Vacation is here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

We made it to vacation time. I am relearning how to relax, and the kids are enjoying the dry weather by playing outside. Paul gets to work until midday on Christmas Eve. We have had little time for making goodies, but we did manage to make some chocolate covered pretzels. Yum! Yes that is chocolate on their faces.

Here what our tree used to look like. It is has been thoroughly attacked by Ella the cat now. All the decorations have been knocked off. The lights are still on, but that is only because they are wrapped around the tree.

Eliza went wild decorating. She did the front and back side of her bedroom door, cut a piece of hedge from our neighbor's yard, placed it in her room for a Christmas tree and decorated it, and created a faux fireplace with several stockings.

Teeth business and the last week of summer vacation

I wasn't joking when I said Leah had more loose teeth. She lost another this week. Now she can stick her tongue out at you with her teeth clenched. Two more are loose on the bottom.

The rest of these photos are just some from our week. My children are growing up so fast.

Grateful

I am grateful for many things, but tonight I am especially grateful for dollar movies, popcorn, bite size candy bars and chocolate chip cookies.

Paul is off playing guitar with friends, and Eliza and Sarah are spending the night with their cousins. Sleepovers are a very rare thing around here, so this is especially exciting for my girls. It also means that it is especially difficult for the younger siblings. So to appease Luke and Leah I resorted to the above mentioned goodies. I even let them pick out their own movie. That is also a very rare thing around here. After renting the movies we came home, made the popcorn, turned off all the lights and watched Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit until way passed their bedtime.

We (mostly I) decided one movie was enough for tonight, so we are going to watch Bee Movie as soon as we wake up in the morning. We will have to make some special letter B and actual bee shaped pancakes to celebrate our morning movie madness.

Leah's 6th

For several years now Leah has asked for an electric guitar. We decided childhood is the time to plant seeds for future endeavors. She is now the very proud owner of a Squire Mini Strat by Fender. It came with a white pick guard, but Paul customized it with pink. SWEET!

Yes, it is a basketball going through the hoop. Leah loves basketball. Well, the idea of it anyway. She has never played the game, but she has been known to fall asleep snuggling a basketball.

Happy Birthday Sweet Leah! 

(The ketchup stain was courtesy of me. Yes, I know . . . Jess the mess.)

Creative place settings

The latest in napkin sculpture. Yes, she really did intend for us to use this to wipe our mouth. 

The first day of school

Monday, August 11th. The first day of school. How exciting! It ranks right up there with Christmas morning. In fact, on the 10th, Eliza woke up and said, "Leah! Wake up! It's the day before the first day of school!" That was followed by a shriek by them both. 

Leah in her kindergarten classroom. 

Sarah unloading and sorting the gobs of supplies.

This was Monday morning with Leah's kindergarten teacher. After doing paperwork, listening to a story, and coloring a picture, Leah came home with me. Tuesday was her first full day. 

Tuesday. Leah's first ride home on the school bus. How cool is that? They even have a brand new bus this year. Eliza said the seats are comfortable, Mrs. Peggy (the bus driver) has a florescent seatbelt, and it circulates cool air. She gave it her approval. 

What a cute kindergartner!

Backyard picnic

At times we find it necessary yet difficult to escape the daily grind of work and church. We also find that the very walls of our home feel as though they are crushing the very life out of us. I realize that sounds pretty bad, but I am trying to help you understand why I cooked sauerkraut and hotdogs in a skillet on charcoal briquettes in Alabama heat in my backyard when I had a functioning kitchen. Why I chose to carry a dining table and 6 chairs outside to my backyard to eat with bugs. Why I snuck around my home whispering orders to the children about all the condiments and such that they had to carry to the table in our backyard. As pathetic as it seems, it worked. We surprised Paul with a "BBQ?" or "Picnic?" We ate our dinner with the bugs, and Dad breathed a sigh of relief while he ate staring at the blue sky. I am sure our neighbors wondered, but we enjoyed it.

I forgot to get the camera out until after dinner, but here we are, Sorry!

My sweetheart turning the very large compost pile after dinner. We have had 3 volunteer tomato plants from it this summer. Note the "garden" in the background. Every year I honestly think I will be a better gardener. This year I have grown very healthy grass and 3 cucumbers. The tomatoes are growing but haven't ripened yet. My fertilizing in May only killed 4 or 5 tomato plants. I am so proud! I am amazed that I still have 4 children. I guess it's because they have learned to feed themselves to some extent, and they don't require weeding.

He was happy eating outside with the flies. Honest!

Yes, we did smores too. I hope the video below works. If so, check it out.

We weighed Luke last night, and he is officially 45 lbs. now. Leah is 50. Sarah is 56. Eliza might be mad if I told her weight. Let me just say that she is very tall, and her weight reflects that fact.

 

Leah is cashing in tonight!

As Leah devoured her spaghetti, cucumbers and bread tonight, Paul asked her, "Did you lose your tooth?" She said, "No." He then pointed out that her tooth was no longer in her mouth. She was quite surprised. She has been waiting on that tooth for a very long time (I think since Sarah lost her first tooth). Paul looked around her plate, and amazingly enough, there it was. She is looking forward to her cash reward.

I need to say that this whole losing-teeth business is a bit sad for me. I can't help but think I am losing my children. Yesterday it was Eliza and Sarah losing teeth, and today it is Leah. Tomorrow it's Luke's turn. Today (literally today), I signed Leah up for Kindergarten. I am going to have 3 kids at big school, and Luke will be in preschool in a few months. Their days as children are numbered. I guess I just need to embrace it and them. It goes so fast.

Lovely spring day

Leah and Luke were sick of mommy playing on the computer, so I gave them the chance to get involved a little. We took pictures with the computer (You've got to love photo booth). This was the one we liked the best.