Family Fun at Christmas Time!

     Whew!  We are winding down a very busy holiday season here at our house!  This has been a crazier time than usual around here--and that's saying something!  With the Christmas festivities, school-break projects, doctor visits (for the upcoming arrival), and various other activities, we have been going what seems like non-stop for the past two weeks!

     Activities we have taken part in began early for us this December.  One of the first holiday activities we take part in is the local Christmas parade.  We have gotten involved in this through Scouting, and the boys look forward to being in the parade and throwing candy to the on-lookers!  (Mommy looks forward to getting rid of all the candy that has accumulated in the house!)  So, Daddy and the boys suited up and did the parade thing, and Mommy and Stitch watched with our friends on the sidelines!  (And collected yet more candy.  I told the boys that the only rule was that we come back with less candy than we brought--and we did! Yay!)  Here are a couple of pics from the parade...

Levi all bundled up and ready to watch the parade!

Here's your candy!  :)  

     Right after the Christmas parade, we headed over to Baby A's first birthday party!  It's hard to believe that just a year ago, she was fighting hard in the NICU to come home and be with her mommy and daddy!  The boys, especially Stitch, love their baby cousin, and she getting big enough now to enjoy them as well!  It was a fun birthday party--with one special announcement--Baby A is going to be a big sister!!  Her mommy helped her open this very special present to announce this happy news!  (Although, you can see from the corner of the picture that Baby A was more impressed with her other things!) 

A new baby is coming!  :)

     In the midst of all these fun activities, we still have to have school!  Although, it's not all work all the time!  The students worked hard in the first quarter and all of them made Honor Roll.  So, we planned a fun Honor Roll field trip to Chuck E. Cheese!  They all seemed to have a lot of fun, and earned lots of tickets for some fun prizes.  The only problem is--what are we going to come up with for the next one?? 

First-Born & Middle Biscuit playing a flying game.

Stitch concentrating on riding his police motorcycle!  

     After some other fun school activities, it was finally time for Christmas break!  The boys were looking forward to it, and so were Mommy and Daddy!  We were able to enjoy some get-togethers with extended family, and then it was time to gear up for the big day!  We enjoyed a lazy Christmas morning before packing up and heading to the grandparent's house for more celebrations. 

All dressed up and looking handsome!  (When I pulled Stitch's outfit out of the closet that morning, he took one look at it and said "Uh-uh, no way, I am NOT wearing that!  Mommy firmly convinced him otherwise!)

New Lego Wii game!

Middle Biscuit checking out his new Lego set!

Stitch's current favorite toy!  He had been eyeing this for a while in the store...he loves to play with these imaginext sets.

      The boys were excited about all their gifts, but they were probably the most thrilled about getting their Legos back.  A couple of months ago, Daddy decided to teach a lesson in taking care of our things, so he told the boys that he had to put all the Legos in his room, and they had to spend the next few weeks searching through the house and gathering any stray Legos they could find.  He gave them a nickel apiece for each one they brought to him.  When they had gone several weeks without finding any, he would begin working on a Lego shelf for all their Legos to live on, and they could have them back when the shelf was finished at Christmas time. 

     Well, they continued to find Legos all the way up until Christmas break, so Daddy built the shelf during the break and gave the boys back their Legos on Christmas day.  There are just a few more finishing touches to go before we install our finished project in the toy room.  The boys had to help build and paint the shelf as well.  Daddy hopes that this exercise will help them remember how much work goes into something, and not to be so careless that things are lost or broken.  When everything is set, I'll try to post some pics of the finished project! 

     While the guys were working on their project, Mommy had a big one of her own to tackle--getting the room ready for the new arrival!  Lots of things had to be rearranged, and all the gifts we received needed to be sorted and put away.  Let's just say it is a very big job, and it's not finished yet!  But I have made a good start, and hope to plug away at it in my spare (haha!) time before her arrival.  (Funny aside: I am having dreams now about the baby coming, and when it gets here it's a boy...and I'm freaking out because we have all these girly things ready to go! Although, technically, I guess we are prepared even if there were to be any surprises!)

     One of the last projects that we will work on a little at a time is the after Christmas thank-you notes.  I have a ton to write for the baby gifts received as well as the Christmas gifts.  I will be having the boys write them as well, for the gifts they received.  This is a tradition that has gone somewhat by the way-side, but I think it is still a great tool for teaching gratefulness for blessings received.  (Also, a little extra reading/writing practice never hurt anyone!)  Do any of you still do this with your kiddos? 

     Well, this post has been long, but I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our holiday season!  Happy 2013, and I hope you are looking forward to a brand new year filled with "Lego" moments!  :)  

Update from the First Week of School!

     Well, here I am again--a month between posts!  In all fairness to myself, though, this past month has been insanely busy.  Even more insane than usual...which is saying a lot!  But, I had a few spare minutes after house cleaning and before I start supper, so I thought I'd better take advantage of them!  I hope I get done in time...

     The biggest happening around here has of course been the start of the school year.  All the boys are in school this year, (this is what happens when Mommy and Daddy teach there!) so we are all busy with school and new schedules.  So far, it seems to be working out pretty well.  (She said optimistically the fourth day of school into the year...)  I guess we will see how things keep progressing.

