The Last Day

Well friends, it is the last day of the year 2011. It has been a challenging year. Time to move on. I don't know what the new year has in store for us, but that is part of the beauty of life. Only God knows what will happen next!

So I thank God for the year 2011, and I welcome the year 2012.  I am trying to make some changes. I don't usually make "resolutions", but making changes and setting goals is important for my development as a Christian, wife, mother... and just a person.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks:

 Cookie making.

 Christmas morning. They were very excited about the candy. Isaac would pull out a piece and say "Healthy AND Delightful!" He is a little comedian.

 At a favorite coffee shop yesterday :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Words From Henry W. Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas day,
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."


Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."

ChRiStMaS FuN *Updated*

We got our Christmas tree this weekend! Isaac and Savannah were so excited about getting a tree this year! :)

Okay, I added more pictures! These are so cute I just had to post more of them... Do you recognize the pj's? They love these. Their MiMi gave them these pj's last year, and it is hard to believe that they were so loose! Now they fit just right. Savannah is wearing a cute little crochet hair clip. MiMi stitched that little piece, and I just attached it to a bobby pin. MiMi, please make more! ;)

She's whispering something in his ear :)

Redneck Thanksgiving

Well, it's the Monday after Thanksgiving. Time for the dieting to begin!

Today I am cleaning the house and getting it ready for Christmas decorations.

I didn't get very good pictures this year, but here are several random ones from around the camp:

 Every year we travel to south Alabama to spend Thanksgiving with Joe's Grandparent's and family. They live in a fishing camp in the middle of a cow pasture, so there's lots of room to run and play and make noise. His Grandparent's are actually from south Louisiana, but they moved to south Alabama several years ago.

Karaoke starting. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, so I don't do karaoke. But listening to everyone else is fun :)

 Savannah, Noah, and Isaac, being goofy. Isaac isn't picking his nose, he's hooking it with his Captain Hook finger.

 Cousins!

Noah and Gavin. I wish this picture wasn't blurry. These brothers are so cute!

 Gavin.

Savannah and a friend.

 Sweet Elizabeth and her Mama.

 The twins playing with their MiMi.

Savannah :)

Elizabeth and Savannah playing patty-cake. 

We had a fun Thanksgiving with our family! (except the part when Savannah threw up all night, but that is another story)  I hope all of my friends reading this post had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

Happy Monday!

A Simple Women's Daybook

Outside my window...
Thick grey clouds and wind blowing leaves around the house.

I am thinking...
About how nice and quiet it is right now.

I am thankful...
For so many things. At the moment I am thankful for November, and the cool weather and crunchy leaves that this month brings.

In the kitchen...
Greens from the garden.

I am wearing...
Jeans and a black t-shirt.

I am creating...
Not much right now.

I am going...
To visit family next week!

I am wondering...
If it is going to rain out my evening walk.

I am reading...
A few books. When the weather starts getting cooler I always want to read L.M. Montgomery. I read "Jane of Lantern Hill" for the umpteenth time. Also "Blue Castle" and "Anne of the Island."  Right now I'm reading another Donald Miller book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years." Really good book so far.

I am hoping...
That the rain holds off til after my walk.

I am looking forward to...
Hiking this weekend, and Thanksgiving next week!

I am hearing...
The fan whirring...and mostly quiet.

Around the house...
"The children were nestled all snug in their beds..."

I am pondering...
How Mississippians were so easily distracted from the very real battle of life vs. death, a little over a week ago today. I am ashamed that we had an opportunity to stand up and say "We believe that life begins at conception. We will protect the unborn.", and we did not grasp that opportunity. We let it go by in the name of the "what if's"...in the name of our own "intellect." Pondering this verse: "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and  curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life..." ~Deuteronomy 30:19-20

One of my favorite things...
Okay, that last one was pretty heavy...so to follow that serious note, I'd have to say that one of my favorite things is my Bible. I don't know it well enough (by any stretch of the imagination), but I can always depend on it to set me straight!

A few plans for the rest of the week...
Cleaning, cleaning. Laundry. It never ends. Also making crafty things with the kiddos!

