"Go West Young....Family."

Well, we had the exciting privilege of visiting with some very special family this year at Christmas. This trip is always a pleasant one. However, this year, the occasion was particularly noteworthy. Alvin, Gwen, and Sage were able to come in from Colorado and join the festivities. This would mean that Jordyn would meet her Aunt Sage "Pi", "Papa" Alvin, and Gwen for the first time. She would also get to see her Auntie Kerry, Barbara, and "H" again. You can imagine our excitement in the prospect of getting these two little girls together, Jordyn and Sage. The results were not disappointing. Here are some of those moments.



Bon Appetit!

Puzzle Mania!

Can't start em' too young.

1 down, 3 to go.

So many gifts, so little time.

Merry Christmas, Jordyn!

A quick break to enjoy the lute.

Gotta love the blocks.

Sage tries to teach Jordyn.

Instant pals.

There is no celebration without books.

In the end, the trip was thoroughly filled with safety, love, and family. The mercies that we receive on a daily basis are beyond our ability to fully perceive. However, the special mercies that we receive in the form of family, though perceived well, are simply too wonderful to be fully understood or appreciated. We have much to be thankful for, and we have felt its weight this Christmas.

Soli Deo Gloria

A&C

Merry Christmas!

 

Top Left: Keven, Eric, Aaron. Middle Left: Ron, Crystal, Jordyn, Alvin, Wes, Holly, Charley. Lower Left: Chris, Joy, Cindy. Bottom: Mamaw.

Photographer: Angela.

...and a Happy New Year from all of us!

WISHLIST!!!

UPDATED CHRISTMAS WISHLIST!!!

JUST CLICK ON THE BLUE LINKS BELOW!

BOOKS!
Amazon is a great place
to get books cheap, just click
on USED and you get them for pennies!

Hands-On Bible
Uh-Oh! I'm Sorry
Please and Thank You
Bear in Underwear
Run, Mouse Run!
Thats Not My.... Books
Mouse Paint
Old Hat New Hat
Pat the Bunny
When the Elephant Walks
Five Little Freckled Frogs


TOYS/GAMES! 
Mega Blocks Building Set
Fishing Letters Game
Playdough Set
Pop for Counting Game
Straws and Connectors
Stacking Pegs Building Set
Stacking Toy
Pegboard Set ABCs
Bead Sequencing Set
Candy Construction Set


Curriculum for Homeschooling!
Slow and Steady Get Me Ready
Explode The Code Curriculum (cheap)
I can read it!
A Reason for Handwriting (scripture based)
Visible Timer for Homeschooling
Kumon workbooks (we have the cutting one)
Singapore Math Essentials
Seeds Family Worship CDs (we have volume 5 already)
Beginnning Geography
Writing a Super Sentence
Sticker USA
First Reader Books
Science K

Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Well, winter finally decided to act like winter, in a big way. State-wide power outages, inches of snow and ice, impossible traveling conditions, and four days of isolation will make for some wonderful family time. The Lord is so very kind to His children. Not only did He sustain us, but also gave us deep, lasting joy and allowed us to selflessly serve others. How good He truly is! Here are some of those moments.

Pre-Storm Jordyn.



A slightly more bundled, post-storm Jordyn.

Fun with Dada!

You laughing at my hat??

Caught ya!

Since becoming a parent, it has not ceased to amaze me how much more clearly I understand the gospel than before. Without children you can only theorize the love of a parent for their child. However, afterwards, the gospel is preached in your own living room more effectually than the words of any preacher.

 

"God thank you for the blessing that is parenthood, for I see its effect in drawing me unto Yourself."

 

A&C

And It Was All Yellow...

Our new theme is Yellow! With everything from hair bows to magnetic letters, there is tons of yellow fun in this Tot Shelf. On the plus side, she loves the corn kernels and the yellow spheres from a geometric shape set. However, she thinks everything is Blue and she found out the hard way that the shelf has some sharp edges. Altogether, we look forward to playing with our "Yellow toys".

Tot Shelf



Instant Favorites!

Happy Face!

Working on her sticker book.



Who doesn't love a good sticker book?

Where is it?

There it is!

Jordyn in action!

Early reader, haha.

A&C





We Got The Blues!!

 

This week, we started early Tot-School. Our theme is the color blue. This "Tot Shelf" is the first in a series designed to encourage Jordyn to recognize blue when she sees it, and say the word "blue" (boo). The preparation: collect household items/toys that are primarily blue and lumping them together in the arrangement below. The activities for Jordyn: fine motor, transferring items between containers, scooping, pretend play, an "I Spy" bottle, and tons of blue fun.



 

Tot Shelf.



Another look at the Tot shelf.

Gems, cups, and flashcards are separated for monitored play only.

She seems to like it!

She loves transferring these gems.

Fishy fun book!



We will eventually visit everyone of the primary and secondary colors with this Tot shelf idea. (Red, Green, Blue, Orange, Yellow, and Purple). This will require a lot of colorful "things". If you have anything laying around the house that could be used in a Tot shelf, we would love to use it. Your junk could make an awesome learning opportunity for Jordyn. Thanks!

Here are the results of day 1.

Funny Face!

We went on an expedition to find facial features today. Some were more elusive than others. Here is all that we found.

We started by finding our TONGUE!

We then spotted our EYES!

We could only locate one EAR, but suspected the other to be near by.

We even found our HAIR!

This is where things got interesting...

A NOSE!!

(Giggles)



(Giggling continues...)

All in all, it was a very interesting day. Children really are the biggest blessing. Their joy really is our joy. God has chosen the most precious ways to show us His love.

A&C

 

Tulsa Zoo!

 

 

We took a trip to the Tulsa Zoo to visit some of Jordyn's favorite animals. She liked the meerkats, the sea lion show, and the petting zoo. However, her favorite exhibit was the gift shop where we purchased our own fuzzy leopard. You can see the results of four hours worth of zoo gazing...

 

The kitty says..."mow, mow"

 

A&C

 



Pumpkin Patch 2013!

We had some fun at the Pumpkin Patch in Greenwood. Fall is our favorite time of year!

A&C