Spring is Springing

Haven't blogged in a few months, so here are some random moments.

We made Groundhog's Day cookies with little chocolate grahams that pop up from their burrows.

100th day of preschool

gymnastics class

Rocket Valentine mailbox

Princess castle Valentine mailbox

Warm day, so we ran to the playground

Just hanging out

Ellie actually liked some "real food" that I made and requested it again for a potluck dinner at church.

Visual aid for Ellie's first Primary talk.  This is her picture of Aunt Sandy feeding her chicken.
Nice rainbow in the sky. :) 

More hanging around

The ducks must have been full this day. They didn't want our bread, so Tommy and Ellie ate it for them.

Went for a walk in the woods.  Flowers are starting to pop up.

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No Mama... I don't need a nap!

Our favorite new playground, behind Dale-Roy, has equipment that can be used by children with disabilities.  Our whole family enjoyed their new teeter-totter.

Winter Sports

We started out the new year by celebrating Grandpa Selvage's 80th birthday.  He is a New Year's baby, so on the 1st, we stopped by their home and took him a cake.

Then on Sunday, we had a family gathering with all of his and Norma's siblings, plus Doug came home from Germany for a surprise visit.  I forgot to take put my SD card back in my camera AND forgot to bring my cell phone.  Really, Vickie? 80 years old, and you don't manage to get pictures!!!


Tommy and Ellie were excited one Friday to tell me about their swimming lesson.  They got to paddle around the pool in a kayak!  So fun.  Thankfully, Tommy's teacher DID remember her camera, and she posted these pictures on Facebook for me.

Ellie was so excited to tell about this that she was tripping over her words.

What a great confidence building exercise!

And FINALLY, we got some snow last week.

Although it wasn't enough to build a snowman like
they wanted, it was enough to flap up a few angels.

And to bounce around in a bit.

Yay for snow!

The "sand castle" that they built was about 2" high.

And So This is Christmas

By the beginning of December, the kids were more than ready to decorate the tree.

We had fun one afternoon making graham cracker nativities.

Ethan and Tera at our family party.
They were getting ready to leave before I remembered to pull out my camera.

I had been busy in the kitchen making up cookie plates to send home with Mom.
Sandy, Ellie, and Lindy were my co-bakers and platers. 

Apples to Apples seems to be the traditional game of choice for our crew.

We also enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Selvage, but I forgot to put the sd card back in my camera, so we didn't get any pictures of it this year.  Somewhere, there is a video from the new video camera that Tom got, but it would need heavy editing before appearing here, since I was in most of the scenes.

Before bed on Christmas Eve, we donned costumes over new
Christmas PJs and acted out the story of Christ's birth.

Papa was an innkeeper who turned away Joseph.
I got to play the nice guy who let them use the barn.

Ellie and Tommy both played wise men.

and also our main characters, Joseph and Mary.

All loaded and ready.

Christmas morning, Ellie singing into her new microphone.
She looks a bit like a lounge singer, doesn't she?

and this one definitely has that look down!

Feeling Thankful

I am so thankful for my beautiful little family.  

We've had a lovely Autumn.  One day I went to take pictures of a friend's family, and caught a few of my own kids in the process.  They loved playing in the leaves.

The kids and I had a good time at their preschool harvest dinner.  They helped me make a fruit turkey to share with their friends.

They are really loving preschool and they especially enjoy their swimming lessons on Fridays.  I snuck in and caught a few photos.

We have had some lovely warm weather for this time of year.  On several windy days, we went across the street and flew kites.  The kids got these for Easter a few years ago, and have been wanting to fly them ever since.  Who knew it would be in November!

We visited Aunt Sandy on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  

We delayed Thanksgiving day plans at our own home because I wasn't feeling well.  

Then we also had to cancel our backup plans with Grandma and Grandpa because Tommy had pink eye.

And now, Christmas season has begun.  The kiddos were so excited to decorate the tree.