Riding in trains with boys.....

At our local mall for the Christmas season there is something that appeals to all -- or almost all -- little boys. Or should I say boys of ALL ages. Eli has been staring longingly at this train everytime we've gone to the mall. So, the other day, we surprised him with a ride on this train.

The shining smile says it all!

He still talks about his train ride. I think it ranks even higher than seeing Santa! So, "thank you" Rosedale Mall for providing such a fun surprise for my little train enthusiast.

Sweetness

Whenever I have long stretches of non-blogging, it usually means something big is going on in my life. This time is no exception.



After 10 years of being a stay-at-home-mom, I have re-entered the working world. That's not to say that when I was home, I wasn't working. Those of you who have stayed at home and raised children know how much work it actually is!!!! I am incredibly thankful for those years with my 4 amazing children. I wish I could have had longer but God gave me the 2nd most perfect job for me. I'm working full time at the front desk (guest services) at Juut Salon and absolutely loving it.



It's been a HUGE transition for everyone. Surprisingly, the one who has had the most difficulty adjusting has been Joey. He has become a worrier -- so much so that he has stomach aches everyday. Some of them have been dibilitating enough that he has stayed home from school. He is afraid that if he gets sick at school that no one will be able to be reached to come pick him up. It breaks my heart to see him go through this and I wish I could take the fear away....but I can't. I can only reassure him that he's loved, cared for, and will be ok.


Noah gave me an early Christmas present today. If I had only been able to get a picture of his beaming face right before he gave this to me.....

It's a necklace he won in the arcade while at a birthday party today. He said he saw this necklace and really wanted it for me because "you deserve this, Mom, for all the hard work you do for us." Talk about a tear-jerker! What a tender heart in such an amazing young man. I love you so much, Noah. And I'm incredibly proud of the young man you are.

First days of school

The first day of elementary school was cold and rainy this year. But the kids were so excited to be going back. Even Noah was excited -- he was the one all summer long that told me he wished he had 4 more months of summer vacation.

In order: Abby is 9 and in 3rd grade; Joey is 7 and in 2nd grade; Noah is 10 and in 4th grade.

The very next day, Eli had his 1st day of preschool at the community center. It isn't obvious at all from his facial expression that he's excited, is it?! (ahem) This has to be my favorite picture of him!

Once he put his bag in the correct cubby, he made a bee-line for his favorite toys....dinosaurs! He had a great time and is ready to go back tomorrow.

My kids are growing up too fast!!!!! (sniff sniff)

Happy 9th Birthday, Baby Girl!

My sweet only girl, I can't believe it's been 9 years since you were born. That was an amazing day....such an unexpected, quick labor and delivery. Remember, you were almost born in the parking ramp!!!

I love your soft heart, sweet spirit, beautiful singing voice, love for Jesus and for other people....I have learned so much from you in these short 9 years.

I love you to pieces, Abbers, and my life will always be better because you are in it. I am proud and honored to be your mom.

Silly kitty

I walked by my daughter's room today and was reminded of this little song....."One of these things is not like the other. One of these things is not quite the same." hahahaha This is the favorite spot for our cat, Oreo, to sleep --- amidst all of Abby's stuffed animals. Sleep tight, kitty.

Cuddles with Daddy

Relaxing on a Sunday night watching our favorite family movie, "Kung Fu Panda". Love watching a little boy cuddling with his daddy. Warms my heart.

Journey to health revisited on my blog

The last few weeks I've been keeping a healthy life blog on the site The Organic Monkey. It was started by a friend of mine who desires to live a healthy, natural lifestyle and influence others to do the same. There is a store on the site as well and they carry natural supplements, fish and flax oils, etc etc. You need to check it out.

We decided that instead of me trying to keep up with 2 blogs, it would be easier to have her link back to this blog on her site so I could do all my blogging here. So for those of you who haven't been following my blog on her site, let me get you up to speed. I'm very honest about everything when I blog....including my weight. I use actual numbers which was quite scary to do at first. I blog about the good, the bad, and the ugly....about my successes and my "failures"....about everything I'm learning and how it is impacting my life and my family's lives.

I weigh-in every Friday and report what it is regardless of if I've lost weight or not. I will share recipes that I've tried with my kids and let you know if it was a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down".

If you have any questions or want to connect with me in any way, please leave a comment or go ahead and email me.

I'm very excited about meeting the goals that I have laid out for myself. Come along for the "journey"!

Art

We have been making window clings over the last couple of days.
You first use the black paint to outline the character you've chosen...

next, put it somewhere safe to dry....

once it's dry, fill it in with whatever paint you want. Here's your chance to be creative....

put it somewhere safe to dry again.....

once it's dry, peel it off the paper, stick it to the window, and....

ENJOY the look of joy on your child's face when they see their artwork so beautifully displayed.

Dental appts then playing at the park = a beautiful day

Eli had his 1st dental appointment yesterday....
And he did awesome.....

Even with the x-rays. He thought the dentist was fun!

Then it was off to the park in the evening....

1 scootered -- when did he grow up so fast?!

Thankfully I brought the stroller....scootering is tough work!

1 walked....

1 rode his bike....

1 rollerbladed.....

We swang (or is it swung? swinged? I don't know)...

Jumped off the swings....

Practiced being monkeys....

Practiced climbing....

Scared Mommy to death when I turned to see this....that was HIGH....

Finished up the evening playing tag. It was a beautiful day!

Last day of our adventure!

A self-portrait with the flower my oldest son gave me this morning.

Exploring Trout Lake Bible Camp.....ah, the memories for me.

The new whiffle-ball field that the Twins gave permission to the camp to re-create their new ball field. They took the dimensions and plans of the Twins stadium and shrunk them down. How cool is that?!

More paddle boat rides.....

Games before supper....

Movie after supper.....a wonderful way to relax after our very busy week.

Our "home away from home". How we've enjoyed it.