Good Christmas Reads

Do we not look totally charming and unposed here?

I have lots of Children's picture books. Having been a preschool teacher and Sunday School teacher for a few years, a momma for 20 and a homeschooling momma too, I have quite the collection of kids' books. Of course, Christmas being my favorite, I have a lot of Christmas choices.

The other day, Shek and I had packed up my book tote with all of our Christmas books to take to Sunday School. I grabbed that packed bag and told Jolie to pick out one or two to read before bedtime. I knew which one was her favorite last year, and I wondered if it would still be her pick this year, and it was.

Jolie's favorite is Mary Did You Know? Since it's a song, we sing it when we read it. 

Here she is singing her favorite book...Don't you love her makeup? She applied it herself!

  When I started to read, the big kids piled in the bed too asking for their favorites. I was touched to see my seventeen year old girl grab her childhood favorite and then my 11 year old grab his. I told Karl he should take our photo, but I rethought that because I really did not want a blog post with a photo of us in our pjs, or should I say me in my pjs. 

Family favs:

Shek's pick is Silver Packages by Cynthia Rylant

Karlie's Pick is The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

Jolie's pick is Mary did you Know by Mark Lowry

Mom's pick is Piper's Night before Christmas  by Mark Lowry(it rhymes)...but mom really likes them all.

So last night, we "posed" with our favorites. Some of our  favorites are pictured above. I don't know which is Zach's favorite. I am sure he has one, because he is all about those family traditions we do each year.

Shek loves Silver Packages. He loved trains as a little boy, maybe that's why this is his favorite.

Shek insisted that I post this photo. It really sums up how interested they were in posing for my blog post photos. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Reading y'all!

Fan Pack Jack Pot

Last year, Shek and I did unit study on of all things Baseball. One of the activities was to write various Baseball teams and request a fan pack. I was excited to find an activity that he was all in about doing. He learned to write and address letters, and he also learned to politely ask for a fan pack.Who would have thought that a year later, he's still writing those fan pack letters. Every day he makes a mad dash to the mailbox and usually once or twice a week he receives a little something from some team. He has since branched out to ask all kinds of major sports teams. He recently started asking hockey teams. AND this week he hit the jack pot.

He rushed to check the mail, and when he panted into the house to show me I knew that this must be something special. He was out of breath, and couldn't get the envelope open. Finally, we got a small whole in the side of the envelope and he peered inside. 

"I knew it, I could feel a puck inside!" He exclaimed.

He received a sticker, a poster, a photograph, and a PUCK! I am sure this jackpot of a fan pack will continue his drive to write asking for fanpacks. Wonder who he will write next.

Indian NIGHT...Konos Homeschool Style

Shek has been studying Indians at Konos Kids Co-op.  We happened to find some cute teepee cupcakes on Pinterest. AND when Shek saw them he said, "Please, Momma!" 

So We did

We made the cake batter and poured into sugar cones, and then baked them in the oven right side up. The trick is to stab holes in an aluminum pan and have them bake that way. Then clip off the ends, while hot so that pretzel sticks can be added to the top for a tee pee look.

We dipped the ends in melted chocolate, and rolled in green sugar, to seal and make the edges look like grass.

We also made one of our fall favorites, Trail mix with peanuts, chocolate candies, pretzels, bugals, and candy corn. Shek took it to join in the celebration where they tried other Native  American type foods. 

Shek in his 'Indian/native american attire'...

Shek and some of his native american friends from his class.

The group acted out a poem, Hiawatha 

Shek had fun with his classmates. I did not get to go, but Karl took him and they had fun. 

Konos Kids Field Trip

At Shek's Homeschool Konos Group, they have been studying about frontiersmen, such as Daniel Boone and Lewis and Clark. One of the parents of a classmate is a taxidermist, and invited the class out to learn more about the art of preserving animal hides.

Here are some of the class checking out some of the many trophies displayed in the office.

