Everyone should have one of these...

The other day the boys set up a trash store and chute in their room. Connor explained that he needed one in case he had something to throw away he didn't have to go all the way down the ladder to the trash can.

Brody spent his time setting up the "store", making trash bundles that would not fall through the slots of the slinkie such as 4 or 5 markers taped together. He also ran a cash register at the door that they used to charge me to drop off the trash that they made, which they carried up the ladder and then put down the chute. I think the original plan got sidetracked, but boy did they have fun!

I wish my picture was better, but I thought later to take one. The slinkie was used to dump directly into the trash can before they redesigned it. I was a fan of the original, but this is all I have!

The Birthday Express

Last week we took our much anticipated road trip up to Hood River for the ride on The Polar Express! We bought the tickets for a "combo" birthday present for Connor and Brody! The drive was a little over 2 hours and not that bad. We ended up taking our dog on the road trip so he wasn't left alone to long and he was so excited to go with us and the boys loved having him.

The dome car was worth the extra money and the hot chocolate was fantastic! We got to enjoy ONE gingerbread cookie per person but it was good too:) It wasn't crowded at all and that was nice. We were told they really pick up in December, but it worked for us!

We were all so happy to have daddy with us, that I think that was the best part for all of us. I have to say that we have struggled with the whole "Santa" concept and what to do about that. Of course, we want our boys to have the REAL meaning of Christmas in their hearts and lives but thought the "idea" of Santa is a fun one for little kids. One year we decided that we would have some fun and tell the boys that Santa filled their stockings, but I have to say they didn't buy a bit of it. They are both (mostly Connor leading the way) way to logical for that so and we have been honest with them and they don't believe in Santa. Of course we caution them about talking about this in front of any other children. At the station they had a sign on the door that said "North Pole this way" and Connor worked out in his head that there was no way in the train that we could get to the north pole. It was SO Connor!

So, when Santa and the elves came around on the train, my boys weren't really impressed or excited but they were polite. They actually talked to him a little but didn't want to have anything to do with sitting on his lap. They both shared their passions of sheep and football when he asked them what they wanted for Christmas, but they had nothing specific in mind!

I did get this picture that I really like (their first picture with Santa) and it was a great memory and a special time together as a family!

November News

Well, a lot has been happening around here, so I will update on a few things!

November has been busy and is literally flying by! The time came for the annual dentist visit with the boys and I was nervous this year, but they had 0 cavities and I am so grateful! I wonder why our appointment is always right after Halloween?? MMMMM..... Anyway, Connor is missing a tooth on the bottom but Dr. Martin is optimistic that it will "work out" good for him and give him plenty of space so that is good news. He said when looking at Brody's teeth...."these are exactly what you would want to see when you open a textbook." That was real encouraging, except for the fact that nothing has fallen out yet, so we will see how those come in. So far....so good! The kids got new pencils and loved the fluoride treatment, which by the way is down to only 1 minute in their mouths! They don't know how good they have it! This could be one of our walk in the snow up hill both ways stories. We had to hold that stuff in forever until we were gagging!

We also got together with some families from our homeschool group and had a shoebox packing party for Operation Christmas Child. It was a fun time and the kids were more excited than ever to do this as a group project. They also had more fun shopping for them this year and were more involved in what went in and even paid for the "fun" items and toys with their own money. We watched a video about the program, shared packing supplies and prayed for the kids receiving our boxes, and the ministry. It was a special time.

We went to the library this past week which was a real fun time. The library here is really incredible and we don't utilize it as much as we should. I tend to request books, pick them up in front and hit the used bookstore on our way out. But this week, we went upstairs to the children's floor and had a real good time. The boys got their own cards and I have to say that Brody was especially "proud" to find the wall of easy readers and check out 7 books on his own. I can't believe how well he is doing and the books he is making his way through already amaze me! He checked out a book on Farm Animals (big shocker) and came running to me later that night saying this.....

"Mom, Mom....DID YOU KNOW THAT PIG MEAT IS A REAL THING AND IT IS CALLED PORK?" It is also called bacon, ham and sausage.....(long pause)...that's just weird".

Me...trying not to laugh...." I did know that honey...and what a great job you are doing reading and telling back what you are learning. I'm so proud of you!"

That kid always makes me laugh!

Life's Simple Pleasures

There is so many things I adore about my kids but I absolutely love the way they can make little things SO fun. It just makes me happy when they can have fun with simple things and appreciate small gifts and privileges. Today was two great examples...


I got distracted this morning with the pleasure of talking on the phone to my dear friend Marianne and boy did we catch up! Anyway, while we were gabbing, I told the boys to try and get some school work going and this is what I walked into a few minutes later!





They had turned the love seat into a tent and had taken in some of the schoolbooks, their planners, and a basket of pencils and supplies. They were having so much fun doing their school work in there and felt so adventurous! (they said the lighter stripes provided the light)

This afternoon we had a marathon errand day before and after piano lessons to earn the privilege of another at home day tomorrow and while in Wal Mart, I grabbed a simple little thing called a Pet Net. It was really a selfish purchase because I was hoping that it would provide a home for some of Brody's animal collection. I literally dread the day we wash sheets because it is such a process with his bed and I thought this would be a great tool to organize them. I was actually worried that he would not like them being off his bed and would resist my brilliant idea. However, you would like we installed a full on amusement park ride in their room this afternoon! They were in there for hours making "displays" and even turned down cuddling up with me by the wood stove for a few chapters of Trumpet of the Swan! Now, that shocked me! Brody has now set up a "cave" in the back behind the net and is reading library books he got today, the cutest thing!

So, boys....if you are ever mad at me for not letting you watch TV, just remember...you still had lots of fun!

Halloween Happenings....

We started off the week with a field trip with our homeschool group to Bauman Farms, the pumpkin patch! The day was planned rain or shine and boy let me tell you it rained all morning long. Even driving out, I planned to just get soaked! We all had our boots on and rain jackets loaded and I was extra cautious and just threw on a ball cap. But as we were driving out, we started to see patches of clear sky and it only rained once for a few minutes while we were there. Boy, was it muddy though. The kids maze was a big hit again and the even Brody got into the whole barn swing this year which was SO fun. Of course we ended the day with fresh apple cider and an apple cider donut! (Ok, so we brought home a dozen of those)

First lesson learned....

When you move to the country, plan extra time to "trick or treat"!!

Some of our new neighbors are so excited to have little kids on the street that they called in advance to make sure we were coming by! So, we headed out with plenty of time to get to the carnival at church...walking by the way. We went to house number 1, then house number 2..boy do these people have some long driveways!!! At house number 2, she called another neighbor who was wanting us to come by so off we hiked to house number 3. I had met them but I hadn't been to their house...(can't even see it from the road) and that is when we really fell behind schedule! Brody was a monkey and he said he felt right at home in the jungle with all the trees so that part was fun! We felt like we were expoloring! Then after going to house number 4 because I knew they were expecting us...I realized it took us 45 minutes to hit only 4 houses!

Then we raced back to our house and jumped in the car to meet some new friends who were joining us at the carnival.

Second Lesson Learned...

When you are running late, you forget to take pictures!

So, this is all I have of our Halloween excursion. We had a good time at the carnival but didn't get there in time to enjoy everything like the bounce houses, and I didn't even take my camera in that time.

Overall, a big candy stash at the end of the night made it a happy memory!