Puppet Show

Adrienne & Matthew's Puppet Show.

A story about a lonely Lion and his journey to meet friends Hippo & Monkey.

It's always good to pray before you play :)

A Bunch of Gym Rats!

 That's what we all are...daddy, mommy, and all the kids. I loved it and so did Bill. The film of chalk dust floating through the air, the familiar smell of sweaty feet that seems to be the same in every gym you visit, mats, pits, trampolines, bars, beams, ropes hanging from the wall and ceiling. Jumping on the tramp until your head felt like it would bounce off. Landing in the foam pit with your whole body covered in foam and wriggling your way out...ignoring the fact that you left one sock behind.We always knew we would watch our kids do gymnastics...it just seemed natural that they would love the sport too...and they do...for now anyway. Yesterday they received their very first team leotard & team sweatsuit. They were so excited & we were excited for them. The girls are on the 'Devo' team or Developmental Team. They are working on the Level 5 routines and will have 3 mock meets in February & March to prepare them to hopefully compete next year. Bill is able to coach them...which makes this whole experience even better. The girls LOVE having 'coach Bill' there & they have mentioned how safe they feel with him spotting them. We do not know what this sport holds for my girls...and even my son, but for right now...we remain...Gym Rats!

"I'm FREEEEEEEEZIN!"

This is what I say often during Fall & Winter. It makes Bill laugh because I say it with such annoyance. I hate being cold....hate it...HATE IT! Yes I know I grew up near Buffalo...I should be used to it by now. Maybe so. When I was young I was diagnosed with Raynauds Phenomenon...which is a big word for my toes & fingers would turn completely white & cold & be lack of any blood whatsoever. It was quite fun showing this to my gymnastics coach when I was little. He would pick me up & run me to the kitchen to run warm water over my stark white toes...for fear that at any moment the little toe would fall right off into the sink. As I got older it would happen to my fingers as well...and not just when I was cold but nervous too. It is strange. My girlfriend Paula got me little warmers to put in my shoes & pockets...so as I type, my little piggies are toasty & quite happy...thanks Paula!!! So in order to be thankful to God for creating the seasons, even the cold ones...here are 10 things I like about the Fall...

1. The heating blanket on my bed turned up to level 10
2. Soft Fuzzy Jammies and Warm Fluffy Socks
3. Taking a bubble bath just to get warm again
4. My Birthday's in the fall :)
5. Fall candles lit in the house after it's all clean & picked up
6. Walking on crinkly dry leaves & the sound it makes
7. Leaf fights with the family in the backyard
8. The Huge supply of Halloween Candy that lasts until Easter
9. Family movie nights on the couch under a blanket
10. Eating soup!

Computer Crashed!

My computer crashed! We have a Dell XPS All in one...only 3 years old. It's been slow & freezing on me. A few weeks ago I realized it gets real hot on top, and then realized that I never hear the internal fan run.
Thankfully, Bill bought me a laptop for our anniversary. Thankfully it was still under warranty and thankfully the people at Dell are terrific. I chatted on my laptop with a woman named grace, who ordered me new parts. And at this time, Mr. Jim has opened up my computer and a new one and began transferring all the important memory parts onto the new one. madison took one look at ours and said "Mom, theres the fan & it's covered in dust...I bet that's why it wasn't working right!". Mr. Jim agreed. As the girls and I looked on, we noticed that a couple of the tiny parts looked like electromagnets (the science topic for the week). Mr. Jim gave us a quick talk on the use of electromagnets in computers...pretty neat. Then madison saw a little Greek symbol on one of the parts. Madison reminded me that it was the symbol for Ohm...the measurement for resistance. Isn't it just like God to take something annoying, like my computer & turn it into an interesting science lesson...I love when that happens!

Lancaster Field Trip Day

I packed the kids up Wednesday morning and met Nana & Poppy at the Herr's potato chip factory where we got see how all the chips & pretzel are made. We got to eat chips right off the conveyor belt...warm & crispy to perfection! No other chips can compare now! We also visited the Science Factory which was a huge warehouse filled with fun science exhibits, puzzles, and learning stations. The kids ran from place to place...we had the whole place to ourselves! The greatest part was that everything represented in the Science Factory was exactly what we were learning in science! Electricity, magnetism, energy and force. How much better were they learning science there than sitting in a classroom with a boring science textbook! Enjoy the pics...and KUDOS to Poppy for planning out such a great field trip day!

My Soccer Stars

Here are a few shots of the girls doing soccer. They have really enjoyed playing this year since daddy is their coach (for Madison's team) and also because they have scored goals this year. Adrienne's been doing so well. She is very fast and is able to get to the ball alot quicker than the other girls & be able to score. Madison has really improved her ball handling skills & kick. They are both really good in goal. I'm not a huge soccer fan...but I am a huge fan of my soccer stars!!!

Apple Pie

 While Bill was away for a week in Virginia, Gege came to stay with us. She was a blessing. She made soup, did laundry, did dishes, read & entertained the kids and was a very good teacher's aide. It was really nice having the time to chat and watch her enjoy the kids. It's hard not living closer, so we really cherish these special times. Here's some pictures of the apple pie we made from the apples we picked at Linvilla. Gege did most of it, while I watched so I could do it next time. I was surprised how easy it was. It tasted just as good as it looks with vanilla/caramel ice cream on the side...mmmm.
**Had to do the before & after shots**