Christmas "Boogie"

What do you do when your household is sick, run down, and cooped up??

You do a little "Boogie" dance... :-) Click here to see what we have been up to lately...

We ARE "on the mend" and hopefully will be completely "above the weather" here soon!!!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

:-)

Under the weather...

Yes...that is where WE have been spending our past few days - "under the weather"!! I don't really know exactly "where" that is (or where that saying comes from - any help there?). But, I guess if you think about it and want to get technical, we ALL live "under the weather," don't we? Well, except when we fly in an airplane do we really live "above the weather"...

Anyway...I totally digress with my thoughts here...yes, being SICK is what WE have been up to lately!!!

We aren't puking, we aren't feverish, we are just fighting off head-colds, ear infections, sore throats, and eye gunk...

Anyone want to come over??? :-)

It isn't EVERYONE...just me and Kylie...with Pat and Caleb on the "verge" of coming down with this "fun stuff," I think!

Don't they look "lively" to you???

That is the "story" from over here...hope that this post finds you all "above the weather" (but NOT in an airplane!) - if you know what I mean!!!

:-)

SURPRISE...

It is my parent's 35th wedding anniversary today...and we had the joy of surprising them with a little family celebration last night!!!

My sister, Katie, and her family, and my brother, Tony, and his family (both from the cities area) were home for the weekend. So, besides enjoying some wonderful time together as a family hanging out and watching the cousins play and have so much fun together, we were able to celebrate our parents and their 35 years together in marriage!!!

My parents THOUGHT that Katie and I and our families were heading to a mutual friends' house for supper for the evening. So, they then made plans with Tony and Alison to take them out to eat - Tony and Alison's choice. Making it super easy for us to continue on our plans, Tony and Alison chose the "spot" where we were planning the surprise!!! :-) So, instead of leaving my parents' house to go to our mutual friends' house, Katie and I got our families all dressed up and ready for the surprise! We picked up a cake and some balloons and anxiously awaited the arrival of my parents and Tony and Alison. We got the "call" that they were in the parking lot and we all huddled together waiting to yell, "Happy Anniversary"!!

And, what a SURPRISE it was!!! :-) My Mom and Dad were TOTALLY caught off guard and very surprised!! My mom had some tears, of course!!! :-)

Here is the happy couple...

We had a wonderful night of food, fellowship, and celebration of my parent's life together...and the blessing and gift of family!!!

Katie and her family...

Tony and his family...

Grandma and Grandpa and their SEVEN grandkids...

I know that I speak on behalf of my siblings when I say that we truly have been blessed with wonderful, godly, loving, amazing parents. They have been a great example to us as to what a great marriage looks like; they have been wonderful support and encouragement and a "safe place" for us to turn through all of the different things that we have faced in our growing up and now adult years; they have prayed faithfully for us; they have loved us unconditionally; they now are amazing, loving, and wonderful grandparents to our children - our kids are blessed to have grandparents so involved in their lives and so near to their hearts...I can't even tell you how MUCH my kids love and adore their grandparents!!!

SO, THANK YOU, Mom and Dad, for being the best parents and making our family such a great place to connect and be. We all love you so very much!!!

Happy Anniversary!!! May the Lord bless you with many more years together!!!

Rogaine???

SO...is Rogaine safe for kids??? :-)

If so, my little Caleb could use some help in the hair-growth department!!

He is almost three (on Dec. 16th), and really still is lacking in hair!! I thought that I would show you some pictures here of his lack of hair growth since he was born...

Here he is at 4 months...

One years old...still nothing really coming!

Two years old... Wait, look...is it finally coming in? Oh, nope...must have been a shadow or something - still pretty bald!!! :-)

This fall, two months shy of THREE...

Yes...the hair really IS starting to come in - slowly but surely. There is some growth progression in the last few months. And, we HAVE actually given him three little hair cuts...basically only to shave the back a bit on the neck line, cut the longer hairs above his ears, and cut a few longs pieces on the very top.

But, I really wonder IF he will EVER have a head-full of hair. I can't even imagine it as I am so used to my little guy not having much hair! Good thing that "bald" still can be "beautiful"! Well...maybe I should use the word "handsome"!!

Halfway there...

