8 of 52 weeks

We spent Thanksgiving week at my mom's. I had hoped to come and post updates and check up on a few of my favorite families here but was unable to because she doesn't have internet at her house.

Anyway

Carin at Forever in Blue Jeans posted a 52 week challenge...





I failed at week 8 but by no choice of mine! This photo was actually taken on the right day. It was just unable to be posted until now.





No, we are not standing in front of a white, blank screen. That's her dining room wall! It was a lovely time but it's nice to be home.

(Week 9 is a few days late but will be up here really soon)

5 of 52 weeks

this post and I am lousy with photos

GENESIS 8:22

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

I appreciate the gift of the seasons that we have been given. This season always reminds me to slow life down, for the things that truly matter are ever-changing

{ ever growing }

and before I know it this season in my life will have passed.

The kids and I love visiting the pumpkin patch. It means, hot chocolate, lots of pumpkins with warts, dirty animals eating out of our hands and plenty of photo opportunities that are perfect in my mind but never turn out that way in the albums!

I knew it would be wise to get all of the photos taken when we first arrived but they wanna go go go so I take what I can get!

I was certainly pleased that no blood was spilled getting in or out of the wagon.

I was even more pleased that no one walked in front of the camera (or anywhere in the picture actually) for the 3 seconds that all the kids were smiling AND looking at me!!

And off they went.

First they fed the not at all soft, begging for food, otherwise not friendly g-o-a-t-s.

And then it was off into the corn maze which had riddles like this one throughout

My Sunshine and My Angel went into the haunted barn while I took Miss Thang for some pictures.

She loves Wizard of Oz so she was really excited to find this.

I figured I would take the boys back to this before leaving for a complete photo.

I also wanted to get a picture of them in the covered wagon. Simple enough, no?

{ NO }

OK... so I am not going to get a picture in the covered wagon. It was the end of the day and no one had napped. Besides, maybe I was being too picky. Maybe I should just get the one photo I wanted and be done.

So, off to the Wizard of Oz cutouts we went.

{ Not gonna happen this year! }

Not only does the hot chocolate around Miss Thang's mouth make her look like The Joker with his smile painted on...

but she's actually crying hysterically!

This [ gentleman? ] was our closing greeter.

I think he had a longer day than I did!

4 of 52 weeks

We spent our afternoon organizing our stickers.

Well, at least our plan was to organize. Miss Thang had another plan!

Miss Thang is very generous and shares everything, including her fun...

I'm not so sure My Sunshine enjoyed it all quite as much...

thanks mom, but no thanks

My mom lives 200 miles away from us.

While it's not very close I didn't think it was so far away that she no longer knows us.

A friend of hers has a boy who is a little older than My Sunshine & My Angel. For the last 5 years my mom has received hand-me-downs from her. We've been grateful that most of the clothes have fit during the "right" seasons.

Every once in a while though

there

are

sweat

pants.

Yeah, my kids haven't liked or even agreed to wear sweat pants in a couple years. Pretty much not since they realized that girls don't necessarily like boys who dress like, well slobs.

I don't spend much money on my clothes. I shop thrift stores for my stuff
[ most of the time ].
But, I do take the time and effort to look my best with such. I also appreciate when someone else does the same. This has obviously been impressed on my boys as well, so when Grandma sends these clothes and my boys tell me there is NO WAY they are going to wear them

what can I do?...

yup,

Take a picture!

Besides, ummmm, hello Mom, I think maybe these are a bit small.

they make me proud

We don't spend frivolously on birthdays and holiday presents. Not because I'm a single mom of four kids but because I have taught my children that celebrating, whether it be the birth of a sibling or a grandparent or a friend or Jesus, isn't about receiving presents. It's a time to celebrate, a time to be with family, a time to remember how blessed we are.

My kids aren't asked what they want for birthdays and Christmas, and if they are (by a grandparent who still doesn't understand) the answer is always "nothing" or "I don't know". They do open presents for Christmas, not many, although they always feel that they have received a lot. My Sunshine and My Angel look forward to brother or sister or Mom or Grandma opening the presents they bought  and now that they earn and spend their own money, I enjoy the surprise as well.

At this time of the year they start looking for more chores to earn some extra $$ money $$. I don't pay them for their daily jobs but when they take some load off of me I feel it is only fair.

Tonight they went out and delivered AVON catalogs and samples. My Sunshine likes helping so much he doesn't even want to be paid...he thinks it's fun to work! I have no desire to exploit that so I'll pay them, but man, I love that my kids are so generous!

teddy roosevelt

My Sunshine is currently doing a book report on this great man. I am not sure how he'll be able to sort through it all and choose only one or two topics to write about!

His skills and abilities certainly were not limited to the political arena. Below is a letter he sent to a scout executive regarding his strong belief in the boy scouts which was later published in the first U.S. Boy Scout handbook...

     "The movement is one for efficiency and patriotism. It does not try to make soldiers of Boy Scouts but to make boys who will turn out as men to be fine citizens and who will, if their country needs them, make better soldiers for having been Scouts.

No man is a good citizen unless he so acts as to show that he actually uses the Ten Commandments and translates the Golden Rule into his life conduct and I don't mean by this in exceptional cases under spectacular circumstances, but I mean applying the Ten Commandments and the Golden Rule in the ordinary affairs of every-day life. I hope the Boy Scouts will practice truth and square dealing and courage and honesty. The man who counts and the boy who counts are the man and boy who steadily endeavor to build up, to improve, to better living conditions everywhere and all about them.

The same qualities that mean success or failure to the nation as a whole mean success or failure in men and boys individually. To be helpless, self-indulgent, or wasteful will turn the boy into a mighty poor kind of man just as the indulgence in such vices by the men of a nation means the ruin of a nation. Any boy is worth nothing if he has not got courage, courage to stand up against the forces of evil and courage to stand up in the right path. Let him be unselfish and gentle, as well as strong and brave. It should be a matter of pride to him that he is not afraid of anyone and that he scorns not to be gentle and considerate to everyone, especially to those who are weaker than he is. If he doesn't treat his mother and sisters well, then he is a poor creature no matter what else he does; just as a man who doesn't treat his wife well is a poor kind of citizen no matter what his other qualities may be. Let the boy remember he must have knowledge, he must cultivate a sound body and a good mind and train himself so that he can act with quick decision in any crisis that may arise. Mind, eye, muscle all must be trained so that the boy can master himself and thereby learn to master his fate."

...Well said.

meet my sunshine

When asked to write down things he wanted to share about himself, this is what he came up with...

My favorite color is orange.

I like to work on our house.

I enjoy Geography matters and the challenge of quizzing.

I like to play piano and hope to learn more.

I enjoy cooking

I received the Holy Ghost at camp (July 6th, 2009).

To me he is so much more...