It is finally snowing here. It started last night and snowed thru the night and most of the day today. I took all three kids out to sled this morning. So fun. I didn't really get to play last year since Hannah was so little. Hopefully this year will bring lots of sled time. I picked up an infant sled in a garage sale last spring and it is perfect for Hannah. I just pull her along behind me and she's as happy as a clam. Today one of her boots fell off on the way out the door and I just went on. Won't do that again. After about 15 minutes, she started grabbing her little foot, I'm sure it was frozen. Oh well, bad mom of the year award there. She doesn't seem to have any ill effects. Robert even got home early enough to get in on the action today. He and the big kids headed across our street to a big hill and start learning the slopes (pun intended). Since we are children of the south, it is as new and fun to Robert and I as it is to our kids.

Christmas was wonderful but not white. I mean, come on, we weren't in Texas after all. They had a white Christmas, at least first thing in the morning before it melted off, we had rain. Oh well, maybe our third Christmas in the north will be a white one. The kids came running in at 8 and yelled, "Mommy, Daddy, it's Jesus' birthday and we get to eat CINNAMON ROLLS!" We were tickled. First, that their excitement was first that it was Jesus's Birthday and second because their next biggest adventure was not just presents. We really try to instill that presents are just a small part of our celebration...only a recognition of the gifts that Jesus received at his birth. We too only receive three gifts each at Christmas. It keeps things simple and focused on other things.

We continued our cinnamon roll tradition this year. Two weeks ahead, we baked fresh cinnamon rolls for families at our church. Then did tons of candy for Robert's work and then a batch of cinnamon rolls for our neighbors. But, all of our neighbors were gone, so on Christmas morning, Robert and the big kids went driving around to find people that had to work on Christmas and blessed them with fresh cinnamon rolls. Robert said it definitly made an impression on everyone that got them. The 18 year old girl working at the movie store almost started crying, Robert left quickly, lol. I think next year, we are going to do another batch just to deliver to people working on Christmas day.

We had our friends the Denney's over for dinner on Christmas night. It was so fun. Kids were running everywhere (they have 6) and it just made it feel like home. We all ate. The kids, at least from three and up, got up and recited scripture and poetry. It was wonderful! We had so much fun.

Robert is back to work this week, but will have another 4 day weekend this coming weekend. We can't wait. What can we say, we just love being together as a family.

Bonus Kid Update:
Joshua lost his first tooth. It only made it about 36 hours before it was out of there. I think he played with it constantly from the time he realized it was loose. Robert put him to bed and it was just barely hanging in there, so he told Joshua that if it came out to just come wake us up and let us know. Well, wouldn't you know it that about 1am, Joshua comes in and tells Robert that it's out. We are pretty sure that he laid in there all night playing with it. So funny. We don't do the tooth fairy, but told him that we'd give him some money when it came out. He's still happy playing with it right now, lol.
Leah is just plugging along. Trying to find her way between big girl and little, although she's leaving little girl more and more behind. She's been asking to do school alot lately, so I might get our curriculum back out and work with her some more. She loves to color and cut right now and is so sweet with her baby dolls. She still tells me that when she grows up, she is going to nurse Hannah for me. She's alos my cleaner. She'll disappear and the next thing your know, the play room is picked up and organised. It's a beautiful thing!
Hannah is walking. Or I should say that she CAN walk. She only chooses to walk to Robert or I, but she can walk as far as she wants. She's still unstable and shaky but is progressing. I think she just isn't ready to move to the next stage of life, and that's fine with us....most of the time. She's eating well now and talks alot. She's into little temper tantrums now and then when she can't get what she wants, like a toy open or food fast enough, but she's easy enough to correct, that's nice. She's sleeping thru the night and even goes down awake now, which is going to be a major plus when it comes time to wean her.

This week I need to get us organised to start the new year. Robert and I will sit down and do our budget for next year. I need to organise what we want to finish up in school, we are starting Latin and music studies soon. I also need to get our healthy living organised. hopefully I can do some cleansing this year along with Robert and deal with my lingering liver/gall bladder problems. I also am making a New Year's resolution this year, for the first time ever, but I'll wait and share that later.

