Handprints on our Hearts

These photographs are reminders. Gentle reminders that time goes by so quickly and all of the day's events will all too soon become memories of yesterday. Our children leave fingerprints on everything~mirrors, walls, television screens, but mostly on our hearts. I'm reminded of the small hand print that Supergus put on a freshly painted wall of his bedroom. I'm glad I didn't repaint over that small mishap. I think back to the small friends, including pooh, piglet, and rabbit, that were hiding on the window sill behind the curtain one morning. I love to see these precious reminders again and again.

Our children model us. They watch us and repeat what they see and hear. What gifts are we leaving for them to discover that will remind them of our love for them? Kisses on the way out the door? Notes in a lunch box? Remedies to fix a bad day? Comforting hugs and encouraging smiles? Pancakes that were supposed to be mickey mouse, but turned out to be a snowman?

The love of Jesus?

So, from bathing duckies to that peanut butter sandwich found under the couch--I encourage you to love it! Remember it! And treasure these things up in your heart, for tomorrow comes all too soon and our children will be grown. Here's to finding joy in the moment and jelly in the bottom of your purse!

Where The Wild Things Are!

Be careful not to have too many stuffed animals in your bed!

At night, they come alive and talk to one another! They plan... they plot...they party! One night recently. we crept into Supergus's room after hearing an unusual sound. We heard giggling! The sight we saw took us totally by surprise! Can you believe these cute little animals were having a pile-up-party right there on Supergus!? He slept through the whole thing! Luckily, we got a few pictures as proof that we are not crazy. He claims to not remember a thing. AND he claims we had something to do with it. Now that's crazy.

We're innocent.

of course.

Playdate!

Cupcake is becoming quite the little social butterfly! She had a friend over for her first official playdate! The girls had a good time (so did we moms!). They only took a few moments to get used to the idea there was someone else just their size to play with! Only, when they became overly comfortable did Cupcake decide they were her toys.

The afternoon lent itself to learning to share, taking turns, seeing what each other sippy cups had in them! The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, you know! It just didn't work when one girl had a cup in each hand and the other had none. No grass is even worse!

Having the children play was wonderful and we already scheduled another day together! I think I'm going to have to get a calendar just for her schedule!

Chinese New Year

Well folks, after years of waiting, buckets of tears, and enough prayers to fill a thousand journals, we made it..... we got to celebrate our first Chinese New Year as a completed family. There were years we went and celebrated without Cupcake and there were years we just couldn't go because it hurt too much. But this year? We celebrated like we had created this holiday! Every minute was filled excitement (sometimes a little too much for Cupcake (those of you that have seen her visa photo know that look!))! From the dragon parade to the duck for dinner to the origami projects to the fireworks~we celebrated! But most of all we were joyful~ Overwhelming joy and love filled our hearts! It was amazing to see Supergus chatting with other children during the group photo when we could barely convince him to get in the picture just a year before. He felt he didn't belong there...and maybe we felt that way too at times. God kept calling us, and we kept waiting. God is so faithful! So Happy New Year everyone! We look forward to celebrating it again every year~TOGETHER!

Sudsy Business

Supergus getting a lesson on washing dishes! YES! He did a great job~next we'll move on to laundry.... and the bathroom.....and dusting.....washing my van!!

*evil laugh*

Back-talkers Beware!

It has been said that around certain parts of the country, okay particularly the part of the country that is our home address, that back-talking and sarcasm are crimes that can't go unpunished. So, even with slight sarcasm we have to take measures. Primarily, being put "butt first in the snow" tends to rectify most cases. Even if the victim claims to be innocent, it's just fun to watch! And watching NEVER gets old!

Winter Carnival

After having to postpone the Winter Carnival once, we were so excited to finally attend the annual event at the school! The sledding hill was plenty primed from hours of recesses and avid sledders making the path like glass by the time we arrived! There was even a bump or two down the way that would send you shooting in the air in a new direction, hopefully landing in one piece! We spent the morning sledding and playing "hockey". What a great way to enjoy the seemingly never-ending gift of snow. If you were outside that day, I'm sure you could have heard me screaming allllll the way down the hill! The child inside of us got to come out and play all afternoon!

Where the Sidewalk Ends...Begins!

There is so much joy in watching your children discover the wonders of things that you loved as a child, too! Supergus brought home Shel Silverstein's "Where the Sidewalk Ends" book from the library last week. After reading out loud through several of the poems in a dramatic way, Supergus just eyeballed me curiously, like I had grown a second head. Oh, he'd never heard Shel READ the poems before! They come to life when he does!

I quickly put in the beloved CD and watched as his eyes lit up and he laughed! Even after years have passed: Sarah Cynthia Silvia Stout still won't take the garbage out, Jimmy Jet is still a TV set, Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too are still lost on an adventure and Sisters still aren't going for even a nickle at auction.! Each one was better than the last! We both laughed at "How can you tell if a window is open?~Throw a rock at it!" And the shock on his face when the jaws went SNAP in"Crocodile teeth's ~What's one more dentist, more of less?!" was priceless...

