Husband, Dad, Mechanical Engineer, Bass
Player ...
Obsessed with all things Engineering.
AMY
Wife, Homeschool Mom, Webmaster ...
Obsessed with all things Political.
RACHAEL
Daughter, Sister, Sophomore ...
Obsessed with all things Geological.
NICHOLAS
Son, Brother, 8 year old ...
Obsessed with all things Historical.
(especially Egyptian!)
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The Well-Trained Mind Singapore Math Greenleaf Guides Apologia Science AIG Science curriculum Story of the World
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Day 362 - Beautiful Day!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Today was a gorgeous day! 68 degrees in December?!? I used the time to clean out the van. We had all of the presents from the grandparents' houses plus all of the trash from hauling co-op kids around. I scrubbed, vacuumed, and cleaned for hours. I also got rid of the trash from Christmas and tried to straighten and organize the house and garage a little bit. Rachael broke out her geology set that she received from Jeff's parents. It was really cool! You had to dig through the clay to find fossils and rocks, then clean, identify and make notations in a journal about each find. Nick was still recuperating from his cold. He still isn't eating much.
We had lunch with the Amsbury's at a local Mexican restaurant. After lunch, I took the kids to their house so that they could play and Heather and I could talk. A little later, the men went out on a 'man date' that Heather and I set them up on. Apparently, men don't go to the movies with other men, but if they do, there are certain rules that must be followed. (ie: one seat must be left between them at all times; there is to be no sharing of snacks, etc.)(!) When they returned from the movies, we were enlightened with several of the rules regarding 'maniquette' which were quite fascinating, but unsuitable for a blog audience! ;-D
After our visit, we had dinner with Jeff's parents and headed home to a mess of Christmas boxes everywhere!
Today began with the obligatory unwrapping of the Santa gifts followed by the two hour trek to Jeff's parents' house for a massive turkey feast and more presents. While there, even Jeff's dad had fun Wii bowling. After we left, we went to my parents house for another huge meal and still more presents. Rachael (dressed in her finest footie pajamas - a gift from Jeff's parents) thoroughly whipped Eddie 4 times in Wii bowling. Of course, he claimed he could still beat her at Skittles, which is apparently a European sport. He says he's going to have to buy a Wii and get practiced up for a rematch. She's still trying to sharpen her skills so that it never happens. Is that a competitive spirit that I see in my child? I didn't think she had it in her!
We have a Christmas Eve tradition that we follow. The day begins with Jeff cooking a huge ham and egg breakfast complete with hash browns and Grands biscuits. I don't even remember why this tradition began, but we've done it for years. We actually had an interesting revelation this year as we were joking about the significance of celebrating the birth of a Jewish man by eating ham. It got us thinking about Jesus' death beginning the New Covenant. We can now say that there's actually a meaning behind our tradition! (other than the fact that we really like ham!) After our big breakfast, we generally watch a couple of Christmas movies - "A Christmas Story" and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." We play games and spend time as a family. For dinner, we usually make homemade pizzas (or something equally fun and easy!) Following dinner, we open presents from one another, then grab some hot chocolate and drive around listening to Christmas music and looking at Christmas lights. When we get home, we read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible, and then it's bedtime for the kids and Jeff and I get some alone time. It's a nice, calm day before the chaos of Christmas Day.
This year, we did things a little differently. Since we bought a Wii for the kids, we wanted them to have a chance to play with it. We opened the presents immediately following breakfast. We didn't get a chance to look at lights or watch one of the movies, but we did have a fun family day, and we still celebrated the birth of Christ, so I guess that's all that really matters!
Last week, Diana picked the kids up and took them to the AWANA program at our church. Rachael used to go back when she was in Kindergarten, but this was Nick's first time. To say that he loved it would be a drastic understatement! It just so happened that they went on the Christmas party night. They were given the opportunity to pick out gifts for us. Since they couldn't wait, we opened them. Nick got me a snowflake pin and Rachael got me a star photo holder. Jeff received a bottle of cologne from Nick & a bar of almond & oatmeal soap (his favorite!) from Rachael. (although it did make him wonder if the kids were trying to give him a hint!) Having the evening free also gave Jeff & me the chance to have a nice dinner out. Unfortunately, AWANAs doesn't start up again until after the new year. Trying to convince Nick that he'll have to wait has proven to be the challenge!
