Sickies

 We got the flu just after Amy’s birthday, and it passed through the family. It hit the little kids the hardest, and we’ve been finding them asleep in the oddest places. If you say the word "nap" there is a revolt, but if you happen to fall asleep in the box you’re playing in, it’s all good.

January happenings

Wintertime

 I miss the dirt, but it’s good for the kids to play in the snow.

More of the Clydesdale pictures

Christmas Time

 We had a peaceful Christmas. I love when Jacob goes down for a nap, he looks so angelic.

 The girls watched A Muppet Christmas Carol, and when we opened gifts for one another we sang Christmas hymns between each one. We also read Luke 2 and Monta was Mary, Jacob was Joseph, the big girls were shepherds and sheep, and Ryan’s grandma on Skype was the angel because as Amy said "It’s perfect, because she has white hair." We had a German Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. Rouladen, Rotkohl, Potatoes and mustard, Yum!

Big Horses

We got to see some really big horses the other day. They were beautiful!

We are doing alright

Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing enough with homeschooling, but here are two recent quotes that make me feel like maybe we’re doing alright:

Lena, 5 yrs old, at breakfast "Eww, Mom. Lily is masticating her eggs and spitting them out."

There’s a cabbage butterfly in our house that we’ve enjoyed being here. It’s so cold outside, we’ve kept it as a pet. Esther, 7, asked me "Mom, why is it (the butterfly) touching my skin with its proboscis?"

If you can use those two big words correctly, then maybe we are doing well. ;)