Almost Time for Christmas

We put the finishing touches on our baking Wednesday.  We made a couple deliveries to neighbors, but didn't catch them all at home.  We put some in the freezer before heading up north.  Those deliveries will have to be made after Christmas.

We were also preparing deviled eggs for Christmas Eve.  Luke preferred peeling and cutting eggs to icing cookies, so he go that job.

Luke, Joy, Leah at work in the kitchen

After wrapping up the cookie project, we headed to Lynn's house for a quick gift exchange and visit with her family, Lisa's family, and Mom.  Mom gave the Gilberts and us toboggans, sleds, and saucers that we put to use the next day.

Lisa, Juli, Lynn, Mom (Jan)

Then, we were off to Candy & Danny's in Prescott Valley for some pre-Christmas Eve fun.  The kids played, played, and played with cousins and second cousins.  Here are most of the girls, though a couple are missing.

Hannah, Emily, Leah, Cora, Joy, Sarah, Brianna, Claire, Grace

The fun night ended with a movie and LOTS of talking way into the night -- until, eventually, the mean adults came and put a stop to it!

Sleeping chaos upstairs

 It's become our Christmas Eve Day tradition to find snow nearby and we weren't let down this year.

Danny pulled two kids behind as we pulled off to find a good spot.  (Carter & Adam)

Carter, Adam, & Luke

Juli & Leah take a ride down the slope.

Emily & Joy enjoying their crash

Posing for a family picture before taking off

There would be plenty more fun ahead of us, so we departed to get ready for our Christmas Eve festivities.

Phoenix Suns Outing

Leah, Joy, & Luke -- Go Suns!

Shawn was given four Phoenix Suns' tickets at work.  I stayed home while everybody else went to the game.  It was a first for the girls and they enjoyed it.  At first, Leah wasn't so sure she wanted to go.  Grandma couldn't watch her, so she decided it was better to go than stay home alone and let me go.  :)

They all shot free throws at the end of the game.  The reports I heard were that Luke hit the rim and Leah hit some innocent bystander.  You can't win 'em all!

Go Suns!  Too bad their cheering didn't help them win.  :(

Crackjax & Cousin Fun

Lynn, James, Emily, and Savannah joined us at Crackerjax Amusement Park two weeks ago.  I decided that the bungee jumping looked fun and that my foot was ready to give it a whirl.

Juli giving it a try.

After I bought my ticket, the kids informed me that I wouldn't be allowed to do flips since I'm over 20.  Huh?  Is that the over the hill age?  It can't be a height thing, so I don't know what it is.  I'm not sure I would have mastered flips, but I wanted to give it a try.  The worker did tell me that if I "accidentally" did one, it would be alright.  At that point I was scared that I'd knock myself out or something, so I stuck with the rules -- up and down, up and down . . . though it does give you a workout!  I was careful to push off with my right foot and it worked out great.

The kids did the bumper boats and race cars.  Later, we did miniature golfing.  Fun stuff!

Emily racing around the track

Lynn & James had a party to go to, so we took Emily and Savannah with us for the night.  We went out for pizza and then off to a Randy Thompson concert at a church in Phoenix.  At the concert, I held Savannah most of the time.  Whenever I coughed, so told me, "Shhhh!!"  She was right!  I had to leave a couple times so that I wasn't too distracting.  I've had a lingering sickness that just wouldn't go away.

After the concert, the girls spent the night with us.  Savannah was wide awake until late into the night since she slept during the concert.  Finally, she snoozed with the other girls.  As usual, they were all up bright and early to get in some extra play time.

No more pictures of the fun, but they always have a blast together!

Decmber 4th

The 4th of December . . . a day that rolls around every year.  December 4, 2010 . . . a Saturday, the ideal day for a birthday party.  Put them together and you have a day remembered, but no celebration.  It's hit me harder than usual today and I'm not sure why.  My precious baby wouldn't even be a baby anymore, he would be twelve.

We took the kids to Crackerjax (amusement park) today.  I couldn't help but think that it would have been the perfect day to gather up some of Ethan's friends and call it a birthday party instead.  Oh, how I would have loved to hear his laugh as he did flips in the Bungee Dome or sped around in the go-carts.  I hate playing those scenes through my mind.  My little/big guy is in heaven having a much better time than Crackerjax can offer.

Sometimes I think that if I fully comprehended heaven, I'd never shed another tear over his absence.  Other times, I remember that Jesus wept and am comforted through my tears.

I really try not to dwell on the "what ifs" like a Crackerjax birthday party or other ponderings, but I feel them from time to time.  What if the six chairs around the kitchen table were full each night for dinner?  What if Luke was matched up with the perfect playmate like Leah & Joy are?  Would he like Xbox and comic books like Luke or be completely different?  What would his personality be like?  How tall would he be?  Would he have kept his reddish hair color?  Would he have decided on his own to trust Christ someday and meet Him face to face . . . later?

