My crew walking to the cemetary on Memorial day

Asher planting a flag

Hila

Gabe looking pained

Hannah being a cutie.

All the kids at the zoo.

Tali-Ho!

Fun sea lioin playing with us.

Me and Hannie on the tram.

I haven’t checked my mail in a few days.  I just found a really fun package from our friends Addie, Heidi, James and their awesome momma Jamie!  You guys rock!  The kids were so excited!

Here is Asher, modeling his new wind-up bug.

Here is the closest thing to a smile Gabe will do for the camera.  He’s a total Ham, but he loves his frog!!!

Here is Hila with her Hello Kitty stationary.  She LOVES it, she’s already written some notes with it!

And here is Hannah with the egg from Asher’s toy.  She got a cute little chickie that makes a chickie sound, but before I could snap a picture of her with it she took it to her lair where she hides things like the remote and my glasses.  She’s sneaky, that one.

And here is me with my absolute favorite candy for easter, candy coated cadburry eggs!  Thank you so much.  As you can tell, they are already open.

Jamie, thank you so much!  I can’t believe you went to the trouble to send us a fun package, considering all the things you are dealing with at the moment.  You are such a good friend.  BTW, I plan to go see Mrs.  Cole and Mr. Harris from that DC trip soon.  Good times.  Thank you so much!  Oh, I like the sachet thingie too, it smells wonderful.

BJay and I were lamenting the fact that there is nothing to compare to the Pixies anymore.  And that the only reason the younger generation knows about them is because of Fight Club.  This is an awesome song.  I’m on a Pixies kick lately.  Also BJay is really attracted to female base players.  Even if they are ugly.  Ha ha ha.

Unfortunately, these are the only pictures I got before my camera died.  We visited with friends in Roanoke on Friday and then drove to Lynchburg Saturday morning.  On the way, we called some good friends and had an insta-party at one of our favorite parks.  That is where the pictures were taken of the kids.  I could never catch Gabe, he wouldn’t sit still long enough.  It was so good to visit with our Lynchburg friends.  BJay and I miss that place so much.  We daydream about moving back.  I’m sure it will happen…someday.  For now I’m just thankful to have such awesome, generous friends who have offered to put up our whole crew whenever we want to come up.  We’re going to have to take them up on it.  We also took the kids to Amazement Square, which is the BEST children’s museum in the country.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  That was the one and only thing the children remembered about Lynchburg.  On the way out of town, we visited with our old neighbors.  We were so glad to hear the Mr. Wood, one of the sweetest people we know has recovered from 28 radiation sessions to his skull to reduce a brain tumor that had nearly crippled him.  It was a beautiful Christmas miracle to see him well and up and about.  We found out that the people who moved into our old house are wonderful neighbors and have come to Mr. Wood’s aid any time of the day or night when he was sick.  Our other neighbors the Mehaffey’s are just as sweet and kind as always.  We are glad to know so many wonderful people.  I felt a lot of love on that short trip back.  It was too short, but wonderful.

So that is what I’ve been up to.  Now we’re caught up.

I think this is the cutest shower scene ever, plus its really pretty singing. I am the only person in my family who likes this movie, but I think Elf is a Christmas season must!!!

One republican baby, spiderman, Indiana Jones, and a lady bug.

At Grandma Shawna’s Halloween party, the kids make “apple uglies” Yum.

And this is Asher with the “fortune teller”. He literally waited in line for 30 minutes for this…

Hila in Grandma’s playroom

Asher, and Hannie and uncle Troy

A blogger friend of mine has been off gallivanting in Europe and yet still had time to blog and post pictures of her whirlwind trip.  I on the other hand have been right here between my house and the kids school mostly.  I signed up for a project that the school has done for the past few years.  The idea is to give children the gift of giving.  Before the holidays they have a little gift shop where the children can come to buy gifts for their families and they are wrapped there on the spot and labeled.  Parents can send in money with their children, or if they are unable the children are given “reindeer bucks” to spend at the store instead.  The challenge for those who have put it on is to come up with enough gifts (and the goal has been to have everything handmade) for a budget of $1000.  That seems like a lot, but when we’re looking to make or beg over 5000 gifts, it becomes a challenge.  We do have community support and parents who donate gifts every year.  But the bulk of the inventory is generated by a core group of a half-dozen people.  I signed up to be one of them.  Well, I guess I just showed up to a planning meeting and became part of the project.  I wanted to help this year because I thought it was so sweet to see Asher excited about the gifts he had picked for his family last year.  Plus I’m cheap and crafty.  My assignments have been to 1) come up with gift ideas using trash, or more politely–recycled goods.  2)Be the treasurer of our precious $1000.  The first weekend I could hardly sleep my mind was just buzzing with ideas (some of them quite ingenious, if I do say so myself).  Most of my ideas involve plastic grocery bags, film roll cases, baby food jars, and lunch bags.  If you have any ideas for craft items for MEN especially that can be made for under .30 PLEASE share!  I’m also volunteering in Asher’s class twice a week to read and do centers.  I’m excited to be completely out of my comfort zone.  I’ve had to communicate with people through all of this.  Most interactions have been pleasant, but some have not been.  Its good for me, I think.  And I’m enjoying being a person again.  I get so annoyed when moms complain about losing themselves to motherhood, but it really is true.  It does happen.  I didn’t realize it until I thrust myself into a different environment and rediscovered that I do have talents and creativity and organizational abilities worthy of the praise I’ve gotten over the past few weeks.  Its nice.  But there is also the balance.  While all that praise is nice and working on this project is good, I still have to notice when Gabe and Hannah feel neglected and take a day off of nonstop errand running and back and forth between home and school.  (I take them with me, if you are wondering.  Asher’s teacher is really great about it, in fact she encouraged me to.)  Today I’m home and Hannah is getting a much needed long nap in her crib.  I sent BJay to read to Asher’s class.  They will love him!  So that is what I’ve been up to the past few weeks and why my blog has been so neglected.  Can you believe its already October?  Where does the time go?