Deck the Roof

Great Job Daddy!
Daddy is hard at work.

This is much better than a ladder.

Daddy's little helper. Check out those new snow boots.

Tom decided to put lights on the house this year. The gutters were in serious need of attention so he rented a lift and did the lights and the gutters at the same time. He worked outside all day and was freezing by the time he finally came in. Baylor helped a little bit today and helped with the lights in the truck. He was so excited when the house was finally done. He thought it looked beautiful and he loves our big Santa. This is a new addition to our decor. Mimi and I bought it at a garage sale this summer. It was quite a sight to watch us and the boys try and fit it into the van. My parents have one like this and I have wanted one for a long time. He does look great on our porch. We are now officially done with our decorating. Now it is time for the Christmas parties and outings to begin. Hooray!

Celebration of Life

Grandpa and Grandma were married for nearly 60 years.
Cooper was playing with Grandpa's hearing aid.

Poppy was showing Baylor were Grandma lead the choir when he was a little boy.

This is the church where my dad grew up. The church hosted a beautiful dinner for the family today. My grandparents have loved being members of this church. Oh what a blessing a church family is in your life.

Today my family celebrated the life of my grandma. Her funeral was beautiful and such a testament to her life. She planned the details and choose all of her favorite hymns. Her pastor did an amazing job and really showed his love for Grandma. He said she was like a pastor to him and many others during her life and while she was a choir director. What a wonderful testimony she was to so many people. I am going to miss her terribly but will keep her special memories with me always. Here are the words to the last hymn at her funeral. Oh how sweet and to hear it sang by so many who loved her dearly.

Asleep in Jesus! Blessed Sleep!

Asleep in Jesus! Blessed Sleep, From which none ever wakes to weep;

A calm and undisturbed repose, Unbroken by the last of foes.

Asleep in Jesus! Oh, how sweet to be for such a slumber meet,
With holy confidence to sing. That death lost his venomed sting.

Asleep in Jesus! Peaceful rest, Whose waking is supremely blest;

No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour That manifests the Savior's power.

Asleep in Jesus! Oh, for me May such a blissful refuge be!

Securely shall my ashes lie And wait the summons from on high.

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again...

that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:3

To Make Me Smile

Notice Cooper's pj top and the lack of pants.
Notice the high water pants and the lack of shirt on Baylor.

Oh these boys bring me great joy.

Happy Thanksgiving

What a great day with our family. We truly have so much to be thankful for on this special day. Our family is such a blessing and a huge part of our lives. We had a great dinner at Aunt Von's house. Uncle Jeff really outdid himself and made all of our favorites. Everyone enjoyed great food and fellowship on this Thanksgiving day. After lunch we headed to Mimi's house for games and dessert. What fun. We had a turkey hunt, turkey toss, pin the hat on the turkey, and Thanksgiving Jingo. I must say the prizes were outstanding and even the older adults were excited to win. Thanks Mama for contributing such great prizes. Mimi also got in her stash and gave everyone a special present today. I got the cutest ornament and Baylor came away like a bandit. We had so much fun and enjoyed this special day with our family.

On this Thanksgiving Day here are some of the things I am thankful for.

My Savior's love:

I am so thankful for the promises of God and how comforted I am by the promises of our heavenly father. I am thankful for my church family, bible study, and Mops groups. All of these help me grow spiritually and look at what is really important in life.

Tom:

How blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband. He truly is my best friend and confidant. I know he is always there for me and loves me unconditionally. I feel so lucky and look forward to many more years with him.

Baylor and Cooper:

These boys mean the world to me. I am so in love with them and feel so privileged to be their mommy. They teach me new things everyday and make me want to be a better mom. I love watching them and experiencing life through their eyes.

Mom and Dad:

My parents are so special to me. I feel so blessed to have had them in my life and for them to be such important role models and pillars of strength. They truly will do anything for me and continue to go out of their way for their family. I love spending time with them and love talking with them and being together.

Joe:

My little brother is quite an amazing young man. I love it when he is home and miss him terribly when he is gone. He has always been so special to me. I love it that he always says "I love you" when we talk on the phone. I do love him.`

Family:

I could go on and on, but my entire family is so special. Each person is special in their own way and has taught me something about myself or life in general. What a blessing to have so many special people.

Home:

Home truly is where your story begins. I love my house and all that is means. I love it that my boys came home to this house and there are so many memories in every room. I love spending time with my family here.

Freedom:

This year especially I am thankful for my freedom and all it entails. What a gift.

Friends:

I am thankful for my friends and all they do for me. It is so nice to have special people to experience life with and go through important events together.

Psalm 107: 1

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his love endures forever.

Remembering

While there have been many tears shed today we are rejoicing in the promises of God. I know without a shadow of a doubt that my Grandma is in heaven singing and dancing. Today I have spent time thinking about special memories of my Grandma Shadday. Here are some of my favorites.

