Quick Pix

Thought I'd share a few photos from my phone.  Hopefully the next post is more "meaty". For now, though, just enjoy the fluff!

A Boy and his Dog, Part 2

The G-man is on the move. But only a little bit. He's not quite crawling, but still able to get around to get to what he wants to play with. The world is his playground - literally. It is so fun to watch him play, moving from one toy to the next just checking it all out.  He is interested in everything, and his face lights up when he sees something else to play with. 

One of his favorite "things" to play with is the dog. And she's so good with him that it's adorably sweet to see them together.

Our sweet dog, Penny, will be staying at the doggy hotel this weekend while our family goes on a trip to Galena, IL for some skiing. And maybe a little swimming. And definitely a whole lot of eating. That is, IF we survive the 6-hour drive with all 8 of us in the car. Wish us luck!!

 

It's Beginning to Look like Christmas...Finally

Yes, the Christmas tree is up, the stockings hung, and cards and letters adorn the front door. 

We attended Christmas Mass late last night, getting home just after midnight. The kids went to bed pretty easily, and didn't come into our room until almost 7:30 this morning.

The stockings were emptied first. Then the pile of gifts under the tree was attacked. Many happy gasps and squeals were heard. 

Banana and her dolly got matching outfits.

The G-man was thrilled to find a remote control in his stocking. 

The big boys (and Dad) got airsoft guns. After opening that, Big D stated that this was the "best day ever".

CB was happy to welcome the white Angry Bird to the family of birds he already had. 

Mr. H loves his new watch. He has been learning to tell time this year so having a watch will be good practice for him. 

Miss M is happy to have a new coat for the cold weather. We are planning a family ski trip in January and it will be much needed. 

One of my favorite things is the aftermath. The stuff lying all over the floor. The wrapping paper and boxes. Evidence of the fun!

The boys spent some time gaming this morning,

While the girls caught up on a missed episode of the Sing-Off. 

I had to get a picture of these two in matching Christmas pajamas.

Now it's off to Grandma's.  Merry Christmas!!

Wrapping Up

No, not the presents. We don't even have our tree up yet [Gasp!] I'm talking about wrapping up school before the holidays. It was my plan to be finished up by today. We actually still have a couple of things we need to do over the weekend, but we're almost done. Here are some of the things that have been keeping us busy for the past few weeks.

History: We are learning about the Revolutionary War by watching the PBS series Liberty's Kids.  I don't think my kids have ever liked history so much.

 

We went to the History Museum and we were able to participate in "High Tea" the way George Washington or Abigail Adams would have.  We learned the do's and don'ts of colonial society.  There we also saw the Early American Silver Exhibit which included items made by Paul Revere, Jr.  We were impressed!

They also offered the opportunity to ride in a horse-drawn carriage.  Despite the freezing temperature, we took a quick ride around the outside of the museum.

Art: I recently relocated and organized our art supplies, which sparked an interest in creating things.  They stamped and stickered and glued and painted.  There were pages that were covered with paint from edge to edge.  Those are tough to dry.  We discovered a new way to hang our artwork to dry using the stocking hooks on the fireplace mantle.  

 

Advent: We have been enjoying the Holy Heroes Advent Adventure, using their printable ornaments to decorate our Jesse Tree.  The videos and the printable ornaments for the Jesse Tree trace the roots of Jesus through the Old Testament Bible stories. (So we do have a tree up at our house.  It's just not a Christmas tree!)

 

The kids took part in a Christmas program at a local retirement home.  The three older boys were all shepherds.  Mr. H looked so cute in his costume.

 

The G-man had the honor of playing Baby Jesus this year.  He almost made it through the whole program without getting fussy.

And just in case you think this doesn't look quite school-ish enough, here is proof that we do use books.  Sometimes...

 

Sometimes we even use desks.

 

But most often we don't.

The couches are very popular.

So is the floor.

 

Big D's top bunk is his favorite place to work.

It feels sooooooooo good to be wrapping up the first part of our school year.  Now I need to get busy wrapping Christmas gifts :-)

Happy Holidays, everyone!!

A Boy and his Dog

    Paw-fect pals!

Rockin' Baby

Mr. H is a music fanatic. He already has his own individual musical taste. 

 

He wants to share his love of music with his little brother.

 

The G-man isn't sure what to think about that.  

Perhaps if he just skipped to the next track.

 

Yeah. Now that's a good song!