A Few From Before Christmas

There's nothing more fun than an early morning surprise visit from Auntie Rebekah. Dress up, sword fights, and Candy Land all before the had to leave for preschool!

Because who wouldn't want to be dressed up as a doggy princess while they play Candy Land?

Oh Aden!

These kiddos love their Auntie Rebekah and they have so much fun with her!

(Although, this picture does a pretty poor job of showing their excitement!)

Perhaps you remember the post with a picture of Sissy and Chex cereal all over the floor. Well, this picture was taken the very next day. She was definitely on a roll.

My wild child wearing her brother's Star Wars t-shirt and eating his tape measure.

We've got to get her some girly clothes!

There we go...much better!

Summer, we LOVED this outfit on her and everybody at church thought she was the cutest thing ever. And yes, it was actually cool enough to wear the jacket! I have so much fun seeing Lizzie in the clothes that my friends' daughters have worn. Thanks to all of you for the hand-me-downs!

Off she goes...

"Hmm, I can't decide...should I drink the bubble solution today...

or should I stick with eating the chalk."

Seriously, these are two of her favorite post-church service activities (along with climbing up onto the stage and walking, sometimes teetering, dangerously close to the edge.)

Let's just say that the quality of my post-service fellowship has taken a nose dive recently as I'm too busy chasing this crazy girl to even complete a sentence much less a conversation!

Tee Ball Finale

Aden's tee ball season ended last Monday. He had a lot of fun and is already talking about next year! His season was supposed to end with a final game and a team potluck but we had gotten SO MUCH rain that day and the day before the fields were a mess and no one was particularly fond of the idea of a rainy potluck so we just met quickly at the field, took pictures, handed out trophies and let the kids play a little while the parents visited. Here are a few pictures...

Of course, learning to "give shaka" (a.k.a. the "Hang Loose" hand sign) is an important social skill in this culture and they start them young!

My sweet, handsome ball player!

My little boy is becoming a big boy right before my eyes! It's unbelievable!

The kids were SO excited about their trophies!

What a cutie!

Joy! Joy! For Christ is born...

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary's lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?

This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.

This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.

This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Raise, raise a song on high,

The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Merry Christmas!

My Little Progress Impeder

Like I've said before, one step forward two steps back when it comes to keeping this house clean.

But just look at that sweet, innocent little face!

Our New Address

just in case you wanted to send a Christmas card to your far-away friends...

4528 Kapuna Rd.

Kilauea, HI

96754

Mama's Hand-Me-Downs

Last week I came across a Rubbermaid tub in the garage labeled "Aimee's Dolls". Once I dug beneath the layer of dolls, stuffed animals, and baby blankets I found a bunch of my old baby clothes that my mom had carefully labeled and stored for safe keeping. I started to go through the clothes and was surprised to find some really cute things. I always figured the clothes would be too outdated (style-wise) for my kids but I was actually able to pull out some things that I thought Lizzie could wear. This outfit was one of them. It was labeled, "The first clothing I had ever made Aimee." Now, my mom has made me dozens of outfits over the past 33 years so it was pretty cool to see and hold the very first outfit she ever made me! And it was even more cool to put it on my baby girl today and to see her toddling around in it. She looked darling...even though she insisted on wearing her electric blue rain boots with it!

This is a picture of me wearing it in November 1977

(9 months old)

Tee Ball and a Hodgepodge

My handsome tee ball player and his #2 fan. Yes, I'm his #1 fan! =)

Up to bat, "Awesome Aden"

(That's what the announcer calls him...and yes, they even have announcers...this tee ball is serious business you know!)

Taking the long way to second...

All the teams have the same uniform. The only distinction is the team emblem on the hat. It makes it a little difficult to tell the kids apart! Thankfully Aden's distinct Adidas soccer cleats ("fweats" as he calls them) help me find him in the sea of black jerseys and grey pants. Anyway, he's getting ready to steal third, can't you tell?! Yes, he prefers to keep both feet on the bag at all times. Even when he's the second baseman. And even when there is a runner on the base! We have to yell at him from the stands to "make room for the runner!"

This is his "ready" position.

It's a good thing most kids are still pretty much just bunting off the tee. =)

Here are two of the cutest cheerleaders I've ever seen!

Jonathan likes to bring his "binocky-ers" to the games so he can "take pictures" of Aden. The best part is that he always looks through the wrong end of them!

He is the cutest, funniest, sweetest boy ever!

She claps and points and says, "A-duh" (Aden)

It's so sweet!

The cheering section

Because you never know when a foul ball or a wild pitch might hit you.

I think Jonathan's favorite part about Aden's tee ball games is the snack afterward. There are always extras for siblings and he is usually first in line for handouts. As far as juice, my kids are used to getting watered down apple juice in a sippy cup so getting juice boxes with the full-strength stuff (not to mention different flavors) is pretty exciting for them. Here's Jonathan slurping away on a Capri Sun.

