We Gather Together . . .

My mom's family was able to get together on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for our twice annual reunion. We had a good time, considering there was a kid-friendly play factory in the facility.
Emmet, Alyssa, Ephraim and Garret

Eliza, contemplating going down the slide. She is normally my fearless one, but for some reason, she was not too sure of the Fun Factory.

Eden, waiting to go down the slide.

Going up!

Eden boucing around!

Alyssa and Eden coming down.

And Eliza eventually came down on her own. I did have to go down the slide a few times to get her used to it.

Garret and Ephraim.

And then we tried to get a cousins picture at Grandma's house, but the kids were pretty tired by then. Garret, Eden, Alyssa, Ephraim, Eliza and Emmet.

And a family get together is not complete without a round or two or three of Spit. A fast-paced card game where everyone is playing Solitare but also laying on others' cards in the center. I grew up playing it and now I'm passing on the tradition to Ephraim who is begging to play it often. That's my boy!

Shepherds & Sheep gone wild!

In preparation for the kids' church Christmas program, we had to take some outdoor photos of the kids in their costumes. All went well with the boys. Not so well with the girls, or for most of the girls' class. They were a bit unsure of the sheep costumes!
Shepherds by the fire.
The shepherds running around, trying to corral one sheep. This Eliza sheep fled the scene. Where's Eden? Attached to my leg, of course!

A whole lot of shepherds and one brave sheep.

The shepherds hearing the good news from the angels. Ephraim's in the plaid, second from the right.

Emmet's in the plaid on the far left.

Want to see more? Come to their concert!

Thanksgiving break!

The boys enjoyed a 5 day break from school for Thanksgiving. To keep them busy on Wednesday, at least, we played Legos (of course) and did a craft.

Here is my Lego creation! A nativity scene for the kids. There are two angels in the back, a camel, two sheep (the white animals), three pigs, two shepherds and three wise men (the men on the right with briefcases). And it wouldn't be complete without Joseph and Mary and Baby Jesus in the trough.
The craft: using glass marbles to make a scene on a picture frame.

The kids with their finished products. Eliza made two Christmas trees with a red cross in the middle. Ephraim is holding my Christmas tree on the left and his manger scene. Emmet also did a manger scene. And Eden's creation is a snowman which Ephraim did for her. We had a lot of fun with this and the kids were really creative! I thought we would stick to something simple like my Christmas tree, but Ephraim had the idea to do the nativity!

Love is the Light of Christmas!

We spent an hour or so putting up Christmas lights outside. We wrapped three trees and used some rope lighting to line one side of the driveway. Here's Seth doing the work with 4 supervisors.

Holding a meeting to decide which color would be first on the middle tree . . .red won. Then blue, then green.

Everyone walking around the tree, following Daddy.

Ooops! Looks like Ephraim got a little wrapped up in the action!

And, not to be left out. . . here's Emmet enjoying being tied up! We had a great time putting up our outside lights. It's not perfect, and it won't win any contests, but that's okay with us. It's the memories that count!

Snakes alive!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving Day lunch with my parents. After a wonderful lunch, the kids decided that they wanted to go looking for snakes in my parents' well. The have done this in the past and have not forgotten about it. Let's just say that the kid had their coats and shoes on in record time. They were ready to go but there was no way that Seth was going to join them!
The first snake in Grandpa's hand.
Passing it around--Eden has it.

Eww, now Ephraim is holding one as big as he is!

Finding the snake a new home--a mole hole.

Grandpa digging for more!

Eliza with the prize!

And carrying it to another mole/snake hole.

Ephraim holding another one.

And the last two! We relocated 4 total. I couldn't believe how unafraid the kids were. This is not your typical Thanksgiving activity, but the kids enjoyed it and I'm sure they'll remember this.

Divine Intervention

This is a story about Divine Intervention/Good Samaritan/Thanksgiving, all in one.

I was working today (Tuesday) and was lamenting to my co-workers that I needed some fusible interfacing for a sewing project. There are no other places that carry this product in town, except Wal-Mart. I called another local drug/gift store and they did not have it.
Also, there were only four of us in the office for the day, which meant that lunch hours had to be adjusted a bit. I was elected to go at noon instead of my normal 1-2pm lunch. And that was fine with me.
Now, if you know me very well, you know that I do not like Wal-Mart. I go there about once every 6-8 weeks and only for a few things.

I'm approaching Wal-Mart and I turn right into the driveway. And then I noticed him.

A homeless/transient man on the corner with a cardboard box sign "Down and out, Please Help, God Bless." And God just spoke to me. I was only going into the store for two items, but I knew that I had to buy him a sandwich.

I found my fusible interfacing and then went to buy a sandwich. But then I thought, "Why buy him a sandwich when I can buy him a loaf of bread and some sliced ham." I picked up the meat and bread.

And then I had to search for the canned pumpkin that I needed. While searching, I went past the peanut butter and jelly. "Oh, that'd be good for this man." I picked up a jar of each. I turned around and saw the fruit cups. "Oh, those would be good too."

