Packin' Up and Movin'!!

Well, friends, due to some technical difficulties (which are all my fault), I'm going to move my blog to a new address.  You can find me here.  My sister thinks I'm deserting all of my blogger "family", but really I think it will be okay.  I'll leave this blog here for a little while, but I'll probably delete it eventually.   It's part of my love of cleaning up and getting rid of stuff, I guess.   Why have a blog out there in cyberspace that you're not using any more??

So, come on over and join me again!

Fun!

The caption of the middle picture above should be, "Hey, I found my barrette and I'm taking it out right now!  HAHA!"

My friend, AnneJisca, is wanting to get into photography as a business.  She came over on Sat. and practiced on Hannah.  We couldn't do Josiah's 3-year pic, because he was at Grandma's for the day.  But we're going to do that in a few weeks.  It went quite well and I thought they turned out great for being done on the dining room table!  I made these collages on Picasa (oh what fun!!  I thought posting them was a lot easier and faster than deciding which ones to post individually!

In other exciting news, I have two heaping baskets of wet laundry to hang up downstairs and a bunch of burger thawing to make meatloaf.  Today was a rather excruciating day of schooling and parenting and I have a headache.  I need to go to bed early tonight!!  I hope that doesn't sound whiny.  It's just the way things are today.  

For you home-schoolers out there, I've been reading a great blog called "Grueling Homeschooling".  Doesn't the title just make you love it already?  If you read it, be sure to read the very first post.  I don't know how to make fancy links on here, but here's the address:  gruelinghomeschooling.beautifulheritage.com.  I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Monday...

Overheard At Our House

Logan: Dad, what is 7+7?

Keith: What is it?

Logan: Mmmmmm.....  Nine!

Josiah (with great enthusiasm):  You got it, Logan.  You got it!

Yup, what we're lacking in knowledge, we make up for with enthusiasm!!  

And on another note, yes you will get to see results of the photo shoot.  Pardon me, now, while I go play with the pictures.  I'll be back soon, I hope...

Cleaning Up The Pigpen

Tonight the house was, in Logan's words, "a pig-pen."  I had let everything go today, and we had a photo shoot in the dining room, compliments of our friend, AnneJisca.  So, yes, it was a pig-pen - toys, clothes, whatever, strewn everywhere.  So, just before bed-time, we told the boys we were having a "15 minute clean-up".  Or did we say 5 minutes??  Anyway, I had a little brain wave that actually worked really well this time.  I told the boys to count the things they put away - in the proper place.  I told them they could count every toy, sock, etc.  They seemed enthusiastic and we all dove in.  In about 15 or 20 minutes, Keith, Caleb, Logan and I put away approximately 500 items!!!  Now, probably 100 or more of those were legos, but still, I thought it was quite an impressive number.  And the difference it made was amazing.  I didn't offer any reward for the most items (Caleb would always win a contest like that!) or any money.  I momentarily considered a penny per item, but decided against it.  For this time anyway, the thrill of counting was enough.  Until they were in bed, then Logan said he wished they could have a reward.  So we got to have a smallish lesson on the reward of a clean house, etc. :-)  Anyway, there's my happy little story for the day.  Let me know if you try it and how many things you put away.

Confessions of a Non-Reader

Here it is.  The stack of books that I've started or browsed, but not finished, in the last few years.  Drives me crazy.  (In case you can't read it, the top two books are "Can You Hear Me?" and "Exploring the Spirit of Adoption".)

I'm married to a guy who devours books like I do chocolate.  I read some, but not at all like I want to.  These books are good and it's stuff I really want to learn from.  I'm not a big fan of New Year's resolutions, so I'm not going to make one.  But here's my idea.  I'm going to try to go to bed 10 or 15 minutes early and read just a little every night.  (That's what Keith does and it sure works for him.)  At that rate, do you think I could read a book a month or so?  That would sure be a big improvement.

On the other hand, I bought this the other day, and I'm sure I'll have no problem finishing it once I start it!  I can devour Bodie Thoene books even faster than chocolate.  I actually usually put off starting one of these books when I get it, because once I start, I'm useless until it's done.  I don't read much fiction and I buy even less, but this author is my favorite and I'll gladly buy her books!

So, what are you reading, or what is sitting beside your bed that you're not reading??

A Year In Review

Oh my word, our baby is one!  How did that happen?  Hannah joined us a year ago and forever changed the fabric of our family.  It's amazing how one little bundle can wiggle it's way into your hearts and lives.

One day old.  Hangin' out with Daddy.

About a month old.

