Christmas w/o batteries

The kids woke up at 6am and talked with Grammy and played with their new Eye Clops microscope for an hour before coming to wake us up.  They went straight to their stockings.  I got a picture.  The batteries were low due to my budding photographer and picture crazy dd.  A few days ago, she asked her Dad to bring batteries home.  He went to the grocery store and got a pack of four.  Later, we saw that they had exploded in the package!!  On Christmas Eve, during a run to the Dollar Store, I bought a couple of packs of Everready.  A couple of them worked, but one pack was a dud!  Not a good way to start Christmas.  So we got only a few pictures, but lots of video. 

Opening the stockings

When is it my turn?

Christmas Cookies

After moving into our new home, mostly unpacking, attending several Christmas parties, doing the Christmas shopping, wrapping, and decorating, we found time to make our annual Christmas cookies with Grammy.

We took some plates of cookies to 5 of our new neighbors.  Only two answered the door and we introduced ourselves.  Later, another couple from across the street brought us cookies :)

I finally tried this Gingerbread recipe from Betty Crocker.  I must have done something wrong, they tasted awful, not like others I've tried.  But we had fun, and they were cute.

Ten years of prayers, answered!

Here are pics of our new house!  We moved in on Dec. 1, having closed the day before.  What a whirlwind it was!  But we are ecstatic with what God had done for us.  After praying for over 10 years for our own home, God said, "Yes!" 

 

 

 

Windmill Farm

We had a field trip to a windmill farm last spring.  It was, um, very windy :)  The windmill are big enough that our entire group of about 20 could fit inside the base of one of them.  They are huge!

Going in...

Archery

C, D, & A took Archery lessons through 4H.  They loved it!

 

Don't worry, the person behind D is far away, not really shooting at his head :)

S&B played in the mud. This is what happens when your brother drops a bucket of mud right in front of you!  

Seeds of Homeschooling

 
I grew up in the public schools in the 70's,  an only child. I had never heard of homeschooling. But I
have this vivid memory as a teen girl. I was at home watching an I Love Lucy rerun. It was the
episode when Little Ricky started school. Lucy was so
upset about him leaving. I remember my heart breaking
at the thought of having to send my own children off
to school someday. Seeds.

In the late 80's, single and in my mid 20's, I met a
local family from my church that homeschooled. I sat
at their dining room table while the two girls did
their school work. We talked about the new age
influence in the schools. Water.

In the early 90's, while working overseas with Youth
With A Mission, several of the missionary families
homeschooled their children. More water.

In 1991-92, I attended a small Bible school.  The teacher and his wife homeschooled their 4
children and he really explained the benefits and
reasons to homeschool. My future husband was there,
listening, too. Lots of water and growth.

Later that year we married. The Lord gave us 5
children and He is giving us the "increase" of those
seeds of homeschooling way back when. :)

 

Tree planting

We helped to plant trees at a new local park last spring.  We planted 8 or 9 trees.