Halloween is for the Birds

A Peacock, Flamingo and Swan that is...

Proud as a peacock

Shake your tail feathers Sarah

Sweet Swan!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



Halloween 2010

I made it my New Year's resolution to post pictures from Halloween 2010 sometime before Halloween 2011.  I don't mean to brag, but I'm way ahead of schedule.

This year we had a princess, unicorn (again) and a clown. 

What a clown

 Pretty as a princess

Oh look...unicorns do exist.

This year was our first year to really trick or treat.  I don't know what we've been waiting for.  It was great.  The girls got lots of good candy to share with me and we had a really fun time seeing our neighbors and just being out in our neighborhood.

Kiddie Kollege Mother's Day Tea

Kiddie Kollege moms and grandmas were treated to cookies, tea and a fashion show for Mother's Day.  It was a fun time for all of us and I came home with two hand drawn pictures of me and the special flowers the girls are holding.

Thanksgiving 2009

Since it's almost Christmas, I thought it would be a good time to post a bit about our Thanksgiving...maybe I'll get around to a Christmas post sometime before Easter.  We had a quiet Thanksgiving at home complete with school-made table decorations.

...and missles and guns or whatever

(spelling can really trip a kid up)

Here we are all ready for our feast.  We spent some time reflecting on what we were thankful for.  Jesus and each other were at the top of our list.

The week of Thanksgiving, Hannah's class had their Thanksgiving feast.  The class had worked hard to memorize Thanksgiving poems and prepare their readers theater pieces.  They were all so cute dressed up as pilgrims, indians and turkeys.

The day after Thanksgiving we packed the kids up and headed for our friend's mom's house where the boys did some skeet shooting and the kids and I climbed a rather steep hill.  If you look closely, that's a picture of Rob with a shotgun.  It turns out he's a pretty good shot (might come in handy when the girls start dating).  I think he surprised a few of the rough, tough cowboys they were shooting with.  I know he impressed his wife...what a man!  It was a great weekend.

Happy Mother's Day!

I have so much to be thankful for today. The first thing is the three little reasons I get to celebrate this day. There was a time when I didn't know if I would ever get to celebrate this day as a mother. Mother's Day will always be a reminder of that time in my life. I am so thankful to be able to celebrate motherhood with my family today, but I will always be mindful of those who may be hurting on this day. I've been there.


I am also thankful for all the thoughtful and unexpected gifts that have come my way this Mother's Day. Here is a picture of all my Mother's Day loot.


Each of these treasures has a special story. The flowers are an annual treat from my in laws. I am surprised every year when the flower lady rings my doorbell. They always brighten my day. Thank you Jim and Sue!

The handprints, card and pink scarf were projects that Hannah has been working on for me at school. One of the teachers at her school takes each child aside before school and helps them make a scarf for their mom. She is a special lady. Thanks Ms. B.

The strawberry jam is something that Grace and Sarah have been working on for several weeks at my friend Jenn's house. They were so excited to try their jam on biscuits this morning. It was yummy! Thank you Miss Jenn.

The coffee and new mug were a gift from my BFF Liz. We have this large metal ball that opens up that we secretly pass back and forth filled with treasures for the other person. The ball appeared in my backyard yesterday filled with yummy Storyville Coffee and my new favorite coffee mug. This gift was extra special because Storyville Coffee Company is donating 100% of the proceeds from all of their sales in the month of May to the International Justice Mission (IJM). I fell in love with IJM a few years back and Liz knew I would really appreciate this gift. Thanks Liz!

Now, the prize for the funniest gift goes to my friend Bob from church. For some reason known only to God Himself, Bob always seems to drive by Liz's house when she and I are yakking out front...sometimes in the rocking chairs on her front porch or sometimes leaning on my van. This has Bob convinced that all we "stay-at-home" moms do is sit around yakking and eating bon bons and he teases us accordingly. We always laugh and tell him he just missed the bon bons. For the record, neither one of us even knows what a real bon bon looks like. So, this Mother's Day Bob special ordered a box of real honest to goodness bon bons for each of us. I may have to get a picture of us eating bon bons on her front porch. Look for a future post on that. Bob, you made me laugh so hard. Thank you! Next time you drive by, stop for a while and we'll share our bon bons with you.

Last but certainly not least...I came home from church to this sign hung on my kitchen cabinets.

Poor Rob has been sick as a dog for the last four days, but he still managed to put together what looks like a perfect agenda for a perfect day. Thanks Honey! Hey...I think I am supposed to be napping right now...better get to it.