*When I was little we would play The 3 Little Pigs in her shower. We would take turns being the pigs and the wolf. We would also play airplane and line dining room chairs across her living room. She would give us snacks to pass out and pretend we were going on a trip. She would also play with us when we were at her house.

*She always called me sweetie.

*She loved to play games. She didn't just watch the kids play she always wanted to play with us and loved teaching us new games.

*She loved to read to us. She had a love of children's books. When I started teaching she came to my class as a mystery reader. She read Make Way for Ducklings, which was one of her favorites.

*She loved doing crafts with us.

*She was the first person I played school with and loved being the teacher.

*She was never worried about us making a mess or breaking things, but cherished the times we were there and able to play.

*She made a great angel food cake with homemade icing. Still one of my personal favorites.

*She loved to sing. I can remember when she took me to the symphony for Mister Roger's. There was a sing along and she sang her heart out. The man behind us told her how beautiful her voice was and it truly was pretty. Whenever our family was together music was always involved. She loved to sing with her family and listen to them sing.

*She loved taking her grand kids places. She would take us to the zoo, fair, museum, special events, etc.

*She loved Jesus.

*She was a great seamstress and made several of our costumes and special clothes. I am so happy that she was able to make Cooper's costume this year.

*At her house she had a super swivel rocker that she would let us spin and play in all the time. She never was worried about us breaking it.

*She was very calm and humble.

*I am so grateful that she knew my boys and was able to hold them and love them. The pictures I have are special treasures.

Run to Jesus

My sweet grandma just went home to be with the Lord. She has lived her life with muscular dystrophy and is now able to run, jump, walk, and climb with her Savior. She lead her church choir for many years and was anxious to sing with the heavenly host. I am sure she is singing with the heavenly choir right now. When we were there today she said she wanted to go home and be with Jesus. She wanted my dad to lift her up to heaven and my uncle to sing "Run to Jesus" to her in her ear. While I am so very sad to lose her on earth, I am rejoicing in her new life and am so happy that she is no longer in pain. I have been so blessed to have all of my grandparents and feel fortunate for all the great memories I have of Grandma Shadday. While I was there her pastor visited and read her Psalm 118. She kept saying Yes, Yes, Yes. How great to not be afraid and know where you are going when you are at the end of your life.

Psalm 118

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good:

his love endures forever.

Let Israel say:

His love endures forever.

Let the house of Aaron say:

His love endures forever.

Let those who fear the Lord say:

His love endures forever.

In my anguish I cried to the Lord,

and he answered by setting me free.

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

The Lord is with me; he is my helper.

I will look in triumph on my enemies.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

than to trust in man.

It is better to take refuge in the Lord

than to trust in princes.

All the nations surrounded me,

but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

They surrounded me on every side,

but in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

They swarmed around me like bees,

but they died out as quickly as burning thorns;

in the name of the Lord I cut them off.

I was pushed back and about to fall,

but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

Shouts of joy and victory

resound in the tents of the righteous:

The Lord's right hand has done

mighty things!

I will not die but live,

and will proclaim what the Lord

has done.

The Lord has chastened me severely,

but has not given me over to death.

Open for me the games of righteousness;

I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.

This is the gate of the Lord

through with the righteous enter.

I will give thanks for you answered me;

you have become my salvation.

The stone the builders rejected

has become the capstone;

the Lord has done this,

and it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

O Lord, save us;

O Lord, grant us success.

Blessed is he who comes in the

name of the Lord.

From the house of the Lord we

bless you.

The Lord is God,

and he has made his light shine

upon us.

With boughs in hand, join in the

festal procession

up to the horns of the altar.

You are my God, and I will give you thanks;

you are my God, and I will exalt you.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good:

his love endures forever.

Emma's Fiesta

Amigos.

Mom can I have this sucker? I found it in the pinata.

The mexican hat dance was a big hit.

The pinata was awesome.

Cooper had fun dancing and playing with the balloons.

The cactus toss game was really fun.

Emma turned 4 today and hosted an awesome fiesta for her birthday. The decorations were so cute. The kids played games, danced, and did a pinata. It was so much fun. Everyone had a great time. The mustaches were such a hit and Baylor kept retaping his after he would take a drink. Cooper had fun walking around and checking everything out. He really wanted down during the pinata, but it was a little dangerous for him. He was in the middle of the action once the candy came spilling out. What a great time. Thanks Emma for inviting us to your fiesta.

Van Gogh Sequel

This icing is yummy.
The birthday girl working hard on her snack.

Baylor working on his swirls and circles. Not sure why he wanted to leave his coat on, I usually can't get him to put it on.

Baylor's version of Starry Starry Night.

The real deal, don't you see the similarities.

