Goodness! It's Been Long Enough!

We've been keeping busy lately with a lot of different thing...dentist appointments, flu shots, school, the church Christmas program practice and visits from my dad and Bob's Dad and Marge. We've had a wonderful time with all of them here! My dad came twice because the first time he left his tools in the trunk of his car when Bob took him to the airport and didn't realize until he was looking for them in Flint at the baggage claim! So he made another quick trip out here the next week to come and get them. Only to have the handle torn when he got back home with it...Luke thinks he should have just left them here for him!

The kids dentist appointments went well, Jozie has to go back tomorrow for her last crown and filling. (After seeing where their crowns and fillings are I'm pretty sure they weren't over doing it...I feel like such a bad mom for letting their teeth get so bad!) She was so brave and I was so proud of her! She didn't even have me come back and sit with her. She is growing up! When we had their second flu shots last week we needed no extra help! She sat on my lap and cried a little but when it was all over she smiled at the nurse through her tears and said that it didn't hurt at all! Hopefully her time of fear is beginning to subside!

The Christmas program went well yesterday afternoon. Jozie was a dog in the skit they did, "Twas the Fight Before Christmas" and they were both "Wise Guys" - as Luke called himself - in the manger scene. Luke got a little bored while he was up there and to my horror started making faces and crossing his eyes while we were sing "Joy to the World"! And of course we were sitting right in the front row - right next to Grandpa (Bob's dad) - well, second row to be exact because the little ones were sitting in the front - so I couldn't even hide! What a goof ball! At least he got up there, I will give him that, because he fought even being in it from the beginning! When I too them to practice on Sat. I parked in the back of the church. I didn't stay because I wanted to go and get a few groceries but as I exited the front door and walked around the back where the car was still running, Luke was running around the other side of the church and was ready to get back in the car when I got to it! I wasn't happy to have to march him back to the front (the back door was still locked) and take him back inside for the second time. He did stay put then though!

We got our first big snow last weekend (the first of the month) and it's here to stay. I thought I would be kinda shell shocked because we haven't seen much of it over the last couple of years when we were in IN but it has actually been nice. I look forward to having a white Christmas this year - or at least what bit of Christmas we will have...the kids are thrilled, of course, and I can hardly keep them in the house except for the cold is so bitter that steam forms outside the front door every time it's opened - kinda like your freezer on a hot summers day! They can only stand it for about an hour and then they are back in. The beautiful blue sky and bright sun are very deceptive! Thankfully they have discovered that they can play a couple of games together without fighting too badly so that occupies them for some time instead of the TV - which I hate!

Oh! And Jozie lost another tooth - I think that makes it number 8 for her! She was excited when she discovered $1.02 in change that I - er, the T00th Fairy - left in place of her tooth!

Here are some pictures that I have been meaning to post but never got around to and some of the Christmas program. Those didn't come out the greatest - I have fiddled with the settings a bit and figured out how to help that but when you are trying to pay attention to what they are saying it's hard to change settings on a camera - or even remember to do it. I will have to take a few test shots the next time and get it fixed before the program even starts.

When my dad came to visit we went to school with Bob one afternoon to see the 737 blow the safety slide...oh boy, what a thrill! It was COLD that day but was excited to FINALLY get up close and personal with the plane that he has been only able to see from the car since it arrived in like October. You can't see it through the hood over his face but he is excited!


Here's my dad, Bob, and the kids inside the plane. The slide was kinda small (not like the big ones you see in the movies) and I didn't want the kids to go down it because I was afraid they would fall off the side. All the "big kids" in Bob's class went down it though. After they inflated it they found out they have to send it to MS or something like that to have it deflated and inspected! It had to be about 3 feet wide and 12 feet long...I wouldn't like to the be the FedE*x guy who had to deliver that thing!


Here's a picture of the actual plane - Bob took this picture a few weeks ago when we still had green grass though...this wasn't the day we were there! :)



This is the kids and their rowdy bunch of cousins at Thanksgiving with Bob's family. They are all quite a handfull but mostly a big bunch of blessings!



Luke and Dakota making a fort at Grandpa and Grandma's on Thanksgiving...of course Luke was mostly going around fixing what Dakota - who will be 3 in Feb. - pulled down. I must admit he kept his frustration to a minimum with his younger cousin but fumed every time he turned around and had to "fix" something! LOL


After not-so-careful review, this was the only picture of the Christmas program worth posting, the rest were so dark you could hardly see them. At least Bob got the whole thing on video. Jozie is the middle "Wise Guy" - strategically placed between Luke and Andrew who like to be boys and wrestle or fight constantly - and Luke is on the right.