Elves, Dwarfs, and Me

So Ethan came up to me today and asked if Elves were real… I told him no, and he said" but Dwarfs are right?"  I told him that Dwarfs are not a race, but a condition that some people have which causes them to not to grow as tall as normal people would…. He looked at me and totally serious said “So, you’re a Dwarf then?”

Happy Birthday Baby!

I can’t believe that Robbie is 10!  How did that happen?  It has been a real joy to be his mom :)  He is so affectionate, has a sweet spirit, and is a hard worker!  I love my little man!

 
November 28, 2000 – 7lbs 14oz – 21 inches.  Look at that precious little face!
 
My baby today – November 27, 2010 – 71lbs – 56 1/2 inches.  He is a little man :(

We had his birthday party today.  He wanted a dinosaur birthday party with a cake that had a volcano!  it was my job to figure out how to make that happen.  Thanks to the suggestion of mom, a tin can, a little casserole dish and a whole lot of frosting was used.

not as easy as it looks to make a volcano!  LOL  Cake decorating is not my forte’ but he thought it was the coolest cake ever… so that is what counts!

The kids made Dino Dia-o-rama’s at the party.  They had a lot of fun with them.  It was interesting to see each kids personality come through with the art/craft of the project

                      Liam’s                                                         Will’s

                     Ethan’s                                                          Kathy’s

                       Sam’s                                                      Robbie’s
                       Ben’s                                                         McCara’s

                      Lena’s

After the Dia-o-rama’s the kids all went outside for a snowball fight!

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And then they came in for cake and ice cream and to sing Happy Birthday to Robbie!
 

All in all – a good day and a good party.  I think everyone had fun and Robbie’s little face was lit up the whole day!

How could I be any more blessed?

God has blessed me with so many things this year… I am not even sure where to start :)  I guess the biggest one would be Robert being converted to permanent at Amazon, then converted to work at home and then to digital work from home.  He has been able to advance with them and he is enjoying the work too :)  After the last 3 years of upheaval in the job area it is nice to have some stability.

Next would be BSF and the study of Isaiah this year.  It has given me a new appreciation of who my God really is and the awesomeness of Him.  All of the kids are going to BSF now too, and it is a blessing to be able to share my love of God’s Word with them and to see them growing in their walks with the Lord.

Robert’s diabetes has been a blessing in disguise (as only God can turn what we see as bad into our good) too.  It has caused our whole family to eat better, exercise and I have so far lost 34 pounds!  Robert, even with his insulin injections has maintained his weight which has been a lot of work on his part. 

My Grandpa celebrated his 90th birthday this year!

My parents are still active and able to share in the kids’ lives.Making memories with them and getting lots of snuggles :)

I’ve met new people, reacquainted with old friends (thanks to facebook), and deepened friendships with some whom I’ve overlooked or under appreciated.

I am privileged to home school my children and develop friendships with them.  Sharing experiences with them and watching as they enjoy life like only a child can.

My sister Jodi came home from Costa Rica so all of us are here in the Tri-Cities and my children get to know and love on all their aunts :)  Not to mention that with all of them close and my mom too I have a built in support system… No one could be better cheerleaders , life coaches, or sounding boards than the girls in your family!

So, when Thanksgiving rolled around this year, I had so much to be thankful for!  We went out to mom and dad’s for dinner this year.  Mom and Jodi had everything set up beautifully.  There were 23 of us there this year, so we needed three tables to hold us all :)
Next to each plate was a little turkey place holder and two kernels of corn.  At the end of the meal we each said two things we were thankful for, to remind us the reason we were celebrating
 
And of course we can’t forget the food!

After dinner mom took the kids out to play Fox and Geese in the snow :)  We almost had to call 911 for mom, but AnnDrea took over for mom as the Fox so all was good!

and to top it off, Grandpa played Silent Night on the Harmonica for me :)

Ineffective!

While at Thanksgiving dinner at my mom’s house, the kids table had plastic tableware and Liam was trying to cut his turkey with the plastic fork… he held it up to my mom and said “Nanny, this knife is ineffective!”

Snow, Snow, Snow

Snow, Snow, Snow
It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow
Snow, I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow
Snow, I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow
Snow, Oh, to see a great big man entirely made of snow
Where it's snowing
All winter through
That's where I want to be
Snowball throwing
That's what I'll do
How I'm longing to ski
Through the snow-oh-oh-oh-oh
Those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
Snow, Oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow
What is Christmas with no snow
No white Christmas with no snow
Snow, I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye
Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow

We got our first snow fall of the season last night… November 21… that NEVER happens here.

by the time I woke up there was 5 inches of snow on the ground!  Even in the middle of December it doesn’t usually snow that much.  and it hasn’t stopped snowing yet.  The kids are having GREAT fun playing in it today

 

A Snow Angel

Lena making a snow angel

Snow Ball Fight!

Hats, Gloves, Coats and Shoes drying next to the fire

Lena’s shoelaces had little snowballs on the ends of them.. it was so funny to see :)

My Special Day

I finally did the layouts for my Birthday :)

The first one is the layout of Karaoke with the Mackebons – It was my first time doing karaoke… it was fun and I had a wonderful time spent with friends and Robert!

Credits:
Everything from Roseytoes Designs and Serene RW's collab Kit Fresh Blooms; Freebie Template

I had a 2 day celebration this year!  So here is day 2 layout

Credits:
Everything by Roseytoes Designs: Long Lost Love Kit; Alpha by Karen Hunt; Template by thedailydigi; Font: Better Heather

Boys and Girls Have Their Day

Mom and Dad decided to take the kids to their house for a sleep over and a fun night/day out.  The girls went out to mom and dad’s first.  They got the play dress up, make cookies, watch movies, and go shopping.

Credits:
Most Everything from Bionic Girl by Roseytoes Designs and Jen Yurko; Stitching and Flowers by Flergs; Alpha by Kim Christensen; Template by Manda Girl

The boys went next…. they got to make a fort out of palletts in the pasture, eat snacks in the “man cave” and ride in the back of Papa’s truck.

Credits:
Everything by Roseytoes Designs (Fixing to be Fall Kit); Alpha by Katie Pertiet; Font: mammagamma; Template by MandaGirl

Under Construction

Please excuse the mess :)  I have switched blog sites and instead of going with the pre-made templates, etc, I wanted to make my own.. but it is taking time and tweeking.  So if you stop by and things don’t look right come back again…. it will all be beautified soon :)