Making Christmas Memories!

I love Christmas. Always have. I love it so much more now that I have children and get to see it through their eyes and experience their excitement. We've been busy doing Christmas stuff, making fun family memories, doing school, living our normal lives and it's been good. Here's are just a few snapshots to capture some of it... Getting and decorating our Christmas tree...

Christmas cookies baking...

Cuddles with their new cousin...

Making a Gingerbread Train

There was the memories we made while passing the stomach flu around... but I'd rather forget about that. There have been many Christmas gatherings and parties. So thankful for the family and friends that we've been blessed to be surrounded by. There was a 32nd birthday celebrated {while still having the before mentioned stomach flu} There have been many books read. Fun doing our Advent project. Love, LOVING it!!! Trying really hard to keep the focus on CHRIST this year. Many Christmas songs sang while we are getting ready for the little Christmas pageant the grandkids are going to do for Christmas eve. I felt with Thanksgiving and now again with Christmas that with homeschooling I appreciate the holiday so much more. Because of all the projects and time I put into teaching the kids about it... helps me really enter into the real meaning of the holiday. I love it! And the traditional pictures of the kids in front of the Christmas tree. We've been doing this since Jason's first Christmas and they are SO much fun to look back on! The Brothers

The Sisters

Jason {5}

Brooklynn {4}

Cossette {3}

Ethan {1}

Christmas shopping all DONE as of today!:) Huge Christmas Cookie bake planned for tomorrow at my mom's with my sisters. Only three days of school left before Christmas {not that I'm counting or anything} A few gifts left to wrap Stockings are stuffed Lot's more Christmas songs left to sing and more days on our Advent Calendar.... it really is the most wonderful time of the year. All the children together

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Our First "real" family hike.

I've always loved hiking. Jeremy grew up doing a lot of it with a couple of really nice state parks close to his house. When we were dating and first married we hiked a lot. It was such a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Somehow with having so many small children in rapid succession... the hiking went by the way side for a bit. Just because logistically we couldn't carry three small children up a mountain and back down. Ha! But we decided it was time to try some "real" hiking with the kids now that they are getting a bit older. AND, they did GREAT!!!!!! Jason and Brooklynn both ran up the mountain and back down like there was nothing to it! Cossette and Ethan needed to be carried most of the way. But Jeremy carried the one, and I carried the other and it worked out well. It was a beautiful day and we all had so much fun. Totally looking forward to doing it again. Our brave strong hikers.

The foursome!

A THE TOP! Jeremy's parents hiked up with it.

Awesome view!!!

Exploring.

Together at the top. This is the FIRST hike we did together after we started dating. Happy sigh.

With my baby bear at the top. He enjoyed the whole hike QUITE a bit! So cute!!!

Seven Years

A few weeks ago Jeremy and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. It was absolutely LOVELY! Almost twenty four total hours all alone. Just the two of us. We kept things simple, and as inexpensive as possible. It was perfect for us. We talked, we laughed, we walked, we went for coffee, we played board games, we cuddled, we shared a picnic lunch at city island, we walked around the capital building, we walked along the river, we read together. We talked about funny stuff, we talked about serious stuff. We just totally loved every moment of being together. It was so refreshing and so needed! It had been two years since we went away over night and the first time since having kids that we were away for that long except for being in the hospital having babies, but that doesn't quite count. Ha! It was so, so good for us! Ready to leave on our date. Friday night.

Out for coffee...

Our picnic lunch on city island.

The cool fountain in front of the capital building. Always love going there.

We asked someone to snap a picture for us, and then we took one for them. I'm glad we did. I like this picture of us together.

Being married to Jeremy is my dream come true and I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together! God's grace IS new every morning and He is so faithful to work in us and to bring us closer to Himself and to each other. Thank you Jesus. Thanks to my sisters Anna and Julia for watching the children for us while we were gone. The kids had such a great time and I am forever in their debt!

The start of a new school year...

