That most wonderful time of the year...

We have taken this week off from school and it feels so good to get some cleaning, organizing, baking, and correspondence done. We have also had 2 gatherings with the K family and our dear 'long lost' friends from over the bridge who had not met Mercy and Odesco yet.It seems like when I am keeping the school ball up in the air, some of the other"balls" get lost in it all. It is refreshing to take this break and to give attention to those other forgotten "'balls" and to renew friendships-I am grateful to take my teacher hat off for a few weeks. (I think the kids are even more grateful than me!!) Thanks for checking in:)
Love,MamaB



Mercy loves helping in the kitchen. I admit I don't often welcome the extra set of hands when I am trying to get a meal made in a hurry but she did help make many loaves of pumpkin bread to give away at Christmas.

Odesco's turn!!

The annual decorating of the photo ornament...
Every year since Philip was a baby, we started keeping one photo ornament of each child. Now that they are old enough, the kids decorate their own inexpensive paper mache ornaments to put their picture in later. I write their exact age on the back and then we display them in a row on the tree. I love looking at how they have all changed over the years. At a glance I am reminded how fast time flies and to cherish every moment...even the challenging ones!!

The girls had a very special date with Mimi. They slept over and after church went to see the Nutcracker. Since then I have enjoyed watching these 2 act out the various scenes...I have had little mice dancing around my kitchen....and I must admit they were getting a little too into the Clara /brother scene (when he takes the Nutcracker) !

Odesco...looks good as a blond don't you think??

C helps me out occasionally with Mercy's hair to get it ready for a new 'do'...a definite labor of love!

This picture was the kiddos' idea...as you can see Miss G was not in a picture taking mood...oh well, 5 out of 6 isn't bad :)

Mr. photogenic !

No one escapes the fun of the dress up bin...not even Pop-Pop. He and Odesco had a little adventure during a recent visit.

L has been hard at work perfecting his drafting skills. He has been spending lots of time drawing lately and it has been fun to watch him work so diligently.

Here the 4 littles are waiting for Miss Brittany to join us in the lobby of a local church which does this amazing Living Nativity each Christmas season(the big boys were at a party). Before heading outside with a 'tour guide' to view the various Bible scenes , we were sent to the church sanctuary to wait for our group's turn to be called. We bumped into some old friends and were deep in conversation when I realized Odesco was not in the pew with the rest of the gang. Our friends and Miss Brittany stayed with the rest of the kids while M and I went on an Odesco hunt. We found him almost immediately in the church lobby calmly standing beside a very nice lady who informed us she was looking for a "brown family". Yep, I guess we don't look like we go together!! She wisely asked him if we were his parents and thankfully, he agreed!! We thanked her for taking good care of our little man and slinked away amazed that with 3 sets of eyes, one of our kiddos managed to wander off!!

Odesco really enjoyed viewing the various scenes of the Living Nativity on Daddy's shoulders.There's no chance of him wandering away and getting lost up here!!!