     The week before school started, Mommy, Daddy, and Middle Biscuit were all very ill with a stomach bug.  I can't complain too much, because I can count on one hand the number of illnesses of that type we have had in our family.  But all I will say is that I have literally never been so sick in my life.  Maybe it was being pregnant and being sick at the same time (also a very rare thing for me) but I have never been so glad to be well before!  Thankfully, we were all mostly better for the first day of school.

    School is much more interesting this year.  We have doubled enrollment again this year, and are now up to twenty students.  So, because of the way our school is set up, and how our curriculum works, it is similar to a home-school setting.  So, Hubby and I, and Mrs. H (the kindergarten teacher), and Mrs. F (our new helper this year) are pretty busy all day.  Listening to reading, helping with Math, challenging students to retain information, and most of all, instilling Godly character are the things we strive for every day.  We have students from very different backgrounds, some with special learning challenges, and it is our job to train them up in the way they should go.  Such an awesome responsibility!  Sometimes, I have to take a step back and say "Lord, you know I can't do this on my own..."  There is a different level of pressure than home-schooling, I feel, because you home-school your own kids.  They are already your responsibility.  But parents have entrusted their kids to us for a large portion of their day--you don't want to "mess up" someone else's kids!  :)  But God has truly blessed and given strength beyond measure for this undertaking.

     Two of the boys were excited to start school this year.  First-Born didn't want to have to do his school work--doing nothing all summer was much more fun apparently!  But they were all up and ready to go for the first day...after some cajoling by Mommy!  I think I even got smiles from everyone in the "first day of school" picture!

      Of course, the most excited one this year is Stitch!  He is finally big enough to go to "real" school.  He very seriously told me that he needed a backpack, lunchbox, and a "big blue box" (pencil box) like his brothers had.  Also, two pencils, markers, and new crayons.  Oh, and his own scissors and glue stick.  He was very excited to take his picture all by himself...he actually pushed his brother out of the picture because it was his turn! 

      Baby L. seems to be handling all the changes well also.  Mommy is finally feeling a little better, or maybe I'm just so busy I don't have time to notice it anymore!  We should be finding out what we're "getting" at our next appointment, which is in a couple of weeks.  I don't have any "leanings" one way or the other right now...people keep asking me if I want a girl this time.  I'm not sure if I would even know what to do with a girl at this point!  :)  The boys all want another boy---I guess they think "Why mess with a good thing?"   Stay tuned for the big reveal in a few weeks!

     I thought I would end this post with a funny Stitch story that happened this past week.  We were eating supper and I had told the boys to eat with less talking because it was Wednesday, and we had to get ready for church.  Well, it was quiet around the table (a rare occurrence!) and all of a sudden Stitch gasps and says, very excitedly, "Mommy! Do you know what my brain is doing?!"  Of course I had to say no--that is such a loaded question from a three year old!  He then replied, "It's singing "Trust & Obey" all by itself inside my brain--right here!"--pointing to his forehead.  Then he said "See?" and stares me dead in the eye--like I could hear inside his head!  Well, I didn't want to hurt his feelings by laughing, so after much inward struggle, I was able to reply that it was great that his brain was singing such a good song, and God likes to hear him singing all the time!  He is at the age of discovery--and it sometimes his discoveries are hilarious!  Definitely a "Lego moment!"  :) 

Bowling, Valentines, and Other Fun Stuff!

     This week has been a busy one for us around here!  To begin with, we are finally starting to get over the recent sickness that has been plaguing us.  Yay! I think I should have purchased stock in a tissue company...we would have seen major profits the past two weeks!  Anyway, I finally put away the medicine back in the medicine closet...the first sign we're mostly better!

     Monday, I realized that in all the planning for the Valentine celebration at school, the boys didn't have their Valentines done yet!  So we spent Monday evening working hard on Valentines for all our friends at school.




  Here's First -Born working hard on his Valentines---Choosing just the right one for just the right person!






     Then there's Middle Biscuit...he was able to write all his Valentines by himself this year!  Getting so big! 



     Last-but definitely not least!-here's Stitch with his finished Valentines!  I can't decide if the face says "I love you" or "You'd better watch out!"

     The next day was Tuesday.  We decided to have our Honor Roll field trip and our Valentine party all on the same day.  All the students in the school have made Honor Roll for the first two quarters, so we wanted to take them on a field trip that was fun, not "educational."  We also had to find something that covered a wide age group...from 3 to 18!  This is not a very easy task!  But we finally decided on bowling, and it was a hit!  Every one had a great time--even the teachers!  Even I bowled...and I am the worst bowler ever!  Mrs. Porter got to come with us and she brought her new Valentine...

Baby A!  She was bedecked in her Valentine's finest...and look at her cute smile!  :)









   I enjoyed being able to practice taking pictures on a mostly stationary subject, and Stitch was excited to get to spend a few minutes with his new cousin! 







