanted to get down…

Happy Father’s Day to the Greatest Dad I Know- My Husband!

The children made (with my help) a tape measure card for their Dad- I think it came out pretty cute!    Here’s Kip with Mary, Nathan & Savvy.  Sweet Roo was sound asleep in her cribby.

Saturday, 4/23- Easter Egg Hunt at Kip’s Parent’s House.

Sunday, 4/24- Easter Morning

Mary with her Easter Basket- this was my basket as a child & it was my Dad’s basket when he was a kid!   He thinks that Aunt Harriette gave it to him.

Kip & I usually give the children only a very little bit of candy & then a toy.  This year they each got a chocolate bunny, peeps, a cadbury egg & some Reece’s Pieces in their basket.   Nathan got his long wished-for Science kit, Mary got Kaleidoscope gears & Savvy got some books to go with the Tag Reader.    Lyra got a couple of outfits.

Lrya was mesmorized by the basket- I never could get her to  look up at the camera.  She was to busy investigating!

Savvy with her lamb from Build-A-Bear.

Nathan doing his science kit with Kip.   He loves this kind of stuff!

Hunting for eggs in the front yard!