A Cozy Night

After a 13 hour drive home from Washington and a short nap, Forrest decided to put up Christmas lights tonight. Here are the kids trying to keep warm on the steps.

That's Noah's "cheeeeese!" face.

The man behind the magic.

Ta-da! I loooooove Christmas!

Kaitlyn and I are staying inside where it is warm and cozy. I've got a meatloaf baking in the oven and my new Christmas c.d on the player.

Thanksgiving in Seattle

As has been our tradition for the past several years, we drove up to Seattle for Thanksgiving to be with my family. It was about a 13 hour drive each way, and we opted to do it through the night. This was a nice change from our usual day trip due to the fact that we by-passed traffic, shaved about 2 1/2 hours off our commute time, didn't have to stop for food, and the kids slept the entire way. As for me, I slept about as well as you can sleep in the front seat of a car being 6 1/2 months pregnant, but we survived. The time spent up there was more than worth it.

The Menu:
Turkey with stuffing
Honey-baked ham
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Fresh sweet potatoes
Green bean casserole
Carrot casserole
Cheese ball with crackers
Clam dip
Hot spinach dip
Marinated pickles
Black olives
Stuffed mushrooms
Pineapple jell-o salad
Fresh cranberries
Rolls
Apple pie tartlettes
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Pumpkin cheesecake
Double chocolate cream pie
Fudge
Homemade whipped cream

You can say we like to cook. Half the fun was being in the kitchen together.


The girls were in charge of decorating the table, and they did a very nice job.


Brotherly love.


My dad and step-mom of 27 years.


Like I said, we spent a lot of time in the kitchen. She practically threw this apron around my neck the minute I got out of bed. (Just kidding Candy.)


The girls and their candle stick wands as they were calling them.


My dad and "the boys." I never thought the day would come when my "little" brothers would be taller than my husband. My oldest younger brother, Sean, is 6'3". You could say we have some height on our side of the family.


Me with the girls. That's my sister Sarah in the purple scarf. She's just 3 1/2 weeks older than Ashlee (yes, we did it "Father of the Bride II" style.)


My niece Alyssa and Kaitlyn. These girls had a blast together.


My other niece Reagan and my beautiful sister. Notice the abundance of hand-crocheted hats and hair bands? She's in heaven with these girls.


Who-ah! The whole gang. There are 3 families here: my dad's, ours, and my sister's. Personally, I am quite proud of our posterity.


We had the kids' table set up in the living room next to the adults' table. They had their own centerpiece and candles, and the ambiance was quite nice.


Alyssa more mesmerized by the candle than the delicious plate of food in front of her.


Catching my sister in a goofy moment (better than the one I was going to post!)


Me and my honey.


My dad, step-mom, sister and I at the buffet table. When you're serving 18 people, this is the only way to do it.


Noah looked so handsome in his white shirt.


Seeing that plate makes me hungry again. One of the disadvantages of not having Thanksgiving at your own house is that you don't get any of the leftovers!


This was our girls' night out...... a trip to Bellevue to see New Moon! Yes, it was good. Go see it.


The girls had fun getting dressed up and putting on make up for their night out on the town. Bellevue was nice and festive for the Christmas season.


My sister has this AMAZING play room at her house, and to my kids this is the best part about coming up to visit. All the cousins play together and I seriously don't see my kids for like, 3 days. It's great.


Too cute for words.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

We miss you guys already!

Little Lady

I just love this girl.

She looks so cute today in her skirt and fur-lined boots. She has painted nails and toenails too, compliments of Ashlee.

I was surprised at how easily she posed for the camera. I told her to cross her arms, and she knew exactly what to do. Then I told her to cross her legs, and she did that too.

Hammin' it up. Hard to believe she'll be a big sister soon.

Heeding the Call

Well, it's official. I just submitted their applications, and as of January 4th, 2010, we will once again be a homeschooling family.

Our ST (supervising teacher) was thrilled to hear that we were coming back.

We will even get to use the same curriculum that I had already ordered for this year (and had to send back) which will save me the hassle of reordering.

My heart has been in homeschooling all along, and I am thankful that I have the health and strength to go back to it.

Here's to many homeschooling adventures to come!

It's Here!

I am so excited to announce that my sister has officially launched her business! Check her out at one of these two locations:

www.candyappleboutique.blogspot.com

or

www.candyappleboutique.etsy.com

She is currently accepting online orders and will ship to anywhere. She is offering an array of trendy Christmas bows and hats just in time for the holiday season. Her products would make excellent gifts, or keep them to enjoy on your own little peanut!

(The model up above is my adorable niece, by the way.)

"Sheltered"

The other day Ashlee came home from school and asked me what rape meant.

The week before that she said she had been hearing obsceneties from some of the kids on the bus.

Then there was Jimmy, the boy who was suspended for bringing chewing tobacco to school and giving it out to kids in the form of "candy."

And yet I often hear people accuse homeschoolers of sheltering their kids.

From what?

Since when is sheltering our kids a bad thing? I would ask, which is the greater injustice?

I would rather be accused of sheltering my kids any day than be responsible for the effects of "exposing" them.

So heck yes I shelter my kids, and you should too.

We know that the world is going to get worse before it gets better. That scares me, and it should scare you too. If it doesn't, you are not opening your eyes.

Sure, all of our kids will have to learn how to deal with the world one day. But why the rush to throw them out there so soon? Should we not first give them a proper foundation? I believe they are given to us as children, while they are young and impressionable, for a reason. It is our job to teach them. We can't afford to hand our kids' childhood over to the world.

Happy 7 Years

7 years ago on this night I was laying in bed, but not really sleeping. It was the night before our wedding. My mom was at home anxiously preparing the food and decorations for our home-style potluck reception at the Pleasant Valley Grange Hall. Despite our fears about having a November wedding, the weather would be beautiful- sunny with a few high wispy clouds. I would rise at 5:00 a.m to shower and dress. The hair stylist and make-up artist would be at our apartment at 7:00 sharp, along with all of my bridesmaids and maid of honor. We had so much fun cramming into my bathroom getting ready, helping with make-up and pinning each others' hair into just the right place. The day would be perfect.

It was only the beginning.



These are small, but they capture the day. Seven years ago tomorrow, my dad would be giving me away.



Ashlee would be too pouty to be in any of the pictures.



And I would have the most beautiful bridesmaids a bride could ever ask for!




Happy Anniversary honey.

I can't wait to see where you take me tonight!