At Least the House Smells Great

For several years now I have been meaning to make homemade ornaments with Wesley and Lydia. We finally did it today.
I used the recipe in one of my favorite Christmas books, The ADVENTure of Christmas, Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions. Lydia and Wesley both helped mix it with their hands.
The mix was very brown due to the one cup of cinnamon that starts the recipe. Lisa Whelchel says you can add food coloring but I don't know if it would have worked with my very brown mix. Wesley and Lydia had a lot of fun cutting out the ornaments with cookie cutters.
Chris took this picture of me reading about the tradition of putting ornaments on trees. I love this book because Ms. Whelchel included many easy crafts and the stories behind our Christmas traditions.
I baked the ornaments for an hour and I think they turned out okay. I could have laid them "flat to dry at room temperature for three to five days, turning over often" but I don't think they would have survived that at our house. They smell wonderful.
Wesley and Lydia were very pleased with the ornaments.

Don't Try This at Home

When we eat at the table, Josiah will no longer sit patiently in his bouncy seat or play on the floor. He wants to see what we are doing. It is challenging to hold him and eat at the same time. So....
In desperation yesterday, I put the Bumbo on the island so Josiah could watch us eat lunch. I watched him really closely because I know that babies sometimes turn over the Bumbo and fall.
I think I will go get the highchair right now from the garage and clean it up.

First Field Trip

Today was Lydia's first field trip. It was also Chris' first time chaperoning a field trip. Last year I went with Wesley and his class to see the Tiny Tots Concert at a local high school.

Unfortunately when it rained the hardest today was also when the children had to get on the buses to go to the concert. Chris got so wet that he came home after the concert and changed clothes before he went to work. Lydia and her classmate don't seem upset about being soaked.
Of course, Lydia loved the concert.
Frosty was a big hit with all the kids.

A Super Thanksgiving

On Wednesday morning, Wesley's school had a Thanksgiving program. The kindergarteners memorized "Thanksgiving Day" by Lydia Maria Child for the program.

On Thanksgiving morning we had homemade cinnamon rolls. For dinner I made my mom's sweet potato dish, apple and onion stuffin' muffins, macaroni and cheese, and brioche. I love to cook so I really enjoyed making these dishes.

Our next door neighbor cooked the turkey and made gravy, green bean casserole, a cranberry dish, mashed potatoes, and salad. We had pumpkin cheesecake for dessert. Everything was delicious.
After dinner Wesley, Lydia, and Ethan dressed up as Super Heroes.
Aaron even got in on the action.

Thankful Trees

For the third year in a row, the kids did Thankful Trees.

Lydia said she was thankful for:

Wesley

Mommy

chickens

family

Josiah

Daddy

trees and leaves

dinner

the wind

the breeze

numbers

vacation

gymnastics

Wesley said he was thankful for:

colorful leaves and tress

turkey

seals (and then he listed other animals)

God

friends at school (he named a few of them)

Josiah

Lydia

Daddy

Mommy (I barely made the list!)

Wesley's teacher made a little book of what the class was thankful for this year. Wesley said he was thankful for turkeys and he drew a picture of a turkey.

What am I thankful?

I most thankful for Jesus who loves me and died for my sins.

I am thankful that I can look forward to eternity in heaven.

I am thankful for Chris who loves me and our family and shows his love through his actions.

I am thankful for my children.

I am thankful that Wesley loves kindergarten and I am so grateful that he gets to go to a wonderful school that teaches the children about Jesus and has high academic standards. I am thankful for the loving teachers there.

I am thankful that Lydia is so articulate and has such a wonderful imagination. I am grateful that Wesley is her best friend.

I am thankful that Josiah is such a sweet, loving, and laid back baby. I am so glad we were blessed with a third baby and that the transition from two kids to three was a smooth one.

I am thankful for my wonderful parents and in-laws.

And like Lydia, I am thankful for vacations!

A Local Favorite Restaurant

Wesley and Lydia love going to the Japanese Steakhouse. On Sunday we went to Shiro right after church and had to wait a little while for the place to open. We were the first costumers of the day.
One reason the kids love to eat there is because they like volcano and all the entertainment provided by the chef. They also like to watch the chef at other tables.
Can you believe all of that food was for our family? We ordered two adult entrées and the kids shared with us. I asked Wesley and Lydia if they wanted shrimp, steak, or salmon. They wanted steak and so I ordered the filet and Chris ordered the teriyaki steak. The kids ate really well.

Wesley also really likes the little umbrellas the kids get in their water cups. Maybe we should just buy some umbrellas for their water at home. The umbrellas always remind of Jimmy Buffet's song "Boat Drinks". (I can relate to "I gotta go where it's warm.")
The kids also like trying to catch the pieces of shrimp. This chef made it easy for them.

A Roaring Good Time at Lunch

On our last day at Disney World, we back to Magic Kingdom for a few hours. While Wesley rode Space Mountain with Chris, I walked around with Lydia and Josiah. This was the first time we have seen a fairy godmother out for photos. When we left Magic Kingdom we headed to Downtown Disney for our late-lunch reservations at T-Rex Cafe.
The restaurant is owned by the same company who owns Rainforest Cafe. T-Rex is a very large restaurant with different themed areas.

If your child is afraid of loud noises, this is not the restaurant for your family.

The Kitchen of Fire.
The cool octopus over the bar moves slowly.
The ice room.
The kids loved this restuarant. They were well behaved and ate very well. Chris and I really weren’t expecting the food to be very good so we were pleasantly surprised. Lydia liked her corndog nuggets and baked apples. Wesley loved the creamy tomato soup. Chris and I thought the Guac-asaurus Burgers with guacomole and bacon were delicious and they should be at $15 a piece. But, you are also paying for the atmosphere.
I love this picture of Wesley, Josiah, and Chris.
We really enjoyed eating at T-Rex and we will probably go back there; eventhough, it is not on the dining plan. It was a great way to end our Disney trip. It was also the first lunch or dinner in nine days without dessert; a sure sign that reality was starting again.