Leah's First Birthday Party

Leah was invited to her first birthday party. It was for her favorite cousin Emily. They went to Build A Bear, and it was so cute to watch how excited they were for each little thing.
They are making their wishes for their bunnies. Then to the bathing station. They had their bunnies all fluffed and washed!

They were so cute the entire time. Here is Leah with "Sleeping Beauty" She absolutely loves her, and can't go far without her. Bunny has to be dressed and have shoes at all times, and sleeps right next to Leah every night. It was a fun party, Thanks Emily!

Bath Time

I was making dinner one night and I heard the water running in the bathroom. I finished up what I was doing, and walked into the bathroom and this is what I found. Abby had filled up the tub and bathed both Nate and Leah. I walked in when she was washing Leah's hair. I was surprised that she would do it without even being asked, but it helped me so much. I love that she enjoys helping me. It was so cute, and I was so proud of her.

Santa Video

This is the cutest website. Check it out. Santa sends a special message to your kids, and even mentions them by name! My kids were ecstatic to see if Santa really knew what they wanted for Christmas, and when he really did, it sealed the deal! Merry Christmas!!


http://portablenorthpole.tv/home/

The meaning behind the 12 days of Christmas

There is one Christmas Carol that has always baffled me. What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially the partridge who won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

This week, I found out.

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember.

-The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

-Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

-Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.-

-The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.

-The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

-The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

-Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit--Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

-The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.

-Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit--Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control.

-The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.

-The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

-The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history for today. This knowledge was shared with me and I found it interesting and enlightening and now I know how that strange song became a Christmas Carol...so pass it on if you wish.'

Merry Christmas Everyone

First Day of School

Nathan started Kindergarten this year. He is loving it. This is his teacher Miss Larkin. She is wonderful, and Nate adores her. He is learning so much and progressing quickly. He brought home his first reader books this week, and he is loving that he can read like Abby now! He loves to play with his friends and has his favorites already. One of his friends in his class was also in his preschool class, so it was really good for him to know someone the first day.
He loves to ride his bike and is upset that it is put away for winter. He continues to tell me he is big enough to go to school by himself. I told him I wasn't ready to let him do that yet!

Abby is in Second Grade. She is reading so well and is enjoying school. She is quite the chatterbox I am told and so we are working on staying on task. She loves to hang out with her friends and is constantly asking to play with someone.

Our camera was dead when we tried to take pictures for the walk to school, so we had to do it after. By the time we got home the girls were all hot and sweaty, but that didn't stop the picture taking. We just had to bribe them with a popsicle! Abby has grown up so much, she keeps asking how old she has to be before we let her have a cell phone, and we contiue to tell her she can have one when she can pay for one!

Why Leah got a Twin Bed

and yes, she is still asleep!

Christmas Boutique Open House

I am having a Christmas Boutique this weekend. So any of you that need a few last minute christmas ideas, please stop by! There will be hair bows, tu-tu's, scentsy, gal pal purses, homemade gourmet, beaded watch bands, and covers for your hot flat irons.

Saturday December 12, 2009 11-3 pm.
Lots of food and fun, come and bring a friend!!

Canoeing

One afternoon this summer, my cute neighbors called and asked if we would like to go out on their canoe. Their grandson was here and they wanted other kids around for him to play with. They also took my kids bowling and had all kinds of fun with them. So we loaded up and went out. I took the first turn with them. There are no pictures because I was afraid of tipping us over and didn't want to ruin my camera! It was a lot of fun, and something we had never done. Abby and Nate each got a turn to paddle, and then enjoyed splashing and feeding the ducks. It was crazy while we were out on the water. The kids pulled out the bread and we were suddenly surrounded by at least 30-40 ducks and swans. It was so much fun!

Babies!

Two of my sisters had babies this summer. They are so cute, and my kids love to sit and hold them. Nathan tells my sister every sunday (the one with the little boy) that we need another boy at our house, so can we just take him?

Tyler Lorenzo August 20 & Cortnie Ann July 28

Nathan's Birthday Party

Nathan got to have his first friends birthday party. He chose Build a Bear. He invited my little brother James, and his cousin Anna. It was so much fun to watch the excitement on their faces trying to choose an animal.

Here they are making their wishes for the animals, they were so cute!!

The end product, Batman Horse! I was a little sceptical of his choice, but it has grown on me, and he absolutely loves him, and sleeps with him every night!

Happy Birthday Nathan, we love you!!!!