The Big Christmas Photo Dump

It's a new year!  I LOVE a new year!  May this be the year that I get organized, learn to manage my time, make yummy dinners every single night, and get back to my blog.  Yes?

Right now, with my baby boy sleeping, would be the perfect time to clean out the craft closet.  Or take a good hard look at that as-yet blank calendar.  Or make a menu...

I think I'll start with the blog.

Here's a photo dump - and when I say dump, I really mean dump - of our Christmas holiday.  No order.  But what's the fun in order?  We'll get to that tomorrow.  Maybe.

If that isn't the perfect Christmas morning face, I don't know what is.

Those, too.

Nico totally bonded with his Della.

We left him with Bob and Della for one afternoon and now he hits, head-butts, and growls...

The Christmas Eve reading of the classic, "Wonder Walnut."

Best story those boys have ever heard.

The girls, not so much.

I was a bad mommy and gave my boys an extra week off school before Christmas.

Sometimes you need more time for cuddling on the couch with your brothers.

And the scientific process of creating a grasshopper pie.

Long story.  Remind me to share sometime.

And kissing your Dada.

Poppa's aunt's little rocker.

Lots of time for laying on the floor with my baby boy!

I get lots of help every day, but Christmas-jammied help is the best kind.

Finally got Aunt Amy on the Hunger Games bandwagon.  She's hooked!

And Uncle Clark is just hooked on his little boy.

Find Della...

Just being real here.

We're not always smiling.

Just most of the time.

Please pretend you don't see the feet.

My dad and brother have seriously ugly feet.

Sorry.

Sometimes, Santa needs to do some of his assembling during the day.

Sometimes, boys get to play a new computer game.

Nico is in love with his new "house."

His brothers are in love with Darth Maul.

And legos.

And new bikes!

Cam's already had one pretty impressive crash.

Impressive as in, that barrier used to be upright.  And in one piece...

We're glad Cam's in one piece - and that he got right up and back on.

Oh, and he won the race...

Black magic with Poppy and the uncles.

We're getting ready for Pinewood Derby time!

One little boy has a few years to wait.

See you next time, and here's to hoping it'll be better than a dump!

Happy Halloween!

from those meddling kids!

Day to Serve

September 29, 2012 has been declared by the governors of Virginia, Maryland, and West Viirginia, and by the mayor of Washington D.C.

A DAY TO SERVE

and

A DAY TO END HUNGER

Please go to daytoserve.org to find opportunities to serve in your community.  You can participate in any number of service projects in your area, give to a local food bank, or get a group together and plan your own project.

If you happen to be in the Fredericksburg areea, stop by the LDS chapel on Bragg Rd between 10 and 2.  There you will find over a dozen service projects ready for your willing hands and an expo of 30+ service organizations sharing what they need from you!  Also available that day will be a Red Cross blood drive and food trucks from Fredericksburg Area Food Bank and SERVE (Stafford Food Pantry), both ready to accept your non-perishable food donations.

I know we're busy.  And I know times are tough and money is tight.  Trust me, I know.  But the Lord has asked us to be His hands here on earth.  We can share what we have been blessed with - be it our time, our goods, or our love - with those less fortunate.

Together, we can make a difference in our community.  So please join me and let's get out there and help each other!

DAY TO SERVE

Dedication

 

You know your boy loves the sport when he's willing to play the first game of the season in a torrential downpour.

You know you love your boy when you're willing to watch the first game of the season in a torrential downpour.

And you know your other kids don't get much say in things when they spend their Saturday afternoon watching a soccer game in a torrential downpour.

That's the way it goes around here.  And don't worry.  Cam's got some football sidelines with his name all over them.

And Nico?  Well, he's just along for the ride.

Blogging, Not Weeding

Look what my darling boys found in the garden.  It's body alone is over an inch wide.  I promise I'm not exaggerating.  I do that sometimes - exaggerate, especially about bugs - but I'm not doing it now.  This bad boy is big.  And creepy. And he makes me shiver.