Since the Decorating Party went so well, I figured we could be equally as efficient making cookies. I was right! We brought home a bunch of kids after church and let them go to town making cookies. We made 2-3 dozen each of 10 different types in about 5 hours. Even after packing up several plates full (one for each family, one for the neighbor, and a few for other friends) we still have over 4 1-gallon ice cream buckets full! The kids had a blast!
Here is Rachael's new room. She loves her new Moroccan canopy. The bottom picture is Rachael's solution to our lack of an angel on our tree. We have one somewhere, but couldn't find it amidst the boxes. She made this one from tissues and wrapping paper!
What's the only thing better than chocolate? 'Imperfectly shaped' chocolate sold at a fraction of the price! We stopped by the Russell Stover's outlet on the way back from Lexington yesterday. YUM!
Today we took Nick back to Lexington, KY to the Shriner's Hospital. They took molds of his legs for some much needed new braces. We have to go back again in early January to pick them up. Since I forgot my camera, here are some pics of his new bedroom...
Since we've been so busy spending time with friends and unpacking boxes, we haven't had time to decorate for Christmas. Since the kids love decorating so much, I decided to throw a "Decorating party." (In other words, it's the lazy mom's way to get it done!) We invited several of our homeschooling friends, bought some pizza, and gave them free reign! They finished in record time and even had time to 'ice skate' on the sidewalks! One of these days, I'll take pictures at night. It turned out beautifully!
Today was our Homeschool co-op's Mom's Meeting/Christmas party. Unfortunately, it was really icy, so some of the mom's didn't show up. Those of us who did, though, had a great time! We went to O'Charley's for dinner. The Bistro Chicken is to DIE for! The items above are the result of the white elephant gift exchange.
We went to the Creation Museum again with our co-op. Diana & I had been there before, so we didn't spend much time at the exhibits. We watched a couple of the new planetarium shows and visited the petting zoo/live nativity. The lights after dark were beautiful! The highlight of the day was the zonkey/zorse creature...half zebra, half donkey or horse!
Today was our first Sunday back at our old church. It was the Christmas program, which was fabulous! I still can't believe how warmly we were welcomed back. I don't think there was a single person who knew us that didn't come over to visit. I don't think I've been hugged so many times in my entire life! What a wonderful testimony to the true spirit of fellowship among believers...
Today was Rachael's piano recital. Since the keyboard was one of the first items that we packed up, I was concerned about her preparedness. She's practiced like crazy this past couple of days, and performed wonderfully! After the recital, we went out to eat with Diana, Andy, & Ross. (Thomas was staying with his grandma.)
On a separate note, her friend, Gracie, had appendicitis and had to have her appendix removed this evening. We missed her at the recital, but are happy to report that she's doing well.
(I apologize for the shaky camera work. Nick was hanging on my arm!)
After Sunday's unloading of the truck, the kids had pulled all of Nick's toys/clothes out of the boxes. His new room looked like a landfill. Today, while Rachael spent the day at her friend Julia's house, Thomas came over to organize Nick's things. (by his own request!) When I went up to Nick's room later in the day, I found it to be immaculate! The drawers were all organized by type of clothing, color, season, etc. The closet was organized by toy type. I couldn't believe it! Even the stars that I had bought for his ceiling had been applied. (of course, knowing that there was no way that he could have reached the ceiling even with the step stool, I reluctantly asked how he did it. "It was easy", he replied, "I just stacked a few boxes on top of the step stool...") Diana just laughed when I told her. Apparently, that's not an unusual stunt for him...(!)
Name: Amy Home: Indiana, United States About Me: I am a Homeschool Mom of 2 awesome children. This is my attempt at Project 365 - to chronicle our world through daily photos... See my complete profile
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