Elf Dance

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Preparations

We cut our tree at a little tree farm down the street.

This morning we woke up to over a foot of snow. It took Rich an hour and a half to shovel himself out of the driveway. We like a white Christmas but this is a little much.

I made cinnamon rolls for some friends and neighbors. My boys loved them too!
Even the birds get a treat. Every day at lunch time, we watch the bird gobble up the seeds. We have chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, and many others.


Yesterday we made our own gingerbread house. Can you tell that the kids have had a little too much sugar?

Presents for Teachers

As we were hurrying out the door for preschool this morning, Carson grabbed a piece of wrapping paper and informed me that he needed to wrap a gift for his preschool teacher. He said "The other kids gave her something and she was so happy." I am embarrassed to say that I didn't have a gift planned for his teacher. When I was a kid only a select few presented the teacher with gifts. I just was not on the ball with this one. Anyway, he set his sights on a used puzzle that was in the pile to go to the Recycling Barn. I looked in the closet and grabbed a unopened puzzle. I also suggested maybe some chocolates. No, Carson wanted to give his teacher that puzzle. So, we wrapped it up. I explained to the teacher how determined he was to give her the used puzzle. I am slightly embarrassed, but Carson was pleased. I guess that's all that matters.

Ice

Here are some pictures of our yard after the ice storm. Luckily, we didn't lose power. Church is cancelled for tomorrow because electricity has not been restored at the church building.

Parable of the Bald Turkey

The sunday before Thanksgiving, I spoke in the Portland Ward. Since I was outside my own ward, I figured I could take a few creative liberties with my talk, which including rounding out the talk with what I would simply call the parable of the bald turkey.

"Earlier in the month, I began thinking of ways I might be able to have our boys become more aware of the blessings they have and to acknowledge them. One morning before work, I worked with them to cut out a pink body shaped like a turkey. Next, we cut out an orange beak! Eyes, mouth, and a pilgrim hat soon followed. The boys happily glued the pieces together, as I told them the details of the project we were undertaking. I told them that everyday they could add a new feather to the turkey. Each time they added a feather, they would think of one thing they were thankful for and write it on the feather. The weeks have gone by, with the 7-year-old being much more interested in the project that the four-year-old who is just beginning to write. Today, fastened to the fridge, the 7-year-olds turkey contains a beautiful full-fanned tail of colorful feathers noting things he is grateful for – including school, family and friends. Fastened adjacent to it, stands the 4-year-old’s bald, colorless turkey – not a feather in sight. I laugh everytime I walk by the fridge."

Don’t be a bald turkey - count our blessings and acknowledge the Lord’s hand in our lives.

Twilight

Twilight! What can I say? It was so much fun to see characters I love come to life on the big screen. The movie was great, but I would recommend reading the book before seeing the movie. The theater was full of 16 -35 year old women. The young ones couldn't contain their enthusiasm when "Edward" came on the screen. I mean, whenever he came on screen. It was hilarious.

Saturday Morning

This is what Saturday morning looks like at our house. The boys don't usually get to watch TV in the morning during the week so they look forward to watching on Saturday.

What is Fun For Jack?

Who needs toys when you can roll a water bottle across a hard wood floor?

Jack's Birthday

Happy Birthday to Jack! I can't believe he has been with us for a year already. He brings a lot of fun and joy into our lives. Instead of buying new toys, we wrapped up some old toys. He was very happy with his loot.

Jack was happy to play with his cupcake but not too thrilled about eating it.

Straight to the tub we go.

Jack is One

Jack is one today! The party is tomorrow so I will post pictures later.

Some Fall Pictures

I have been gathering photos with the intention of posting, but just haven't done it. So here is a little of what we have been up to. A few weeks ago we made applesauce with my new puree machine. My friend, Cerissa, came over to help me which made the whole process go much faster. Carson was delighted to be asked to help wash the apples and Jack took a bite out of each one.
With Autumn comes acorns. We have six huge oak trees in our yard. They are beautiful but holy acorns! I have discovered that every four or five years the acorns are especially plentiful. They are all over the lawn and you have to watch out not to turn you ankle. Luckily no one has gotten an acorn to the head. A neighbor of mine gave me a great idea to get rid of the acorns. She paid her kids to pick them up. Brilliant! I paid Nathan and Carson a penny for every acorn. Nathan rejected my idea about estimating the number of acorns in the bucket. He actually counted all 350 acorns. Carson estimated. We have gathered about five buckets so far.

We visited the apple orchard last week to buy a pumpkin. We couldn't get Carson to smile because he was too scared of all the Halloween decorations.

Last night was trunk or treat a the church. This is Carson with his cousin Caroline.
My kids with the the Comin kids.

Lawson Siblings

My father recently returned from his trip to Idaho for a family visit. Here are some of the pictures of the Lawson siblings. It is fun to see them all together again.

Tupperware

I have never been good at organizing my tupperware cupboard. Thanks to Jack, I stack, bundle, and sort the plastic lids and bowls about 4 times a day. Yes, I could put a child proof latch on the door but the entertainment this activity provides is well worth a little mess on the kitchen floor.

Here is a picture of one of the gorgeous trees in our back yard. The leaves are a challenge to rake but they sure are pretty before they fall.

A Beautiful Hike

Bradbury Mountain is one of our favorite places to take the kids hiking. The park is full of easy trails, the view is amazing, and they have a new playground. We had a great day.

My husband has an incredible amount of energy.

Our Niece

After the wedding, we learned that our niece Rylee has Leukemia. She is 18 months old and so sweet, as you can tell. We are confident that she will recover in time, but so sad that she and her family have to go through this ordeal. Please keep them in your prayers.

Greg and Hailey's Wedding

Last weekend we travelled from one coast to another for my brother in law's wedding. The Portland, OR temple was beautiful and the weather couldn't have been better. We were so happy to see Greg and Hailey get married. It was really nice to spend the weekend with the Taylor family. However, we wished we would have left Jack at home. He was so wiggly and there weren't very many places that he could crawl around. Zach and Shantay were so helpful with him though. On the way to the reception we stopped at a very tall waterfall. We looked very out of place all dressed up among the other tourists. The reception was held at Hailey's parent's home. They live on a hill with an apple orchard and a view of the mountains. Enjoy the slideshow.

Jack Smells So Sweet

Nathan and Carson agree that Jack smells like a pancake. It is true. He is warm and soft and you want to eat him up.

Apple Picking

One of the many things I love about Maine are the u-pick farms. Last night we went apple picking. We picked over 50 pounds of apples off of a few trees (I am planning on making apple sauce). The kids liked sampling the apples as much as picking them.

Preschool

Carson has started preschool. He goes two days a week for 2.5 hours. I decided to enroll him this spring to save my sanity and his. He was so bored when Nathan got on the bus and I couldn't play with him all day. I think this will give him something to look forward to each week. These pictures are from the open house where Carson got to see the classroom, meet the teacher, and play with the toys. He really liked the kitchen with the pretend food. Jack came with us and loved getting into all the toys too. He was so funny, making that goofy face at anyone who would look his way. Carson is ready to be a little more independent and I hope he has a great year.

Blue Angels

We live near Brunswick Naval Air Station and have many military families that attend church with us. The base is closing in a few years and we will miss our military friends. This was the last year the Blue Angels were going to preform at the air show and someone gave us tickets to the practice. In retrospect, I shoulnd't have brought the baby because it was so loud even with ear plugs. The Blue Angels were awesome. They fly unbelievably close and do some amazing stunts. Nathan and Carson liked it when two planes flew at eachother head on, only to turn at the last moment to avoid a crash.