Recent Pics. Gabe 3 1/2 Months

Monday, this last week, was our official "Pajama Day!" for homeschool! I ALWAYS

make them get dressed! Anyhow, it is rare that it is sub-freezing in South Florida, so it seemed

appropriate! The kids got very into tea this week-they tend to go through spurts, but they all love read tea.

Right now Sarah, Marc and I are on a Constant Comment flavor-kick! This first

picture is of Leah's first ever tea-party! She didn't get a teacup and

saucer, though! She got her new unbreakable Princess mug!

Here is a picture of my dad's new sleep-but-keep-holding-the-baby pose! Gabe was all wedged down it there! My mom and I had to rescue him because he ended up not liking his safe-zone!

In this third picture is Gabriel in the Johnny-jump-up for the first time! He has been a strong boy from the start and has "stood" on my lap since he was a newbie. After 3 times now he is finally starting to bounce himself a little bit! This baby apparatus has been with us for all 6 babies!!!! Only a handful of things have survived, but this is one of them!

This last picture shows my kids hard work together!! They have been very busy outside since the weather started warming up! Lizzy got the "tree trunk" tent for Chri

stmas and the camouflage "blanket" to build her world-fa

mous "hideouts" with. I love that they tried to block up every hole! The tree trunk is the kitchen and th

e Buzz Lightyear tent is the boys room-or so I was told!

Today's Top 10--How ordinary life is Extraordinary!

10. I put Daniel down for a rest while Marc went to do a computer job. Marc returned 15 minutes later and got him up to watch football together. ABSOLUTELY!!!

9. Me: "What museum is that?"

Lizzy: "The 'Mithsonian"

8. Snuggling with Lizzy, Leah and Gabriel to watch The Storykeepers cartoon-set in Roman times. My Sunday "home from church" rule is Christian movies only!

7. Leah: "Knock-ock"

Me: "Who's there?"

Leah: "Ba-cow"

Me: "Bob the interrupting cow, who?"

Leah: "ME-OOOOOO"

(The joy of this, is that she is copying our new favorite joke, but doesn't get the timing at all!"

6. The smell of baby sweat on Gabriel. How is it all my babies have the exact same smell?

5. Making jokes with Marc that only married people can make! No further comment!

4. Me: "Leah, what is in your mouth?"

Leah: (her pacifier is immediately hucked onto the ground :-)

3. When Papa was here in Dec/Jan he helped Daniel build the USS Nemitz, the German Bismark and the HMS Victory. Yesterday, Marc helped him build the USS Alabama submarine. These are out of paper, mind you, and good old fashioned glue! Daniel told me today, with such excitement in his eyes, that tomorrow(Daddy's day off work) that Daddy is going to help him build the Trireme- an oared ship from Roman days!!! I love how man-time lights up his eyes!

2. The way Gabriel soaks the front of his shirts now that he is vertical in his johnny-jump-up. He is mimicking the way Dan soaked his shirts with drool!

1. Helping my sweet Sarah scrapbook. She is working on a small album of pictures of her and Ashleigh Connor, her best friend of 5 years who recently moved to Virginia. Then we went to Michaels and she was SO EXCITED that they have a whole line of American Girl crafts now! She super-saves her money now that she is older, but she whipped it out to buy 150 sheet book of AG scrapbooking paper and a new 12 x 12 book. I had so much fun with her tonight looking through my old College scrapbook and helping her find pictures for her own book! I am thrilled to have something fun for the two of us to do together and I can say "Whatever you like honey, it is your book" instead of constantly telling her what to do, like I do for everything else!" Thanks to God!

Isn't God extraordinary! He has blessed me with all these lives to impact and be impacted by! And how fun and funny it is!!

Taking Little Ones to the Park

It is funny to me that the last two weeks of 30 degree days has kept us so coop-ed up! After 5 years in Florida we have sincerely THIN blood! Anyhow, today it was a beautiful 71 degrees and after dropping the oldest 3 off in various locations, I took the youngest 3 to the park. I was so shocked-Jacob and Leah were both scared at first in the SWING!!!! Poor homeschool-sibling toddlers, they go to the park so infrequently! If our park 2 blocks away had a bathroom I really would go more often, but it doesn't and parks seem to have an enema-like quality to children (sorry, but it is true, all that running around . . .) If you think about it, pray that between nursing, schoolwork, laundry, clean ups, etc, that I can get my kids to the park!!!

Toddler Bathtime

I love toddler bathtime! Leah was washing her pits with a mini watering can and "shaving" the soles of her feet! Jacob, who had "shaving cream" on his cheeks was laughing at his reflection in the bathtub spout, which incidentally, looked a lot like a Photobooth pic! Good times in the Wragg home!

Jacob Quote

As Jacob opens his stocking on his 3-year-old Christmas:

Jacob: "WOW" "I wanted this for Christmas"

Me: "Do you like it Jacob?"

Jacob: "Yes"

Me: "Do you know what it is?"

Jacob: "No."

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!

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!