Christmas Pictures

Christmas Eve

Twirly Dress

Handsome Boy

Smile!

Meghan singing at the Christmas Eve service.

Awe.

Charlie Brown's snow globe

Teacher Meghan

Merry Christmas!

As you celebrate the incredible love of God, sending his own Son for us, I hope your Christmas is wonderfully blessed.

Merry Christmas!

♥ Derek, Annette, Meghan, and Evan

Two Firsts

What a day we had!  This morning Meghan had her Christmas party and "sing" where the kids sing several songs for the parents.  I am pleased to share that not only did Meghan remain on the stage, but she did not cry.  AND she sung several songs!  The only song she didn't sing was "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."  When I asked her why, she said she didn't know it.  Though we've heard her sing it several times, we could not convince her of the correct words.  I am so proud of her for singing all the other songs!  (I don't have permission from the other parents to share video, so I won't be posting.)

(This will be the first of many Christmases over several days.  Shall we count?)
1. School
2. Christmas Eve Service (where we hope Meghan will sing on stage again.)
3. Christmas at home
4. Derek's family
5. Derek's immediate family
6. My dad's side
7. My mom's side

Since it was a balmy 34 degrees today, the children and I went outside to play for a while.  (I was thankful for the sun since it was a bit windy.)  It has been such a cold December for southeastern PA.

For the first time ever, Evan enjoyed a moving swing!  We did not keep the baby swing up since he hated it.  Today he was willing to try the red Bronco Rider.  He and Meghan enjoyed it!  Together!  It makes this mom's heart happy.

I am so thankful that Derek built us this swing set. 

What a smile!  It's good to get out and play!  

Of course, Evan needed to remove his mittens to play properly with the cars.  Brr.

I need to make an effort to get us outside more often, even on cold days.  It does us all good to get some fresh air and sunshine.  The nice thing is that the children are cold enough that they don't complain when after just 15 minutes, it is time to go inside.

(I will share that when we first went outside, fully bundled with mittens and hats, Evan made it down a step before I noticed his socks.  I had forgotten his shoes!  I'm happy to say that is the first time for that, too.)

Choo Choo Barn

Last December I got to meet Krista, my blogging friend, for the first time at the Choo Choo Barn in Strasburg, PA-a central location for us.  She is just as sweet as can be, and has become a true friend!

  We decided to take advantage of the canned food drive admission again this year, and got together again!

Meghan and Natalia too busy to look up!

Adam, Evan, Krista, and Natalia

(Yes, our coats were in the car.  Yes, it was cold.)

Once we were inside, we enjoyed the models.  It is really quite amazing what they have created!

Evan.  In Awe.

This is my favorite scene.  This house has a fire.  Suddenly you hear the alarm bells.  The firehouse's doors open, the fire trucks come out, and the men actually get out of the truck to spray the fire!  See the smoke??

We had a great time, though it was so, so short!  We went through the Choo-Choo Barn and then we went to the Creamery for lunch. We sincerely appreciate our time with these friends!  Adam and Evan are very close in age, as are Meghan and Natalia.

Check out our visit from last year here.  I was shocked to see how tiny Meghan looked last year!  Natalia is tall, and Meghan is short, but Meghan is catching up!

A Little Prayer...

I am so thankful for smiling faces.  Some days are much more smiley than others, but each day is a blessing.

The other morning I sat down to the table with Evan for my bowl of cereal.  Derek and Meghan had already eaten, but Evan and I were eating together.

He looks at me and asked, "Pray?"  

I had to think for a moment since his speech is still difficult to understand.  Play or pray?  Then I realized we had not said grace, and he wanted  to pray!

He bowed his head and clasped his hands.  Then he said something in his jargon and finished with a hearty, "Amen!"

Wow.  I am greatly blessed!  He has also done this several times since then, too!  

(This story and others are included in the "What They Say" tab at the top of the page.  I had to share this one as a regular post, too.)

A Brave Man

I just love that Derek recognizes that Meghan loves to help him.  She adores her father!

Friday night Meghan was watching Derek paint the upstairs bathroom that the children use.  (It's the same blue as the downstairs bathroom, though one gallon did not stretch to two bathrooms.)  She came downstairs and told me that she needed her paint shirt.  I was a little surprised, but quickly got it for her.  Meghan helped paint a section of a wall, as you can see!  I may let her get a bit messy with washable tempera paints, but this is a whole different story!  I never would have been so brave or trusting!

While they were painting, I made sure Evan was downstairs with me staying busy.  They are not quite ready for his help yet.

Our Little House

Neither Derek nor I had ever made a gingerbread house before, but Meghan was so excited to do it, how could we say no?

This year we bought a kit.  Next year we will make our own since we have the appropriate cookie cutters.

This year, the gingerbread house was an adult-directed project with the assistance of Meghan.  Evan helped by asking for "big balls" to eat.  He also liked the gum drops, as did Meghan.  Meghan was incredibly patient and helpful.  I was completely amazed.  That roof took a long time to decorate!

