Notes

In just an hour I need to wake up my 2 "big kids" and get them dressed and on the bus to school (bus is coming at 6:55-- ICK!).  This year, Addison will be going into 2nd grade.  Levi into Kindergarten.  We are keeping Isaac home one more year since he just turned 4 a week ago!

I wanted to note a couple things from the last few months....

Right now at bedtime Levi will run out of bed about 5 times-- the first 2 or 3 he'll say "I'm scared and you need to pray".... so we do that, the 4th or 5th time he'll say he needs me to come snuggle with him.  While I don't want to do that at all-- I am trying to keep it in perspective-- he will not be doing this in a couple years-- is it really killer to snuggle down with him at bedtime for a minute or two?! 

Isaac's big phrase especially at bedtime is "I need to tell you something"....  for a few months he'd come running out because he'd need to tell me a joke.  His joke usually went something like this: 
"Why did the Life Saver (light saber) cross the road? Because it needed to get to the ship."
Of course sometimes it'd veer off into a big story about Dark Vader needing his life saver, etc, etc...

Addison has gotten to be such a big girl.  This summer she probably slept over at Grandma & Grandpa's house at least 15-20 times.  She also went to Lake Beauty for her first time as a camper!!  I think she had fun, although when I picked her up from the church van she was CRABBY!  As she got out of the van a tooth fell out.  And then she didn't want to tell me anything about camp.  It literally took 2-3 weeks before she would talk about any of it with me.  We had mailed her a few letters and e-mailed a few, she claimed she didn't get them and was VERY adamant with me that it was no fair that we didn't send her anything....  the next day I opened her suitcase and there was everything we sent her-- opened and read.  She said she was just teasing me (ha, ha) about not getting the mail!

2 other funny words I need to write down:
The boys talk about Coyotes a lot-- and they pronounce it "Cow-o-t's"
Isaac talks about volcanos and the hot la-ver (lava)
 

Advent Calendar Part II

 We made the "calendar" last night-- here's what I decided to do--

I also added scripture to each day-- we read the scripture first and then read what the "activity" of the day is.  :)

Here's my scripture list-- one passage each day:
(Also added in were Malachi 3:1, Isaiah 7:14, Exodus 13:2, Hosea 11:1, Jeremiah 31:15)

John 1:1-5

Isaiah 9:2-7

Isaiah 11:1-10

Jeremiah 33:14-16

Luke 1:5-10

Luke 1:11-16

Luke 1:17-22

Luke 1:23-28

Luke 1:33-38

Matthew 1:18-21

Matthew 1:22-26

Luke 1:39-45

Luke 1:46-51

Luke 1:52-26

Luke 2:1-5

Luke 2:6-7

Luke 2:8-12

Luke2:13-14

Luke 2:15-18

Luke 2:19-20

Micah 5:2-5

Matthew 2:1-2

Matthew 2:3-6

Matthew 2:7-8

Matthew 2:9-12

John 1:14

Advent Activity Calendar

I have been noticing an "Advent Activity Calendar" a couple times on Pinterest-- and I thought it looked like a GREAT idea.  Of course December is right around the corner and I hadn't actually sat down to write out the activities until today.  Now if I can find a minute or two to MAKE this calendar or make something cute for it before Saturday, I'll be doing good!  :) 

The idea behind this calendar is to count down to Christmas-- but to fill it with activities or experiences instead of STUFF.  Here is my plan for the countdown days and activities.  When I finish the actual calendar, I'll post it!  There are a few things that will be dependent on weather-- and there are also a couple things that didn't make the list that I hope to stick in there-- so may have to adjust some days, etc....  (One of the things that I don't know what day it happens-- a Live Nativity in town to see-- when I find out when it is, I'll adjust other things to make it work out!  Also, we sometimes go Christmas Caroling with church, and I'm not sure which date it is (probably the 19th)-- so I will add it in if necessary, but we'll wait and see.)  Hopefully we can do all the things I have written down & make it a memorable Christmas season!

Here's the Plan!