At art class today the kids focused on Vincent Van Gogh again today. They talked about cool colors and techniques Van Gogh used in his painting. Emma and Baylor were excited because they both like blue and green the best and they are cool colors. Oh how exciting. They learned that Van Gogh never did straight lines but made circles and swirls. That was a little hard for them when they were painting. They did practice samples and then made their own starry starry night picture. Too cute. For snack Baylor brought the ice cream cone cornucopias and once again this was a huge hit. The icing was everywhere but it sure was fun.

Santa and His Reindeer

After bath Santa and his reindeer ended up on our bed. They are pretty cute and have lots of fun pretending in these towels. The hardest part is making sure they are always clean and ready to go for bath time. Baylor likes to switch between Santa and the reindeer.

Thanksgiving Begins

Cooper loves sitting in little chairs.
The food was great.

Pappaw and Baylor.

The kids getting ready for their trip in the play room.

Cooper wants to be in the middle of the action.

After church and breakfast with Mimi, Pop, Megan, and Uncle Joe we came home and rested before our first Thanksgiving celebration. We had a great dinner at Pappaw's house and the food was delicious. Baylor had a great time playing with the cousins. They were pretending they were going on a trip and packed up bags and suitcases. They also built a house and were reading books together. They were having so much fun and all got along great. Cooper roamed the house and checked out everything. I am sure by next year he will want to be in the middle of the big kids. It was a nice time with family. We have so much to be thankful for.

Reindeer Games

Baylor holding on to Misfit.
Baylor was talking with Jingle John.

Cooper was all bundled up for the chilly winter weather.

Cooper fell asleep playing in the pack n play.

Silly Safaris had an open house today and the children were able to visit reindeer and Santa's elves. The elves looked like Jungle John and Alligator Aaron but they did seem to have insider information from the big man himself. It was super chilly so we were bundled up, but Baylor loved seeing the reindeer. He was able to pet both of them and talk to the elves. It was a fun time. When we got home there was a note and a present for both boys on the table. Santa had visited to let us know he is watching. The boys got matching Rudolph light up shirts. Baylor was so excited.

Can You Feel The Love Tonight

This little cub had a great time.
Joe and Megan could feel the love.

Mommy, Dadddy and Baylor before going into the theatre. (The flash was having trouble)

I just can't wait to be king.

Tonight we went to the Lion King. What an amazing show. Daddy, Mommy, Baylor, Joe and Megan all went together for a great night of singing and dancing. Baylor was a little unsure of where we were going and thought he should stay with Mimi at first. He told me he had seen the movie lots of times before. Once the first song started and the amazing costumes started pouring out he was hooked. He said the elephants and giraffes were his favorites. We had a fabulous time and were entertained throughout the night. Baylor loved every minute of the show. When Mufasa died he whispered in my ear that he did not want that to happen to his daddy. How sweet. He loved "Hakuna Matata" and "I Just Can't Wait To Be King". When he was 2 we would play that part in the movie over and over and he would sing and dance at the top of his lungs. Oh how he has grown. When the show was over Baylor said, "That was amazing and that was the bestest show I have ever seen". I think we all agreed with him.

One Little, Two Little, Three Little

Shake Shake Shake

The wigwam was not a hat, but he thought it would make a great one.

This bed would be really hard.

This fur sure is soft.

Indians! Today we had a class on the Lenape Indians at Connor Prairie. It was a great time and Baylor loved all the activities. He acts like a little Indian at times so this was right up his alley. The kids made an Indian instrument, a wigwam, learned an Indian dance, and play games. They were so cute dancing to the drums. They also toured the Indian camp at Connor Prairie. It was a little chilly but a great time. The trading post was open and the trader showed the kids the types of goods that Indians would have brought to the post. Baylor loved feeling all of the furs. The fire inside the post made it the hot spot too. It was another great class.

Christmas Watching, Crafting, and Reading

Baylor loves using glitter glue.


Frosty the Snowman, a childhood classic.

Cooper loved using a marker.

Christmas books are everywhere.

Sarah gave Baylor this scratch and sniff Christmas book. It is one of his favorites.

Cooper is kissing Rudolph while we were dancing.

The boys have had a great day at home. The boys did get dressed this morning only to put on matching Christmas feet pajamas. Baylor loves to wear these and opted for this as his clothing choice for the day. He wanted Coop to match. We had fun reading lots of Christmas books. While Baylor enjoys listening to all the books Cooper especially enjoys loading and unloading the box of Christmas books over and over again. We also watching Frosty and Rudolph and had a little dance party to the music. Cooper is just starting to really dance and he had lots of fun. Baylor started on his Christmas crafts for presents and he worked very hard. Cooper wanted to be a part so he even made an ornament and got to use markers with my help. We are really feeling the Christmas spirit.

Monkey See Monkey Do