Treasures are hidden on those pages and we're determined to find many of them-together!

Sheldon Alan "Shel" Silverstein (September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999)

Snow Day!

Wow! What a surprise! Our school district actually called a snow day?! Anyone who ever went to that school and or worked there are probably still picking their mouths up off the floor. You see, it just doesn't happen. You know that story about walking to school up hill both ways in the snow with no shoes, that's true around here. Even if the roads were impassible, we have magic busses, because they'd say that the school was open. I'm thinking the only way (before this snow day of course) for the school to close is if it was swallowed up by the Earth in a freak accident. In that case, we may have a two-hour delay!

Anyway, enough of that nonsense and on to the nonsense of our day off! And it was just that! We had a great time making Valentine's Day cookies for Supergus's class and he wrote up cards to give away. We built a terrific fort out of cushions and pillows. During Cupcake's nap, Supergus disappeared in there with a stack of books and a flashlight. I think he may have dozed off, too! After resting, Cupcake had lots of energy and the fort didn't stand a chance! It was leveled in 20 seconds, tops! This didn't stop the fun. Supergus used the couch as a launching pad to jump into the pile of pillows! What was I thinking? I know there is a rule somewhere around here about "not standing on the couch" and certainly one that says something about "no jumping on the furniture"! Or maybe that was my rules growing up? Either way, it's a SNOW DAY! So jump away! Unfortunately, that hindsight thing is true. Supergus is limping off to school today.

It didn't stop him from snowboarding and sledding in the afternoon, however. Just enough pain to limp into the elementary school. I'm hoping by recess, it's miraculously healed!

The afternoon granted us opportunities to sled, take a walk (in snow drifts up to the thigh!), shovel, and bring in lots of firewood. The cozy fire and hot tea was wonderful as we visited with Moo and Nyn Nyn until the kids finally crashed for the evening. What a day!

I know everyday can't be a snow day, but when they come around it's a great time to just have fun!

Chores will always wait until another day. And kids are only young once....and so are we! (I don't even remember falling asleep, but morning came around awfully early!)

100th Day of School

Today is the 100th Day of Second Grade!

What a day to celebrate!

Supergus sported his brand new “100th Day” t-shirt! He took in 100 Chinese Wishing Birds and a bag of 100 beans. We made the morning fun by singing “Happy 100th Day of school to you!” to get him awake. Then we made him brush his teeth counting to 100 and back. He didn’t care for that too much, until I suggested he count to 100, 100 times. Suddenly, the original request sounded very reasonable. He attempted 100 jumping jacks and sit ups. And he thought the 100 frosted flakes I counted into his bowl was just not enough! Nor, was the sliver of yummy muffin that estimated 100 calories. In any case, it was 100 times more fun than usual! I'm sure the next 80 days will fly by!!

Pretty In Pink

Pretty little piggies and fingers! Cupcake and I painted our nails together for the first time. She “helped” with mine, and boy are they pretty! The lumpy, bumpy look is in right? Hers are so cute and shiny! She likes to show them off and wiggles her toes to make them shine in the light!

First Rate Care...

We had the stomach bug here at our house... It was awful and Daddy was out of town during the first part of it. Don’t worry though, we saved some bugs for him. It’s all about sharing! Cupcake and Supergus were personal doctors just for Daddy as he tried to nap on the couch. Silly, daddy, that’s no place for rest!

Creamed Chicken over Cupcake!

What a mess! She thought it was fun! ~so was bath time afterward!

What a stinker!

The picture doesn't begin to show the gooey mess!

More Outdoor Fun!

Knee-deep in fun.... literally!

In the Meadow we can build a snowman!

Cupcake isn't so sure of the snow, but is slowly checking it out since we've had plenty to observe! Some say we've gotten over 34" so far, but we only have between 1-2 feet on the ground now. ONLY!

On New Year's Eve (day) we made a whole family of snow people~including a little baby for the mommy to hold. However, after New Year's Eve, our poor snow people looked like they had enjoyed the festivities a little too much as you can see from the second picture! It's too funny! Between the wind and newly fallen snow, the snowmen take on new personalities, daily.

And guess what? They are calling for more and more and more snow! As long as you don't have to drive in it, "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

Happy New Year 2010~

What a great start to the New Year! We hosted a game night! We battled it out over a trivia game and Cranium was so much fun, too! Between the puppeteers and the humming of the "Sanford and Son theme" the night was a blast! We dropped our own (disco) ball around 10:30 and sang along to Auld Lang Syne. We had a friend from as far away as North Carolina come, my mother-in-law braved the weather, and we even had a few folks (new friends) we didn't even know come! What a great night! We look forward to monthly game nights with this rowdy and fun group!