a little put-put

We had some friends with us today and decided to take the kids put-putting (miniature golf). It was a first for my kids, and they kept calling it it "pot-pot." We went to Hazzards in Huber Heights, where they have a nice 18-hole course. The funniest part was when Claire figured out the point of the game was to get the ball in the hole at the end of the green, so she would pick up her ball and run to the end, place it 3 inches from the hole and hit it in. "I did it!" She was so excited each time. Frederick was the only one to get a hole-in-one. Elauna actually had pretty good form: golf might be her sport.

With the friends.

Hazzards put-put course.

Getting tips from Dad.

Frederick working on a shot.

This is how close she would stand for her shot!

My little golfer.

In the event you are interested in miniature golf, check out Hazzards in Huber Heights.
www.hazzardsminigolf.com
6240 Brandt Pike
Dayton, Ohio
937.233.4706
They are located right next to the bowling lanes.

for my handsome hubby...

Jeremy and I were in Cincinnati for a homeschool convention this past weekend, and it happened to fall over his birthday. He is so good about making time to go to this event even though sitting through talks/lectures is not his highlight.....though talking with Todd Wilson always brings smiles. He was a good sport about everything and very supportive. He treated me to dinner at my favorite restaurant downtown: Rockbottom Brewery. We stayed downtown near the convention center at the Hyatt, and walked everywhere all weekend. I love visiting the city, but my heart is definitely a country girl.

What to get a guy for his birthday? On the opening week of his favorite baseball team? Whose stadium is a couple blocks from the hotel? Hmmm??? Tough one! :-) You guessed it: I bought him tickets to the Reds game, 3rd row from the field next to the Reds dugout. He was stoked! He looked like a little kid who got locked in a candy store overnight. The game was amazing with 8 home runs, two of which were back-to-back pitches, and the Reds won 15-0. Jeremy lost his voice from cheering so much. I don't think I will ever see a game quite like that one again. It just never was boring. I was able to get some really neat pictures of the team because we were so close. These are just a few:

birthday boy

great american ball park

Joey Votto (19) and Jay Bruce (32)

Chris Heisey (28) and Zack Cozart (2)

Todd Frazier (21)

Brandon Phillips (4)

game summary: we whooped 'em!

Votto and Bruce

Reds dugout

first base coach Billy Hatcher (22) with Phillips

some good pitching

Votto at work

Hatcher with pitcher Manny Parra on first

Shin-Soo Choo (17) with young fans

yes we did!

newport aquarium

A group of us from church went to the Newport Aquarium this past Saturday for the faith day. It was such fun and the kids didn't seem to mind the other 10,000 people there.

Tiger fish - I loved the way this fish looked.

jellyfish

the boys watching the shark demonstration

alligator

Miss O and her dad

Miss A and her mommy

The kids had great fun trying to weigh as much as a great white.

Claire and the penguins

half the gang on the way out

little kiddos having fun

more of the kids playing on the penguins

crazy bowl

Our dear friend Foster invited us to come watch him and some friends play "crazy bowl" at the bowling alley. It really was quite fun to watch. The rules are unconventional and the scoring is as crazy as the gimmicks required during the game. We had some family friends spending the night with our kids, so we were out on the town with five kids who thought it was great fun to eat at Skyline Chili and watch "old people" bowl. (Sorry Foster, you're not old).  The best bowl was when Foster was supposed to knock down only the 10 pin. Up in the air he went, landed flat on his back and never saw that he made a strike. Thankfully, he was OK! That was surely an impressive way to bowl.

Foster bowling backwards under the legs

the gang at the bowling alley

Foster and his fan club

with friend A

13 for Christmas

Christmas is a very favorite time of year for me because there are so many things you can do for other people, and with other people. It is giving at its best, and it should be love at its finest. My friend Olivia posted on her blog about Christmas Throwback, and it started me thinking about all that I love during Christmastime. So here is a fun compilation of things to do.....and things I have enjoyed at Christmas.

 

 

1 - Put up the Christmas tree. If you do it right, it should take all day. I use an artificial tree because I love nature and I don't want to cut down a tree....say I'm "going green" by saving a tree. :-) I made my own Pandora channel of Micheal Buble holiday mix. Turn it up loud and dance with the kids while decking out the tree. It's OK if they don't do it right.....what's right anyway? (Found my tree for $5 at a garage sale...score!) White lights, red and white wood beads, red ribbon and ornaments, and vintage candle holders. My dad bought me my angel on top - she looks vintage too.

2 - Watch White Christmas. It is a classic by Irving Berlin, and stars Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. I love how it shows people willing to put aside their holiday plans to help someone else and show them how much they are appreciated. Post WWII-era setting.

3 - Go to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. One of my favorite people attends this concert every year. It really is an amazing concert: the piro is great, the music is AMAZING, and it has a good "story" with the show.

4 - Story time with Kids. Read the Christmas story to your children while setting up the nativity scene. They talk about Jesus and His birth all through the season, and the wise men get moved all over the house. (Maybe they are trying to make the nativity more correct.) Frederick puts them all the in barn together so they can all see Jesus at once. Matthew 1-2; Luke 2

5 - See Christmas lights. If you like a destination, the Columbus Zoo has a great light show they call Wildlights. Our friends Toni and Marlen took us a few years back and it has more lights than I could imagine in any one location. Opens at 10AM (though I don't know why you would go during the day) and shows until January 1. We also look for Christmas lights while driving in the car because it is a great diversion when the oldest two in the back seat can't leave each other alone. Competition as to who can find the most lights first seems to quench the fussiness.

