Sheri and her boys came down to spend that day with us, too. We loved having their help to decorate the tree. And I have to mention this Christmas tree stand real quick, because it's such a funny topic in our family. Josh and I have joked for years that we have one good fight a year, when we put up the Christmas tree, because Christmas tree stands are so wonky and can cause a bit of frustration. Josh decided to research stands and found one made in Germany that held a couple gallons of water and was so over engineered that all you have to do is use your foot to push a pedal and it ratchets down around the base of the tree and in less than 1 minute, your tree is up! Well, I have to say, it was quite amazing to watch Josh put the tree up in less than a minute this year! We smiled with delight and of course kissed in celebration of such a wonderful invention that made putting up the tree a lot of fun! Thank you, to whoever engineered this thing! :)
Jude reading one of many Garfield books by the light of the tree.
We went through the Christmas lights at the fairgrounds for the first time this season! Many more trips will be made. Tradition! ;)
We took the kids to the store the other night so that they could Christmas shop for each other. They each had worked and saved up money, and they had a lot of fun purchasing and wrapping their gifts. I especially loved the one-on-one time with them as they wrapped. It was sweet to hear their thoughts as they talked to me while taping wrapping paper. :)
We had a lovely Thanksgiving! The day before Thanksgiving, Selah and I went over to Dad and Janet's and we spent the afternoon baking pies and rolls with Grandma Janet! She had Christmas music playing, and their home is always so inviting, and we had a great time baking!
We hosted for Josh's side of the family this year. Sadly Grandpa Mike got sick and couldn't join us. :( His presence was missed, but we had a lovely time!
Getting ready before family arrived...
Selah made these little turkeys out of clay to put at each kid's place setting.
Grandpa Mike sent along some old VHS home videos that we all enjoyed watching!
We had a post Thanksgiving gathering with some of the friends we spent time in Sunriver with. The kids loved joining in this reverse charades game.
Chess lives on around here. :) Many a games are played each day. Uncle Matt has taught the kids more strategy, so it's fun to watch them put it into practice.
Dress up happens less and less around here as the kids get older, so I always love the times when they still pull costumes out. I sure love this little B.
Ben and his wrestling coach climbing the rope at practice.
I love spending time with my dad! One of my favorite things about him, aside from his unconditional love for me, his kindness, sense of humor, wisdom and care, is that he's a thinker. I love how he's always a step or two ahead in a thought process. He has a great mind!
A pic of my Grandfathers that I posted on Veteran's Day. I sure love them and the influence they've had on me!
This is a momentous picture! Jude is such a little stud, and great helper around the house. I'm so thankful for him. So, if you read a little about Aspergers, you'll find that fine motor skills are a struggle. And tying shoe laces has been a huge hurdle for Jude to overcome. We've worked on it for years (no joke), and many tears of frustration have been shed over the years. Years ago we just switched over to slip on shoes for Jude because it was easier... for all of us. But this year I decided that it was something that had to be overcome! His siblings were able to tie their shoes and I knew that probably had to bug him that he still couldn't. Plus he's been doing weekly therapy to increase his hand strength, so I felt like the timing was right. I became more determined in October, and still after trying to teach him to tie his laces it ended in tears of frustration (for him). :( We tried again in November, and for some reason it all just CLICKED!! He was SO excited!! I loved the confidence it immediately gave him. So later that day he asked if he could take the trash out so that he could put on his shoes and tie them. :) Some milestones may be hit later than expected, but he still hits them. I love that you don't give up, Jude! You're an inspiration to me. I sure love you!
Josh went elk hunting in Eastern Oregon this fall with his dad and brother. He didn't get to shoot at anything, but a friend in their hunting party got an elk and shared it with everyone. I thought that was so nice.
Ben is a busy boy. Our little kindergartner loves to get through his school days quickly, because that means more time for playing! :) He often quietly works, while I'm teaching the older two. He'll do his math worksheets, and his writing practice, then take a little break for Lego building. Then he'll do a little computer coding practice, read an easy book, then get through his chores so that he can earn a little ipad game time. I rarely have to ask him to do his work. He just gets it going. :)
Today he sat down and wrote a little story without being asked to, which I loved.
Translation: Sam wanted to walk his dog but his mom said, "no." Sam was sad. The end.
Yesterday he copied a Bible verse; I just love seeing his little handwriting. :)
I'll end with a pic of the gorgeous day we had two days ago. It was so clear and cheery, with the sunlight spilling across the field. If I'm ever having an exhausting day, I'm always amazed at how quickly my energy will pick back up just by spending a little time outside. I'm so thankful for the beauty of God's creation. Thank you Lord, for all of your good gifts.
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