Thankful

As promised, here's our little Thanksgiving tree. More of a tumbleweed really, but it works! The kids were really quite creative, sweet and faithful in acknowledging all the different things they were thankful for. I think they would have written down each others' names each and every day had I not reminded them that they'd already done so. They challenged Danny and I to be grateful for the little things (we each had a color too) and to cherish the gift God has given us in our family.

Alyssa's list included her cousins, Disneyland, and (Mama's girl that she is) ice cream, doughnuts, candy and a general "food!"

Parker's leaves are easily identifiable not just by the orange color, but by his gratitude for all things boy: worms, guns and his frog. Then his softer side identified Gaga and Papa (my parents), Papa and Tilly (Danny's parents), and even his Mama and Daddy.

Our little one was especially grateful for her Dora cups - they got mentioned at least a half-dozen times! But Reagan also thanked God for gum, her favorite toys (camera, flashlight, and stuffed animals), and Cubbies.

We are so blessed by these three, and by the God Who graciously entrusted them to us! Happy Thanksgiving all!

Seven!

Though I don't feel nearly old enough, it's true: I'm the mother of a 7 year-old! Alyssa deserves a long post extolling all the wonderful gifts God has blessed her with, including a tender little heart, an insatiable desire to "help," remarkable beauty, and the sweetest giggle. But... she and her siblings wore me out yesterday and today at Disneyland. Off to bed I go!

Little hikers

Unlike most of the rest of the country, we Southern Californians are confined to the indoors during our hot, dry summers. But what we sacrifice in July, August and September, we more than make up for October through June. This weekend we've enjoyed gorgeous weather - even venturing out on a little hike together on Friday. Danny and I had to carry the family's shortest little legs through most of the elevation gain, but Alyssa and Parker did great. Parker was immediately ready to do the loop all over again. And check out that green grass! Not exactly the Pacific Northwest of my youth, but then again, the sky is blue.

I still don't think 3 is enough

I may not ever push Danny for eight, but we sure had fun today with my niece, nephew and 3 of the 4 children of our dear friends here on furlough from Malawi. The prospect of 8 on 1 was a little daunting at first, but by God's great grace, our day was surprisingly calm and relatively conflict-free. It helps that my niece and nephew were champion nappers, Reagan took her own turn in bed, and Bob and Larry came to call when things started to get a little rowdy.

I never would have guessed how popular the cozy coupes would be! The seven bigger kids spent the better part of two hours climbing in and around the things. Did you know that 2 plastic cars designed for toddlers can accommodate a two-year-old, 2 three-year-olds, a 4 year-old, 5 year-old, 6 year-old, and nearly 7-year old, all at the same time?! They enjoyed a very nutritious lunch of bluebox mac and cheese, and I'm proud to say that my sink has never been cleaner. Scrubbing was the one chore I could accomplish while referring out my window.

But the best news of all is that, thanks to Ami, I am now a millionaire. She generously paid me with a genuine $10,000,000 note! Bad news is that my $10 million, plus the box of See's her parents brought me, might be enough to trade for a box of chocolates and a penny or two.

Don't get too worried honey - I think four would be perfect!

No photos!

Scrolling back through my recent blog posts, I realized that this blog has become incredibly photo-heavy, and rather sad photos at that since my good camera is still on vacation (we miss you mom and dad!). Save for one wordy post, there's been nothing to see here but cute kids. The cutest really, but since most of you have your own cutest kids running around, that probably gets a little old. Sadly, I can't say that I'm necessarily going to be remedying that any time soon. I just couldn't bring myself to participate in NaBloPoMo again this November. Though I really enjoyed 30 days of Thanks last year, it was some pressure let me tell ya! It was so good for me to reflect on all the blessings in my life, but I think this year we're going to make it a family affair with a Thanksgiving tree (nevermind that I'm already 8 days late). I can only imagine how many leaves Reagan will end up with - her prayers lately consist of a seemingly never-ending list of all the people and things in her life. If it's in the room, been interacted with, or talked about in the last day, you can be sure Reagan will thank God for it. She's just simply adorable and I love hearing her tiny little voice address her Creator, but for the sake of time we sometimes have to supply the "amen" for her!

So for this year I'll enjoy all of my favorite blogs that are participating, and just share our little craft when we're done. You're holding your breath I know. Especially those of you that have seen my creativity in action. Anyway... Happy especially-thankful-month all!

Dancing, riding, and crashing

Despite my best efforts at a "themed" costume ensemble this year, we ended up with two ballerinas and a cowboy on his ride. They looked pretty adorable IMHO and had a blast collecting what actually ended up being a reasonable amount of candy at a non-ghoulish harvest festival. Parker, however, apparently regretted missing the opportunity to get his face painted. Last night he remedied that with his own shades of black, blue and purple thanks to a close-up with a wooden chair. This one's for you Mom!

