Camera Fun

We just figured out how to use the "Accent Color" feature on my new digital camera. Here are some of the results. I wish I could take credit for the creative picture taking -- Dave is the guy behind the camera.

It's The Holiday Season...

Eliza and Santa

Hannah & Jack with friend Tatyana at Choir Concert

Our little elf ;o)

Decorating the tree

Dave went back to work December 1st. We thoroughly enjoyed his being off for two and a half months of paternity leave, but it was good for all of us to get back into our normal routines. The kids agreed to doubling up on their schoolwork the first part of this month so that they could take an extra week of vacation. We have been enjoying the Christmas season by playing lots of Christmas music, having apple cider frequently, doing crafts and watching Christmas movies. Fortunately, I did most of my shopping online this year, so I haven't had to brave the crowds or the cold much with three kids in tow! Hannah joined our church's choir this year, and performed in their Christmas program Dec. 7th. A couple of days later we went to a local retirement home with her FaithKeepers group (similar to scouts) and she played piano for the residents there. Last weekend we went to the annual DFD Christmas Party and Eliza had her first encounter with Santa. She didn't scream...think that will come next year!

On another note, in early December we celebrated the 16th birthday of the boy we have been sponsoring through Compassion International for the last ten years. It is amazing to see how God has taken a shy little 6 year old and grown him into an intelligent, ambitious young adult with great leadership skills. We have been so blessed to be a part of that process and really enjoy writing to him and receiving his letters. The kids have also gotten a small perspective of what life is like growing up in poverty in another country. If you are thinking you would like to do something charitable for Christmas this year, and would like a great ongoing learning opportunity for your kids, would you consider sponsoring a child through this very reputable and well-run organization? I am putting a link on this page where you can view profiles of children in need of sponsors. I can guarantee that YOU will be blessed as much if not more, than they are!

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor_a_child/default.htm

November News

November has been a busy month (which is why I haven't posted in a while!) Eliza started sleeping through the night (from 10pm to 7 am) one night shy of her 8-week mark. Then, a few nights later, she dropped her 10pm feeding too, so that now she is sleeping 11 hours at night! Yes, I DID do a victory dance!!! Hannah got her hair cut short, and had it styled straight (see photo) which she loved. Of course, as soon as we washed it it went right back to being curly ;o) The photo of Jack is him wearing his Egyptian Pharaoh costume that he designed and made himself. We have been studying ancient history this year, and have had a lot of fun learning about the Egyptians. We baked Egyptian flatbread, wrote our names on clay "cartouches" in heiroglyphs, watched an IMAX movie about the pyramids and went to see the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. While we were downtown, I got interviewed by some guy at channel 5 about a building project going on (of which I knew nothing about) and was apparently on the news. I saw it a couple weeks later on my parents' Tivo, but it was the sort of thing that if you blinked, you'd miss it anyway. Dave and I celebrated our 11th anniversary with a big night out: we took Eliza along (still nursing) and split a burger at Snuffers (woo-hoo! ;o) Dave also had his 35th B-day -- we got him the mountain bike he had been drooling over for months. So, I am sure he'll be pursuing that hobby more once the weather warms up. He shot a 7 point buck up at our farm the week of Thanksgiving, so I now have a freezer full of meat :o) We had our holiday dinner at Sue and Ray's and had a nice time visiting with Dave's side of the family.

Baby Update

Well, our little Miss Eliza is 7 weeks old now, and doing well. She is smiling a lot and starting to really focus in on people and objects. She is doing better with daytime naps, though she still doesn't like to take them in her crib. At night though, she does great -- usually waking only once between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. She has started making little gurgles and cooing noises which are super cute, and seems to enjoy her bathtimes now. Here are a few pics of her over the last few weeks.

Home School History Fair

Last week, Hannah and Jack joined other area home school students to participate in their first history fair. Hannah chose to make her display about the famous pioneer and author, Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Missouri home we visited this summer. Jack also chose a topic he is quite passionate about: the Titanic disaster. It was a good opportunity for them to practice their presentation skills and also to learn about other students' projects/topics. Both kids enjoyed themselves and are already talking about what topics they want to do next year.

Hallo-WEENIES and BOO-gers

This year, our church small group hosted an outreach event at our friends' home on Halloween night called "Hallo-WEENIES & BOO-gers" (translation: hot dogs and burgers). Basically, we gave out free food and candy, put up a garage-door screening of "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown", and had an all around good time getting to know our neighbors. Dave even had some of his buddies bring the fire truck by for the kids. We had a great turnout, and will probably do it again next year.

A Visit From The Tooth Fairy

Here's Jack showing off his missing tooth (the bottom one). This is his first one to lose the conventional way -- his top tooth got knocked out in February when he took a dive on the basketball court. Well, not totally knocked out -- it was broken off above the gumline and had to be removed by a dentist. This time, Dave yanked the tooth out with a piece of thread (a much cheaper procedure!) Anyway, Jack was thrilled to get his $1 reward the next morning.