Christmas and Before

So, I thought about doing a post before Christmas, but there was only 4 pictures... so, I waited :)

Smaug really enjoys playing in the kennel... even naked (J took this picture)!!!

I'm not sure why TW came to the table as a robot,  but...

This is not his food... this is his sister's food... he is stealing his sisters food!!!

TW was bored one afternoon during nap time.  There were other kids at the play ground.  He was in our yard.  What's a boy to do?  Make a sign (it reads: "Come play with me and my toys")!!!  I told him to just go play at the play ground.  He liked that idea ;)

Okay, here is our annual reading of The Night Before Christmas in our new jammies (non-matching this year)!

And Christmas morning, before there was flying paper and things strewn about...

TW got a new Lego contraption building set, and couldn't be bothered with anything else...

Smaug did not need to be told what these were or what to do with them.  He busted into the container and started chowing down... J had to put him in his seat to keep them from dropping them all over the floor!

Thank you Grandma B!!!

Pretty Girl got Berry a tea set (yes, Berry is using a shopping cart as a chair) :)

Too much wrapping paper to eat ;p

Berry got Jo Jo some Sea Monkeys (he loves them)!

In Other News:  

This one is not a neat eater :)  

...and, everyone is sick :(  

...oh, and, I got a new sewing machine :) :) :) :) :)

Book Review

Hello Friends.  I have another book review for you.  Again, Bethany House, graciously sent me a free book to read, just so I could tell you about it!  My most recent read is called Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden.  Let me start by saying, I'm not a very picky fiction reader (as long as the book is "clean", I hate having to read over prolific cursing and sex) and this book did not disappoint.  I must admit, it took me a good 100 pages or so to really get into the book.  Things did not grasp me immediately, but I trudged on.  After that magic 100 pages though, either I was able to focus more, or my interest was sparked enough to keep me going.  I even stayed up late to finish one section that was particularly... intriguing :)  So, if you like a light period, suspense novel, with some romance thrown in, here you are!

Pardon the Rambling

Good Morning, well, at least as I write.  TW had a "scary dream" last night around 2.  Then I got up and "watered" the puppy, couldn't sleep, walked on the treadmill, couldn't sleep, and finally snoozed again just after 5, only to be awoken at 6:30 to the sound of pattering feet and puppy howls (my, I didn't know bloodhounds were so... talkative)!!!

J is still trying to catch "that pig" who tore up more of the yard while we were out of town (all 2 nights).  He re-rigged his new (and improved) snare, the boys helped :)

Smaug watched!

I can't remember what they were doing, oh yeah, making sharks.  But, TW got everything out and was orchestrating this big shark making deal... I haven't a clue where those shark are now, but there were 4 color coordinated (by person) sharks!

Mr. E is such a big helper :)

"Mama, I don't have anything to do."  

"Well, why don't you pretend you're Pa from Little House on Plum Creek (we've moved through the other two Little House books) and go explore the edge of the woods for a new house for your family."  "Great idea, I'll build a house!"  

"Uh.... okay."

We did build "real" houses... the girls is on the left, the boys on the right.

TW made some sledding bears... Daddy contributed the bear (green in the background) sitting in the "outhouse"... men!

In Other News:  We will continue our house hunting this afternoon.  This is house number 4 and apparently needs some love; unlike this little girl, who is spoiled to bits :)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Okay, so I was told by Picasa today that I had reached my limit on blog pictures :(  So I've been cleaning up past blogs and deleting pictures so I can continue to regale you with what is going on with our family in the here and now!!!

Without further ado... this picture is actually from our first ever pizza and game night, the week before Thanksgiving!  The game is very simple.  You place penguins on a wiggly boat.  If your penguin causes the boat to tip over, that's the end.  Berry was absolutely scared-to-death to put a penguin on the boat, she was sooooo afraid it would knock over that she just cried and whimpered and stamped her feet rather than even try... that's all J's side of the family, because I, of course, never did anything even remotely close to that :)

Now, on to Thanksgiving.  Wednesday, we left our house for Uncle M's and Aunt I's.  They live on the gulf side of Florida.  One of their enjoyable pastimes is paddle boarding.  Uncle M took each kid one at a time out on the water.  Daddy thought it safer (and I agreed) that he paddle alone, since it was his first time :)

Smaug seemed content to hover under Uncle M's legs ;)

Thursday morning, we headed north to Gramps and Grammy's for our big lunch!  Mr. E earned a whip cream mustache!

On Friday, the same kiddo lined up Grammy's pigs (and bear) and asked that I take a picture!