Well it's Day three of the 2012-2013 School year. Jason {5} is in 1st Grace Brooklynn {4} is in kindergarten Cosette {3} is in preschool Ethan {1} does his very best to destroy the house while I do school with the older three. ha! I was going to wait till next week to start. But... Jason was begging to do school. I already had all our stuff. And everyone else had already started... so why not. We are done by lunch, so they still have the whole afternoon to enjoy the last warm days of summer. It's going MUCH better than I expected so far. Of course we have only finished day three {holding my breath} but I really have been happily surprised with how much the kids are loving it, how much they are into it, and how well it is going. Don't get me wrong. It is HARD, but not are hard as I thought. And I've had an easier time letting things go than I did last school year. For example. I start out my morning with a cleaned up house {thanks to working hard the night before} but by the time the morning is over, the entire house is trashed {from Ethan and Cossette playing and pulling every single thing out while I'm doing school} I let it go. Don't worry about it. When school is done, Ethan goes down for his nap and the oldest three get to play and I go around and clean everything up again. Last year I tried to keep the house reasonably picked up through out the day, laundry switched around and all that stuff. This year I have the mind set that the morning is for School. If I accomplish nothing else but school, that's all good. Just giving myself that freedom has helped me loosen up and go with the flow. The mornings are made up of Jason and Brooklynn doing: Reading practice History Science Music Catechism Handwriting Cossette knows her letters and the sounds they make, but isn't quite ready for putting sounds together to make words. So we are working on sight words and working on her numbers. Jeremy does math with Jason and Brooklynn in the evening. I've always hated math. And yes, I'm quite sure I could handle teaching kindergarten math. But hey! When your husband loves math and minored in it in college, WHY would you not have HIM teach it!:) Then in the afternoon I do my house work, or do all my errands and appointments. Tuesday was running over to my parents to pick up chicken. Wednesday was Cossette's ear doctor appointment. Today is an afternoon with my mom and sisters. We are going to hang out at my sisters house and walk over to my brother and sister in laws house that is close by and in the midst of being fixed up so they can move it! So yes, no dull moments around here. But it's good. I love the schedule. The rhythm and flow of life in this new stage. And no, it's not all perfect. I get frustrated at times. I feel overwhelmed at others. But all, in all. I feel super lucky when I see the other kids in the neighborhood walk off to meet the school bus in the morning that I get to keep my kids home with ME and that we get to spend the entire day together. Blessed much!!!!

Yesterday my Friend Shannon and I headed to the beach with our children and my four youngest siblings. Between us we had ten children, and two teenagers along. It was a happening, fun and wonderful day. It was SO much work to pack everything up for just one day at the beach. But it was totally worth it. The children had such a good time and they were all so, so good. Even with the3.5 hours of driving there and 3.5 hours driving back. That's a lot of driving in one day for young children, but they really did awesome! Me with the children right before we left. Everyone was a bit tired after hours in the ocean... but they were all happy {except for Ethan who hadn't slept since he got up at 6 in the morning}

Shannon and her children.

My four youngest siblings {it was awesome to have them along. my children loved having their auntie and uncles take them out in the big waves}

Oh the fun...

And the best part of the day... Was coming back home and hearing the children tell Jeremy SO excitedly about their awesome day. They laughed and talked and laughed and talked. They told him all about the shells they collected, and all about the dolphins they saw jumping in the ocean, the big waves, and and how much fun they had in the water. It just made my heart happy. I knew they had made good memories, and had a good day! And now... the van is almost packed and we are heading on a one night camping trip! Just our little family. The children are so excited!!! Summer will soon be over, and we are packing the fun in!!!! A happy weekend to you all.

Cleaning off my camera card today... These first pictures are from when Auntie Nica, Cousin Wes, and Auntie Julie came and hung out with us for a day. We made valentines with LOTS of glitter {Brooklynn's special request} I STILL have glitter on my kitchen chairs weeks later!:) HA! We had a pool party and ate ice pops!

Joey, Nica and Wes are in Canada right now visiting with her family and then they are heading to Cambodia. I MISS them! And then some pictures from yesterday morning while getting ready to head up to Jeremy's aunt's cabin for the day. Once a year Jeremy's mom's entire family get together for a day. Yesterday we had it in the middle of nowhere at a cabin. Besides the slightly ridiculously long drive it was a perfectly wonderful day! The children hiked, and hiked, played in the woods, went on a treasure hunt {planned by Jeremy's aunt} and ate lots of food! The kids heard we were going to the cabin and wanted to pack all kinds of things in their back packs. Their map {for hiking of course} Jason and Ethan needed their hats, and all kinds of other things. They had so much fun getting ready for their adventure! So here they are... all ready for great adventures!

And speaking of adventures... This week are are heading up to Juniata county one day to visit my cousin's wife and children with my grandam. One day we are heading to the beach. And MAYBE camping this weekend IF we are feeling really adventurous!!! Count down has begun! Three weeks till school starts! Packing all of the adventures we can in before we are spending our days inside all cozy and everything... Already took a trip to the park this morning. The oldest three are finally all big enough to WALK the whole way to the park and back. Which only leaves me pushing one baby. NICE! Happy Monday!