Early Christmas in Missouri

Nate graduated from being baby Jesus to Joseph this year. Joseph with some dinner left on his mouth. He's saving some for later.

Sweet Sadie - the angel

Mary and Joseph admiring the baby Jesus (girl doll dressed like a boy). Ash took the part very seriously.

Christmas morning. Yes, it's not Christmas today. But at our house it was because we're leaving for CA tomorrow. Lining up, youngest to oldest. Ash and Sadie were up at 5 a.m. waiting for Nate to wake up (at 7). It was a long wait.

This is out of order. Christmas Eve tradition from the Fishbein's. This is how the kids sat during the "letter reading". Nate was really interested, so we skipped his. He can read it when he's married. He might care then.

Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. It started when Ash was 2 and I wanted to make a meal that she would like. So quesadillas it was. We've made them more fun over the years. This year we had a quesadilla with chevre, fiscalini cheddar, rotisserie chicken and sauteed onions. It was delicious! And we topped them with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.

It was so much fun making this 10 layer jell-o.


This is Dave now: The girls really wanted Harry Potter wands for Christmas. I looked on Amazon and there were the real cheap ones ($4) that fall apart or the pricey ones ($35 before shipping) that still were made out of plastic. I figured I could make something stronger for cheaper. The only problem is that I don't have a lathe. They are a little expensive to just go out and buy. So I spent some time in deep thought, tried a few things, failed once or twice, and with some encouragement from Meliss, made an improvised lathe. I won't take the time to explain it all, but it is basically drill powered and I used a dental lab handpiece for cutting. Below are the finished products. The goal was to make Ginny's wand. They're close and just a little different so they can tell the difference. Now I have to find some Pheonix feathers or something.

We're Expecting

I thought of putting a photo here of me displaying my "expectant" belly. I feel like I should! I want to wear a maternity shirt just for fun. But it's not quite like that.

Tonight we signed papers and we are officially foster parents. They even label us as "professional parents" since we took a 30 hour parenting class. We could get a baby tomorrow or it could be months down the road. For being "expecting" parents, we have no clue what to expect.

Recently, our foster teacher got a baby. The baby showed up with one outfit (on his back), half a can of formula, and a diaper bag. That was it. The rest was up to them to get for the baby. We have heard the whole gamet of scenarios and you just don't know what you're going to get.

Tonight while putting Nate to bed, I asked him if he wanted a new baby at our house. His reply was "Sure". Then he started looking in my tummy for the baby and said "Hold baby?" I told him the baby wasn't in my tummy. Then he said "Baby in mommy's arms? Nose? Eyes?" and continued to name every other body part he knows. I told him we have to look for a baby. Then he was about to jump out of his bed to go looking for a baby.

We shall see...

Flurries

We had a full day of snow flurries. Nothing that stuck to the ground, but it was still fun. Nate wanted to watch the snow while he ate his breakfast. Then the next day he said he wanted to watch the snow again while he ate. I told him it wasn't snowing to which he replied "Soon". I hope so!

Mom did gingerbread houses with us every year that I can remember as a child. She even did it for our kids while we lived close. Well, I wanted to continue the tradition but didn't want to make the full house. So I made giant gingerbread house cookies. They still got to have a large plate covered in foil to make landscaping (really, just an excuse to get more candy on). It turned out great and made it easier for them to have some friends over to join them. It brought back lots of memories.

The girls are at such a fun point in their sewing. They can do projects on their own (simple ones). They have been cranking out some fun Christmas presents. They beg for time to go down and sew. This is how I found them on Saturday and it just made me smile.

Thanksgiving in Wichita

We somehow happen upon a lot of free things from friends that are moving. This tree was given to us this summer. It was too big for our house - we had to leave the bottom chunk off. Good thing we've accumulated a lot of ornaments over the years to fit such a big tree! And best of all - it was free!

All the kids wanted pictures in the tree with Dad. I was no exception. I thought about putting up the picture of us kissing in the tree, but decided against it.

We went to a fun park in Wichita while we were visiting Heidi and her family for Thanksgiving.

Nate and Sarah had a good time playing in the fort the older girls made for them.

