Jacob: "WOW" "I wanted this for Christmas"
Me: "Do you like it Jacob?"
Jacob: "Yes"
Me: "Do you know what it is?"
Jacob: "No."
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 28, 2009
Visions of Sugarplums
The season of wonderment has come and gone and I finally have time to update my pictures and blog. My first notice is to inform all interested that I now operate off of a Macintosh computer! My husband bought me an iMac for Christmas and not only has it sped up my computer power, it has given him an opportunity to learn Mac so he can service more computer clients! I am posting just a few pics of our Nov/Dec activities, then I will try to focus on one activity at a time.
1. First pic. Lizzy LOVES hideouts and forts, so we found her
a treehouse tent. She and Jacob and Leah will have MANY happy times in this tent!!! Isn't it ado
rable? Thanks to Papa and Grammy who bought it
for her(them) for Christmas.2. December 16th was Gingerbread house day! I will post lots of pictures of those. Here is the finished work, though. 4 gingerbread houses for 5 kids.
3. Sarah's birthday was November 19th. We officially have a 10 year old!!! We spent the day at Lion Country Safari with our cousins! On the 20th I took her and her friend Hannah to Wannado City where kids get to do the jobs and earn fake money and get to use ATM cards, etc.
4. All of the cousins(except Gabriel who was asleep in the carseat). From front to back: Zanna, Rachel, Lizzy, Naomi, Jacob, Leah, Sarah, Isaac and Daniel.
5. Big brother Dan. We have pictures of Daniel doing this with every baby since Lizzy was a newborn. That would make Gabe the 4th baby for Dan to play with under the baby Gym! He is so sweet to little ones, but also gets along so well with older boys. It really pays to have a sweet spirit!!
More to come!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
A few bits of fun, before the pictures download
The holiday season is in full swing and with my youngest turning 3 months today, it is time I did some blogging! Thanksgiving was a special time for us around the Wragg table. We seated approximately 37 people at dinner with 3 babies not included! The Garry and Beth Wragg family joined us from Oxnard, CA, and the Stitzinger family from Naples, FL. We also included Dr. George and Judy Zemeck and their AR friend. I think there were 17 kids! Thankfully, Jerry and Louise have a bigger yard than house, and the weather was beautiful-somewhere in the high 70's, low 80's! It is tough living in Florida!
So far this season, Sarah, Daniel and Lizzy have sung all the nights of the church's Christmas Cantata and tonight they are caroling at the elder's homes! We did our annual Gingerbread House decorating with cousins and learned that next year, we'd better make it a competition. Isaac and Dan (8 year olds) pretty much destroyed their homes to the point where they are messier than the 2 - 4 year olds! At one point I heard something about tarantulas on the roof and someone dying in a throw-up related incident. After all the time Amy and I put into home-making the houses out of gingerbread, the boys are going to make much neater houses next year! (pics to come!!!)
On Tuesday we got our Christmas tree at our usual place: Home Depot. It was surprising to the see the tent was 1/2 as big as all the year's previously! I guess it is the recession and economy. In years past we have had one child have the privelege of the final tree say-so and choice. I realized, though, that with 6 kids, they will rarely have the choice before they move out! So, we changed it to boys one year and girls the next. Dan and Jake got to pick this year and Gabriel had a tree fall on his carseat/stroller when I wasn't even looking! Thank goodness for the carrier bar or he would have felt the needles! And where was mom when this happened? Holding up two trees for the boys inspecting and getting sap all over me! Dan picked the one he liked and then we asked Jake. He said, "It's PERFECT!" which was hilarious because he is only 3. I didn't even know he knew the word "perfect!" When I asked if he was sure, he bobbed his head up and down quite vigorously! WE LOVE 3 year old Christmas! Marc cut the tree when we got home and strung on the new faceted LED lights(yeah! New lights!) and I hung the beaded garland. As the kids hung ornaments on the tree (with 6 kids, who needs parents to do this job?) I recalled how last year, when Jakey was 2, he threw the ornaments at the tree! It was a funny memory! This year he just loved "decorating" and asked me to do it more yesterday-so I gave him a few leftover ornaments! On one branch alone I found 4 ornaments all just hung, one after the other! We had one ornament break this year, but I hadn't bought it. I KNOW not to buy glass ornaments with a tile floor, but Dan had made it at a craft class. . .