Needless to say, I'm not weeding today.  Or maybe ever again.  One simply cannot weed while one is shivering so violently.  Still shivering over here.

Let's move on, shall we?  No need to dwell on tonight's nightmare before noon.  Here's to a little distraction...

Yesterday, Nico and I went out and bought cabinet locks.

I guess today I should actually put them in.

Last week my boy became a man.  Or at least a Bobcat.  You know, some cultures send their young men out into the wilderness to survive on their own for months.  Others do other things.  I like this one, personally.  

You know when you promise your kid a birthday party and then three months go by and you're starting to think,"Hey, maybe he forgot!" and he comes to you in the middle of the night to ask when he will get to have that party?  Oh, is that just me?

We finally celebrated Cam's birthday with friends.  Good, wonderful friends, whose parents didn't even say mean things about me (at least not that I could hear) because I called them up the day before about this very late, very last minute party.  It was thrown together fast, which meant we played with water balloons and stuffed them full of candy.  The perfect party, I'm thinking!

Oh, and let's get a better look at that cake.  'Cause I'm feeling a little bit pleased with myself.  I may not be doing any wedding cakes any time soon - or ever - but my kiddos think I'm pretty awesome.

And on that note, let me leave you with a sweet little moment.  I love catching them unawares.  And I love that my boys' buddies are so comfortable in our home.  Please, please, please can we keep it that way for always?

Have a happy day!  And let's try not to have those nightmares, 'kay?

The Obligatory First-Day Pictures Post

My big boys went back to school yesterday.

After seven months home with me.

And no, I wasn't ready to send them away.

Not yesterday, at least.

Maybe if school had started last Thursday...

But that's a totally different story. 

Yesterday, I wasn't ready to send them away.

But, away they went.

And I was excited for them.

Because I know we made the right decision.

And they go to the best school in the world.

Good thing, too, 'cause these are just about the greatest boys you could ever hope to meet.

Those fourth and third grade teachers are pretty lucky.

If I do say so myself.

Camden's Biggest Day

We're so proud of our sweet Camden for making the decision to be baptized.

To follow the example of the Savior, and to pledge his life to Him.

It was a wonderful day full of family, friends, and most importantly, the Spirit.

Oh, how I love this kid!

Beat It!

I'm thinking it's probably about time I moved on from the vacation posts.

So here's just one last look at Reunion 2012.

And now, I'll beat it.

Bacon

If you want to eat well while camping, get yourself an Uncle Bob.

I highly recommend it.

Quiet Moments

The beauty of vacation is sometimes found in the adventure.

And sometimes it's in the quiet moments in between adventures.

It's during those quiet moments that you can take a little stroll with your Granny...

and meet your first deer.

It's during the quiet moments that you can get out the games...

and the crafts.

It's during the quiet moments that you can explore the world while still sitting at your mama's feet...

or help your mama with a puzzle.

We love our adventures, but we really love our quiet moments.

This was a good year for those.

The Lake

Legend has it that when Indians destroyed settlements along the New River, a woman and her child were kidnapped.  They eventually escaped and wandered through the wilderness eating nothing but berries.  Molly, the mother, collapsed, and her child wandered along a creek.  When the child was found, the only words he could say were "hungry mother."  The search party did find Molly, but too late to save her life.

They named the mountain Molly's Knob.

Later, the area was preserved and became a state park. Hungry Mother.

Such a tragic story.

Thank you Molly.  We really love your park.

Molly's Knob is a great hike.

And Hungry Mother Lake is pretty much perfect.

See, there's a high dive.

And sand.  And cute babies.

Lots of space for throwing children.

This may be the last year of that for a while.  Until Nico get's big enough.

His brothers and cousins are getting harder to launch!

 I have a picture exactly like this one from every single year of family reunions.

Since he was two.  That was twelve years ago.

This boy loves his drip sand castles!

Oh, and my boy's a stud.

But he still needs his mommy when he gets tackled a little too hard.

Thank goodness.

Rook-ers

These three love a good game of Rook.

Unfortunately, Rook is a four-man game.