     I love his expression in this one!  Anyway, I hope you had a great Valentine's Day, and that you were able to give out lots of love to all your special Valentines!  :)

Weekend Wrap-up

     So, it's finally Saturday after a long week of work for everyone!  We've had an enjoyable day so far, with a little work this morning, and some visiting with family this afternoon!  Just thought I'd take a few minutes to update you on our week!


     This was the first week of school where we went until 3:00 every day, and the first week that we had P.E. for the last hour of the day.  Yours truly is the P.E. teacher, and let me just tell you...the 20 minutes of yoga I have been doing in the morning after I get up has been missing a few muscles!  I was a little sore after playing kickball (!!) with the kiddos at school, but it may have been the "claustrophobics" (one student's word for "callisthenics"!) I had them doing... 


     First-Born had his first official piano lesson this week as well.  He really enjoyed it, but it was less enjoyable when he realized he would have to practice a little more than he has been, and that it would take a little longer!  He really impressed me today though.  We had to clean up a tree that had fallen on our shed during all the rain we had here on Labor Day.  So, this morning we all got up and headed outside to work on getting it cut apart and hauled away.  Daddy was wielding the chain saw, and I was driving the tractor pulling the wagon to carry the limbs away to the brush pile. (Hee-hee, Mommy gets the easy job!) First-Born got his gloves on and started filling the big wheel-barrow with limbs, and driving it to the brush pile all by himself!  He made 5 or 6 trips down the the brush pile and back with a full wheel-barrow every time!  The best part of this was that there was not one word of complaint or whining the whole time!  Believe me...this is a marked improvement!  He will be 7 next week, and I have been telling him recently that it is time for him to act less like a baby and more like a young man.  Maybe it's sinking in... 


     Middle Biscuit is thoroughly enjoying K5 too.  He will be starting piano lessons this week, and he is looking forward to that too.  He is my more musically inclined one, and I think he will do great with them.  He is becoming more open with others too, which is good.  He has always been my "loner" child; playing for hours by himself with his Legos.  School is encouraging him to play with everyone, and do things with a group, even if he's not good at them.  He has definitely been blossoming out so far.  But he still heads right to the toy room after school to work on his latest Lego creation!  


     I guess that bring us up to Stitch.  And what else is there to say but...he's Stitch!  He's been working hard to adjust to his new life, and he's definitely always on the look-out for an extra hug or cuddle from Mommy or Daddy!  But I think he's doing fairly well, all things considered.  He enjoys going into the K5 class for the first hour of school.  He has picked up several things already, and can say parts of Psalm 100 and sing most of "Onward Christian Soldiers"!  He was thrilled to bring his Bible and help lead the pledges in the class on Wednesday!  He may be able to skip kindergarten altogether...!  


     Well, that about wraps up this "weekend wrap-up!"  It's getting to be bath time around here and tomorrow's Sunday!  Have a great Lord's Day, and remember to say a prayer for our country on Patriot day!  :)

School Days!

     Okay, we are well on our way in this school year!  I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to teach this year, and for the opportunity to serve the Lord in a new way!  It is so exciting to see Him working in the ministry here, and in our family!


     Practicing the schedule last week has really come in handy for this first "real" week of the school year.  I am sooo glad we worked hard and didn't quit half-way through!  The boys have been able to get up and get going pretty well, and they are even cheerful about it!  (Mommy takes a little while to wake up by herself, so by the time I have to interact with anyone, I can be cheerful too!)  Stitch is having a little difficulty adjusting to Mommy and brothers being gone, but he did better today, so I think by the end of the week, he'll be great!  It helps that he can put on his back-pack and head out the door with the rest of us.  Also, Middle Biscuit's K5 teacher has been so gracious in allowing Stitch to come in her classroom and spend a little while in the morning time, while we are waiting on our Mimi to pick him up!  A blessing of living next door is that he can also join us for lunch, which makes him feel like a "big boy!"  


     It is exciting to be able to have the chance to learn the personalities of all our students this year.  We have some great kiddos in our school family, and I'm sure you will be reading some anecdotes throughout the year from all the funny stuff the kids say and do!  (With the names changed to protect the "innocent", of course!)  Like today, one of our kindergarten students was showing some concern with his food during lunch time.  Mrs. P (our principal) went over to see what his issue was.  He looked up at her and said, with some frustration, "There were supposed to be meatballs in this ravioli!  I guess they were so small I didn't even notice them!"  He was so serious, and somewhat offended...I think if he was a little older, he would have asked for a refund! 


     Home life is going well so far too...I'm not feeling overwhelmed yet.  Although, it is only day two of the school year...maybe I'm being too optimistic?  There may be a post one day where I've completely lost it and can only ramble on incoherently as to why I thought this would be a good idea in the first place.  But for now, it's going well (actually better than I expected!) which makes me feel extra confident.  I know I am only doing this with the Lord's help though, so I'm taking extra moments here and there to say a quick "thank You" prayer.  Thanks to all the readers who've been praying too...couldn't do it without those either!  


     So, that about wraps it up for this post...I hope all of your school years are starting off well too!  Don't forget to look for those "Lego" moments in all the insanity that is our life!  :)