Ranchin'

My favorite THREE year-old!

Pick... him!

Alyssa tends to take after me, in more than just looks. So when it comes to making a fool of oneself, she isn't usually the first to volunteer. Parker, however, is his daddy. If there's an opportunity to get on stage, he's there! Prior to a family trip to Mickey's place today, Parker decided that he really wanted to be chosen to participate in the Jedi Training Academy. Previous such attempts have been most disappointing, so smart boy that he is, he enlisted the help of the sibling with legible handwriting to create a sign. Apparently the Jedi master liked Alyssa's plea to "Please pick my brother" because Parker was the first child selected. Needless to say he was thrilled, and Alyssa was more than happy to cheer from the sidelines.

We enjoyed our usual slew of rides, beautiful weather, and time with Daddy. And though we're really not so into Halloween, we were dutifully impressed by the annual selection of Disney-themed pumpkins. No hope of such artistically-carved gourds showing up on our doorstep!

How's it going?

We’re now two months into the whole homeschooling thing and this is a question we get a lot. My answer (most days) is “we love it!” As I anticipated (and occasionally feared), there are times when my patience runs low and days when the kids would really rather not do school. But more often than not we enjoy our time together, enjoy learning, and enjoy the freedom of making our own schedule. So far Alyssa’s favorite part is getting to sleep in. Where I once had to drag her out of bed each morning to rush her out the door for school, she now usually sleeps later than her traditional start time. Of course this sleepy mama doesn’t mind that change of pace either! Instead of dinner as a family, we eat breakfast together. Rather than playing, reading and wrestling with daddy in the evening, we enjoy him in the morning. School doesn’t start until after he leaves, around 11. Not normal, I know, but it works for us! The hour-and-a-half I would have to spend in the car picking up and dropping off, we spend doing school together instead. Actually sitting down, teaching, and planning takes even less time than I had anticipated. We’ve fallen in love with the library, and I think I might enjoy reading together even more than they do. Parker is learning to read on his own – something I initially thought would intimidate me but has proven quite intuitive. Alyssa who once hated math now often wants to do only math. I’d like to think it’s my incredible teaching ability, but I have a feeling it has a lot to do with the fact that I let her use real money =). But mostly I feel like I have my life back. And my kids back. I love having them around, and love getting to teach and learn on our own schedule. Homeschool progress report month two: I’ll give it an A!

Rain!

It's a bit of a novelty around here. Parker actually wondered aloud if we can drink rain. I suppose we need a lesson or two on the water cycle! Alyssa, Parker and Reagan were all too happy to slosh around in the backyard after dinner tonight, filling up their new rainboots with all the water they could stomp. My little point-n-shoot did it's best to keep up, as my favorite toy is getting ready to leave on a grand adventure with my parents. Methinks it will be rather glad to capture images of real wildlife for a change after months of shooting only these monkeys!

10 years

Had you asked me on October 9, 1999 whether I could ever love a man more than I loved Danny at that moment, my answer most certainly would have been NO. But I could not then appreciate what a wonderful husband Danny would be. I didn't know what it would be like to know and be known so well that we would be able to anticipate each others' thoughts and actions. I had no concept of how much more lovable a man would be after watching him love my children with a ferocity matched only by their mother. I didn't know grey hair would be so sexy. I didn't anticipate that maturity would be immeasurably more attractive than goofiness. I just didn't know how good marriage could be. Or how great a catch Danny really was. By God's grace and Dan's diligence I truly love him more today than I did on that amazingly fun Seattle October day. And I pray that the love we share today will pale in comparison to the love we'll enjoy in the decades to come. I am so grateful that Danny said "I do," and even more grateful that he had "done" more for me in these past 10 years than I could have ever hoped for.

If ever your patriotism tank starts running low...

go to an air show!

Danny's been doing a great job lately of planning fun family outings - usually something he's wanted to do but needed the kids for an excuse. Whatever the motivation, we've all had a good time! This week was a trip south for the military air show at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Through some connections I still don't fully understand, we got to sit with the families of the Blue Angels and had a front row center view of everything. I don't think our kids fully appreciated the privilege, but Danny and I certainly did. They were impressed by the loud jets (and grateful for the ear protection), paratroopers, tanks and helicopters, and especially excited about getting to climb up on them. I was impressed by the excellence of execution and the technology, but was also struck by the sense of pride among the military personnel and their kind respect towards all of their giddy, and probably overwhelming, guests. I also became convinced that it most certainly must have been young men that thought up most of the maneuvers. No woman or mature male in their right mind would have considered attempting any of them!

(that's two planes people!)

(Alyssa in a goofy moment)

(Parker listening intently to instructions about how to fire this Marine's weapon)