Church Work Day

This morning we all went to work day at church. It was freezing cold at 8:30 when the work day started, so me and the boys waited until 10:00 and decided that coming late was better than nothing. It had warmed up nicely by the time we got there. Jon was up on a ladder cleaning widows on the outside of the sanctuary and Mrs. Eva was working hard weeding one of the flower beds. We joined Mrs. Eva.It didn't take long before the boys started casting their eyes on other jobs. Jonah and Ezra joined Jon at the windows.
But the fun really started when the boys got to join the mulching crew. Mr. Clint led a team of mostly 7-11 year olds. They loaded the truck with mulch and dumped and spread it around bushes and in flowerbeds.
Then the got to ride in the back of the truck. Even Malachi and Ezra got to ride on the last trip.
After the kids were done, there was always a lot of clean up to do, so the Dads (Jon and Scott) helped clean up the messes left behind.
Everything looked very nice when everyone was done working.

Family Fun Night

Every fall the boys look forward to Family Fun Night at school, so no matter what, we make an effort to go.

From 7-9pm they kids jump and slide on inflatables,

take hay rides, and eat slushies and popcorn.

Jonah is on this hay ride with his friends (although he moved out of the picture right as I took it).

It was a perfect, cool fall evening and even a full (or almost full) moon to light up the night.

Haircuts

I decided that after 11 years of cutting all the hair in the house (except mine--which I do take on occasionally), it was time to document it in pictures. Of course, this usually is not appropriate because I usually cut hair on Saturday morning while I am still in my pjs. Since I was dressed, I thought it was a good time to take a picture for the blog. Everyone else had already had their hair cut by the time I thought to take a picture, so the only one pictured is Ezra. But he is cutie, so the pictures are worth looking at.

Bed Bugs

Tonight we found Ezra sleeping with his pencil in hand and his head on a drawing.

I thought that it was a good time too, to document the sleeping arrangements of Ezra and Malachi. Ezra has not been interested in sleeping in his bed (which is downstairs next door to the big boys) since about 3 months after we built his room. So every night for the past 14 months Ezra has slept on the floor next to Malachi's crib.

Malachi is still upstairs in a tiny room next to ours. Until I am sure that he won't need me in the night (for on occasion he still does -- about twice a week he tries to wake up in the early, early morning), I don't want to put him downstairs. I have folded two cozy comforters and covered them with a crib sheet--he probably has the softest bed in the house. They are happy and cozy as bed bugs.

Jon's Birthday

It was a nice treat that Jon got off work a little early tonight. Typically on a Monday night, he doesn't get home until 7:30/7:45. His last appointment canceled so we were able to eat dinner with him and make him some cookies and celebrate his birthday.The boys all made his special cards.
And they got him work gloves and a CCS (their school) t-shirt.

And of course you have to try on a new t-shirt right away.

Then he blew out one candle on a plate of chocolate cookies.
I sure know how to throw a party.

Church Picnic

God gave us a beautiful day to have our church picnic on the lake. Everyone is invited to gather from 1:00 - 4:00 after church--bring your own picnic.We have our traditions and they are enjoyed by all.

Some eat at tables and some on the ground.

Horseshoes and Ladderball

Cake walks.

We had a kick ball game: 3rd -12th grade against everyone else. This was the line to kick.
The high-schoolers were so gracious with the 3 and 4 year olds that we ended up beating them, but we wouldn't have, if they didn't let every little guy get on base.

This was the outfield--a little crowded!

Some gather to knit and talk.

Some just talk.

Jeremy (our music director) and Chris (our youth minister) led the whole group in hymns and songs.
Most of the grandkids joined Grandpa on the fireplace during the singing time.

And of course, playground time.

Even the see-saws had been painted and weren't giving out splinters this year.

And oh what fun those old fashion merry-go-rounds can be!

A beautiful, fun part of fall break.

Fall Parties

Today the big boys had their Fall Parties at school. I bounced around between the 3 rooms and boys all seemed to enjoy themselves.

Isaiah is not too big on the "sweet" part of the parties, but...

he loves the games.

And he enjoys the crafts.

Elijah loves the crafts and they all decorated their own cookies and were able to eat them.

Then the went out side for a scarecrow race.

Jonah's class had their sweet stuff first and then they painted t-shirts turning their hand prints into turkeys.

They also went outside for a turkey race--they had to be the turkeys.

Now on to Fall Break!!!!!! Yeah!!!!!!

Night Out

One of the couples in our church, who have married and college aged kids, offered to come over and baby-sit so that we could go out to dinner. Malachi was very happy because Mrs. Eva is one of his Sunday School teachers and he loves her. I had never had "adults" come over to baby-sit (besides family) and knowing what a handful my kids can be (especially during the evening hours) I was a little nervous.

Needless to say, John and Eva arrived around 5:30 and though Ezra cried when we left, we knew they would have fun. We told the boys "no TV" because it was a school night so they were a little dissappointed. Usually when we have a babysitter we let them watch a movie because it is the weekend, but this time they would just have to play. The boys had a ball. They played outside for awhile and then came in and Mr. John taught them a card game. Mrs. Eva played countless games of "Sorry"and other things with the two little boys.

At bedtime, Mr. John read them the next chapter in "The Last Battle" and they were thrilled (Jon had told John that they had been reading it together before bed and that he could feel free to read to them if he wanted.) We got home before any of them were asleep (because I need to give Elijah his medicine before he falls asleep) and they were all so happy with the way the night had gone.

Jon and I got to go out and have dinner and do a little shopping (for Jon's birthday) and the kids were well-behaved and had a great time.

Homecoming

It is hard to believe that I have been out of college for 15 years. My four best friends from college are still my best friends (apart from my sisters) and I cannot believe how blessed I was to have attended Covenant College and reap all the benefits of a Christ-centered education.

This weekend was homecoming and we since it was too much to take on the whole weekend, we just went up for the afternoon and evening. We enjoyed a picnic, parade,the varsity boys soccer game and then fireworks.My dear friend Kelly was there for a brief time. We only overlapped for a little while because she was attached to her ride back to St. Louis.The boys met up with other kids (my cousins' kids that they know from school) and enjoyed playing and being silly and watching the soccer game.

For awhile they sat on the wall at the edge of the field.

Then they moved up the grassy hill (somehow we missed the bleachers) and we sat on the benches while they watched the end of the game.