-Joshua has his first loose tooth. How is that possible? Wasn't he just born?
-Hannah loves to make animal sounds. She does a purrrrfect meow. She also loves walking with her walker toy, now if she'd just walk on her own.
-I don't understand cancer. I know the prevelance of it now is probably related to our toxic lifestlyes. I had a classmate who was buried on Tuesday, he died of a brain tumor, the same kind his 5 year old daughter died from a year ago. One of my lifetime best friends' husbands found out his cancer is back after a short remission last week. Another friend was diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday. A friend at church's mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer this week too. I don't like cancer. The pain it causes families and individuals is ugly. Lord have mercy on us.
-Speaking of toxins, I finished my candy/cookie bakeathon last weekend. This year was 10 dzn almond cranberry sugar cookies, and a bunch of peppermint bark and rocky road fudge, but the star this year was the Oreo Truffles
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-OREO-Truffles/Detail.aspx
People went gaga over them apparently at Robert's work, which is where all of this nasty sugary mess gets sent! ;-)
But this weekend is the big weekend for me and where I'll end up in trouble. This weekend is when we bake the from scratch cinnamon rolls from Pioneer Woman. By the way, she' giving away three KitchenAid Mixers on her site. Check it out.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/

PS Someone that is programming wiser than me, please tell me how to get these links to by cute little hyper links please.

Friday Kid Update

Joshua- His face is chubbing up, so it looks like I'll be pants shopping for him again soon. Wowzers, his growth spurts have really kicked in this year. He seems to have finally made it thru his super clumsy and very irritable phase. Thank goodness! I was wondering if he was going to live thru both of those,lol. He's telling time really well now. His motivation is that I tell him what time he can get up in the mornings and from nap time. ;-) ***He loves taking care of Hannah. He can feed her, and take her out of her highchair and wash her hands up. He carries her around any time she'll let him. Now if I could just get him to change her diaper and bathe her, I'd be on vacation!

Leah- She's beginning to come into her second Mommy roll, being the oldest girl. She is quick to correct Joshua and Hannah when they are straying from the path of righteousness. Now if we could just get her to follow suit! She is very obedient as long as she thinks she might get caught, but if she thinks she can get away with something, all bets are off. Yesterday, she filled one of our vents with tiny little pieces of torn up paper, then so that she wouldn't get caught, she closed the vent. Thankfully, I found it very soon after and no harm was done. She still loves dressing up and playing BooBoo's (babies) with Hannah. She tells me often that when she grows up to be a Mommy, she will nurse Hannah for me. She hasn't quite figured out the concept that hannah is growing up too.

Hannah- Is 15 months old now and FINALLY is sleeping thru the night! because she is now night weaned!!! This makes for a much happier Mommy, at least when I get over the flu it will. She's finally settling in to this house. She will crawl around and play on her own some now. Before, she was constantly by my side and usually wanting to be held. She's finally cut her 8th tooth. I think because we were in Texas. She's cut a bunch of teeth in Texas, lol. Her vocabulary EXPLODED while we were in Houston. I think because there were so many people around talking all of the time. Our house is a pretty quiet house, even with three kids. We just aren't a loud, rampbunctious bunch. But the Seago house is anohter story. I believe there were over 30 of us there the first 4 days of our trip, and Hannah heard lots of talking. She nows says tons of things. She also has been coming and telling me when she has poopies and that's pretty nice too.

win some free stylish clothes

you girls all know how I need all the help I can get being stylish....so, I entered to win some really cute clothes over here...check it out!
http://www.petitelefant.com/2009/12/shade-outfit-giveaway.html

We are home. We arrived late Saturday night and slept most of Sunday. Today was grocery shopping for starving children in our family ;-) and putting up the Christmas tree, addressing Christmas cards (I can't believe how out of date my address book got this year), finding Christmas cookie and candy recipes for Robert's gifts to his employees (hint hint, anyone got some?), nailing down schedule for babysitter during Sifco Management Christmas party for Friday, deciding on a family Christmas gift for party at church on Sunday and food to take also.......

anyone see a theme here? Hopefully I'll be back to update about our awesome trip to Houston and Seagoville over Thanksgiving. In case that doesn't happen, we got to fly home with Jim Cantore and Mike Seidel from the Weather Channel, pretty cool for a weather junkie family like us!

Eyes of Blue, 2 foot 2...

More Bullets

-Thanks for all of the info and suggestions ladies. It reminded me that I am doing way more than just the curriculum. We've read thru the whole Charlotte Mason reading list for Kindergarten. We are starting the first grade list. We also got some Abeka K and 1st science books that we've gone thru. He's doing Explode the Code phonics and loving it and Horizon math and we are liking it. We also do bible studies and memory work every day. So, I guess we are good so far.
The curriculum we are using is actually My Father's World. I'm going to have to reevaluate it for us next year. I've realized that I'm just not a fluffy girl. To me, coloring and cutting and artsy work every day is a waste of time. My kids seem to be geared that way so far too, thank goodness. If I get an artsy one, we are in trouble, lol. So I am going to keep with the MFW but just lightly and use it for our one or two days a week of fluff, then focus on everything else the rest of the time.
-This weekend was crazy busy and I'm exhausted. The Candlelight Walk went really well last night. We served free chili and hot dogs to the community during the parade and festivities. It was fun but tiring. I organised all of it, so I was glad it went well. Today we had Thanksgiving dinner celebration with the Lohnes and our church family here. Lots of food and it was fun. I stayed home from church this morning to get some rest and get food prep done.
-I am hoping that everyone has passed thru their illnesses. Hannah had the flu all week but seems to be good now. Leah threw up on Saturday morning out of the blue, we still don't know if it was something she ate or a bug, but she seems ok. Joshua and Robert and I are good, so far.
-Getting ready to head to God's country again come Thursday!!!!!!!!