As soon as I knew I was pregnant, that last question was what I prayed about most.  My greatest desire was for my child to spend eternity with his Savior & ME in heaven someday.  I guess God and I had a misunderstanding . . .  the ME was supposed to make it to heaven first!  God had different plans and I am confident in his sovereignty.  I really know nothing about setting a universe into motion or creating everything in it.  He sees the big picture.  I have the cute, small picture of Ethan to hold which makes it difficult to lift my gaze sometimes.

I wonder how many other ME plans I have that aren't what God has in store.  I'm usually a "go with the flow" type of person and I am confident God knows best.  That being said, you also probably figured out that I wouldn't have chosen this road.  I much prefer "the flow" to be comfortable.  However, I wouldn't be the person I am today that was shaped, in part, by Ethan's death.  I know I have more shaping needed, so I guess I'll fasten my seatbelt with prayer and prepare for the journey of a lifetime!

Happy birthday, sweet Ethan!  See you someday . . . ME can't tell you when, but it will the perfect time!  :)

Christmas Decorating

We got most of our decorating done on Sunday.  Shawn and Luke worked outside.  Well, the pictures below depict the difference in level of work that happened.

Shawn working hard

Luke hardly working -- found crutches, I guess

The girls helped me inside.  They were so excited to open up all the ornaments and put them on the tree.  They each pick out an ornament each year, so they love discovering their past ornaments.

Great helpers inside!

A couple nights later I concluded the decorating project when the kids were in bed.  Joy woke up to her picture being replaced with this JOY wall hanging.  I told her there's too much JOY at Christmas and we had to eliminate some.  I decided her picture had to go.  :)  Laughing, she said, "I don't like it one bit."

I'm the proud mama of all these kids.  :)

Don't worry, she found her picture right away and the wall hanging found a new wall!

End of November

Since it's already December, I guess I should wrap up November.  We feasted again in California.  Of course, that involved cooking.  Luke came in and did a few minutes of work on my pumpkin coffee cake, but most of the work was done by bigger people . . . mostly Lisa & Keith, though Shawn and I also did some.

Lisa & Luke making sweet stuff the night before.

Cousins, eating mostly Jello   :)

The adults eating a little more variety of foods.

 

Lisa and I squeezed in some CVS & Walgreens shopping after clean up.  There were bargains to be found . . . mostly for free, but that's a whole new story . . . maybe even a whole website.  :)

Meanwhile, the kids played, played, played.  The boys shot some hoops and (you guessed it) played Xbox.  I'm never quite sure what the girls are doing, but they are usually getting along and coming up with something like . . .

Sock football in our bed

Rules?  Not sure, but it involved a lot of laughing & falling down.

Lisa and I made it out "late" (8ish) on Black Friday.  Keith also went on his own.  We found a few more deals at Target and then took a short wooded walk before Dad left back to Arizona.  We found a tree swing that the kids loved, but the pictures didn't turn out great.

Claire, Brianna, Leah, Joy, Carter & Luke

I think I'm on a slope.  I may have an inch on Lisa, but not this much!

We attempted to get a family picture, which happens so seldom.  Joy had just been hit by the tree swing, so she's not the happiest, but did her best.

All of us together in one shot!

Since I have this picture, we'll end with our caramel apple (slices!) making.  I highly recommend the slice thing over the whole apple disaster.  Fun times together!

Claire, Leah, Joy, Brianna at various stages of apple consumption

Pre Thanksgiving in California

We had all kinds of fun in California.  The pictures helped me remember what all we were up to . . .

Beautiful weather made going to the park fun.
Carter, Brianna, Leah, Luke, Claire, & Joy

Joy and Brianna just hangin' out.

There was movie night at the neighbor's house in their backyard.  Thankfully, I had a seat near the firepit.  It was a bit chilly!  We watched the clean, edited version of "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles."

Bundled up and ready to watch.

Wife/Mom was convinced that we should get annual passes to Knotts Berry Farm with the Gilberts.  They were quite affordable and they last through the end of 2011.

We went on Tuesday, which was a very crowded day.  Local schools had the week off and Veterans got in free.  The lines were longer than we liked, but we still had fun.  We'll have to choose our day more wisely next time and get even more fun packed into our day.

Carter, Leah, Luke, Joy, and Brianna (who just got a splinter),
waiting in line for Pony Express.

Dad (Larry) came Wednesday and we enjoyed the dinner Lisa made around the fire pit in the driveway.

It was warm around the fire.

We didn't plan on the fire pit and therefore didn't plan for s'mores, so we improvised.  We used our mini marshmallows and leftover chocolate Halloween candy and called them s'moritas.  It was tough getting those little things on the roasting stick, but you didn't have to be too patient to wait for them to roast.  :)

Brianna watching Joy make her s'morita.

Thanksgiving and beyond were fun too . . . more to come.