Yes, our Mackenzie Sue is halfway there in her journey from SIX to SEVEN today!!! And...it is a HUGE deal to her!!!

Ever since I can remember, Mackenzie has LOVED getting older and getting bigger! She loves each new year (or month) she is older (yes, as every other month, we figured out that she is 78 months old), and loves growing and getting into bigger size clothes (I am sure that will change at some point!)! :-)

So, to celebrate her today, I thought that I would let you "into" the mind of a six year old as I ask her some questions here...plus, it is fun to see how answers change to the same questions over the years...

MOM : So, Mackenzie, what is your favorite thing about being SIX?

MACKENZIE : I get to spend time with my friends and I get to be older.

MOM : What are you most looking forward to about being SEVEN?

MACKENZIE : To be seven like my friend Madelynne is seven.

MOM : What do you want to be when you grow up? Why?

MACKENZIE : I want to be a veterinarian...but, I don't like dogs. I want to doctor animals because I like cats and birds.

MOM : What is your favorite subject in school?

MACKENZIE : I like my journal because I get to write lots of stuff, and I get to draw pictures as well.

MOM : What is your favorite Bible story? Why?

MACKENZIE : My favorite Bible stories are Joseph, Moses, and Jonah. I like Moses because God gave him the Ten Commandments. I like Jonah because he got swallowed by a whale and then obeyed God and went to Nineveh. I like Joseph because God made Joseph a leader in Egypt.

MOM : What is your favorite thing to play/do?

MACKENZIE : My favorite things to do are color, play dolls, play in our playroom downstairs with my brother and sister, read, and play with my friends.

MOM : What are you most thankful for?
MACKENZIE : God...that He died on the cross for our sins.

MOM : Who is your favorite mom?

MACKENZIE : (With a sheepish smile) YOU!!

What else could she say??? :-)

Happy 6 1/2 Birthday, Mackenzie Sue! You are growing up TOO fast!! We love you LOTS and LOTS!!

An afternoon "off"...

What a blessing an afternoon "off" is!!! We SAHMs don't get many of these...we are usually with our kiddos all the time!!

BUT...every Wednesday, I have the joy of having an afternoon of QUIET!! Now, don't get me wrong, I really do love staying home with my kids (well, most days!)...but, never, since having kids have I so appreciated and treasured QUIET!!! Now that no one naps at my house, and there is usually some school to be done in the afternoons, there really isn't a whole lot of quiet time for Mama... And, let's be honest...we mamas NEED that!!

My dear friend, Lori, and I do a "swap" where I take her kiddos in the afternoon on Tuesday, and she takes mine on Wednesday. It works out wonderfully since we are "partners in crime" in homeschooling and share those responsibilities those days as well!

What a blessing and joy it is to have a dear friend that truly lives up to the verse in Proverbs 17:17, "A friend loves at all times." Our friendship has grown over these past four years to one of accountability, deep-soul honesty, and love and acceptance at ALL TIMES (not just when we are "fun" and "pleasant" to be around!). She has loved me, prayed for me, encouraged me, and supported me through the ups and downs of life and the joys and challenges of motherhood and homeschooling.

Thank you, Lori, for the joy, blessing, and friendship that you bring to my life - and thanks for giving me an afternoon "off" every week to get somewhat refreshed and have some QUIET!! :-)

Save the trees...

Or wait...maybe keep cutting them down... :-)

Here is a little glimpse at the paper-crafting that occurs MOST afternoons after the school work is done over here!!! You give these girlies some nice white copier paper, crayons, scissors, scotch tape, an occasional glue stick (when the tape runs out!)...and you get quite the creations!!!

They make paper dolls, clothes for these dolls, clothes for their real dolls and stuffed animals, games, books, houses with elaborate rooms and levels...you name it, they LOVE to create it with paper!!!

Good thing for the 500-count, $2.97 pack of copier paper...gotta love cheap, creative entertainment (not to mention TIME-CONSUMING as well!)!!!

:-)

Ready to "suck up" some advice...

I need some help.

Vague statement and yes, I probably could use "help" in many ways... :-) But, today I am looking for some help in the vacuum department!