And of course we had to get a group shot with Grammy :)  (Grammy, this was the best shot out of all of them... at least no one was picking their noses, like in the pictures of the kids with Gramps!!!)

On our way home, we took a very circuitous route to pick up our new puppy!!!  J has always wanted (since I've known him anyway) a bloodhound.  Since we found out I'm not allergic to dogs (which I thought), and we are staying in Jacksonville, and we are buying a house, and Bing is "getting long in the tooth" (as J says), we needed a new pup!  Her name is Mamie (may-me).

Have you ever seen Holiday Inn (with Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby)?  It's the first movie J and I loved together after we got married.  Anyway, we named our first dog after... well, Bing Crosby.  That's our dogs name, Bing Crosby.  When we got our girl dogs they were Grace (Grace Kelly), and Audrey (Audrey Hepburn).  Well, with this dog, we returned to Holiday Inn.  In the movie Bing Crosby's Jill-of-all-trades servant is named Mamie, and she's a hoot.  So, that's why we decided on Mamie for our new little (for now) girl.   So far, our Bing doesn't seem to mind her.

Every one loves Mamie, including this bundle of yogurt covered cuteness :)

In Other News:  I am happy to say that J and I have successfully navigated through twelve (12!) years of marriage :)

Mental Break

I feel like I have been in brain limbo lately.  J graduated/was "winged", and can now, officially, be called a Naval Flight Officer (NFO).  He still has about 4 weeks of classes (which will drag out with the holiday breaks)... but we have "senior-itis".  We are also waiting on orders.  Will we be moving in January, will we be staying?  TW has had a week off of school (sort of), and that always puts my mind in hibernation mode.  And, to top it all off, the weather has cooled to a tolerable level, and who wants to stay inside when outside is sooo nice.  

Anyway, I have just a few pictures to share :)

Smaug has been finding new places to play, he's so darn cute!

TW made brownies as a math lesson... and of course, he wanted to lick the spoon.

We played at a playground with Great Grandma/Grandpa while waiting on the other parents airplanes to arrive last Thursday.

This is pretty much the only somewhat clear, non-video picture I have from the big graduation.  TW took my camera and would not return it (okay, so I didn't really try to get it back, I had my hands full)... he managed to get a shot of every power point slide the presenter showed, and over 40 minutes of video :)

Last Saturday was TW's final soccer game for the season :)

A self-motivated and completed project!

Smaug grunts every time the kids get a fork/spoon.  So, I finally gave him one... he actually uses it, appropriately... that's a first for our children!

After the fall festival at church, TW decided to build himself a plinko board... he worked on it for hours (literally) yesterday.  There was a lot of tears, but he did it all by himself (huh)!

J constructed a study carrel for TW.  He used it very briefly today when we did a few lessons... we'll see if it makes a difference in my very-distract-able boys attention span :)

In Other News:  Grammy, I'll e-mail you when we have orders to finalize Thanksgiving plans :)

Happy Fall

Would you believer I went an entire week with only two pictures on my camera?  Well I did... here they are:

1)  Smaug spent his first week with his new bed falling asleep on the floor... you never knew where you would find him :)

2)  Again, Smaug, was dumpster diving for some toy or other... good thing the can was empty :)

At some point, we met up with an ISU friend, who is temporarily in the JAX area.  He took us on a tour of his ship!

Everyone had fun, even on the super steep ladders.  Berry, unfortunately, had a run in with the non-skid deck... she whimpered (when she remembered) the entire time :)

Fast forward to Halloween.  Apparently, the people on our cul-de-sac just sit out at the end of their driveways to pass out treats... J took the kids down the street while Smaug and I stayed home!

Yesterday, we got a new hamper for the girls (and boys).  TW, very awesomely, put together the girls' all by himself (huh)!

J took this picture... let this be a lesson to him... always screw the cap on brand new bottles of soda pop all the way, tightly, or Smaug will knock them over, flooding the kitchen in stickiness!!!

Yesterday afternoon was our churches fall festival (with a western theme).  Smaug loved these flowers!

Here is Mr. E getting some help with the Nerf shooting booth!

Isn't Berry's hair adorable?  She popped her elbow out again yesterday in the bounce house... which she and Pretty Girl practically lived in.   I am sooooo glad the nurse showed me how to pop it back in the first time she did it... this is the fourth!!!

And, to end the evening, we went on a super fun hayride (twice)... it was a blast!!!

In Other News:  I finished the girls little fleece coats (which I meant to make last year)... I know you can't tell from the picture but the buttons are sparkly and that makes Mama super cool :)