Today is the kids last day of Latin class so they are having a Grace Homeschool Connection Christmas party. They were all drooling over the mint double frosted brownies I was making last night. . . they wish I would make these things just for us to enjoy!
Monday I made jam and gingerbread, so my neighbor't treats baking day is still uncompleted. My parents arrive tomorrow night, so there is still much to accomplish. My success this year was being 100% done with my shopping before we hit the teens of December! That felt so good! THere was a lot to buy . . . with 6 kids!
My greatest joy, however, was to find the Playmobil Nativity set at a consignment shop! In this season, I definitely want to encourage the kids hearts towards Christ and the "Reason for the Season." We are doing and advent calendar and a countdown calendar this year and I see the countdown calendar overshadowing the usual Bethlehem scene we do each year. Getting the Playmobile nativity will help refocus them along with our nightly readings for our advent wreath on the dinner table. Sarah was reinacting the whole story with the wise men and holy family. We have all the gifts for Jesus, the animals and even two cats and a 3 piece woodpile! He he!
I will update this blog with pictures soon, but in the meantime, may your time of advent and Christmas be truly special and God blessed this year!
So far this season, Sarah, Daniel and Lizzy have sung all the nights of the church's Christmas Cantata and tonight they are caroling at the elder's homes! We did our annual Gingerbread House decorating with cousins and learned that next year, we'd better make it a competition. Isaac and Dan (8 year olds) pretty much destroyed their homes to the point where they are messier than the 2 - 4 year olds! At one point I heard something about tarantulas on the roof and someone dying in a throw-up related incident. After all the time Amy and I put into home-making the houses out of gingerbread, the boys are going to make much neater houses next year! (pics to come!!!)
On Tuesday we got our Christmas tree at our usual place: Home Depot. It was surprising to the see the tent was 1/2 as big as all the year's previously! I guess it is the recession and economy. In years past we have had one child have the privelege of the final tree say-so and choice. I realized, though, that with 6 kids, they will rarely have the choice before they move out! So, we changed it to boys one year and girls the next. Dan and Jake got to pick this year and Gabriel had a tree fall on his carseat/stroller when I wasn't even looking! Thank goodness for the carrier bar or he would have felt the needles! And where was mom when this happened? Holding up two trees for the boys inspecting and getting sap all over me! Dan picked the one he liked and then we asked Jake. He said, "It's PERFECT!" which was hilarious because he is only 3. I didn't even know he knew the word "perfect!" When I asked if he was sure, he bobbed his head up and down quite vigorously! WE LOVE 3 year old Christmas! Marc cut the tree when we got home and strung on the new faceted LED lights(yeah! New lights!) and I hung the beaded garland. As the kids hung ornaments on the tree (with 6 kids, who needs parents to do this job?) I recalled how last year, when Jakey was 2, he threw the ornaments at the tree! It was a funny memory! This year he just loved "decorating" and asked me to do it more yesterday-so I gave him a few leftover ornaments! On one branch alone I found 4 ornaments all just hung, one after the other! We had one ornament break this year, but I hadn't bought it. I KNOW not to buy glass ornaments with a tile floor, but Dan had made it at a craft class. . .
Today is the kids last day of Latin class so they are having a Grace Homeschool Connection Christmas party. They were all drooling over the mint double frosted brownies I was making last night. . . they wish I would make these things just for us to enjoy!
Monday I made jam and gingerbread, so my neighbor't treats baking day is still uncompleted. My parents arrive tomorrow night, so there is still much to accomplish. My success this year was being 100% done with my shopping before we hit the teens of December! That felt so good! THere was a lot to buy . . . with 6 kids!
My greatest joy, however, was to find the Playmobil Nativity set at a consignment shop! In this season, I definitely want to encourage the kids hearts towards Christ and the "Reason for the Season." We are doing and advent calendar and a countdown calendar this year and I see the countdown calendar overshadowing the usual Bethlehem scene we do each year. Getting the Playmobile nativity will help refocus them along with our nightly readings for our advent wreath on the dinner table. Sarah was reinacting the whole story with the wise men and holy family. We have all the gifts for Jesus, the animals and even two cats and a 3 piece woodpile! He he!
I will update this blog with pictures soon, but in the meantime, may your time of advent and Christmas be truly special and God blessed this year!