When You Go to Florida Don't Forget Your Blades

You would think that on a trip to Florida we would not want to forget our shades...but it seems that a bit of winter chill has snuck into the area and we found ourselves wrestling on some ice skates (and by "we" I mean the older of Wendy's and my children) and then slipping and sliding all over some ice!

Christian began by checking out his blades; maybe he was determining how fast he could go based on how wide and how long they were, added to the temperature of the ice plus his ability to keep his balance.  He's good with math...

I took a lot of pictures of Christian because he was so dang funny to watch.  He looked like he was having a great time, and he is really very tenacious.

He would eyeball his target...

and crash into it!

Fortunately, this did not involve people most of the time.

There was a little of this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

followed by this...

and a lot of this...

Now, this might be my favorite picture from the afternoon.  Cousin N. did as well as any of them.  They haven't been on ice skates since we went to Tahoe two years ago.  But look at this...

I managed to catch him landing a double axel!

The girls offered a different kind of photo op...

They were very happy to go around and around, gaining confidence with each lap they took.

They stuck together most of the time...

and I hope they always will.  They are so sweet and love each other so much.  I truly hope that their friendship just gets better as they get older.

This is the best I could do to get a picture of all four of them...

I'm not great at capturing a non-moving target, much less four moving ones.

This was the finale with the cousins.  We had to say goodbye to them for this trip when we left the rink (actually, I drove cousin C. to her house, and Christian went in Wendy's car and I picked him up, so they had a few more minutes together), and there were hugs and tears and sweet and hard goodbyes.  I'll see Wendy tomorrow, but her kids will be in school.  Saying goodbye is always hard, but it just means that we have next time to look forward to. 

It also means that I have to pack.  Which means I have to finish the laundry.  And the night is not young. 

Neither am I, which is why there are no pictures of me on the ice!  No offense to all the lovely adults who are quite capable upon the ice.  All I mean is that it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  Woof!

Continuing to Count the Blessings

When we are in Florida we spend almost all of our time playing.  The kids play inside and outside; they play with the big cousins and the little cousins; they play at Grandma's and at Aunt Wendy's.  And the grownups play, too.  Our play looks a little different, but it's fun all the same.  It usually involves some kind of chocolate and a lot of talking.  (I'm speaking mainly about Wendy and myself.  The other grownups do things like watch football.  Or take a walk in between the Thanksgiving dinners-you'll get that in a minute.  There has been plenty of fun, all kinds, these last few days.)

Thanksgiving Day we have two dinners, one with Mike's dad and his wife Susie, and one with Mike's mom and her husband Bob. 

Let's just say it is a day for eating.

But while there is a lot of eating, the kids always find time for running and playing.

The cousins, big and little (and by little I mean the 6-8 year-olds) split up and played kickball, the boys against the girls.

They had a blast.

Here is someone I could learn a lot from...Bobby knows what he's doing with a camera. 

After some time outside we sat down to a lovely meal midday.

We ended up back at Mike's mom's house for the evening meal.  By the end of the day we were happy and full...of food and of thanks. 

I am so sad that I didn't get any pictures from the second half of the day.  I set the camera aside and helped (a little) with food prep and with getting the kids their food, and then Bobby set up his camera (on a tripod!  I told you he was fancy.) and we tried to get a family photo, with all 19 of us. 

You can imagine the success we had.  And these two were only half of the trouble.

But if that's the kind of trouble we have to deal with on any given day, then I'd say we're pretty blessed...

Thankful

At the end of the day, I am thankful.

I am thankful for the noise of happy, (relatively) healthy children.

I am thankful for my family, near and far.

I am thankful for the good food we have to eat.

I am thankful for the warm beds in which we sleep.

I am thankful for the sunshine and the green grass.

I am thankful for the sweet smiles and hugs that were exchanged today.

I am thankful for the love of the God who sent His son for me.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Together Again

This fall we've been looking forward to our time in Florida for Thanksgiving.  The day we arrived the kids focused on one thing. 

Playing.

Mike's mom has a pretty big yard, and the boys and Michaela were outside playing while I was taking a little nap with Eliana (we had to get up very early to make our flight).  Two cousins went for a haircut and then returned for a bit so they, too, could swing on the new swings Grandma got.

In order for the kids to swing Mike and his mom cleared away a bunch of overgrown plants that were threatening to eat the swingset.  The kids took all the leaves that were cut and made a fort, of course.

They used a bush to support their structure.

It's in their genes.  (Mike's dad owns a construction company.)

Next, they did what you might expect good builders to do...they swang.

That was yesterday.  Today was rainy.  All day.  The kids had to stay in, and we all were feeling a little crazy.  But, there was a sleepover at the end of the day, and, really, that makes for a bit of happy...

and a lot of sweet.

My Life-Berenstain Bears-Style

You're always teaching
When you have little kids.
They hear what you've said
And they watch what you did.
You must tell them how
To get through each day.
They need to be taught,
To be shown the way.

Let's see what I have
To teach my offspring,
What lessons I'll offer,
What knowledge I'll bring
To bear on their lives
As they grow in my care,
What wisdom I have
That I'll humbly share...

I leave without knowing
Just where I am going-
I think I can get there
Without real directions
Since I saw it online
In a general depiction.
I also don't need a GPS
Since I can call the very best-
My hubs has Google by his side
And he will tell me where to drive!
Good thing I brought
My phone with me...
I'm wrong!  The mantle
Is where it must be.
I have driven for so long
I will have to get some gas.
My credit card is in my wallet...
Oops, it's in my other pants.

We cut out coupons
To help save money.
A good idea, but
Here's what's funny...
I then forget
That they exist.
I'll come across them randomly
So I'll start to make a list.
I look at coupons
In the folder
And this one's old,
But this one's older!

There is a calendar on our wall-
It hangs there, oh so prettily.
With plenty of space to write
What to do or where to be.
But it is blank,
Just like my stare
When you ask,
"Why weren't you there?"
It makes no sense,
I can't explain
Why I don't use my
Calendar or my brain.

I bought a clock,
a big one too,
To see while in
The living room.
But there it sits,
still in the box.
Apparently I have
No use for clocks.

What's for dinner?
Shouldn't I cook?
It's going on five so
Why don't I look
Into a cookbook...
I have plenty!
I'd say there were
At least twenty
On my shelf but
They're gathering dust
Since I hate cooking-
"Fast food or bust!"
That's my motto
Recently;
My poor kids want
Real food to eat.
My husband thinks
I ought to plan
Our meals each week-
He thinks I can!
But it's really hard
For me to do
And so we end up
With no food.


We live in such a crazy way
So this is what I want to say:
"This is what you should not do
Let this be a lesson to you."