Here is a picture I am sharing...

You can join "The Simple Women's Daybook", right here.

Happy Wednesday!

HaLLoWeeN 2011

 Isaac and Savannah were really getting into their characters for these pictures... Hilarious.

 They're being kinda sweet in this one. Although Isaac looks like he's up to something, really. Look at the hand on her hair, and the deceptively sweet look in his eyes. Yep. He's up to something.

Okay, this is more fun. ;)

 This is a cell phone picture taken at MiMi's house, right after they got in from trick or treating. Isaac takes his role as Batman very seriously!

After trick or treating, Savannah is checking out her loot.

With MiMi! I couldn't get Isaac to look at the right moment. They both love their MiMi so much, and had fun trick or treating with her!

This is a Halloween morning picture, I included it because Isaac doesn't have his mask on here. He wanted me to paint his face too, since I "painted" Savannah's. It's really just eyeliner, but it worked.

The twins had fun, and I did too! I'm glad for any opportunity to spend time with family and make memories with our sweet chilluns!

Happy November 1st !

Autumn

Yesterday we went to a little roadside pumpkin-selling place, about five minutes (or less) from our house.

Really, we already have plenty of pumpkins. This little spot is so pretty, I just wanted to get some pictures. Savannah & Isaac picked out this little pumpkin. Actually, Savannah picked it out. Isaac was more interested in using the pumpkins as drums.

 My Little Man. It's hard to get a picture of him smiling, instead of making captain hook poses and saying, "Yo ho matey's away!"

My precious girl. She picked her kitty cat headband.

 Sweet.

Crazy.

Love.

Cousins

Isn't this the sweetest picture? This is Savannah with her handsome cousin Noah. I was trying to take a picture of him with his Spider-man face paint, and she hopped in the wagon. Sometimes the best pictures are the spontaneous ones. :)

Progress!

Well, after getting discouraged about the "school thing", and taking a little break, I started the "BOB" books with Savannah and Isaac on Monday. They LOVE the BOB books! I am so happy! These books are very simple, very short, and VERY entertaining (to a four year old).  I've been working with them individually for just a few minutes everyday.

Today, October 19th, 2011, Savannah and Isaac read their first book. I am over the moon excited. OVER. THE. MOON.  It was a very short book. Very simple words, but they read it.

Now, I know they have a long way to go before they can be labeled as "readers", but this is a huge breakthrough for us, and I just have to rejoice over it for a little while! ;)

Officially, the twins are in preschool. But the great thing about homeschooling is that you can do what they are ready for when they are ready for it. So I'm not going to push them or rush them into anything. I am just so happy that I've found something that they both like and respond to, because their learning styles are so drastically different. Anyway, I just had to document this breakthrough moment, so please excuse the shameless excitement!

Here is a link to the books I'm talking about: BOB Books

A picture of the twins Saturday with their cousins & Mimi (at the Pumpkin Patch). L-R: Gavin, Noah, Savannah, Isaac. This is a quick cell phone pic, right before they went on the hayride. They got their faces painted & had so much fun! So Cute!

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Cell Phone Picture's from the Pumpkin Patch

This past Saturday was opening day at our local Pumpkin Patch! I usually don't go this early in the season, but my sweet sister Jessica and her husband Daniel were here visiting, so we went together. This was Jessica & Daniel's first time to go with us, I'm glad we had this opportunity! Jessica, we love y'all!! ;)

Isaac was kind of a stinker. He laid out in the wagon and got Savannah to pull him around. She wanted to at first, but after a few minutes concluded that he was just too heavy.

She took the pumpkin picking business very seriously!

Being goofy!

We are so looking forward to visiting again soon! Mimi? Grammy? Are y'all ready?

In other news, I have had a bad cold this week, and haven't felt much like posting. I also cannot find the SD card to my camera, sad day! This is an item that I haven't lost before (amazing), and it has irreplaceable pictures on it. I hope I find it ASAP.

But on the positive side, I am so glad it is Autumn, and I love this cooler weather. I am looking forward to even cooler temperatures! :) :)

I hope everyone is having a great Thursday!!!