Derek was a pro with the glue  frosting.  Look at those lines!  He gets it from his mom, you know!  (You can see our wedding cake that she made here.)

The house lasted perfectly for three days-then the kids got hungry when I was upstairs.

It was fun...sometimes stressful with little fingers wanting to eat everything.  The roof was done almost all by Derek and me.  Meghan helped with just about everything else though.

The "gingerbread" was harder than a rock.  The frosting was really like glue.   Not very appealing, but Meghan is desperate to eat it!

We completed the house on Saturday morning.  Afterwards, we went downtown to the feed and lumber store that invites customers to to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.  They have a photographer there, too!

Sunday we decorated the tree.  We've been using our Jesse Tree and advent calendar (with manger) all in preparation for Jesus' birth celebration.  Meghan has also been acting out the story of Joseph and Mary a lot.  She is always Mary.  I tend to be Gabriel first, and then Joseph.  (She likes me to use my "boy" voice, too.)

We're glad Christmas is upon us!

All in all, we are relaxing a bit, but really trying to focus on Jesus this month.

Snug As a Bug...

...in a rug.

This is just one of the ways that Meghan and Evan play together these days.  Apparently, Meghan takes to heart rhyming phrases that she is learning to read.

(Notice these were taken on two different occasions.)

For a Good Laugh...

Derek has had a beard for a few weeks now.  He does it less than once a year, and I don't mind.

However, he cracked me up to the point of snorting when he came downstairs tonight with a mustache.  I laughed and laughed.  He didn't take offense...and promised that the mustache on his face would only stick around for a few days.  (Thankfully!)

Derek's dad often wears a mustache.  Boy did I see the resemblance tonight!  

Yes, I tend to snort when things are really funny.  Call it a fault if you like!  I don't mind.

Together

I love that my children are now friends.  It took two full years, but they now play together-possibly more than they fight, too!  I am ever thankful!

Guess what they were doing!

They were reading!

Be sure to read our Thanksgiving post below.  I shared about some big news with our family.  No-not that big news.  But still big for us!

New Thanks

God has blessed my family incredibly.  We've had great health for a full year now, other than the occasional cold, stomach virus, or ear infection.  I wrote a little list of a handful of things over at the other blog, but I wanted to share about something new this week.

Since the spring of 2008, Meghan has received weekly speech therapy.  In February 2009, Meghan was diagnosed with the verbal dyspraxia.  Her therapy was increased to two speech and  one teacher (for additional support) session per week.  She also had occupational therapy twice a month to help with some eating issues.  Upon her third birthday, Meghan began attending a speech and therapy preschool classroom.  She attended four mornings a week and and three speech therapy sessions.  At the end of summer, she stopped attending that classroom and now attends a local Christian preschool and receives two ST sessions there each week.

Meghan was recently evaluated again for her speech.  She no longer needs speech services and tests well withing normal speaking ranges for a four year old!  We still have problems understanding her at times, but within a structured environment, like school, her teacher does not have any problems understanding her!  Though we're a bit concerned about this transition, she will be monitored for four months to check for regression.

In all of this we will continue to trust God's plan for our little ones.  

Ironically, Evan will begin receiving physical and speech therapy in the next couple of weeks.  He tests at age 18 months physically.  Though he is very active, he needs some help strengthening his core muscles.  He is only a tad behind in speech and there are no huge concerns like with Meghan, but we will use the therapy services until he is less frustrated.  Yet, in all of this, we give thanks to God.

Wherever you are and whatever you do on this Thanksgiving, we hope you will find hope in our Lord and Savior!  Happy Thanksgiving! 

Ready!

It may be a little early, but this morning while I was in the shower, Meghan packed!  She came in to tell me that she was all packed for Grandma and Grandpa J's house.  Too bad she has a few days to wait!

I also suspect that a few more items may be needed.  But she did pack the essentials: her blanket and Teddy.

Lighthouse

We had such a great time with Jenny and her family.  I was pleased that the children got together so well and that the children, namely Meghan, shared!

Monday was a bit dreary, but we headed out to Elk Neck State Park in Maryland.  We hiked out to see the Turkey Point Lighthouse.

Though we took the stroller, Evan refused to use it on the way out.  He wasn't exactly quick in his rain boots.

Eventually we made it!

Not only did we see the lighthouse, but also the Chesapeake Bay.

This was our family picture.  Hmm.

After our hike, we were all exhausted!  Our children napped at home while I took them to see a covered bridge that's just a couple miles from our home.  Then we made our way through Amish farmland to Good's Store.  It has a bit of everything-everything practical, anyway.  It serves the Amish and English community well.  I spent way too much in the children's book section for Christmas gifts, but that's no surprise.  We love their selection of books and toys.  

We had a low-key evening at home.  Tuesday morning we took the Herr's Snack Factory tour.  It was really awesome...and free!  (It was definitely better than the Ben and Jerry's tour we waited two hours to see!!)  I learned a lot, including green potatoes are fine to eat...but they were exposed to sunlight instead of growing underground.  