It's a small world to think that Heidi's mom and Dave's dad went to the same high school. Little did they know that some day their kids would be meeting up as friends in Kansas for Thanksgiving.

It was bound to happen one of these years

I said "I never get sick" one too many times. But for years and years, it was true. Everyone else would get sick (husband, kids, friends) and it never got to me. I can't remember the last time I had the flu or cold. The last time I threw up was when I was pregnant. Allergies hit for the first time when I was pregnant with Ash, but other than itchy eyes, ears, and nose, I am never sick. I just said that phrase the other day when Scott and Shannon were here. And then it hit. It started as the worst sore throat of my life. Then gradually turned into a bad cold. No fever. Just a bad cold. At least, that's what it is so far. The worst part is this "tickle" in my throat that makes me unable to stop coughing. And that's why I finally have time to blog. Because I'm awake at 3 a.m. and somehow the tickle doesn't bother me as much if I'm sitting up, not trying to sleep. So, here goes on some random pictures from our last couple weeks.

My only comment here: Dave, that is disgusting. And, NO, snakes this size is where I draw the line. I'm sorry that you really want one. I'll have to use your mom's line "It's either me or the snake."

Scott and Dave took the boys to the reptile museum while the girls stayed home and made truffles. The boys both took their cameras to the museum, and that is why we have pictures of gross snakes and alligators instead of girls making decadent truffles. This year the truffle flavors included caramel, toffee, coconut, peppermint, and orange buttercream. We also dipped some mint oreos and marshmallows! Lindsay was an especially careful truffle dipper. Having girls around to help with the dipping made the process a lot faster than last year when I was dipping solo.

"Go to bed kids. The adults need to have a light snack." Hee hee. Too bad Shannon's kids were still on CA time and popped their heads up and found us in the midst of this scene. It was hard to hide what we were up to.

I found a few more pictures from our visit from Chad and Becky on my camera. We were so lucky to have two families visit within 2 weeks!!! Sadie is showing Cora some important stickers.

This little hand makes me melt. Nate will often times do this when we snuggle up to read stories. I asked Dave to take a picture so I would never forget this precious moment.

Ashyln and baby Mary. We're all ready for a baby around here. Foster Parenting classes are done on Tuesday. Our case worker thinks that around December 1st, all the paperwork should be finalized and we'll be on the list to get a call for a baby. It can be anywhere from a day to several months before you get a call for a baby that needs a home.

Meal time is so much more fun with cousins around.

I loved reading this story with kids all around me, squeezing and squirming to get just the right spot to see the pictures. We read The Ant and the Elephant, one of my favorite stories.

A perfect place to dump out a bag of pretzels...our bathtub.

Harry Potter Halloween

Presenting...Mrs. Mcgonagall (the cat), Ginny, Hermione, and Harry Potter

Harry Potter was a hit. Surprisingly, he wanted to keep his glasses on all night.

Ash and her buddies at her school party.

Sadie and her friend at her class party.

Don't know how I didn't get a picture of Dave's costume. He was Steve Irwin, fit with khaki shorts, shirt, socks, boots, and of course, our ever-growing (to my dismay) snake wrapped around his neck. He was trying to compete with Nate for costume attention at our ward Halloween party. The snake was a hit.

We had a fun Halloween - best part was having Chad, Becky, Cora and Mary with us! We are having so much fun with them.

Ashlyn's Minuet Breakfast

Today Ashlyn went out to breakfast with her wonderful piano teacher. A while back, Mrs. Houser told Ashlyn that when she could play (didn't have to be perfected and polished) the 3 Minuets in a row in her Suzuki book, that she would take her out to breakfast. She calls it the Minuet Breakfast. I felt bad that she had to drive so far to come get Ash, but she insisted. They went to Denny's and Ashlyn got chocolate chip pancakes. They had a great time.

I tried to record Ash playing her 3 Minuets (so Grandma could hear), but had lots of interruptions. It wasn't quite like a recital atmosphere as Nate was running all around, and Sadie was on my lap reading to me (while I was recording). I also cut out several of the repeats to make the pieces a bit shorter.