Dog Sitting for Dakota & Dusty

This past week, we dog sat Dusty and Dakota for Aunt Denise while she went to California to visit the Gilberts.  Mostly, the "we" were Joy and Leah.  They did everything from the pampering to the poop scooping.  Of course, the unfortunate poop and puke that ended up on our carpet a few times . . . well, Mom as in charge of that.

Joy and Leah captured a couple pictures . . .

Dakota "not" on their bed, as I requested.

Dusty and Joy "not" in bed again.

I think they wore them out.  The kids (including Luke) took them on MANY walks.  They were definitely worn out by the end of each day.

Beautiful Arizona Weather

Last weekend, we were able to get out and enjoy some of this great Arizona weather.  Before heading to the Desert Bontanical Gardens, we ate at Piccazo's Pizza.  While we waited for our pizza, we made up a game using the mouthrinse cups Leah felt obligated to take from the bathroom.  We took turns tossing three cups onto the table.  We scored two points if they landed straight up and one if they landed upside down.  We can't even remember who won, so I guess that means we all did.

Leah scoring one, hoping for more.

 After lunch, we were off to the Botanical Gardens.

Leah, Joy, Luke posing inside the Butterfly Garden exhibit.

Sisters enjoying the beauty.

Checking out the early Indian homes.

Grinding mesquite pods.  Luke was brave enough to taste it.

 

The weather really was perfect.  We have an annual pass, so we'll try to make it back again.  It won't be in the middle of the summer, that's for sure!

Phoenix Suns Game for the Boys

Go Suns!  They won 103-89!

Shawn was given Phoenix Suns tickets, so he and Luke had a fun Friday night.  Luke happened to already be wearing his Suns shirt, so he was ready to go!

Boys' Night Out

Luke wasn't sure about throwing a free throw after the game, but Shawn convinced him . . . okay, forced him by telling him it was the price he had to pay to come to the game.  Of course, he loved it!  Dad knows best.

And . . . Luke takes the line.

He also made Mom proud by coming home excited that they received two free large fry coupons at McDonald's.  They had coupons for free tacos at Jack in the Box too, but even this bargain gal won't eat those for free.  Unless they've changed in the past few years . . . yuck!

Second -- First Friday Fun

I guess I was having so much fun I forgot to take pictures, but for the record, we held our second First Friday Fun last night.  Seven different families came.  We had people from our neighborhood, a previous home group, and "old" Bible studies and Sunday school classes.  We also had a "stranger" that I only met through Bargain Believer.

After everybody left, Shawn and I realized that there were very few people that had even met prior to last night.  Kind of weird to both of us -- that we have so many friends who don't know our other friends.  They are all our friends for a reason, so hopefully, they all enjoyed each other's company and weren't scared off.

It was Taboo for most of the gals and Dominion for most of the guys, with a few exceptions.  That sentence sounds weird if you don't know they are both games!  :)  Shawn hates Taboo and hasn't played it for years, so I got my fill while he didn't have to.  Next time, we'll have to get a few different games going and let people join in whenever it's possible.  The non gamers will just have to harass the game players or talk while they're awaiting their competition.

If you're reading this and haven't joined us, you're probably (I'll reserve final judgment) our friend, so come on by at 6:30 on the first Friday of any month!

Halloween

We didn't have a specific plan for Halloween up until shortly before we left.  We were off to Lynn's house for a quick dinner and then hit her neighborhood for treats.

Cowgirl, Jesse from Toy Story, & Indiana Jones

Joy, Emily, Leah, Luke, & Savannah ready to go

Checking out way too much loot!

My kids combined their candy and "sold" 10 pounds of candy to a local dentist for $10.  The candy goes to the troops overseas.  Don't worry, they kept more than they gave, so we're set until next year!  Actually . . . worry!  :)

Fishing with Grandpa Again

Luke has been waiting for another chance to go fishing with grandpa and it came on Saturday.  Luke captured a few pictures to remember the day.

Grandpa, where he loves it most!

The mighty fisherman ended up catching three, keeping two.

Meanwhile, Joy and I went to garage sales while Shawn and Leah stayed home for donuts and other fun.  Joy and I brought home the game Mouse Trap, which we figured out how to set up and play before Luke got home.

We all had slightly different days, but great fun!

Arizona State Fair

It was Home School Days at the Arizona State Fair on Wednesday, so we got in for free.  We went with Aunt Denise and the Harris family.

Leah, Lydia, Joy, Jeremy, & Luke

There were misc. animals on display, in addition to the petting area.

Joy, Lydia, Leah, Luke, & Jeremy

The kids read three books and wrote a summary, so they got three rides for free.  Near the end, a kind man gave us his leftover ride credit, so everybody ended up with five rides with only a $1 out of pocket cost.  Not bad for an overpriced place!

Luke, Joy, Leah & Jeremy enjoying my kids' favorite fair activity.

The weather wasn't too bad, but after walking around in the sun all day, I think we were all ready to go home.

Some walked less then others due to free scooter rides.