365 Joys- November 12th 2015

11/12/15

Today I'm thankful for Thanksgiving.  Our ancestors also did much for us, and there is a long history of being grateful which I think is becoming lost in today's world.

I am thankful.

I am thankful for a Thanksgiving toy that prompts my 3 year old to ask about what the people are doing and what it all means.

I am thankful I am getting a lot done on Timothy's Christmas stocking.

I am thankful for a computer that allows me to connect with others and share pictures and thoughts at this time.

I'm never NOT thankful, but I am thankful for a season to remind me to be thankful.

365 joys- November 11th 2015

11/11/15

I'm very thankful for our veterans, without whom we'd never be able to do this.



yes, she's on the back of the couch.

365 Joys- November 10th, 2015

11/10/15

9 years ago today we had a wonderful bouncing baby boy!  He was much bigger than the doctor anticipated but we still got him here safe.  Texas will never be the same.

His name is Timothy David.  He is into everything.  He loves Dragonbreath books and Jurassic Park and Lego building.  He enjoys reading and frantic activity and Cub Scouts.  He never runs out of energy but when he does he's usually sprawled somewhere looking much larger than my 6th baby boy should.  He has curly blonde hair when we let it grow long.  He looks quite handsome with it short or long.  He loves his younger siblings and usually tolerates the older ones.

He is fascinated by Canada and UVU. (used to be UVCC, then UVSC... that other college in Prov, Utah.)  No worries, he still likes BYU.  We have no clue on the Canada thing.

We love him.  We'll keep him around.  He's growing way too fast!

We actually celebrated the day before his birthday due to lots of activities on his birthday.

365 Joys- November 9th 2015

11/9/15

Today I am thankful to live in a place with 4 seasons.  I grew up in Southern California and the closest we got to seasons was rain in the winter.  Rain still makes me think of Christmas.  Really.

So waking up to a slight frost was a good reminder!

365 Joys- November 8th 2015

11/8/15

I am thankful for the scriptures.  I love the word of God.  We have followed a reading program where we are reading the New Testament and following a schedule where we cover most of the New Testament of the course of a year.  We've done this every Sunday night.  Last night was in 1st and 2nd Timothy.  Here is the chart to color as you read each week's chapters.  I can't believe how close we are to the end of the year!



Here's the link to where you can print your own!  Here's the Old Testament scripture challenge that we did last year.

365 Joys- November 7th 2015

11/7/15

Today was a crazy day.  I decided I needed to put away Halloween stuff.  However, my little girls needed a seasonal clothes change first (yes, I did that.  That was just 3 kids' worth...)  and that took all morning.  At the same time, each of the kids had a project to work on.  Michael was helping organize the basement, one boy was cleaning up GeoTrax, one was cleaning up Legos, one was cleaning up books, one was helping with laundry.  Benjamin cleaned out the outside shed and moved our yard equipment that was in the garage to the shed.  All in all, a very successful day.

Tom was at University of Scouting.  But he came home and trimmed the rosebush.

But I didn't get the Halloween stuff put away.  But I am thankful for hard work and working together.

This is Michael's rearranging of the food storage buckets in the basement.  They ended up kind of fun...

I made potato soup (this recipe... FAVORITE!) and Ginny, who has loved it since she was tiny and we couldn't spoon enough of it into her mouth, is now big enough to feed herself.  (But she refused to sit in the high chair, or at least didn't eat until she was in my lap... I am also thankful for good food!

365 Joys- November 6th 2015

11/6/15

Today I'm thankful for Samuel.  No, it's not his birthday.  Not really anything special about today.  Just wanted to take a day out of a month of thankfulness and focus on my 10, almost 11 year old boy.  He loves his family and especially his baby sisters.  He's helpful.  He's smart.  He is fun loving and adventurous.  He's also shy and quiet.  He is a friend.  He has an amazing sense of humor.  He is well read and loves his scriptures.  He is an artist.  He builds.  He gets into trouble.  He thinks great things.

We'll keep him.

Today he got a BYU sweatshirt and is very happy about it.  He'll get to wear it to the game next weekend here in Missouri!

365 Joys- November 5th 2015

11/5/15

We actually waited to celebrate Liberty's birthday until tonight when Dad could be home, too.

What a great night!

I am thankful for family traditions and silliness.

Birthday dinner, then presents!

Birthday chocolates from Dad, who works for Russell Stover chocolates!


Birthday cake!


And who knows what we're doing here.