Our current vacuum (a Dirt Devil - and a true "devil" it has turned out to be!), is completely broken and really of no use to us! This is very frustrating being that this is the third vacuum that we have gone through in about 5-6 years (I think that the other ones were a Bissell and a Kenmore)!! Either I am really hard on vacuums, or we really just struggle to pick one that lasts!!! :-)

THAT is where YOUR help comes in...

Do you have a vacuum cleaner or have you had a vacuum cleaner that you love and would recommend? We are doing some "research" here now and thought that I would check and ask for some "expert" advice!!! We all know how important a working vacuum is with young kids around!! :-) Plus, I am just kind of a spaz in that I really LIKE to vacuum. True. I do. :-)

So, please let me know if you have anything to share...I will "suck up" all of the advice that I can get on a vacuum that will "suck up" whatever remains my children leave in the carpet!! :-)

Through the eyes (and fingers) of a six-year old...

Mackenzie is going to have the "honor" of doing a post today. She was asking to share something, so I let her pick out some pictures and share with you anything that she wanted to share!!! She chose to tell you a "story" about our field trip for school this fall to Turtle River State Park. So, enough from ME...Mackenzie, it is all yours, type away!!! :-)

we went a long way to get there. It was fun hikeing but we did not see eney skunks. sum of are frends came with us. There names are Madelynne Chloe and Lukas.

We ate at the woterfall. we had so so so much fun.

The lefs were very pritey. me and my frend madelynne fawned sum cool lefs.

We all had so much fun. I hope we can go back soon.

As fall "leaves" us...

I was just going through some fall pictures here, and thought that I would share a few of my favorites of my kiddos playing in the leaves as fall is quickly "leaving" us here in ND and the cold temperatures are slowly getting us ready for the LONG winter ahead of us!!! Although, I can't complain...we don't have any snow yet!! :-)

Isn't playing in the leaves SO much fun??? :-)

Potty talk...

Although the true "potty talk" DOES sometimes happen here (unfortunately), I actually was going to bring you a little conversation that Caleb and I had while he was ON the potty today...

He just finished going, when I went to grab some toilet paper to wipe him. He had just gone pee, so, he informed me that Daddy said that boys don't have to wipe when they just go pee. Being a female, I believe in wiping each time one goes to the bathroom. So, brushing off his comment about not needing to wipe, I proceeded to gently wipe and help him off the toilet.

Deflated, Caleb looked at me and said, "That makes me sad when you do that."

What do you say to that??

:-)

And, one more thing...I wonder when I will stop calling "it" a "potty" and start calling "it" a "toilet" again! It is sad when you ask your husband if he has to go "potty"!!! :-)

Little "shot" of horror...

Who knew that a little shot could bring SO much horror to the life of a six-year old???

Well, to our little Mackenzie, the flu shot proved to be anything but LITTLE and caused much HORROR in her poor little life!! There was much agonizing/anticipating, many tears, and fear in her eyes that I have never seen before!!!

I tried reasoning with her, tried distracting her, tried making her laugh...nothing worked. We just needed to get the shot, and get home. Spending close to an hour in the waiting room was not that helpful either!!!

But, we did it. The poor little thing made it through. And we should be "good to go" now in the shot department...until NEXT YEAR!!! I am already dreading it!!! :-)

"Rest time" woes...

The usual time it takes to get Caleb to settle down and have some "rest time" in his room : 5 minutes

The time Caleb spent in the bathroom trying to avoid "rest time" today with the "I have to go potty" statements : 10 minutes

The time Caleb spent screaming and kicking and fighting "rest time" today : 90 minutes

A tired boy FINALLY resting in deep sleep : TIMELESS

Dressing up for some FUN...

My kids LOVE to dress up (especially the girls)...so, last night was a GREAT time for them. They couldn't wait to put on the costumes that Grandma and Grandpa had bought for them!!

Here is our little Mermaid...

Our little "angel"...

And our hero Superman...Caleb LOVED to "fly" around the house making airplane noises!!!

We went trick or treating for the first time this year (we usually attend a Funanza at a Christian school in the area here but they weren't hosting anything this year). We joined up with our great buddies...our friends that we spend much time with as their mom, Lori, and I homeschool together!!! We are blessed to have such wonderful, dear friends in our lives!!!