Oh, and Nate is the opening start on the video. He wanted to be recorded, too. Turn your volume down for his performance. :)

A "Nate Fix"

This post is for a friend who said she needed a "Nate fix" on my blog...so this is for you, friend. This picture gives me a Nate fix...and I needed one too, after I was at a party tonight and held a one week old baby...and cried the whole way home. I love little babies. I hurried home to see my big baby.

And by the way...if anyone has noticed that I don't get around to blogging very often, it's because we started taking foster care classes. Those take a lot of time, but the paperwork and "to do" list to get certified is LONG and takes up a lot of time on top of our normal life stuff we have to do. We're also getting signed up with LDS Family Services to adopt. So, if you know a baby that needs a home...send them our way. :)

My friend found these three desks at a garage sale and snagged them for me. The kids LOVE them. Nate loves his desk. He mostly stands on it and jumps off. He gets some pretty good air. He doesn't just jump to go down, he jumps higher than the desk to get some more air.

Grandma Shelly brought a fun pumpkin cookie recipe to make spider web cookies. The girls love doing this kind of thing with Grandma.

"Oh Rollo, where are you?"

Just a little peek

I saw this cute scene and had to grab the camera.

Nate tries so hard to keep his eyes closed...even during the really long prayers.

He could tell Mom was closeby...with a camera.

Trying so hard not to peek.

But it's so tempting.

Just one little peek.

Someone, please help me!

Here's how our family game night ended up. I guess Dave thought ALL family members were invited. I'm surprised our chickens weren't running around playing with us, too. The toad you might notice, is named "Fruvin". Nate gave the name. We have toads in our front yard all the time. It's easy to find them. Nate calls the big ones "Big one. Fruvin" and the small ones "Small one. Fruvin".

Just like his dad...obsessed with animals of any kind. He is so gentle with them, and can catch and spot them so well. I will be warning his wife of this hobby.

Dave was worried that our whole neighborhood would hear our activities while catching Fruvin, then Fruvin jumping out of our hands, then catching again, jumping, etc. Who doesn't scream when a toad flies out of your hands (yes, I held that thing, too)?

To add to this mess I'm in (with reptiles)...Dave (just now) was about to feed the snake. He has begged me for a while now to try and feed her. NO way would that happen. Well, tonight he said if I did it, he would never beg me again. FINE. So I did it. I didn't like it one bit. I didn't get that rush that Dave was sure I would get. The snake was so hungry, it was climbing in the air to get me (or maybe the mouse I was holding). Very scary. I had to remind Dave AGAIN, that I really don't like snakes.

We just set up Nate's "big boy bed" as he calls it. He loves that thing. Loves going to bed in it, taking naps in it, and playing in it. He even gets excited to take naps because it means getting to sleep in his bed!

Tour of Missouri came to little 'ol Rolla!

Happy Birthday Dave! Don't mind the Christmas wrapping paper.

Sadie wanted to get Dave some "guys" so he could play "guys" with Nate. So that's what she did. Here they are playing "guys" together.

Tour of Missouri came right through Rolla, and even better...right past our street. The girls are standing right where you turn right to go onto our street. It was a quick show as the 115 professional cyclists rode by on their 109 mile ride through the state of Missouri.

This was the only picture we got from our camping trip. Nate loved this little door of the tent to climb in and out of.

Lots of screams came from this crew on the 4-wheeler (mostly from Dave) as we drove around visiting all of the cows.

The cows look a lot bigger when you're standing a few feet away from them.

Nate has recently entered the stage of LOVING books. He can't get enough!

The kids watching Rollo eat a mouse.

Ash got to feed the mouse to Rollo. Dave really wants me to give it a try. He thinks I'll love it. Sorry, no interest in holding something that a snake will want to pounce in the blink of an eye.

Today while leaving the piano teacher's house, Ashlyn spotted a recently shedded snake skin. They were all so fascinated, had to run back in to show it to the teacher. Ash carefully put it in a bag to bring to show her class today.

My good buddy and I on his birthday. My heart has been aching watching this littly guy grow up lately. Notice the Christmas paper again? In my defense, a HUGE roll of Christmas paper is tonz cheaper than the skimpy roll of birthday wrapping paper.