This space...

Its been 18 months since I have written in this space and I don't even know where to start in order to catch up.  Perhaps a top 12 from 2012? I stopped writing for no reason at all except we got busy and life got messy and it was hard to write without sharing the mess.  New jobs, sad days, missing my friends back home, vacations, family brokenness.  Pictures are better for now!  :) So if anyone is out there, here a few favorites from 2012:

So nothing fancy or edited...just slapping it on here to maybe get a fresh start.  Tomorrow, 2013?

A Valentine Party

January: Beginning to End

I had ideas for posts and they were lost among school projects and just life....here is the short version. :)

We loved New Years Eve in Texas!  The fireworks are amazing here.
We did some fun projects for history.

Fires in London 

We glued a template of the streets of London on poster board.

Getting ready to burn London: the buildings were built close together and the streets were narrow.

The fire started in the bakery...see the ladybug shop?

And there it goes


Blending In

Another project that Caeden was given was to blend in as the Native Americans did in order to successfully attack the enemy.  He had to decide how he could hide somewhere in the backyard without any of us finding him.  Maleiah left a clue (which we thought might be a diversion) so it gave his position away.  However, we couldn't see him and we were standing right in front of him.  Can you see him?

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We discovered a new sandwich shop that we love called Which Wich?  

Did anyone else go through that awkward smiling phase as a kid?  My mom called it "the gun to your head smile"...it must be genetic because Caeden has totally got it going on.

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We said goodbye to our closest friends here in Texas.  They moved to Georgia (which excites me a whole lot! Road Trip!!!!) to take a new job and we miss them terribly.  It was a bit strange to be on this side of the leaving since we are coming up on a year of doing the leaving ourselves! 

 See the piano?  I'm in love...

So January was busy, bittersweet, and full of new beginnings for us and for so many of our family and friends.  

A New Year

A new year brings feelings of hope, a time to start over...we all think about the things we want to do better in the new year.  365 brand new days to do something completely different than we did with the previous.  I am a sucker for new beginnings.  I love a new calendar, a new school year, birthdays and of course a new year.  Last years was so new to us as a whole, new state, new church, new job and new friends.  This year will be much of the same.  Our state is still new to us and there is still so much to see!  Our church is experiencing lots of new changes as our pastor and his family are relocating to Georgia, they happen to be one of the families we have been the closest to here so we are sad for the loss but so thrilled for their new adventure in a new state.  Bloggers all over the internet are establishing a word for the year: "What is your word for 2012?" I don't have one.  I can't pick just one for fear of hurting the other ones feelings...they are all so good!  I even found it hard to pick resolutions...aren't they the same ones we have each year?

Exercise more
Eat better
Get out of debt
Have fun as a family
Read the bible
Do school everyday
Organize
Live Simply
Grow a garden
Read more books


Yep, pretty much the same ones.  So it wasn't as fun to sit down and make them...this time.  Maybe next year will be more fun?  It's been a hard few years with job losses and all that comes with that.  It's been hard to trust that it will all be okay and I find myself falling into the thoughts of a pessimist, salted with some optimism to make sure that I don't fall all the way to the bottom of the pessimist trap.  That's not where I want to be.  My mother lived there and she suffered in her life and relationships because of it so I fight everyday, when we aren't sure where the work is coming from, when we are not sure of anything at all...I keep remembering the good.  Giving thanks for all, each and every little thing.  Because isn't the little things that make up this whole thing we call life?

I don't know what this year holds for us.  That's the hardest part.  The not knowing can be a wicked place.  At one time for me the not knowing was an adventurous place but the adventure has repeated itself so many times that I have tired of it and I just want a solitary place for us to dwell.

Dwell.

verb: to live as a resident.
synonyms: abide, exist, nest, remain


How's that for a word?

Christmas Day 2011

This year for Christmas we were away from family and friends for the first time in my entire 38 years.  And I survived.  It's one of my favorite holidays and I love the traditions we had in California but I also looked forward to starting new ones and bringing the old here to Texas.  We did a little of both and thank God for Skype because it makes the distance bearable, seeing faces and sharing the moments together.

We had a Christmas Eve dinner just the four of us, it was strange and quiet, small and simple.
We attended a Christmas Eve service at our church.
We tracked Santa online, watching his every move.
Caeden had a hard time going to sleep, so did Maisie and then Maleiah.
It rained.  A lot.
The kids were up early and it was magical, like I wanted it to be.  There was awe and a bit of wonder.
There were bikes {we have spent days riding in the afternoon}.
There was glitter glue {I say "was" because it's gone...in one art project}.
There were grandparents on Skype and text messages with pictures being sent.

It was different and good.  This year was a transition year, feeling our way around this new city, figuring it all out.  Next year we will do more, add more and I am looking forward to it.

Lots of this happening today as we prepare for Christmas day:

CJ Elf::Mom Elf::MJ Elf

Hiding in rooms, code knocking so the wrong person doesn't see what is behind those doors.  Sewing last minute projects and baking cookies for church and a special visitor we have been tracking here.  We just decided to go with the magic of Santa and see how far we can take it.  I am all for magic, there is only so much time...let the glitter fall where it may and live it up.

Merry Christmas...

Ballet

I have been trying to have some activities at the table for the kids to do so we don't have the "I'm bored" problem.  Here are a few of the things we have been doing around the school table!

Perler Fuse Beads...found them in the school cabinet and found patterns online for anything you would like to make.  We have a lot of them so the kids have been busy.  I just keep them on the table and every couple of days they pass by and decide to make something.  I printed out a bunch of the patterns and laminated them and stuck them on a book ring.  Some are too difficult for Maleiah so I know we can pack it away and bring it out next Christmas.

 
We read the story of the Nativity this week from this bible and then Maleiah colored stick figure puppets {original idea, here...Love this blog, I don't know how she does what she does}.  She then pulled every chair we own to give only Caeden and I a puppet show.  For some reason Caeden and I couldn't sit next to each other...he was a front row guest...I had to sit in the second row.  Perhaps it made it look like there were more people?  Anyway, it was a cute show...somehow Darth Vader was involved {King Herod} and they all took a trip to the beach.

Glitter

It's the week before Christmas and all through the house

Everything sparkles, our noses, the dog and even the couch.

Glitter is everywhere and so are the sprinkles

The lights here in Texas, oh, how they twinkle....

Here is a glimpse of what we have been up to this week!

We made these delicious sugar cookies and took them along for our annual Christmas light tour.  We taped the tickets to the bathroom mirror and told the kids to wash their hands and face after dinner.  They found the tickets and lots of squealing ensued.  So we were off to see some synchronized lights in Katy!  This is one of the houses we saw that night:

We made chocolate covered pretzels for our church Christmas party....very easy and fun for the kids to make.  I made chocolates when I was little with my aunt and cousins and I am so happy to be carrying it on with my own kids.  

We made Sugarplums and gave those to friends this week.  

The kids spent two days around the dining room table making Christmas cards which included the use of glitter.  Either you love it or you hate it.  If you hate it, you send it to Texas with your friend when she moves there.  We love it...especially Maleiah and if you know her, this is no surprise.  We had glitter from our friend Sarah and we had glitter from Grandma Carol...altogether this made for lots of sparkle, everywhere.  

There is still much more to be made.  Cookies, shortbread, pies and gifts.  Pajamas are being sewn {most likely late into Christmas Eve} and the cutest magnetic paper dolls are being made this week too!  I can't wait to show you all!  More to come, SOON!

Sam.