Hannah wasn't so impressed with the Great Outdoors!

Flying to IN to help Auntie Rachel plan her wedding.  Hannah was a great traveler!

Five months old.

Now she likes the great outdoors a little better.  She did pretty well with camping this summer.

Baby food and Uncle Jeff's boat - a great combination!

Still no teeth...

Do you like my bed-head?

Hannah's first Christmas.

And now she's one!  Whew, what a year.  It's been rather a blur, but we sure wouldn't trade in our little punkin' for anything in the world! 

Don't Blink

Three years ago he was this little precious bundle.

Then he was this cutie pie toddler.

And suddenly, a big brother!

Now he's one of our resident goof-balls.

Josiah's birthday is on New Year's Eve.  We managed to have a Mom's and kids birthday party over lunch.  I think the kids had a lot of fun.  We Mom's did, anyway.  :-)

Yay!  A hockey stick from Scotty!

Anne Jisca made maple sugar candy in snow for us.  Yummy!!

Everyone say "three"!

Josiah wanted a blue cake.  That's all he cared about.  Not flavor, not shape.  Just blue!

Isn't he cute?!?  I'm sure I'm not biased...

I guess that's enough birthday for this year!

Christmas in Pictures

Since posting pictures is easier than writing, here are some pictures from the past month.

Making cookies with Grandma G.

Josiah got to put the angel on the tree.

This is what happens when Josiah helps decorate the tree. (That's a lego man.)

My family spent a weekend together at Stormer Lake.   We played lots of games, at lots of good food, we ladies did a fun craft, and the guys and kids played floor hockey and tore around in the gym.

Here we are decorating journals or notebooks with pictures and stuff from magazines.  It was so fun.  Sorta like scrap-booking, but easier.

Rhonda and her pink pages.

Two first-borns, Caleb and Caitlyn, playing Mastermind.

A common scene.  This game is serious business!

Erica, the Beautiful

Christmas morning.  We had the traditional brunch and then tore into the presents.  

Keith modeling his new shirt.

Josiah with his new guitar.  He was so happy he was speechless.  

Rachel and Dave.  Aren't they smashing?!?

Caleb and Logan made this shelf for me.  I was very touched!

Hannah's first Christmas. She was still kinda sick, so her eyes look very droopy.

Some of us had Christmas dinner at our house and then most of us went to Mike and Helen's for dessert.  Here are their two grandbabies, Serenity and Xander.  Aren't they cute??

The kids all over papa.

Grandma Dru surrounded by kids.

Larissa

Rachel playing twister with Caleb and Logan.

We had a good time with Rachel and Dave here for about 10 days.  The Christmas season is always so busy, it seems, but it was still fun - and exhausting.  By Christmas day I was so tired I could hardly function.  But, I'm catching up on my rest now, I think.  At least I will if I shut up now and head for bed immediately!!

Happy New Year, everyone!

This Week's Insanity Brought To You By...

Well, hi there!  Yes, I'm still alive.  Soon, very soon (after we get through Josiah's birthday and New Year's Eve, which happen to be the same day, and how's that for family planning?) I will post about why I haven't been posting, and hopefully also some pictures from Christmas.  But for now, this little story which amuses me and hopefully will you as well...

Tonight, after the day was basically done, I glanced down at my clothes and realized my shirt and pants didn't really match.  I remember thinking this morning as I threw on my clothes that I would wear this shirt because it goes with my light blue sweatshirt.  And the color of my jeans never once entered my mind.  Good thing today wasn't tomorrow, when I'm having three different shindigs here in one day!  Am I losin' it, or what?  :-)  

Oh, shoot, and while I'm here anyway, I'll just give you one little picture of our youngest cutie on Christmas day.

Of Chocolates and Friends, There Shall Never Be Too Much

I know these pictures are almost two months old, but that's just kinda how my life is these days.  :-)  A little behind.  So I thought I'd post them anyway, since I just want to.

The day after my birthday, I had a chance to fly up north to see my dear friend, Iris for the day.  (Well, for about 5 hours, actually.)  We took the opportunity to do our annual tradition of making Christmas candy.  It was fun, but the time just flew by and it seemed sort of like a dream that it even happened.  

I took Logan along since there was another seat in the plane.  He had fun playing with the kids and having a plane ride.  (Although he got a belly-ache when we were up in the clouds and he couldn't see the ground.)

Enjoying the ride.

The bush in the fall.

Our fearless pilot, my brother Matthew.

Co-conspirators in the production of much chocolate and sugar!

Yum!  Peanut butter balls.  Or buck-eyes if you're from Ohio.