Dec 1  Holidazzle 6:30 pm
Dec 2  Holiday Stroll in town-- free hotdogs, pop, etc…. Wagon rides 12-4
Dec 3  Open new Christmas book
Dec 4  Read favorite Christmas books w/ hot cocoa & music
Dec 5  Make bird feeder ornament
Dec 6  Learn about Christmas traditions around the world
Dec 7  Make Christmas cookies
Dec 8  Snowflake making party
Dec 9  Go for a drive to see Christmas Lights -- stop for Hot cocoa or treat afterwards
Dec 10 Dad brings kids to buy gift for Mom ($5 ea or $15 total)
Dec 11 Decorate the tree
Dec 12 Donate food to food pantry
Dec 13 Christmas Party at School
Dec 14 Craft- Decoration
Dec 15 Salt-dough Ornaments
Dec 16 Christmas movie @theater (1st time the kids have ever been to theater!)
Dec 17 Make Christmas cards for teachers
Dec 18 Christmas Game
Dec 19 Mall Of America-- my niece plays in a handbell choir at 2 pm that day
Dec 20 Mom brings kids to buy gift for Dad ($5 ea or $15 total)
Dec 21 Sledding at Golf Course
Dec 22 Watch some Christmas Movies
Dec 23 Pick out present for baby cousin, Michael
Dec 24 Make a snowman??
Dec 25 Read story about birth of Jesus

K-I-S-N-G

The last month or so Addison has learned the song "_____ & Addison kissing in a tree" but this is the part that makes me crazy-- she sings "K-I-S-N-G".  I told her that not really how it goes and have been trying to teach her to spell "K-I-S-S-I-N-G" but she insists that since I'm from Wisconsin, but she's from Minnesota that they do it differently.  And in MN-- or at least MN people sing the song "K-I-S-N-G" 

Friends!

Levi was excited when I picked him up from school today.  He told me he found himself a friend today. 

When I asked about it on the way home he was explaining that during stations he and Ethan K. were working together and doing some number or letter puzzle.  Ethan had done it all himself but then Ms Donahue suggested that Levi get a try-- and Ethan let him do one.  So Levi asked Ethan "Do you want to be friends?"  and Ethan said yes!!! 

Next Levi told me when they sat on the floor Levi sat next to Ethan-- and then Levi asked him "Can we be friends forever?" and Ethan said yes to that too.  So, they will be friends forever. 

He also found a friend at recess today, but he doesn't know her name (she's not in Ms Donahue's room).  So since he has these 2 friends if he's pretending to be a monster, he won't scare those two friends. Only the other people.  :)

Quiet...

Yesterday Addison was sick.  She woke up at 6:30-- was acting normal.  When Isaac went downstairs to play she said she'd meet him there and then she went to her bed instead.  I thought she was just trying to be a stinker to Isaac, but after a couple hours she was still sleeping.  I checked to see if she was sick and she wasn't warm...  A couple hours after that I checked on her and she was HOT!  I checked her temp and she was around 102 or 103.  She slept till noon.  Got up but didn't really do anything the rest of the day. 

The funny part was at 11, Levi asked me if it was nap time.  I told him no, it's not nap time, he said "but it's just SO quiet today".  He's right-- it was quiet.  Addison kind of runs the show around here-- she talks all day long and tells her brothers what to play, when to play and how to play.  I think they were at a loss as to what to do without her telling him! 

By 6 last night her fever (under her armpit) was 103.7....  that's when I finally gave her a fever-reducer.  Within an hour of medicine she was down to 99.8 and ready to eat some cereal.

She woke up at midnight-- temp was 103.5.... more medicine.  Now she just got up at 8:30 this morning and seems to be feeling normal-- she's talking and sitting up and complaining.  Temp of 99.1 today........ 

Hopefully that's the end of this fever.  Poor girl!

We went to Duluth on August 14th-- just for a day of fun with the kids.  The kids loved chasing sea gulls around...  We also saw a ship leave the harbor, went mini-golfing and let the kids swim in Lake Superior for awhile.  It was a great day.  At one point Isaac and I were watching the sea gulls for awhile... a man walked by us and Isaac looked at me and said "That guy is AWESOME!"  He wasn't anything interesting, so I'm not sure what Isaac was seeing, but it was funny.

Also, Isaac keeps telling us to call him "Ice".  :)