I found my canned pumpkin and then thought "Uh-oh. If I get him peanut butter and jelly and fruit, then I'd better get him some silverware." A 48 pack of forks, knives and spoons seemed a bit of overkill, but it would have to do.

I grabbed a bottle of Gatorade, too. Then it was time to check out. I was hoping that he would not be gone from the corner yet. I grabbed some Pringles and M&Ms in checkout. Those would be special for him, too.

I put his things in one bag and my interfacing and pumpkin in another. As I walked to the van, I was watching the corner to make sure he hadn't left. Good, he's still there.

I prayed that traffic would be light when I got to the corner so I wouldn't block traffic or cause a scene. And the light was green when I pulled up. I got out, grabbed my cloth bag with the bread, lunchmeat, peanut butter, jelly, fruit, chips, chocolate, drink bottle and 48 pieces of silverware. As I walked toward him, he got up and I said "Here are some groceries for you."

"Oh, thank you. Thank you! Bless you!"

"You're welcome." And I turned to walk away with tears in my eyes. He went back to his spot . . . . looking slowly through what I'd brought him . . . and then he folded up his sign. As if this eliminated the need for him to beg for food, at least for a while anyway.

I was in my vehicle, pulled away and waved. He waved back. And then I watched him walk up the embankment for . . . well, only God knows where he was headed but at least I know that he had enough food for a couple of days.

So, it was meant to be that I would go to Wal-Mart on this day.
It was meant to be that I would go at a different time than my regular lunch hour.
It was meant to be that traffic would be light at the stoplight at this appointed time.
I was glad to be his Good Samaritan for the day.
God orchestrated these events so a life would be touched with only $17. We have so much to be thankful for!

Hearts at Home

I had the wonderful privilege of attending a Hearts at Home conference in Rochester on November 12 and 13.

Friday night was a mix of comedy, worship music and drama. It was wonderful to meet my college roommate there, too. We don't get to see each other often, so that was an added bonus.

Saturday was a big day of speakers and break-out sessions.

First, it was Nicole Johnson with drama and Jill Savage talking about the power of words. As mothers, we need to speak affirming words, recognize the power of accepting words, speak appreciative words and know the power of apologizing. Words can be like arson in our own home. And there's power in God's word in our life. It was a very good session!

And then it was off to a break-0ut session with Susie Larson, author of "Growing Grateful Kids." It's a book I am reading right now and I was anxious to meet the author.

"We cannot impart to our kids what we do not possess." We need to model thankfulness, practice restraint, take time to play, teach forgiveness and give a blessing. These were her top 5 points with several parental applications for each.

Then it was time for lunch and my next session with Jill and Mark Savage, authors of "Living with Less So Your Family Has More."

It's a book I've read and really enjoyed. She talked about having less stress, less activities and less money but also having more availability, peace, patience, kindness, joy, better health, better organization, more energy, time and attentiveness. Living with less is a counter-cultural mindset. Certain sacrifices are ok in our pursuit to live with less: comfort, hobbies, entertainment and career. Certain sacrifices are not ok: relationship with God, marriage and identity. They also talked about principles to live by, simplicity, frugality and faith. If you want to know more: read their book!

My next session was with Sharon Autry "Weeds or Trees--Growing Kids Who Stand Strong" She's one of the moms from http://www.momandlovingit.org/ . This was a great session that addressed what we as moms can do to prepare our children for the storms of life. We learned what we can do to work the soil of their heart, get the rocks out of the way and help them be strong rooted. She also had a lot of scripture to back up her presentation. They have a great calendar out with a certain trait to pray for your kids each day. And mine has been lost on the refrigerator. Her simple suggestion was to hang it in the bathroom! Brilliant! Now I see it a lot more and remember to say those brief prayers for my kids.

My last session was with Jill Savage, author of "Real Moms . . . Real Jesus" I'm also reading this book and had Jill autograph it for me. This is a great book for moms. She talked about how Jesus understands what moms are going through because Jesus was interrupted, in high demand, always being touched, followed by people everywhere, had his sleep interrupted, dealt with disobedience, tired, always being watched, betrayed and disappointed. Despite all that, Jesus showed us how to live. We need to take time to refuel, set boundaries, forgive, resist temptation and pray.

And all the sessions were followed up with another main session with music by Christy Nockels and drama by Nicole Johnson.

It was a great conference and I definitely recommend it to others.

Because we could only go to four break-out sessions, they had the option of ordering CDs of other sessions of interest to you. I bought the CDs for two sessions I was not able to attend. The first was "Sibling Rivalry" by Cheryl Eliason. It is a good one! Lots of good pointers and even tips on starting a "Pestering Program" where the child who pesters, has to Pick-A-Chore. Hmm, that's a good idea. She also had great advice for fostering friendships among siblings, embracing their differences, etc.

