Tidbits That Made Me Smile

Here are some odds and ends from this past week that made me smile.

Daniel discovered the joy of sidewalk chalk. It's a good thing I got that "lifetime supply" back in July...he's got a lot more clothes to color.

Joe has been working on his juggling. He still has a long way to go, but he's getting better. Today, as he bent over to pick up his juggling blocks for about the 50th time, he said, "I know how to juggle, I just can't do it!"

And Erin...just as ravishing as can be!

Thankful Thursday

Tonight I'm very thankful to be sharing a house with a toddler! I tell you, if babies started out at the stage Daniel is in right now, I'd be like the Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe! He just trots around here, getting into everything, and passing out belly laughs for nothing more than a quick tickle. I also love all his cute little words right now: "beeshot" for basement, "mishak" for music, "bee-ah" for bear, etc. Now, he does have his moments (a couple weeks ago he "discovered" his scream!)...he's a natural-born sinner, after all, but he brings far more joy than grief. How I love my baby boy! And he's the one that we weren't even going to have. We had always thought maybe four kids, but after three in 3-1/2 years, we felt like we were pretty good to go. Then God worked on both of our hearts and here we are today. And what a blessing Daniel is to our family!

Take today, for example. Homeschooling can, of course, lend itself to some pretty intense moments, what with the various personalities and story problems and all. Today one of the tribe was in a not very happy state of mind. Daniel walked into the room where this child was "struggling", then stopped and looked at them for a long time (seriously, 10 seconds or more) without saying a word. We all got quiet, waiting to see what he would do. Then he blurts out, "BLAA-DAA DOD-IT!!", and calmly leaves the room. It was the perfect tension breaker!!! We all laughed, and went on with our day in much lighter spirits. Thank you, Lord, for that boy!!

Family Christmas Pictures

Here's a photo recap of our family Christmas get-togethers. I always think I have way too many pictures, but then I go back through them and I see that I haven't captured many dear faces and special moments that I wish I had. We truly felt God's abundant blessings in our time spent with family for the holidays!

Peanuts!

Tonight Erin made a styrofoam peanut chain. God really knew what He was doing when He created static electricity. That's fun every time!

Smiles!

So often people tell me that Daniel "has his own look", or that he doesn't look at all like my other kids. Then I see a picture like this one, and I think, "Oh yeah, he's ours."

The Tribe

The biggest blessing about homeschooling, so far, has been the way the kids have really gelled as a group. I find myself thinking of them as a "tribe" all the time. Different ages, different personalities, different interests, but that's the group you're in...and it can still work very well!

You Must Be A Homeschooler If...

...your toddler's favorite toy is Base-10 blocks!

Toddlerhood

Daniel is at that delightful walking and just starting to talk stage. He's such a joy! He really brings out the best in all of us, and is quite the popular guy around here. (And, yes, balls, cars, and his hat are some of his favorite things!)

Trick or Treat!

Trick or treat was more fun than usual this year. We're finally old enough to actually walk farther than two blocks. They still aren't really into the candy, but did manage to eat most of it before Christmas this year. (They may have had a little help from an adult in our house on that!) Joe was a fly (again), Ellie was an Indian (again - but this time, it's a different costume), Erin and Daniel were skunks (costumes were originally made for Joe and Ellie).

My Cup Overflows!

There are only a few things in life that can bring more joy than playing chase with a one-year-old!

Walking

Daniel is walking pretty well now, if a little slowly. He's finally discovered the great benefit of walking - having your hands free to carry things. Today it was this little dish with the orange block inside it. He was really doing a great job of keeping the block inside the dish and would very patiently stop and replace it when it fell out. I'm thinking there may be a future for him as a professional relay racer.

Soccer Practice

We're going to soccer practice these days. This is the first time we've ever done the soccer thing, and it's turning out to be pretty fun. All three of the older kids practice at the same time but on different teams. Isn't that beautiful?! So Matt and I have some time to watch and hang out with each other. I love watching them all, but my favorite would be Erin's 4 and under team where the highlight of every practice is a game where they try to kick the ball into their coach while she acts like an animal (of the kids' choosing). Big fun! I just love people who go all out like that to make an experience good for kids.

Here are some other shots from the other night...

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

Daniel turned one this past Saturday, and we partied. Everyone got into the act. The older three kids helped frost cupcakes...

Matt was on decorations...

and Daniel showed up to look cute! He really approved our choice of a "Baby Einstein" theme! He kept talking to and pointing at the animals on the tablecloth.

Gifts were fun...

but he like the cards just as much.
He thought it was a little strange that all these people were standing around singing together and looking at him... but the cake was a big hit.It was all that could be desired in a first birthday. Our little guy is officially one and still delighting us everyday. We are so thankful for each of the past 370 days and praise the Lord for the hope we have for the days yet to come.

12 Months?

Here are the pictures I took on all of Daniel's "month birthdays" (the 2nd of every month).

I didn't do a 12 month shot as I'll post his birthday party pictures sometime soon. If you count closely you'll see I'm missing a month. I have no idea what happened in April. I thought I had taken the picture. Actually, that's a pretty good way to describe my year...I think I lost a month somewhere...

As you can see, though, Daniel is thriving and impressing us with new accomplishments each day. What amazing bodies. We truly are "fearfully and wonderfully made"!