No Time, Bullets

-Hannah woke up with a fever Monday morning. It broke this morning but is now back. Poor baby. She won't let me put her down.
-Busy week. I am organising our churches free chili/hot dog meal for the community during the Medina Candlelight Walk on Saturday, also making 2 huge pots of chili for the event. Went and bought 33 packages of hot dog buns today, can officially check that off my list of things to do before I die. Sunday we are having our church family Thanksgiving celebration at the Lohnes's home. I'm cook up a whole slew of yummies for that.
-I need some homeschool thoughts from you Mama's. Our curriculum is WAY WAY under Joshua's level. I thought we'd just push thru it anyway for a structure but seriously. It is a waste of our time, and I don't like wasting time. Leah gets most of this stuff and she's 3. What to do. We had purchased more advanced phonics and maths and so he's really pushing thru those now, but should I look for something else? Anyone? This totally reaffirms to me that Joshua couldn't got to public school. He's almost on a second grade public school level at 5. If we put him in "K" next year, he'd get diagnosed with ADHD and put on meds. Seriously.
-Robert is now in an indoor soccer league for the winter. It's fun but I don't like splitting my attention between the kids and his game. I'm a sports fan and just want to watch all of the action, lol.
-We leave for Texas in NINE days! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!
-I made some awesome chicken and dumplings. Actually, I feel like I'm coming into my own on this whole soup making adventure. I consider myself a good if not great cook. I've been doing it since I was 9 (my Mom worked second shift, so cooking was up to me) but living in the South, I never really had a reason to learn soups and so have always been awful at them. But now, I think I've figured them trick out......shhhhh, don't tell anyone, it is a blender! Yup! I use an immersion, but a regular would work too, just more work. I boil up a million veggies in some chicken broth, doesn't seem to matter what kind, and then blend them up, TA DA! Delicious soup. Really, we are loving it. My chicken and dumplings I boiled the chicken with onion and garlic and carrots and kale, celery, then pulled out the chicken to dice, blended up the veggies, add a little more broth to thin it some, then threw in the chicken and dumplings and let them cook. It was DIVINE and alot healthier than most recipes. So there ya go Kel, try it, you'll love it!

and today just gets better and better. We ran to check out a health foods place I had heard about and it is the best Healthy Foods Grocery I've ever been in. It is called the Mustard Seed and I am in LOVE. I was soooo giddy going thru it today. Tons and tons of gorgeous organic produce. Awesome supplements and other groceries. A fresh butcher that had great looking meats and fish. Seriously, I'm soooooooooo stinking happy!

Then, I came home and all of the kids went down for naps!!!!! Hannah is still adjusting to the time change and has been taking a morning nap and it is about to kill me! No rest or breaks at all is more than this Mama can handle for days on end.

Finally, I've got a big ole pot of chicken and veggies bubblin away to make some chicken and dumplings for dinner. I am on a mission to make meals we love from our childhood but healthy. This one has kale, celery, carrots, onions and chicken. I'll pull the chicken out and dice it up, then cream the veggies to make a creamy broth then add the dumplings and chicken back in. I CAN'T wait, I was drooling while I made it.

A little unsettled. We got an email from our HOA here today that said a man in a blue car has been going to kids waiting for the buses in the morning and yelling at them to get in the car. This has been happening for 2 weeks. Ick. I worry about Joshua at times. He is sooo social, and will talk to anyone, anytime. Anyone have good suggestions for a book on how to talk to your kids about safety stuff like this?

In other news, we are having the best day. I was just sitting thinking that this is how I would like all days to go. We got up and got the kids their baths and then breakfast. Joshua fed Hannah her breakfast while I did some computer work. Then, Hannah went down for a nap and the big kids and I got school done. Leah even asked to play some alphabet games and she is finally learning some of her letters. Joshua is doing phenomenal in school, no surprise there. Then, we made banana walnut pancakes together and had a tasty lunch. Now we are off to run some errands and enjoy the beautiful weather we are enjoying!