Sam's Birthday!

We had a fun time celebrating Sam's birthday today! It was mostly a small family party, with a few friends. Here are some cute pictures of him waiting "patiently" for his cupcakes, and then opening gifts. Again, we want to express our thanks to everyone for the cool gifts and cards! :-)

Becca's Birthday!

Becca had a fantastic birthday party! We want to extend our thanks to all who participated in her party, and to all those who sent her a gift!

Our Winter Wonderland

It is easy to get into the spirit of the season with a nice blanket of snow outside! We bought some new sleds for the kids, and they are out enjoying the hills in our backyard and around our house. This is going to be our best winter yet! God is so good to give us different seasons to enjoy! :-)

Big Birthday Party!

We invited my friend and her family to our house for a birthday party! She has six kids ranging from age ten to three (the youngest two are twins! :-) We had twelve kids in our house for about three hours, and it went really well! Everyone played nicely, and I think they all had a lot of fun! She also homeschools, and I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more of each other from here on out!

Here is a picture of 10 out of the 12 kids eating pizza (our twins weren't in the picture because they don't eat pizza yet ;-)

Creative Castles

Eric and the kids had fun creating custom-designed castles with the castle cards that we bought a few years ago! It was neat to see them all pitch in their ideas, and work together as a team. There was no fussing, no fighting, no whining or pouting...just a cooperative spirit! God is so good to help us in our attempt to build positive character traits in our children!

God's Gifts

This is my first attempt at taking a picture of all six kids together. The twins would only look at the camera for brief moments that I couldn't catch, so I had to settle with them looking away. At least the older kids decided to look at the camera and smile! :-D

We are so thankful that God has given us our heart's desire and has made our family so complete!

Mexico!

As a part of "My Father's World" curriculum, the kids were issued passports to record "entries" and "departures" from different countries. We are having fun with our first "trip" to Mexico! We have been reading about the country and culture, listening to music appropriate for that country (even a Mariachi band!), planning art activities, and cooking authentic Mexican meals! So far, we have made burritos with guacamole sauce and chopped tomatillos, quesadilla casserole, and homemade tamales with cornbread! Today we are planning on making homemade tortillas and chicken fajitas! It has been easy to integrate so much cooking into this week, since I didn't schedule our "regular" online school, so that the kids would have more time to spend with their Grandpa who is visiting from Oregon. What a fun week!
Hasta Luego! ;-)

Finally Fall!

My husband and I have a sensitivity to heat. We both start getting uncomfortable when the temperature reaches 80, and the air conditioner is automatically set to kick in if the house ever gets that warm. This season has been disappointing to us, because of the extended periods of warm weather. However, we now have beautiful, crisp, breezy days to enjoy! The weather today is perfect, and we are looking forward to taking all of the kids for a walk to DQ after we get some housework done! My favorite season has finally arrived! :-D

Craftons in Crochet

The twins are growing so fast! I decided it was time for them to get their pictures taken in their beautifully crocheted outfits that Grandma Becky made...before they outgrow them! They were quite wiggly during their photo sessions, but we got some good snapshots! ;-)

Sweet Brotherly Love

Here is a cute picture of Sam giving his little brother a kiss! We just bought this new swing to make life a little easier, and we are happy to report that the twins love it! They take turns, and we rotate where they are throughout the house to keep things interesting. It is so nice to always have someone around to love on one of the twins...no matter where they are! ;-)

Healthy Babies

The twins had their 2-month check-up last week, and they are doing great! Even with the fact that they were born almost 4 weeks early, they are right on track for their age! "Big Tom" is in the 80th percentile for height and weight, and "Little Boy Troy" is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. They have been smiling, cooing, and keeping this mama on her toes! ;-)

Nature Friends

Our friendly neighborhood deer keep wandering closer and closer to our house! They really like our backyard, and especially one of our trees. It is neat to see them so close, although they always run off when Dan sees them and starts pounding on the window. Also, the girls found a caterpillar and kept it in a container to see what kind of butterfly (or moth!) it would transform into. After about 10 days of patiently waiting, a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly emerged!

Home Times

Well, this summer hasn't exactly been a time for travel and adventure, but we have been having a lot of fun at home! The kids are making good use of the space in our new house, and they spend a lot of time outside enjoying nature! They have made many, many friends in the neighborhood, and it has been a great season! I have had quite a bit of time for unpacking, organizing, and settling in. The only boxes left to go through are the boxes of toys and crafts downstairs. I am also organizing our homeschool supplies and going online to prepare our upcoming school year. Sam will start preschool this year, and he has his own hands-on program to begin his academic journey! We start again on September 6th!

Mama Deer

The doe that lives in the woods behind our house gave birth to two fawns this spring, and she brings them out on occasion for a bite to eat. Christy is the only one quiet enough to sneak out onto the deck and take pictures without scaring them off! ;-)

Random Samplings

Here are some neat pictures of our new birdhouse (matches the color of our house!), Christy's new crochet project, and Dan being cute...as usual! ;-)

Twin Fun

The kids (and Dad! ;-) have been having so much fun with the twins! It is sweet to see them enjoying each other!

Sunflowers!

Sunflowers are blooming all around our house...and we didn't even plant them! They are my favorite flower, so I take this as just another sign from God that we bought the right house! ;-)