Snow and Ice

We are in that bit of space on the map where the snow was followed by ice the last two days. The kids had a fun time while the snow fell yesterday. They made huge snowballs and sat around the patio table enjoying their snack. Today, they enjoyed breaking up and licking huge sheets of ice. In the past I have been known to be the type who yells, "No, stop, eeewwwwww!" But no more. We will drink organic milk, eat organic eggs and lick possible mosquito killer contaminated ice! But we will survive. :)

PS Ignore the fact that everything has basically melted in the background. It was beautifully covered a few hours before this photo. The rain followed the ice and is melting everything away for me. I don't have to scrape my car or shovel the driveway!

Kid Quote

I was reminded today by my sweet Abigail of one of her quotes from when she first joined our ever-growing family. She giggled as she retold her story.
We were eating vanilla yogurt with granola on top. Abi was enjoying it. In her very southern, inner city drawl she said, "Maaaamma, can I have some of that puddin' with the cookies on it?"
She has lost most of her accent, but we sure have fun remembering how she sounded. We love you Abi!

A few photos from March for Life 2009

Peter and John await the march while checking out the horses...

We were on the outskirts of the rally while listening to several speakers and feeding the kids lots of snacks...

Capitol in the background.
We marched up past the Capitol and around the back side to the Supreme Court.

Another view from where we stood during the rally. People were everywhere.
The news did not do it justice.


Different new sources have reported different numbers as to how many people actually attended the march. I think the most accurate would be the Philadelphia Bulletin when they stated "hundreds of thousands." Every other news source stated thousands or tens of thousands. People were stretched further than we could see. While we marched, we could not see the beginning nor the end of the our peaceful demonstration.

March for Life

The annual Pro-Life march is tomorrow in Washington, DC. Hubby and I will be taking the kids. I didn't get around to making my "Adoption is an Option" signs today.

Yesterday was very educational for the children. My kids were able to witness the swearing in of the first half-black, half-white President. I say that because it gets so tiring to hear everyone only comment about his being black. It neglects half of him. It was a monumental day and so exciting to tell the children that they can be anything...even President. We do not agree with Obama's stance on pretty much every issue. However, we will pray for him as he leads our nation. We do not want the change that he will probably bring as it is not the kind that we think our country needs. However, we will pray for him. Our country needs to acknowledge the true King, the Lord of heaven and earth. Obama is not "messiah." Messiah has come, was crucified, dead, buried and rose again. He is seated at the right hand of the Father.

Tomorrow will once again prove to be an educational experience for my children. They will see the harsh reality of the pain of abortion. They will be grateful to be a part of our family. They will be grateful they were not aborted as 1/3 of their generation have been. Pray for those attending the march tomorrow. Pray that Obama would see that people still care about this issue. Pray that his heart would be open to the One who sets the captives free. Pray that Obama would not be captive to his current ideas.

Kid Quote

While spinning in circles with his "Light Saver" (yes we know it's Light Saber, but he is only 5):

John: "I am getting wizzy!"

Mom: "Well, let's hope not."


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John: "Come on! Let's go play Wii!"

Abigail: "I don't wanna play Wii. I get tired jumping all around."

Mom thought: Isn't that the point!!??

WFMW

Well I tried to post the banner...not sure what happened.
Over at Rocks In My Dryer, Shannon hosts Works For Me Wednesday.

What worked for me today was making Cheerio and Fruit Loop necklaces for tomorrows road trip. We head out for an all day field trip tomorrow and with five kiddos we better have snacks! My kids love making them. They would like to eat them right away, but I make them wait (such a meanie). After they are done with their creation/arts n crafts/school project, I let them eat whatever is left in the bowl (such a nicie). As we are getting back into the swing of things...cereal necklaces worked for me today!

Oh yes, and "We love you Gramommy!"

The wagon we fell off... Peter Quote

This morning during family devotions, directly after breakfast, while gathered around the dining room table.

Peter: "Daniel, get off your bike, come over here, sit down and eat your candy."


It has been almost a year since I posted about this.
Since Summer The Holy Days we have been gorging on nibbling bits of treats. It's a good thing we got Wii Fit for Christmas. Now we can shock ourselves carefully weigh in every day to ensure we are making better choices. Now, no more sugar...at least until the 3 birthdays coming up in February!

We are sick.

We are sick. Remember this time last year? We were completely down and out with everyone having to go on a Z-pack and totally missing the extended family Holy-Day celebrations! It isn't that bad this time and we are not spending the time on the couch watching Little House on the Prairie. Okay, we did do that yesterday. But really, we are playing Wii and will spend a little time today watching Planet Earth by BBC. Have you seen it? It's fantastic. Peter and I just talk out loud to the screen when we don't agree with something, ie "5 billion years ago..." Have I mentioned that the only reason we have a television is for playing Wii and watching videos (which we are pretty strict about)? We do not have cable. I recently saw a t-shirt that I would really like to purchase and wear any time I am out and about. It said, "I love my sheltered children!" Sheltering is an excellent thing.

Kid Quote

I think it's just the age, but Daniel has come up with some really funny quotes...

Daniel to Daddy: Are you old?

Daddy: Well, I am kind of old.

Daniel: That means you're gonna DIE!

Daddy: Well, I'm not that old. (Daddy and Mommy look at each other and laugh!)

Daniel: Can I have one of my gum ball machines? (Meaning a gum ball from the machine.)

Happy New Year!

Is it hard for you to imagine that it is really almost 2009?

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration. Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
My children didn't wake up yelling and jumping. Rather, Daniel awoke first and asked for something to eat and I responded with "Merry Christmas." He said, "Merry Christmas Mommy, I'm hungry. You make me something to eat please?" We woke everyone else up and all snuggled in our bed while Peter read the story of the birth of Christ from the book of Luke. After that we are prayed together. The children waited patiently at the top of the stairs while we went down and lite the fire and poured a cup of coffee. I remember my parents doing this when I was a child and my siblings and I were so anxious to run down the stairs. It always seemed like they took forever. Now that I am the Mom, I understand why it is nice to take 3 minutes to yourself before the rush of the morning. The children came down the stairs and went to their stockings. We had one gift per child set out with their stockings and had them take turns pulling one thing out at a time. After all was opened they were so thankful. It was sweet to see them appreciate all the goodies and the one gift. But we were done only in appearance! We handed one last gift to them. It was the same thing for everyone so they all opened them at the same time. It was a Wii remote. Peter and I had set up the Wii in the basement so that it would be ready to go. They ran down the stairs and started bowling. We have had such a great time with it over the past few days. My parents bought us Wii Fit and we are all enjoying that as well. What a great morning with my wonderful children! Although Peter was on call for work, he didn't get called in until yesterday. He was able to be with us during the 25th and 26th. Such a blessing!
I am a bit tired after running here and there for the several days of Christmas get togethers. Someone at church told me that I looked tired this morning. Don't we all love the honesty of fellow believers?! At least they didn't tell me that I had gained a few pounds from all the holiday cheer. :)
The children and I are off to my parents to watch Polar Express this afternoon. We will relax, snack and recover from running around the past few days. Peter will be home this afternoon and we will play Wii late into the night. We have quite a competition going...well, at least I do, I am not sure he knows about it yet. Heehee. Last night I played Wii Fit for 23 minutes after the kids were in bed. I know the exact time because it keeps track for you and you earn points for how long you work out. I beat his high score on one of the strength exercises. I can't wait for him to see it. If the "surprise" is ruined and you are reading this, don't worry Babe...you will always beat me in Jiu-Jitsu!