from the bottom of my heart.



Gorgeous photo:  Urban Fig Photography
Perfect for the picture card design: Sister Made
So thankful to you both!

Bowling :)

Just had a super fun night bowling with the kids and two other families! 
Points of interest:

• Cara & Cody were on my team and I'm sure we made quite the picture bums up trying to get the ball down the lane.
• For the second game we put Cara, Cody & Cam on the gutter-less lane and that was much more relaxing...especially after Cara & Cody had had enough and Cam bowled all three players ball after ball.
• Sam and Leah BOTH beat me by a bunch of points.  And they were playing with gutters.  I STINK!
• My combined scored from both games was still less than the lowest score from any other adult there.  At least I think so.  I didn't actually do the math but there's no doubt about it.  I STINK!
• I might stink but it was a HOOT.
• Every time Cody sent the ball down the lane he was pumping both fists at though he was about to get a strike.  Didn't matter if it was heading straight for the gutter. :)
• If you want to go bowling and look good.  Invite me along.  :)
• Thanks to the Koopman's and Langbroek's.  What great fun!!

put the names in an envelope and Sam pulled out


GRETA :)

I tried to take a picture but the camera wasn't working...

Thanks for sharing ladies!

A Give Away :)

I'm standing in my kitchen working on another batch of stroopwaffles and thinking about all the people I wish I could give some to.  No matter how much I would love to go down the list and give everybody a package, it's just not going to work.

So, if you want a dozen fresh stroopwaffles leave a comment telling us of your favorite "Christmas" memory.  Seeing as they're being made this morning this is going to be a short process...tomorrow morning I'll take all/any hopefuls and pick one person and get them delivered.  (that being said, you're going to have to live in my vicinity to participate...unfortunately I'm not mailing or anything fancy!)

I'll start... maybe my favorite memory is the year I was in grade 5 and my mom and dad decided that was it, we were no longer getting Christmas presents.  Instead they took us to Leavenworth.  We were tent trailer campers so already the prospect of staying in the motel was pretty cool.  I remember toboganing down the hill, getting hot chocolate from one of the cozy little shops and the best part........ a sleigh ride through the dark woods.  I can still hear the horses' bells tinkling merrily in the cold.

How about you?

A Wonderful Day

 2 "snowmen" and 2 cute little people...(thanks to LaFarge for the cap...Cody was very proud of that detail)

 

 and a batch of stroopwaffles too.  (I suppose I could have left the misfits in the background and the beauties up front!! - but never fear, broken cookies with syrup taste just as yummy as "perfect" ones)

Ps.  Why is it that the snow is a ton of fun till everybody is wet and cold...and then it's almost made out to be Mama's fault for that most distressing turn of events?!  On a more cheerful note.  If I can encourage anyone with little children at all....I noticed a marked difference between the snow get-up, dress-up scenario from this year and last.  Some required no help, 1 required little help and 2 required the most help but it was bearable.  There were a few snow years that I wondered if I had the gumption to survive the battle that is dressing up five littles to go play in the snow see here (see paragraph 2) and here(and again, second paragraph- I still can remember it well).  Take heart you dear moms who are sighing under the cries of "help me", "I want my mittens UNDER", "I want my pants OVER," "it doesn't feel good" and "I have to PEE!"  

Before I knew it the bulk of the work disappeared with the arrival independence!

 

Next thing you know I'll be crying again that they're getting so big so fast ;)

When Gramma goes wild :)

 


Sam was at Gramma's and asked for a haircut.  When Sam asked for a mohawk Gramma said sure....thinking she would give her daughter a bit of a surprise :)

Surprise was on Gramma when I left it that way for the next few days.  I cut it a bit shorter before church on Sunday morning because it was really tall and frankly I think the look is actually kind of ugly.  Personal opinion....

Anyway, Sam asked for and got a haircut before school on Monday. :)  Only so much extra attention this boy can handle.

Tonight doing some Sunday School Christmas recitation with Cody and Cara and Cody really wanted to say something.  My ignoring him wasn't cutting it.

"Mama, can you pause that a second?!!"