365 Joys- November 4th 2015

11/4/15

Six years ago we had our second daughter.  Emilie had waited nearly 9 years.  We'd had 7 sons.

Then came Liberty Rose!

We are so thankful for her spunky attitude, her friendliness, her love of all the world.

We are so glad she's here!

365 Joys- November 3rd 2015

11/3/15

I am so thankful and proud to be a part of Kansas City right now.  Today the entire city shut down to celebrate the Royals taking the World Series in 5 games.  No riots, just a parade and lots and lots of cheering.  Look up the pictures!

We didn't attend but watched TV and wore Royals shirts.

Even the turkey.

Go Royals!  We love you!

365 Joys- November 2nd 2015

11/2/15

This is my Virginia Louise.  Ginny Lou as her grandma M calls her.

She is our 11th child.  She is a complete and utter goofball.

She is sweet and cute and a wild crazy child at the same time.

I am so thankful we have her in our lives!

365 Joys- November 1st 2015

11/1/15

Is it really November?  Wow.

The last two weeks have been a bit of a blur as I got sick and kind of muddled through most of it.  I went to a retail clinic and was diagnosed with acute ear and sinus infections plus acute bronchitis.  Well, if that wasn't enough, I kept getting worse and went to an Urgent Care and was then x-rayed and diagnosed with pneumonia which just changed the antibiotic.

I love November and sharing posts about what I am thankful for each day.  I like the tradition.

Today I am very thankful for modern medicine and all the wonderful technology and inspiration that our ancestors did without.  While it is to be used with discretion, it is still given to us by God and I am so thankful that when our family needs it, it is there.

This picture shows some of the wonderful modern advances that have helped me the last 2 weeks.



Oh, and while I was sick we were supposed to have  Lumination Glow Stick Markers House Party.  So we partied!  It was so much fun.  We had to spread the party fun to separate houses so as not to share germs... but this is our version!

Enjoy!

365 Joys- October 31st 2015

10/31/15

Halloween!   As fun and cute as you make it!

Though this pizza sure turns out a little more disturbing than the advertising... (Jack O Lantern Papa Murphy's pizza).  We are so very thankful for the friends who brought over dinner for our family!

It was delicious.

We have our candy ready to pass out.  (advertising tastes so good.)



We found a fun new ghostie for our yard.  Doesn't he fit in well?



Liberty was a pumpkin.  Yes, her hair is green.  And Emilie did her face.



Juliana is a cow and she was really really really excited about telling me she was going to moo.



Christopher was Captain America.  Awesome.  Emilie did his face, too.



Ginny was a happy cow.  I think she was just thrilled about being outside.  We've been sick lately so we haven't gotten out much.



Timothy is a Sith (Star Wars).  This kid can really get into his roles.  Acting?  Maybe.



Happy Cow!  (I think I said that already.)


Samuel is a Jack O Lantern.  The pumpkin costume really is round, he's just skinny.
And yes, his hair is bright green.



Emilie.  Little Red Riding Hood.  And she is looking good.  And CUTE.  She's not old enough to be gorgeous.



The happy cow again, looking for fresh grass.



Nathanael, I mean, Santa Claus, is here early this year.



Here's my whole group of trick or treaters... (and Tom took them, I stayed behind to pass out candy)
(and Michael and Benjamin are working at the World of Fun Haunt.)



One parting note...

Emilie came in early with the little girls.

She said, "I trick or treated til the cows came home!"



rim shot.

365 Joys- October 30th 2015

10/30/15

Ginny being cute again.

She's trying on a headband and slap wrist bracelets and then growls at everyone.

365 Joys- October 29th 2015

10/29/15

Caught in the act!  Here Ginny is attacking (ie JUMPING ON ANOTHER PERSON) Liberty.

She does this without warning.

Most of the time she causes no harm.


Sometimes it's just plain painful haha.


Other times, it's a hugging attack and you either fall over as she hugs your legs or just pick her up and hug her back.


We love our little Ginny.

365 Joys- October 28th 2015

10/28/15

It amazes me how comfortable little people are with electronics.


We got this Kindle Fire a week or so ago.  No, she hasn't touched it before this.


Here she is trying to get it to start Plants Vs. Zombies. It's not going to take her long.

365 Joys- October 27th 2015

10/27/15

Nathanael decided to alphabetize our Life of Fred books (our favorite homeschooling curricula).




Then he put them back into their right order.



And he took pictures.

I think he enjoyed this.

Looking closer, there's actually one missing.  Physics.  The one without a cover is actually Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology.