10 fun things we do when grace has been extended to us by way of a snow day...
1. planning a one year old birthday party for little sweet cheeks here.



2. playing outside with my boys.




3. and the dog. who was exhausted when we were done. (mulligan, our older dog, was smarter than that. he was lounging on the couch while we were freezing)


4. getting caught up on laundry.
5. getting caught up on schoolwork.
6. dancing to the iPod with the boys to every annoying teen pop song, plus a few oldies thrown in for good measure.
7. having time to make my family a thoughtful dinner.
8. highlights magazines and coloring books. and lots of them!!
9. the promise of a schedule in the next few days. we do love a routine around here. :)
10. realizing we have now officially prayed over every one of our christmas cards, then finding that one that was still hanging on the fridge...SCORE! it will be bathed in little prayers tonight!


Thank you Christ Jesus for grace and my many blessings...today and always.

thg...grandpa ed meets wyatt

it won't ever matter how old i am, i somehow still get that sinking feeling when i get to see my dad and when it is time for him to go home. we dropped him off at the hotel last night after a fun dinner out and i felt like i was 13 again. my sister and i decided that we may never feel any different than that. i love him so much and am so glad that my boys got to spend some time with their grandpa! i have posted many times about him through the few years that i have written. we have come a long way in our lives and i am so proud of where we are. love you dad!

tubes...

the nurses said he started their day off right. he never cried. he was a trooper and so was daddy (which is who i was worried about, he is a big softy). it was early, cold, snowy, and a little nerve racking. low and behold it was over and we were home before most people were even leaving for work. i am now selfishly hoping to sleep better at night :) and mostly thrilled that he should feel better right away. isn't he cute??

so much to say...

we have had a crazy Christmas! we were ALL sick on Christmas day. santa's gifts didn't get opened until around 10:30 Christmas night. sad, but memorable. some sort of toxic roto-like virus that spread among the town. NICE!! i found myself in the middle of cleaning up messes and lysoling anything that would stand still just trying to take in the wonder that is my family. i love them all so much. we are so BLESSED! i was just glad we were all together.

my school will be needing prayers as we start back on monday. we had a funeral this last monday for another one of my teaching friends. i feel for her husband, her two children, and her classroom full of kindergarteners. Lord give us all strength and peace that passes understanding, for this is hard to understand. one of the most impressive things at her funeral was that her preacher said she was credited with teaching hundreds of little ones HOW to pray. she would fold her hands this special way and they would respond so willingly. i can just see her doing it. what an honor and a wonderful way to be remembered. we will miss you Shona.

here are many pics from our fun break...

wyatt in his new t-shirt 'be cute, don't pollute' a new years resolution of his :)

miss B got a flip camera and this was one of many movies made with their own 'suite life' theme

spy shades...he can see behind him

my clever student's trash to treasure recycling project. these are old paperbacks. WOW!!

we were so lucky for ava to come over this morning to play. wyatt was thrilled!!

have you ever seen prettier eyes?? didn't think so!

lane and tate showed her the ropes on the guitar. i think she should look into drumming. she's got that shake your groove thang kind of rhythm.

she had the hang of it in no time!
we also added a new daschund to our family. a friend for mulligan...his name is patch and he is a long haired cutie. so far, so good! :) it's a full house!! anyone know of a 5 bedroom, 3 bath home? the only requirement is a straight up trade for our humble abode :) we are busting at the seams here, but we love it! Thank you Jesus for smiles, active healthy children, friends and for giving your life so we can have the peace of eternity!