Yum, Pizza!

And Janet, I LOVE this shirt on Elizabeth! Dark colors look really nice with her dark hair and eyes and you just don't find a lot of dark little girl clothes. Anyway, make sure to thank Gracie for passing it down to her. =)

Just a pretty hibiscus...

A sneak peak of our backyard...do you see Lizzie? We are loving our new house. It is wonderful! And the fact that my one year old can safely play outside is just one of the reasons! More pictures to come soon.

Who dresses this kid? And um, get her a haircut or some clips or something!

She is addicted to graham crackers (seriously, I'm not kidding!) and unfortunately she knows where we keep them, she knows how to open the box, and she knows how to open the ziploc bag that they are sealed in! She is crazily independent and incredibly determined for one so young. It's actually a little scary. And it is so so so different from how Jonathan was/is. Just to give you an idea, she recently learned how to pull a t-shirt over her head and it took seeing her do it for Jonathan to try for himself and succeed...and he's two years older than she is! Now, I'm not sure if that says more about her independence or more about his lack of independence but it definitely shows how different they are in that department!

This is what happens when you leave the baby alone with a bowl of yogurt. Who needs a spoon when you can just drink the yogurt out of the bowl and scoop the rest out with your hands?

Sissy reading in the rocking chair that Great Grandma Mary Jane sat in as a baby.

She loves books!

One of the boys' chores is picking up after Sissy's messes. I'm sure they just love the task of reshelving all the books that she pulls off! I guess it's payback for all the times I put their books back on the shelves for them when they were her age! =)

I don't need no stinkin' tricycle!

The boys love to drive their dump tricks on this cement path that connects the front door to the driveway. Rachel's mom (a.k.a "Maga") got this dump truck for Aden nearly four years ago on his 1st birthday. The kids play with it all the time and it has held up SO well! It still looks new!

My happy guy!

My silly sassy girl and more of her yogurt messes.

She's lovin' her Daddy's Sunday morning waffles

Between the water spout and the drain plug (notice the "tub" is empty) bath toys are entirely unnecessary for this girl.

Two of her favorite things: wagon rides and wearing accessories that are at least 2 sizes too big

Although this picture does a lousy job of showing the boys excitement for it, their current DVD of choice is the Richard Scarry "Busytown Mysteries". Generally they're only allowed to watch one show a day and they have requested this DVD almost every day for weeks.

They are very cute and if your kids are fans at all of Richard Scarry's books they'd love the DVDs.

I guess my kids just cut loose after having to sit still all morning at church. Here's Lizzie with one of my bras draped around her neck and here's shirtless Jonathan wearing Sissy's bonnet. What goofballs!

A little Thanksgiving art project.

She loves to climb up on this window ledge and watch the goings on of the front yard. She especially likes to wave to her "friends"...

Yep, she waves to the chickens and says "hi" to each and every one that passes by the front window. And trust me, there are lots. Our yard (2 acres) is home to several chicken families. I'd guess there are 7-10 roosters, 15-20 chickens, and lots of young chickens and chicks running around. They can be noisy but I don't mind. Not only do they eat centipedes, ants, and all kinds of yucky bugs but their presence adds to the rural feel of our new home.

So, she found my chili and rice on the table and decided to help herself. In this picture you can tell she's not sure if she's in trouble. She's got that guilty/remorseful look on her face.

Then she saw that mom got the camera out and called Dad over to see and she knew she was golden. She's thinking, "That's right, I'm just too cute for them to discipline me."

The boys and Uncle Lucas being silly at Grandpa's birthday party.

Have I mentioned that she loves shoes/footwear?

The girly "slippah"

This picture cracks me up because the boys look so ridiculously uncomfortable in their life jackets! I'm amazed that they had a much fun as they did!

Where's Buzz and Jessie?

Halloween 2010: My precious little fire breathing dragon, my handsome knight in shining armor, and my adorable but fiesty princess

Exploring is so much fun!

Like I said, she loves books. And she loves clothes and accessories...usually.

Summer, this is currently one of my favorite outfits on her. It is too cute! Thanks for sending it! Can you believe that Maddie wore this?

I know, upon seeing that this is the last picture of this post you are probably feeling a little bit like this yourself. =) I apologize for being so terribly neglectful of my blog these past few months. I'm sure many of you wondered if I'd ever blog again. We've just been super busy with the Fall Festival, the move, Aden's tee ball, and the holidays. And to be honest, my desire to have well-thought out and organized blog posts (ie. the perfectionist in me) has been a bit of a hindrance. The reality is that I don't have the time, energy, or brain power these days to be quite as thoughtful and organized as I'd like so for a while you may end up with lots of hodgepodge unorganized posts.