Tuesday, December 30, 2008

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The Good

What a busy month this has been. We have had so much fun with all the activities going on.

Here is our version of the Gingerbread house. They wanted it to look "just like the box." Not bad, considering we had a frosting fiasco, and Caleb kept eating the frosting.


I forgot to mention in my last post that Caleb would have his 5 year checkup. That means shots and lots of them. He somehow knew, because from the moment we walked in the door, he was asking everyone if they would give him a shot. He got answers from "no, I won't" from the receptionist, to "not now" from the nurse, to "I don't give shots" from the doctor. Finally the time came when the nurse returned with the dreaded tray of shots - 4 plus a TB skin test. He had already had his finger pricked, so we left with 6 new bandaids and a couple of stickers. Poor kid. He recovered quickly with a new toy from Wal-Mart.

Caleb and Joshua had a conversation in the car this week...
Joshua: Caleb, that's the second time you've hit me.
Caleb: No, it's the first time, the other time was an accident.

Luke decided to be Santa's little elf. He took most of my package labels and labeled himself. He was so proud of himself. He also got so excited every time he saw Christmas lights: "ki-ki ights, mama."

Christmas was busy and fun. We celebrated at nana & papa's, mimi's, our house, grandma's, and grandad's. I guess that's five Christmases. The house still hasn't recovered.Nana and Papa's grandkidsMy brother checks out the new nerf "longshot". Joshua ended up with four new nerf guns. We have bullets everywhere!Christmas morning awaiting the presents opening time.

The BadWe had a celebration for my grandmother's 95th birthday on Saturday. I knew she had been going downhill for the last week, but I was sort of unprepared for how bad she was. She was only semi-conscious during the party. Somehow, I know that she knew we had come to see her and that we were there. We were blessed to have been able to see her one last time. She passed away that night. We'll drive to Kentucky for the funeral.


The Ugly

On the way home from Dad's I hit a deer. It was one of those things where it just appeared as if from nowhere. There was one deer halfway across the road, and another just starting to cross the road. I hit the one just starting across, and I didn't have any time to react. I'm almost glad that I didn't see it in advance, because I probably would have tried to avoid it and could have ended up in a much worse situation. We are fortunate everyone is okay and the airbags didn't deploy. So, after about $4,000 in repairs and 2 weeks without a car, all should be fixed. Thank goodness for insurance!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The List

I'm not sure where the list came from, as I copied it from Julie. My conclusion is that I need more international travel! I'm still working on the six interesting or weird things about me that Julie tagged me for. I'm about halfway there.

Simply copy the list and cross out the ones you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang/played a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Made a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Friday, December 12, 2008

December, Where are you going?

I knew this would happen. It happens every year. After Thanksgiving, time just starts to fly. So, here we are almost half way through December, and I haven't updated! I don't know if I can remember all that we've been doing! So here goes,

Matt's Christmas Party for work
We always enjoy their party since we get a great meal, door prizes, and the kids get a toy picked out just for them by Santa. ;-)Luke tries to measure up to the nutcracker.
Caleb tells Santa that Joshua is his brother, like Santa doesn't already know that, right?

Caleb's birthday party
Caleb turned five! We had a Diego party, and we had a magician come for a visit. Here is Caleb helping the magician with a trick. To set up the video, Caleb has just helped the magician pull a scarf rabbit from a scarf hat. Now, they will attempt to make the rabbit disappear.


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Joshua turns one ball into a handful.
How many helpers does it take to put together Hungry, Hungry Hippos?
Caleb with his Diego pinata.

Joshua's end of the year program
Joshua's fine arts classes had a program to show off their skills. The chorus sang, Joshua played piano, and his drama class did a cute skit. We all got to enjoy cookies and punch afterwards. We are so blessed to have a school that will welcome homeschoolers for one or more classes. We hope to continue our relationship with this school for years to come.

Cookie baking
We made a batch of cookies for a cookie swap at MOPS. The boys still love to lick the bowl. You can definitely tell they are related to me!

We still have another Christmas party (adults only, woo hoo!) and Christmas right around the corner with a trip to the hometown. I hope you all are enjoying this time of the year. We are counting our blessings and remembering the reason for the season!
Merry Christmas!