Hanging of the Greens

In my warped mind, the "holidays" begin when we are released for school for Thanksgiving; however, the Christmas season officially begins when my church "gets dressed" in its holiday best -- at Hanging of the Greens.

I hope all feel the same way about their church when it gets "dressed up" for Christmas...because I do not know that there is anywhere more beautiful than mine!

And, what delights me more about the event of my church "getting dressed"...the fact that our children do so much of it!

G sang his heart out and rejoiced in the beginning of advent with his whole heart.These feet shots might become my favorite...I KNOW these are my two favorite kindergartners!Ballerina was so looking forward to the event! She was so stoked to "sing songs about baby Jesus." We did great walking down the aisle...
Yet, when we went to take her ornament to the tree and sing her song, there was a slight melt-down...The meltdown resulted in her clinging to my leg for dear life in the front of the church and then refusing to sing. So, maybe just most of the church's children "get the church dressed" for the holiday...

Now, Ballerina DID want to tell us all about the "leaves" the church now had "all over the place."Most of us call the "leaves" poinsettias, but whatever...

And, last but not least...did you know K-Dan was in our church choir?

Looking a lot like Christmas

Just a few of the pictures in our house that remind me that it is

beginning to look a lot like Christmas!Praying that the rest of our holiday season is as joyous as it has begun...

The Creepy Jack B. Nimble

Thanksgiving Day...what does it also mean in our house?

Oh, the reappearance of Jack B. Nimble.Yep, the elf that lives on our shelf that flies of each night to tell Santa if our little ones have been naughty or nice. We read the book together...

And put Jack in our tree to to await that night fir his first flight back to the North Pole for the season.

Something funny G said about Jack when he woke up this morning..."Man, I had to see Jack just right first things when I walked out of my room this morning." Me: "Oh, you did? You found him already this morning?" G: "Of course I did! That Jack is creepy to me, and I wish he did not have to watch me ALL of the time!"

My decision: Since G finds the elf to be creepy, I will be keeping him around all year...I am sure Santa will understand.Hoping for a season of more niceness than naughtyness...

Girls

This Thanksgiving...
...ALL...
...of the girl cousins...
...were together...

So thankful that they were...

Being Cliche

All week long on Facebook friends have been posting things for which they are thankful in honor of this week's holiday.

Sure, the "things" many have added to their statuses have rang true with me...their families they are honored with which to be a part, their children with which they are blessed, their amazing husbands that have added to the richness of their lives, their jobs that delight them...and, I would never disagree that I am incredibly thankful for each of these things as well.

I thought about posting the same cliche status, but I didn't do it.

It wasn't that I was not thankful for these things...It was just that I was feeling thankful in a different way and for different reasons than I knew how to express in a status update.

You see, this Thanksgiving, I found myself being thankful for things that many might not think I should be. I have come to find satisfaction, joy, peace and even great thanksgiving for "things" that have, for a long time, brought me strife, grief, worry, and sadness.

But, it is not that I am not being cliche myself...

Why? Because I have found that I am most thankful this thanksgiving for unanswered prayers, for lessons learned through adversity, and for little things that often go unnoticed.

Not quite the uplifting status update I was confident posting on Facebook. (Well, I never post any status updates on Facebook, but...)

Again, it is cliche, but I have been made fully aware in recent weeks just how great He is, how He does have a perfect plan for each of us, and how He truly knows best. (Pretty cliche, huh?) I know have said these things before, and while it is not that I have stopped believing them in recent months, but, sometimes one needs reminding...I guess that is why He plants those seemingly unpleasant things in our lives...

I am ever so thankful that He has reminded me to give thanks, and I am surely doing such this Thanksgiving.

Oh, so that is why she said that...

Why the giant acorn?

On the way home from school yesterday Ballerina told Eric and me that she is tired of things hurting her in her panties. We, of course, looked at her funny and inquired more...

As she is sticking her hand around and digging in her tights as she tries to remain bucked in her car seat, "There are always things in my panties. It is not funny. It is getting on my nerves..."

Because she frequently puts her panties on upside down (yes, upside down, not backwards), we assumed that she probably was having a little issue because of this...We just giggled as she squirmed in her seat...

So, we got home, made dinner, ate dinner, cleaned dinner and were about to leave for an errand when Ballerina walked into the kitchen and threw a handful of acorns on the kitchen counter. Knowing she had NOT been outside, and knowing that there were no acorns in her room (I just cleaned the crud out of it this weekend), I innocently asked, "Where in the world did you get those acorns?" (I was worried because they had become weapons on a recent outing we had with all of the kids.)

And so she scolds, "I told you there were things hurting me in my panties!"

Oh, she had...but of all of the issues I could have dreamed, handfuls of acorns in there was not one of them. And weird...she had not said anything during dinner or anything...

As I helped her tie her shoe I asked if there were any more acorns.

"Yes...a LOT! I just do not know how they all got in there and I cannot get them all out!"

I proceeded to help her where I discovered 5 more acorns hiding in her panties, and before I left I went to the restroom where she had clearly been earlier because there were 4 acorns floating in there...so there were a total of 14 acorns stores in her drawers! Really?

I feel horrible. Eric and I should have known!?!?

Yes, I did ask her how she got so many acorns in her panties. Her reply: "I do not know." What? Really? I mean, how does that happen?

The lesson I have learned: When Ballerina tells me there is something hurting her in her panties, there are clearly acorns in there, and I must attend to them ASAP!

Ren Fest

So, I should write something witty about our awesome adventures at Ren Fest in sort-of celebration of G's birthday.

Yea, but I got nothing.

Notta.

Not a darn thing.

And, to be quite honest, I am not in the writing mood. Why? I feel too fat after looking at pictures of the weekend, and feel inclined to go for a walk instead.

Sorry.

So, without further comment...here are some of my favorite pictures (with minimal comments)!All the boys...minus Aiden...who will be a part of "the boys" before we know it.

Lauren and me being violated.

Ballerina violating a turkey leg!

Gigi and Cannon

A princess and her K-Dan that had so many tickets to Ren Fest!

The princess loving her princess hat!

I hate the mud show. It is disgusting. The boys, however, love it.

Shooting balloons.

Gunnar hit one!

Now he is 6!

Her knight...

Gigi with the princess!

K-Dan with his princess...again...she "bullies" him.

Shooting!

Gigi being violated, but I think she liked it.

So, so big!

Oh, pretty girl!

He loved his new shield and sword.

Learning with DaddyBrothersThe sister...

Thanks for a great afternoon!