 Shek did a report on a bobcat just last week, so I snapped a photo of this one.

Awesome black bear, I don't want to run into one that's live.

 Smarter than the average bear.

 The kids were pretty fascinated with the  LION.

 Shek and his friends take a closer look

 WOW

 Here's a photo of the teacher snapping photos.

 Shek takes a photo of the teacher with the fox hide around her neck.

 The taxidermist explains the process in preserving hides and mounting the animals.

 Here's a group photo of those from the two classes that were able to come to the field trip.

 Shek and some of his friends

It's ok, he doesn't bite!

Team Revolution

Shek's soccer team is called Revolution and coached by the Chapman family. It's been an awesome season, and the kids are learning a lot and working together as a team and are winning a few games. It's great. I snapped this photo during the team photo shoot.

Shek is 11!

How on earth did this child 'o mine get this old?

11 years old...comedian, sports fanatic...fun loving...

Shek enjoys opening cards with a little green inside.

Lighting his candles the old fashioned way because the flame lighter thingy was out o'flame

A wii game...

The family celebrated with Shek's favorite meal, Tacos, and birthday cake with icecream

The loot.

Jolie was excited about cake and ice cream all day long.

last night, Shek celebrated with a little family bday party, and today had a little chick fil a for lunch..
happy birthday, Shek! Hope this birthday was the best yet.

Red White and Blue

Today is the 4th of July...and Shek came down bright and early dressed in his patriotic colors. I put him in charge of setting the table. He cut a few hydrangea to put on the table, and placed all the paper products in a pattern...and then smiled for the camera.

We had bbq grilled chicken, corn on the cob, broccoli salad, and hebrew beef hotdogs...and mom's new Healthy Homemade ice cream.

3 eggs separated

28 oz low fat sweetened condensed milk

12 oz fat free evaporated milk

2 Tablespoons vanilla extract

1 pinch salt

8 oz sucralose no calorie sweetener

16 cups plain unsweetened almond milk

 

instructions

separate eggs

beat egg whites until stiff.

add condensed milk, sucralose, evaporated milk, vanilla, salt. blend ingredients together.

Pour into freezer.  Add almond milk to fill line on freezer.  Freeze according to freezer directions.  My freezer is a 5 quart one so this recipe was designed for it.  If your freezer is smaller, adjustments to ingredients will be required.

Some friends of ours invited us over to swim in their pool while they were out of the town. When the kids heard the word POOL they were all in. So after lunch with the whole family minus Zach, (he's away leading worship at a church camp), we went swimming.

Karlie!

Jolie splashes!

Shek loves the floats!

 Laughter is the best medicine!

Woo hoo... I actually caught a jumpin' photo...

Dad teaches Jolie how to load the water gun and 

Splash her big brother.

We had a great 4th...hope you and yours are having fun and making sweet family memories.

Take me out to the ball game...

Take me out to the ball game...that's where we've been for the past few months, as we watched the guys at the church rec league grow together as a team. Each week the team learned to work as a team, improved their skills and learned more about Jesus.

Last night was the celebration service for the end of baseball season. The celebration service highlighted videos and photos of all the teams, an illusionist who shared his testimony about Jesus, lots of cheering for the teams,  and a farewell to the rec minister, Jason.

The last game in the dugout..

1-2-3 WIN

After the big presentation in the church sanctuary, each team is dismissed to a classroom for a chance to receive trophies and enjoy  refreshments and fellowship. Coach Chad had some encouraging words for each player as he handed out the trophies, photos and stats.

This awesome cake was created by Donna with each player's name on top.

One last time....

1-2-3 Orioles...

This celebration service was  bittersweet, as this sweet family has accepted a call to another church in another state. Pastor Jason and his family will be greatly missed by the community and his church as he was dynamic in bringing community and church together sharing the love of Jesus through sports for the past 6 years. 

I will end this post as Jason always ends his prayers before a game

In Jesus' Name we pray and

in Jesus' Name we play...