And the 2nd CD I bought was by Sharon Autry on "Am I Doing This Right?" Again, a very good session about reaching your child's heart.

Basically, this conference has a lot of good advice, encouragement, etc. for moms. All of the speakers were outstanding and sent you away with a renewed energy to be the best parent you can be.

What's that you say?

We've been thinking this alot with Eliza . . ."What's that you say?" (to borrow a line from Cat in the Hat). So, after consulting with our doctor in the last week or so, we called the local AEA office and had a Speech-Language Patologist come to the house on Friday. She listened to Eliza interact with Eden and Emmet, asked her to name objects in a book and asked her some basic questions.
Here are the results:
Eliza's speech is within normal range, if not a little above her age. So, then, why can't we understand her as well as we can Eden.
Here is the response:
1. Kids tend to focus on one developmental milestone at a time. Thus, they focus on fine motor or large motor or speech, one at a time and then then other milestones plateau for a while. This would make sense since Eliza has always been very coordinated with the Legos and Tinker Toys and is very good jumping and doing somersaults. So, while she was working with Legos and jumping off the couch, her speech waited.
2. What about her not opening her mouth very far when she speaks and she talks fast? We do need to work on that part. We should help her pronounce words, one at a time. And she's very good at that but when she says full sentences, it can be hard to understand her. Some of that is because she is the youngest and definitely trying to make herself heard. She's also very intense/excited when she's talking and so her words come out as one long word!
3. As long was we can understand some of what she's saying, then we're okay. If her non-understandable words outnumber that which we can understand, then we'll have her evaluated again. But until then, all is well.

Where are the Halloween pictures?

By now, you're probably wondering where the cute Halloween pictures are of my kids. Sorry, to disappoint, but there are none. And for a variety of reasons:



1. I'm not a big Halloween fan, so it kind of gets put on the back burner.



2. We're still eating candy from summer parades and even from Easter!



3. Usually Seth is still in the field the end of October, which means I would be in charge of taking all the kids where ever we would go.



4. Three of my kids were born in October. Therefore, in 2005 and 2007, I had newborns in the house. Enough said!



5. In 2006 and 2008, we had one-year olds in the house. It was still a big job to get out and about.



6. With all the October birthdays, that's where I focus my attention--birthday shopping, parties and cakes!



7. The kids do get to dress up for school, so they aren't completely deprived. This year, the boys wanted to wear costumes from our "dress-up/pretend" box. There for a while, it looked like I might have to make two dinosaur costumes. Instead, Ephraim went as an Indian and Emmet wore a cowboy hat and gloves. Why no picture? They brought their costumes to school, put them on there and then had them off by the time they got home.



8. Why dress up when the grandparents and great-grandparents will give you candy regardless of your outfit?



9. Halloween has a habit of being chilly and damp.



10. We live out in the country and personally, staying home in our warm house and putting kids to bed on time, is better than going house to house, getting in and out of the car again and again. I know there are other options, but we're pretty content to just stay home.

Sunday, Sunday

Sunday was a day for the kids to sing in church again. And it would be the first Sunday for the girls to sing! But all would not go as planned.
We sat toward the front of church and when it was time for the kids to go up front, Eliza starts pitching a fit about her markers not being closed just right. She's literally in the aisle, screaming. I'm trying to herd them toward the front. The boys by now are long gone to the front of the church in their places. I had kind of hoped they would pull the girls along with them, but not so. Needless to say, both girls were not thrilled about being pushed up front and did not sing.
Ephraim's in the back row in the gray shirt. Emmet is in the front in the blue/yellow shirt.

For Sunday School, the kids packed Shoeboxes, too! Here's Ephraim's class. And Emmet's class:

And then it was back to church to sing for 2nd service. This time, my plan of attack was different. The girls would go on stage with their class. Maybe peer pressure would work in my favor. I was sitting toward the front. And then the kids filed in . . . Eliza took one look at the congregation and BURST into tears. I whisked her into the pew with me to comfort her and waited for the same to happen with Eden, but it didn't happen!

Eden is 2nd from the right, twirling her pigtail.

" . . . the monkey's in the jungle say 'Thank you Lord, thank you Lord. . . "

Double-checking to make sure that big brother Ephraim is still up there! If he is, then all is still well!

"Thank you Lord, thank you Lord, for making me!"

"Oooo, the alligators in the swamp say 'Thank you Lord, thank you Lord."

Nice November!

November's weather has been great so far. And we've done what we can to take advantage of it. Seth has all the field/dirt work done. The garden has been tilled twice and will be ready for next spring.
Sunday was so nice we got out to enjoy it after a short quiet time.
This is a spot that the kids like to walk to and then play in the water in the ditch.
Eliza always had to have two cookies in her hand. I lost track of how many she actually ate on our trek.

Emmet and Eden.

And then down by the crick.

Building a dam with bricks.

Found a frog!

You just never know what Eliza's up to! Here she comes with a huge stick.

We've certainly enjoyed all our outdoor time this fall!