We were all sad to say good-bye after lunch, but we do hope to see Jenny, Ryan, Tornado, Dash, and Sissy again.  I'm sure Meghan will be asking very soon for a trip to Arkansas! 

I wrote a bit about the visit (different perspective) over at the other blog.  You can read about how I fed our vegan friends and some other stuff there if you'd like.

This morning I was going through Meghan's backpack since I forgot to yesterday.  As I was reading a letter to the parents, I found out that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!  Somehow, I thought it was still two weeks away.  Thank you, Mrs. S. for reminding me that it's time to get packing!

I'm sure this happens to others, I'm just not sure who!

First Thoughts

I already shared how my blogging friend, Jenny, brought her family from Arkansas to Pennsylvania.  The family's end goal was NYC, but we were "along the way," so they were willing to come to our home.  They arrived after dinner on Sunday night.


Can I just tell you how much anticipation Meghan (and I!!) had to meet Sissy and her family?  Before we even knew that they would be coming Meghan informed us that Garmin (our GPS) could find the way to Sissy's house!  That is how much Meghan thought about her.  I guess she doesn't realize that it takes willing parents to make the trip, too, and Derek and I are just not willing to travel that far with our two children.


We knew they would arrive after dinner.  Then there was a knock on the door.  It was so neat to see five happy faces smiling back at us when the door was opened.


The children were immediately comfortable and playing in the toy room and upstairs (and getting along!) while the grown-ups got acquainted.   Jenny was very much what I expected her to be like, and of course her husband, Ryan, was quite nice, too.  (Oh, Jenny and I both had striped socks on when they arrived.  hehe)


Eventually it was time for bed.  Evan is still young enough to sleep in his pack and play, so we moved him to our room so Dash*, age 5, and Tornado, age 10 would have their own space and wouldn't be awakened during the night by Evan.

Dash (standing), Meghan, Tornado, and Sissy

Meghan had her first sleepover with a child with Sissy on her bedroom floor!  Sissy used the crib mattress that we don't use any more.

These girls were so ready for this! 

After the girls were all tucked in and the lights were out, there was suddenly crying...from both girls.  Jenny and I went upstairs to see what the problem might be.  Meghan was sobbing, so it was hard to understand, but she said, "We're going to be apart-FOREVER!"  Sissy was crying because Meghan was crying.  So cute, though it wasn't the last time that night that they cried.

After breakfast, the kids and dads went outside to play a bit.  Unfortunately, the grass was really wet, and it was misting a bit despite the lovely weather forecast.  Only Meghan and Dash lasted long enough for me to grab the camera.  I think everyone needed dry socks, shoes, and pants before we went to Elk Neck State Park in Maryland.

I'll save that for another post though!

Sissy, Dash, and Tornado are not their real names-just in case you were wondering!

Weekend of October Fun

Um.  Yes, this post is really late.  The last weekend in October was lots of fun for us, and we've been really busy since then, so I haven't shared this, but thought I would before I continue on sharing about our more recent adventures.

Our church had a Fall Festival.  Children were allowed to go dressed up, so Meghan wore her princess dress over her regular clothes and sneakers.  Her hair was in a bun.  Sadly, this is my only photo of Meghan in her dress.  Shortly after, the dress had to be removed because it was in the way of completing the obstacle course.

Whew.  Freedom from the dress!  Though the fall festival was like a small scale free carnival (open to the community...even the food was free), this obstacle course was all that Meghan was interested in.

Evan was not happy there.  Honestly, it was probably too cold, though we were wearing winter coats (when not completing obstacles).  Not to offend the many Philadelphia Phillies fans in our church, but Evan wore his new (to him) NY Mets jersey and baseball cap.

On Sunday we went to our friends' home for a Halloween party.  We had lots of fun, though this is the best picture I got of Evan.  Meghan was gone much of the evening, so I didn't get any pictures of her with her little friends.

                                                 

The next day Meghan decided to try on the costume she wore when she was a year old.   Let me tell you for a girl that wears size 4 and 5, I was pretty impressed to be able to snap 2 of the 3 snaps on this size 18 month size skunk costume.

(Yes, I know.  I have fabulous pictures of her in it.  But I'm tired and want to post this.  The pictures are on a different computer.)  Evan refused to consider putting it on this year.  Just like Meghan did at age 2.)  

I do have pictures from last year though, right here on this computer!

Evan, as a skunk!

This was right after his hospitalization, so it was awesome to see him standing and walking a little.

Super Meghan and her trusty side kick, Evan the Skunk!

The skunk outfit was a definite must have for us when we saw it.  My mom has a slight obsession with skunks.  Before I was born (or maybe shortly after?) she had two pet skunks.  They were both descented.  She says they acted like cats.  I'm not sure if you can legally do that these days, but I think it's pretty neat.