My Sis and I

This was taken in late September I think! This was Jessica when she was about seven or eight months along ... and me ... early on in my pregnancy! ;)

Sometimes I see pictures that I meant to share earlier ... oh well. Better late than never!

Uh ... Oh ...

UH ... OH ...

Yup. Mom did it. Rookie move. Mom put an egg carton with snacks in it (great by the way for fine motor skills) in front of Max....

... but Mom also left the snack CONTAINER next to Max.

That meant snack galore in the egg carton.

Little stinker.

Chloe decided to help "clean up" the mess.

Max wasn't sure about her involvement in the whole deal. After all he WAS the BRAIN CHILD of such a genius plan.

The mess got "cleaned up" and we all giggled.

Merry Christmas 2011

Here are a couple of the images that our dear friend, Jenny Savage was able to get this last Sunday. It is NO SMALL thing to get eight little faces to look forward! She did a great job. We usually opt to have our picture taken outside as it yields great light and better contrast, but it is awfully cold outside and I imagined weeping and gnashing of teeth to accomplish that small miracle. So, to keep the littles somewhat happy, we stayed inside.

I hope to settle down and upload some more images and do a better update when I have time, but things lately have been pretty busy.

Until then, have a blessed time spent with family and friends remembering why we rejoice -

It's all about our Lord and Saviour ... Jesus Christ.

He came to die that we may live.

Merry Christmas

Phillip, Charrissa, Isaac, Gabriel, Ethan, Max, Elisabeth, Ivanna, Chloe, Justus and soon to debut: Christian Lee

Grateful Hands

Every year we make hand wreaths. Each child traces their hands on different autumn colored paper and then we make a wreath out of it and hang it on the back door. This year I thought why not expound on that idea. So each scissor abled child traced and cut MANY hands on different paper. They not only made wreaths but they also had loose hands that we scattered on the windows ... sort of like Autumn leaves falling to the ground. Oh ... the best part ... on each hand every child wrote something he or she is grateful for. We call it "Grateful Hands". It is an extremely fun project and made for wonderful conversation and some giggles along the way.

I love Fall. I love the look, the smells, and just the overall coziness.

We love decorating around here for Autumn just as much as we love decorating for Christmas!

Kidlets gathered around the table after school.

Tracing and cutting. Now ... you could make this a more efficient and faster process if you traced/cut out one hand for a template and then layered paper under and cut out many hands. But ... I not only enjoyed their conversation as they worked ... but some much needed Mommy Tea time and a break while the process took place ... ;)

Gabriel hard at work. He is a PERFECTIONIST. Hmmmm ... wonder where he gets that?

Ellie girl.

Some hands on the window as Isaac worked on his.

Our dining area becoming a Fall Haven.

Some wreaths and hands up. On the wreaths I have the children write their names, the date and their age. I try and save every wreath. It is a sweet keepsake that chronicles their hand size.

More wreaths.

Gotta be thankful for food. ;)

And of course ... the Christmas season. Actually there were some very well thought out things the children declared gratitude over ... family, salvation, church, the bible, food, Christmas, The Lord ... and the all important ... pretzel. (that was Chloe's sentiment)

Grandpa's Hat

In clearing my Dad's stuff out of his house and packing it up, we ran across several of his cowboy hats. Gabriel found this one in the garage the other day and put it on. He hardly ever takes it off now and prances around with it all day, literally - almost unaware he even has it on. He loves the thing. It's a tender reminder to me of two things. Of course, my Dad ... but also of my Gabe's heart. I'm sure it is that much more special to him because this hat is no ordinary hat. It is the hat of his grandfather ... fisherman extraordinaire, outdoors man to the hilt and owner of pretty cool hats. I think this picture would bring a smile to my Dad's face.

(and yes, Gabriel just recently got braces ... such a big boy)

I know this is blurry. I just like how it shows the love between Gabe and his sister, Ivanna. He really is a tender boy and has a heart for each of his siblings. He is always right there to try and help or play with a little. Look at Ivanna's face - she loves the attention.

Big Brother

Woz, the Ladybug

Meet Woz

Woz (pronounced 'Rose' - for those confused) is a new found pet. Ellie, our five year old, came in with Woz the other day and declared her a pet! What do five year olds do with tiny bean sized pets? Put them in a Ziploc baggie of course! She then found a pen and wrote (phonetically) Woz's name.

I laughed hysterically.

I never figured that to her, when people say 'Rose' - it sounds like 'Woz'. How cute she is.

The name Rose, will never be the same to me...