Just Being Thankful
This picture embodies E so well. She had a wonderful 8th birthday pretending to be Dorothy (minus Toto), and of course, can't keep herself from an arabesque. She has been doing fairly well in 2nd grade, although she often needs reminders that SHE is not the teacher. We do a lot of observing nature and reading to learn about our subjects, hence the children 'teaching' themselves at times. Yet, this is not what I mean when E forgets. She is learning to be a good student and she needs to work on the skill of being teachable. Don't we all. I remember having many conversations with a spiritual mentor about being 'teachable' when I was in college. I still am learning to be humble and open to what my elders have to teach me. Maybe I need to model this more for E and then it will become easier for her. Isn't that almost always the answer to parenting?

A super-J, a brave lion, and a BIG PINK MARSHMALLOW! Behind them is parked a car that reminds me of our first car in which we used to smoosh 3 carseats in the back seat. I am thankful for the breathing room in our mini-van, plus the acoustics are such that a sudden squeal or yell doesn't seem quite as loud. I am wondering what life will be like when all 4 of the kids can read to themselves....will we miss the noise or just be thankful?

Trapped and Released!

Here are a couple of those critters that I wanted to mention a few blogs ago.
I still wish I woulda got a picture of the two skunks we trapped.
Atleast the porched is secured and nobody can moved under it for the winter.
I can't see as how anybody would be comfortable in such a dark, cold and small place as that anyhow. We are slowly gearing up for cold here. We have been blessed with an Indian Summer.
We had the hats, coats and gloves out, but that last few days have brought such nice weather that the kids want to wear shorts. It will soon pass into that gray, bleak, seemingly endless winter.....with lots of snow. Until then, we are going to try to get to the park as much as possible.
And eat lots of pumpkin pie!

Who are these silly kids any way?

Yes, I really do wear this red swim cap when I swim laps. TOO FUNNY!

A Beach Bonnie Lass..... A red fish and slightly red-headed son....

Sorry it's been soooooo long since I have updated this...you can subscribe to the RSS feed so that you get a notice each time I update it...then you won't have to check every once in a while.

We have been busy homeschooling here and liking it a lot! I am learning more than the children for sure! Here are a couple of pics.

As you can see Big J caught a 25 &1/2 inch red fish when in FL (S is approx. 32 inches).

We had a great visit to the family there and loved learning more about the ocean. We spent some time at Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota, FL and highly recommend visiting there. We got to see them feed the sharks, we pet some cow nosed rays (their barbs are clipped so they can't sting) and E loved holding a hermit crab in the touch and feel tank. The olders kids panned for shark teeth and we saw some live sea horses (which we had been studying).

The kids loved the ocean...we need to stay longer next time and go snorkeling.

J turned 5 yesterday and had a huge Volcano of Chocolate cake with dinosaur gummis and Twizzler lava coming down the sides of it. Even though he doesn't look happy in the picture...he was! He really enjoyed the ice cream, too! He has been a great helper lately and still cultivating his wild imagination with stories of super heros, dragons, dinosaurs and monsters. He also likes stories of princes and ballets. He still pretends along with his big sister E in all her creativity. He laughs and goofs around with C. And he plays gently with little S. He's a great brother!
This was C's birthday pony ride at the zoo. Her horse's name was Penny. And amazingly, even though she was so excited to take the ride and even said she liked it afterward...she cried the whole time she rode. She's quite the character....in fact, she's our funny girl.

I forgot to take a picture, but E finally pulled out her second lower tooth....on the bus! She thought she lost it on there and the bus driver was going to look for it later. When we got home I unfolded all the blood spotted tissues and there was her tiny tooth in the very last one! I called transportation to make sure a message was sent to her driver so he wouldn't have to get on his hands and knees and look for that itty bitty white thing. Whew! I was gonna be kinda sad if she really had lost it. It is part of her, ya know. So we put it in the special box where we will keep all of her teeth, helping out Miss Tooth Fairy. E hasn't written another letter yet, but she probably should if she wants more money. By the way, this is a picture of the girls on the night of Pascha. You can tell that C looks tired. Oh, and E was in a Vocabulary Bee last week. She had to study and know the definition of 100 words and use them correctly in a sentence. She got 'out' on her second word. I could tell she was a bit disappointed, but it was a good experience. Growing up is hard work....losing teeth and all.

Happy Easter with the Aunts and Uncles and Odos. The kids had a nice time on our Palm Sunday visiting and getting early Easter baskets with our family. C and Odo are so lovely together that I just had to post this picture. I am so thankful for our loving family.

S is walking!!!! He decided that in honor of Christ's resurrection he would rise up as well and take to walking around. We had a wonderful Pascha service and a great feast at 3 am Sunday! The kids did really well and we got to stay at a friend's home after the feast so that we didn't have to drive home after being up all night. What a blessing! We are so thankful for our church family.
S's godmama had her baby girl on Saturday and so he has a new, healthy godsister! God has given us blessing after blessing! We hope to have a joyous Bright week while we feast and rejoice in the Resurrection all week long!

You know when you have cake up your nose that you must really be enjoying yourself. S turned one this past Monday and he is already acting it. He is not walking just yet, but definitely cruises around the furniture and knocks my plants down. He loves to swing outside and has started shaking his head when he doesn't like something. I have even heard him say, "NO!" Boy, oh boy! At least he is still quite cuddley and had adorable curls on the back of his head.
We had a wonderful visit from Mommom. S warmed up to her by the time she was getting ready to leave. She got some nice 'sugars'. We were thankful for her visit and help with the house and the kids while Big J studied lots for his PhD exams that he just finished writing yesterday. Now he just has the oral exam next Monday and he will be done with the testing. I am sure he will pass and move on to the hard work of his disertation which he will focus on this coming year. He's one smart fellow and diligent with his work. He's a great husband and dad, too!

A truly adorable picture of S.....

It's been really dry here lately. When I pull off my sweater at night I crackle all over. C still sucks her fingers and this most likely keeps her from shocking me all the time when she wants to be held. She has taken to wanting to wear S's onesies all the time (yes, she fits in them), without anything else on in a 64 degree house. Brrrrr....she is very stubborn about not putting on her socks and clothes unless made to. The last three nights she has slept in the playpen in her onesie pretending to be a baby. Normally she and S sleep with me.....big J has been staying up late to finish some work and he ends up on the couch with the timer to wake him up. So I have more stretch room in the bed which doesn't bother me a bit.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the kids. I think C was sucking on some candy or something...

So E finally set out her two teeth (one that had been pulled and this one here) for the tooth fairy

with a note that read, "Dear Miss Tooth Fairy, Could I keep my teeth and still get a present?"

Miss Tooth Fairy wrote back that indeed she would entrust E's teeth to her most excellent mother because the Museum of Dental Antiquities was getting quite full and this would actual help to have E keep her teeth. She also got a 50 cent piece for her small tooth and a $2 bill for her pulled molar. No other teeth are wiggling yet, but her new tooth is coming in quite nicely.

Applesauce sculpture by C. priceless...

Notice the ever present laundry behind my new year's present.