6 - Send a WorldVision Child a Christmas Present. There are so many creative things you can fit in an envelope and send to a child for Christmas. WorldVision does an excellent job of fighting poverty and injustice all the while bringing Jesus to children all the world over. You can sponsor a child or send a gift from their gift catalog. Here is a great gift idea: Thai bracelet for supporting this amazing ministry. Better yet, give the gift of life to a child! Sponsor: you won't regret it!

7 - Make Christmas treats to share. My mom does this every year and she takes plates of cookies and candies to share with their neighbors. I always enjoyed arranging everything on the plate to look nice. Jeremy's family would also make caramels, peanut butter balls, and pretzel turtles. As with all gift-giving, make sure nothing needs to be returned.

• Pretzel turtles recipe: melt caramel block, adding a little Eagle brand milk. Dip short pretzel rods into caramel, then into diced pecans. Let harden, then dip into melted chocolate.

8 - Thank a soldier / veteran. If you are out shopping and see a soldier or a veteran (the uniforms or hats will help identify), thank them for serving. It is a small gesture of appreciation, so small compared to what they give to us. If you know a soldier who is not home for Christmas, send him/her a card and/or send a care package to their families. It is hard to be alone at Christmas.

9 - Support a single mom. We have a gentleman at our church who has a Christmas ministry of supporting single moms and their children. This is a great way to teach children that Christmas is about giving to others, and that shopping does not have to be centered around them. Let children choose presents for other children, as nice as something they would like to receive for themselves. It is humbling to watch the generosity of children!

10 - Operation Christmas Child. Another great ministry is Operation Christmas Child - if you missed sending a package in November, you can stock up for next year. Again, we love to go to the Dollar Tree and get essentials and fun stuff to send to a child. My kids thought this was so fun and they wanted to help wrap the present too. Each child was able to send a box - so fun.

11 - Wrap presents. I LOVE to wrap presents....a little crazy, I know. Don't bag....how boring! (OK, in a pinch it will work.) How fun is it to start with a plain ol' box, take some cute paper, wrap it nice, then top it with a ribbon?! Here are my colors this year:

12 - Christmas Eve pizza. I adopted this tradition after Jeremy and I were married. His family would get together on Christmas Eve and they would make homemade pizza with the whole family around. They would eat their homemade pizza with frozen applesauce on top!  OK, I didn't adopt all of it....my applesauce gets eaten separate, but it is a tradition. My family opens one present on Christmas Eve, so we have merged traditions and have a fun time!

13 - Christmas Day meal. I love my mom's Christmas meal....maybe because the whole family is sitting around the table, and there - together - is one of the best presents I could receive. It is more than the food, it is fellowship. And don't forget the egg nog and custard pie.

Give LOVE. It truly is Christmas, when God - who is love - came to earth as a child, to bring us his love, to die upon the cross, to forgive us our sins. There is no greater love than to give one's life for one's friend. God has called us friend, and we call him Saviour. Share his love with someone this Christmas.

Give. Bless. Love.

party like a princess

My daughters were invited to a princess party recently celebrating the birthday of their friend "A." Elauna was so excited to go; she tried on her princess dress 3 or 4 times that week just in anticipation of spending the day with her friend. When we arrived to "A"s house, we were welcomed by her mother "Miss L" who had decorated the house so nicely for the party. She had planned the most lovely party for all the girls invited, and the moms sure enjoyed watching their daughters play. Little girls in cute dresses with their hair done up.

 

 "Miss L" had set up a photoshoot area with a pink linen backdrop and a white lace overlay, and balloons dangling around - very cute. There were tubs of dress-up clothes and a full length mirror. There were so many fun things for the girls, but I want to share why I was so impressed with this party.  "Miss L" gave her daughter something much nicer than just a princess party, and she let her sweet spirit shine through. She gathered the girls around to share a princess story, and she told them they are true princesses, because God in Heaven is their father. She told them he loves each little princess there very much.

 

When it was time to eat, she asked the little princesses to join her in the kitchen to help serve the meal to the mothers and grandmothers. Each girl was given a task, and each did it with a smile. It really was a delight. After the meal, the girls gathered round to watch "A" open her gifts and were delighted with her joy. "Miss L" then had them sit around the table to decorate cookies. They could decorate one cookie for themself and at least one to give to someone else. Through their creativity, they were learning to share and make something beautiful for another person. Elauna made her cookies to give away for her Papa and Mimi.

The love of the Father, a servants heart, sharing with others.
These are the things every true princess should know! Thank you "Miss L" and happy birthday "A"!

the beach [2012]

The beach is always a place of quiet mystery for me. We were able to go with my whole family this year and it was such a wonderful time. I especially enjoyed waking before the sun came up and heading to the beach for a morning walk and time of prayer.

The first morning I felt the Lord just ask me to listen. The waves crashing. The water creeping up the beach. Footsteps of people walking. Seagulls calling to one another. The wind in the grass. Laughter of children. There is something deeply profound about observing the beauty of His creation. From James... be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

My mother loved finding the Coquina shells (they look like tiny angel wings) and they washed up in pairs on our shore. (We don't collect shells that are alive). One day as the tide was going out, we saw hundreds of them wiggling their way back into the sand after the water had washed over them. They would bury themselves back into the sand so quickly that we would stand there after each wave and match in amazement.  How did they know to do this?

Another morning there was a cloud line to the east and I was able to watch as the sun came up. It was the most beautiful sunrise! I just waited in anticipation because each passing moment was more beautiful than the last. From Psalm 73... but as for me, it is good to be near God.