While daddy's away...

We will play!!  We enjoyed Noah's first basketball game of the season! 

The above shot was his first basket of the season!

My parents and I took the kids cross country skiing for the first time today!  We went 2-3 miles and they did great!!  It was so fun!!

(besides these two things we also:  went to the girls basketball clinic, Sophie enjoyed a birthday outing with grandma B at Paint a Pot, the rest of us had lunch at Frank's in Zeeland, we discovered the joy of 'Perler beads', the girls sang a '3rd grade solo' in church (6 girls), a couple of movie nights and of course, lots of snuggles!)

R and R

Last week we enjoyed a half day (scheduled) and a snowday!  We savored the time to snuggle up and read!!

Update from the past!

Early in Jan. Sophie was home sick for a day and enjoyed some Ernie snuggles!  Noah was the student of the week!  Abby made homemade bird food, which has attracted MANY wonderful birds!!
Blessings!

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve...

The kids opened gifts from each other...and were very thankful!

 Might be my favorite moment of the day....Abby bought Sophie 'best friends' necklaces for them to wear.  Sigh. 

 We decorated a gingerbread house. 

 All 3 kids were in the Christmas Eve Program at church.  The girls sang in the choir.

 Noah was the Innkeeper.

 Abby was a speaking angel.

 Sophie was also an angel (2nd row, 3rd one from the R)  (Abby is 2nd row, 2nd from the left)

We also had a wonderful dinner and opened gifts with my parents, Laura, Gavin and the kids. 

The night ended with the reading of, 'Twas the Night before Christmas' in front of the tree.  We are blessed beyond words. 

#2000

Although I have not been faithful about updating my blog this fall, I have been recording my gifts.  Earlier this week I reached #2000:  "Remembering what is important and living for it."  In light of the tragic event that took place last Friday, I find myself gathering my children close this Christmas.  Snuggling my family tight, because I can.  Because they are what is important. 
This past week was full of pre Christmas fun:  continuing a Christmas baking tradition with  my parents (cookies and chocolate candy), the Brummel Christmas party, the kids 'readers theater' performance at the library and culture night at their school, and even some sick day snuggles with Noah as he fights an awful cold/cough/fever.  I am blessed this Christmas and I want to live each moment remembering that.

Basketball and Sophie the Student of the Week!

The girls had a wonderful basketball season that wound up this week. Tom was an assistant coach, and they all had a blast! It was so fun to watch them grow throughout the season!

 The picture below is Sophie's first basket!  Sorry for the poor photography!  I was so excited!!  (Abby was high scorer one game earlier this season!)

Sophie was selected to be the 'star student' at school this week.  She has been waiting patiently all semester!  She was thrilled to put up her special pictures on Monday!  Love it!

Blessings!

A new tradition

Ok, it wasn't like you see in the movies....chopping down the family Christmas tree.  It was a busy weekend, but we were determined to make it a relaxing and fun new tradition!  In order to have a more relaxed time, we bumped it to Sunday afternoon.  Saturday was sunny and crisp, but we would have been really rushed.  Sunday started with a few beautiful snow flurries on our way to church.  After church the flurries seemed to be mixing with rain.  After lunch it appeared to have turned all the way to rain.  We didn't let it stop us!  Even though we did not head south to the farm recommended by friends, we still found a wonderful family owned farm, and we had a fabulous time walking the field selecting the perfect tree (ok, we could drive right out in to the field...but we still walked around).  The rain even let up for a few minutes during the search.  Many of the beautiful trees had remnants of the morning flurries hidden in their needles.  It wasn't like the movies, a couple of feet of newly fallen snow...it was wet and muddy but we laughed and we made memories.  We love our beautiful tree.