Neighbors

We have the best neighbors ever!!  (Which makes that "for sale" sign out in our yard a little difficult to look at!)  Our sweet neighbor across the street, Judy, is battling cancer right now.  Daryl went over and there and told her that he and my Dad were going to rake her leaves for her.  She is such a sweet lady but very independent so it was hard for her to accept help (she was going to pay a company to do it).  She had tears in her eyes and gave Daryl a big hug.  I was inside with the kids and when I peeked out the front window to see how things were going, I saw that all of the neighbors were there - Jason, Richard, and Mike.  I love that!  That is what community is all about. :)

Hide-and-go-seek in the curtains!

Matching Clothes!!

iphone photo dump

Karys in her new stroller - kind of an impulse purchase from Kalamazoo Trade and Sell - but I love it!
11/7

It was a nice day outside so we got some fresh air.  Samuel and Aliyah made some awesome wood creations too!
11/7

Snuggles with my baby girl
11/9

Karys stole Aunt Anna's headband ;)
11/11

Samuel hit his head on the play kitchen downstairs when he was playing basketball with his Daddy.  We debated about taking him to ER but decided no.  We made the right decision, especially considering that Samuel was in absolutely panic mode about needing to go to the ER.  He calmed down quickly after we told him we wouldn't be going.
11/11

Samuel came up with this idea all by himself.  I know some schools have kids sit on big balls because it helps their concentration - I think it actually helped Samuel too!
11/14

Not a big fan of baby food . . . or yogurt.
11/14

This is what happens when you have a big brother in the house!
11/14

Hope loves playing with Karys
11/14

Hope made a "giant" in her quiet time today :)
11/14

A (Very Sweet) Happy Girl!

Coloring!

I love that my kids are finally starting to love to color!  They all do such a great job!  I am amazed at how well Aliyah stays in the lines.  She is so careful and particular!  Samuel can do a really good job if he takes his time but often he colors with all one color really quickly. :)  Hope also does a great job (for some reason I don't have any pictures of her today) - she loves to color with lots of different colors and make multi-colored pictures. It makes for a bright and beautiful picture! 

Duplos and Baby Jesus

The girls made a duplo creation tonight with Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus along with some wise men and shepherds.  Joseph was riding an elephant and Mary was riding a dinosaur . . . but it sure was cute and creative!  From there, it turned into Hope re-enacting a lot of the story of Jesus' life on earth complete with phrases like "then He went to the garden to pray . . . " and "the disciples were together in a locked room when suddenly Jesus appeared".  The memory that Hope has for Bible stories, catechism answers, and prayers and songs absolutely amazes me.  They also made a cross out of duplos and I heard many sound affects as they were nailing Jesus to the cross.  They had 3 nails and Hope reminded me that the soldiers weren't nice to Jesus at all. I wish that I could have heard more of her acting it out but if she knows we are watching/listening she will get embarrassed and stop playing.  I also wish I would have gotten a picture of the whole set-up but by the time I got around to it, most of it was taken apart. I just love how Hope has such a heart for Bible stories and Jesus.  It makes this Mommy's heart happy!