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We have a new blog!

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We've been busy

Helen with Daddy's old Grover

Daddy took them to the Feed Store to see the bunnies

Out to eat with Daddy

He's so proud..and so are we.

Fieldtrip to the Gator Farm!

No greater praise...

Matthew:  Daddy, If I had to choose between having lunch with my favorite superhero and you, I'd choose you.

Is there any greater praise from a 6-year-old boy?  Probably not.

Weekend at Papa and Nana's House!

While Daddy was in Austin, we went to Papa and Nana's house.  This means spoiling (and lots of it) for them and me.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

Here I am trying to get a "good" picture of the cousins and my kiddos.  I'm not sure I was successful, but I think they had fun:

 

Guess who caught the first fish all by himself. 

 Who do you think was most proud?

True Romance

Before marriage, I equated romance with flowers and candy.  After marriage, I began to see the value of really knowing someone's heart.  That's why this gift from my hubs was so good.  I love books, especially old ones.  I even love the smell (please don't squash my love affair by telling me it's mold!).  I've even convinced my kids it's fun to browse used book stores, really, it is!  These books also came with an uninterrupted half-hour and a cup of tea.  Perfect.  Flowers and candy?  Not for him.  But I'll take his romance any day.  Happy Valentine's...

Star Wars Movie!!

Star Wars at the theater with Dad...need I say more?

The Sweetest Mess...

Left to their own devices....

I needed the children to "do something" while I finished the breakfast dishes.  Perhaps I should have been more specific.

For my son

Sometimes being a hero means resisting the call to glory elsewhere and standing fast at your post.


It's not the sword you use that makes you a hero.  It's how you use the sword.


Seeing what is right and doing it, even though the world tempts you to do something else, is the mark of moral courage.


Some people grow to be great heroes by doing small, good deeds.


William Bennett

Bird House

Uncle Robin and Aunt Kaye gave Matthew this bird house and a great book that became the basis for our January nature study.  Matthew decorated the house and, when PapaBear came to visit, we put him to work setting it up.  We've already seen a few birds scouting it out.  We're hoping to find a nest in the next month or so!

Matthew got to use the drill!

The finished project

Notice the "Welcome" sign painted on the front

I love my son - these paintings are Sunflowers by Van Gogh and the "momma Lisa" by Da Vinci!

Wishing for Winter

Making his snowman

Hard at work

Helen loves to build towers

Painting with "snowballs" (marshmallows)

I love Saturday Mornings....

Matthew teaching Helen to play a video game in their fort

What I'm working with....

Helen's Top Ten

Helen is not a fan of bedtime or nap time. In her defense, she has too much to accomplish to spend time sleeping (see picture above).  Every night, she runs through a standard list of requests in hopes of stalling the inevitable.  Here they are in no particular order:

1. "Wok" - Rock me

2. "Daddy Wok" - He can be a softie

3. "Bubba" - Calling for back-up.  He'll do whatever she wants

4. "Jooc" - Juice: She's suddenly thirsty

5. "Wunch" - Lunch (refers to all meals)

6. "Nak" - Maybe just a snack?

7. "Babes, Bes" - Babies, bears: She needs every doll and stuffed animal in sight

8. "nose, eyes, etc" - She starts showing off her skills.  Sadly, this is sometimes effective.  I get halfway through congratulating her before I realize I've been had.

9. "Book" - Never give into this ploy.  She will look at each book, say "no" and move to the next one.  At the end of the shelf, she'll start over.

10. "Pat, Pat" - Pat my back. OK, you win, Helen. 

Good night everybody.  And Good luck.

All Alan's fault....

My little Sunshine

Helen has a style all her own.

She fell asleep reading to her babies...I know the feeling.

Knights and Castles and Dragons, Oh, My!

This month, we've been learning about Knights and all things related.  We choose a topic that interest Matthew every month or so and spend some time each week learning all about it.  Learning about knights has actually been interesting and we've found tons of good books to read.  It also fit perfectly with our Bible verse this month - the Armor of God (from Ephesians 6).  This is right up Matthew's alley...it's much easier to make a good choice when you're "using your shield of Faith to defeat flaming arrows!" and not just trying to "be good".  Gotta love little boys...

Matthew's replica of the interior of a castle

The catapult the guys built...they were so excited I wanted a picture

When I threaten to continue snapping pictures, they can be very cooperative

This is what happens....

...when your big brother gets you up from your nap!

We're so proud!

The game that started it all!

I usually reserve my bragging for the kids (for their grandparent's benefit, of course), but this post is all about Alan.  Why?  Well, because he deserves it.  Besides being a super-hubby and amazing daddy, he's also become a semi-celebrity in the gaming world for geeks (his words, not mine).  Last year, he had this idea for a weekly video with an emphasis on his favorite computer game.  It's really taken off and now he also heads up a large group of gamers and helps host online shows about different aspects of the game.  I'm so impressed with his willingness to take a risk and try something new.  I'm so proud of the results.  Matthew, of course, thinks his dad is now incredibly famous.  Just ask him.  Helen thinks he walks on water no matter what he does.  There's definitely a little bit of hero worship going on around this place.  And it's totally deserved.

Final Photos

Soon, this blog will be turned into a family scrapbook.  A friend recommended blurb.com, and I'm anxious to try it out.  I'll let you know what I think!  Here are a final few photos I want to make sure are included.

Playing outside - gotta love short sleeves in December!

My little sunshine

Helen loves to look at this picture on our phone - She says "Oh, baby mess!"