childhood revisited

I was able to spend some time this past week with my childhood friend, Janna. It was so special to see her, her little boy and her sister. Janna and I were the best of friends in elementary school, we showed horses together and she was even in my wedding. She's one of my oldest friends and I love her so much! I love seeing friends after a long time and learning that God has been at work in their lives. So great...

inside their heads

I found these little signs on the outside of Brooklyn's "office". I think they are the rules she made for her space....so darling.

I'm in the process of making a thankful wreath with the four kiddos. Today, we cut out paper leaves, and then I had each child tell me what they were thankful for and I wrote each item on their leaves. They are almost done coloring the leaves and we will glue them tomorrow. It is so fun to get inside their heads and hear what makes them tick. Here are some of the things the kids are thankful for...

Brooklyn (note her very mature answers--she's five!)- "my mom, my dad, my brother, Daisy the dog, friends, My God"

Parker(3.5)-"going to the lake,riding in race cars, riding on motorcycles, God, Mama, Daddy, Griffin"

Tallan (2)- "ME!" Yes, he is thankful for himself--he is very self assured!

Griffin (1.9)- "Daddy!"

And by the way, Parker HAS NEVER ridden in a race car or on a motorcycle....I think he confused me with Santa Claus...geesh. Motorcycle? Not on your life, mister:)

these are the days...

parenting stuff

Just a couple of things I want to share. Possibly boring if you're not a parent...but not to me!

~This article in Parents Magazine, Oct 08, Is My Child Too Sick for School? This topic has been a great mystery for me and now I'm glad that I have an accessible resource to legitimize my thoughts!

~I recently read Beyond Time-Out. It has really great, practical information on how to attack some common parenting problems. I especially appreciated the Ladder Technique.

~We've been listening to Backyardigans: Born To Play for quite a few months now, and we're still not tired of it! The music is fun for kids and adults and it is quite eclectic! Love it!

my favorite

My very favorite veteran of all....my Dad!!
Just about 26-27 years of service, right dad? I should probably be a little more technical than that and tell you his official name and rank and all of the honors he has...but I won't:) But I will tell you that he's a big dude in the Navy... and always has been to me! Love you Dad!!

just this for now

I haven't been in the mood to blog...not sure why. But I don't want to forget about these days, either...so I may be posting pictures with very few words for a while. You know, just to document these special moments--and they're all special!

A picture taken last night at Nicole (Joel's cousin) and Andy's wedding! Congrats, you two, and have a great honeymoon! Oh, and thanks so much for the picture, Vicky!

freedom...

Ha... Gotcha!! I betcha thought I was going to talk politics. Won't catch me talking about that here. Too bad. So sad:)

But I have to tell you that I'm listening to some classic Christmas music at this very moment while still enjoying my Halloween decorations! I know that would drive most of you crazy, but it is MY HOUSE and it is MY FREEDOM! I know many people get very worked up about the commercialism of the holidays starting so early, but I'll let you in on a little secret....I think it is great!! When else do we spend so much money on OTHER people? Why is it so bad? And if you don't like all of the Christmas stuff out right now, then don't you dare buy a gift before Thanksgiving! The stuff is out because we buy it...and the cycle continues!

Wow. Didn't know I was so passionate about that one. You won't catch me talking about politics, but I will sure as heck tell you what I think about the holidays!

Okay, so back to politics for one little minute...I voted by mail. Love that I didn't have to stand in line. It totally is the way to go. I'm ready for tomorrow when all of this will be over...mainly because I'm tired of the division it has caused in all sorts of circles. It is totally ridiculous. The end.

Deck the Halls!!! Happy Christmas Season!