Church Christmas Party!!

Well it is that time again of all the Christmas parties, fun family times, powerful thoughts and prayers, amazing hopes and dreams, etc...at least for a gushy ball like me! Tonight we had our church Christmas party, it was a blast! Santa came and gave all the kids a bag of candy and a stuffed animal. Kaleb just about jumped out of his skin when Santa walked through the door! He literally lit up like a Christmas tree! Cameron on the other hand tried climbing over my shoulder as I held her and walked towards him...Her screaming and crying rang through the church hallways!! hehe...But they both got candy and stuffed animals from him and despite Santa, Cameron loved her little teddy bear! Kaleb got a large poo bear! They had a really good time! We sang Christmas songs, read a story about the birth of Jesus Christ, and enjoyed each other's company. It was a great party! Here are some pictures!

Christmas Time is HERE!!

Yay! Our favorite time of the year is here - CHRISTMAS! We got together and decorated our house last night. It was a blast. The kids helped as well, they loved all the lights! Kaleb is talking about all the things he wants from Santa non stop, Cameron has no idea whats going on but likes the tree ornaments (or to take them and run rather)! Joe got us a classic christmas cd with all the best songs sung by folks like Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong! It is awesome! I love the christmas atmosphere, there is something magical about walking into a house full of christmas spirit. Christmas lights, yummy candles or scents, santa clauses, snow mans, everything just brightens the mood! Anywho, I am sure that there will be lots of opportunities to bring out the camera this December so I will keep this short and just throw up some pictures!! Once more - YAY FOR CHRISTMAS!!!

After all the wreaths, the tree, the lights, the ornaments...then we had some dinner - this is not usually a photographic moment - BUT I said "its time for prayer" and Cameron folded her arms and closed her eyes...soI had to jump up and find the camera and snap a picture - this is my littlest one getting ready for her prayer... Then after dinner - we all sat on the couch being silly...we played, jumped around, sang christmas carols, etc...It was a beautiful Sunday evening in the Whitney house. Church was great, the evening was great - and we made it to made early enough to be ready for Monday! GREAT!!!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

Last week we got our very first snow fall of the winter. It lasted about half a day, so I was unable to get out there in time to get the kids pictures in the snow! BUT - It snowed Satruday night and there was still enough to play today. So all three of us (Me, Kaleb, Cameron) dressed up in our snow gear (resembling large marshmellows!) and went out played in the snow. We made snow angels, we made "whitney family snowmen" (a daddy, mommy, big brother, and little sister snowman!) Then just had a good old fashioned snow ball fight - which consisted more of me running and Kaleb throwing!! Cameron really loved it. She would stomp through it, then stop, sit down, and shove her hands in it to her wrists! It was great watching both of them play and get a little bit more prepared for a long, cold, snowy winter!!

Here are some pics of our day today...

The Giving Tree

In light of Thanksgiving and service being the main subject of both primary and joy school this month, I thought I would share one of my all time favorite Shel Silverstein masterpieces! (Not that ALL of his work isn't amazing!)

THE GIVING TREE

Shel Silverstein

Once there was a giving tree who loved a little boy.

And everyday the boy would come to play

Swinging from the branches, sleeping in the shade

Laughing all the summer’s hours away.

And so they love,

Oh, the tree was happy.

Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon the boy grew older and one day he came and said,

"Can you give me some money, tree, to buy something I’ve found?"

"I have no money," said the tree,

"Just apples, twigs and leaves."

"But you can take my apples, boy,

and sell them in the town."

And so he did and

Oh, the tree was happy.

Oh, the tree was glad.

But soon again the boy came back and he said to the tree,

"I’m now a man and I must have a house that’s all my home."

"I can’t give you a house" he said,

"The forest is my house."

"But you may cut my branches off and build yourself a home"

And so he did.

Oh, the tree was happy.

Oh, the tree was glad.

And time went by and the boy came back with sadness in his eyes.

"My life has turned so cold," he says, "and I need sunny days."

"I’ve nothing but my trunk," he says, "But you can cut it down

And build yourself a boat and sail away.

"And so he did and

Oh, the tree was happy.

Oh, the tree was glad.

And after years the boy came back, both of them were old.

"I really cannot help you if you ask for another gift."

"I’m nothing but an old stump now.

I’m sorry but I’ve nothing more to give"

"I do not need very much now, just a quiet place to rest,"

The boy, he whispered, with a weary smile.

"Well", said the tree, "An old stump is still good for that."

"Come, boy", he said, "Sit down, sit down and rest a while."

And so he did and

Oh, the trees was happy.

Oh, the tree was glad.

Trick or Treat

This Halloween was fantastic. Joe and I had a great time taking our "kitties" out for a few hours, Kaleb was a tiger, Cameron was a kitty cat. They had a great time and were EXTREMELY excited to see the candy stashes they had when they were home!! We walked all around a great neighborhood. The kids loved to see all the decorations and costumes around them. Kaleb got a little scared about a few houses, but we talked him into realizing everything was just makeup and decorations! He did a great job, our big brave boy!

Joy School!!

Me and three other women from my branch do a pre school program called "Joy School". Each week one mom takes two days a week to teach two lessons from the curriculum. This week is my week! Yay! It is so much fun, we are in Chapter 3: Honesty and Candor. We read some stories about how lying can affect us and others, and how it doesn't make us feel very good. We learned about words to help us express how we feel (instead of the simple sad, mad, happy). Then we made a pumpkin head and each kid got to pick between a variety of noses, eyes, and mouths to tape a face onto a real pumpkin!!

Annika ChandlerAndrewKaleb (and Annika peeking in back there!!)Then each kid got a little pumpkin head guy to color and draw in the faces. They were asked to draw in a face that showed how they felt! They all did wonderful smiling faces! Then it was snack time, and in the spirit of Halloween, we made a cup of dirt and worms and ate it!! Mmm!! Of course everybody loves gummy worms, Oreo's, and chocolate pudding though! No matter what it looks like mixed together!! After snack time, and clean up time, we started our craft project. Next week we are having a Halloween party, so I decided my craft projects were going to be decorations for the party! The kids are a little angry with my that they didnt get to take them home with them yet, but after the party - I PROMISE you can have them!!

Annika making her dainty ghost!

Chandler's Cat!Kaleb's Bat!!Andrew's Bat!It is such a great and wonderful time spent to teach these kids. All of them excel in very different areas, have such different personalities, and are just great, unique kids. I think this will prove to be a great experience for each child (and parent), both educationally and emotionally! I cant wait until Thursday to do my next lesson!

Pumpkin Time!!

The other night while Joe was out fishing with my dad, me and the kids decided to go to the pumpkin patch. Grandma Smith, Aunt Katie and her friend Nick all came with us! We had so much fun! There was a "bagoon" (part badger, part racoon) that my sister was dying for me to see - as I slowly ease my way up to the cage, the ranch owner taps the cage and a large ball of fur comes flying through the top of the cage right at me!! Needless to say I screamed and grabbed the kids. Turns out that there is no such thing as a bagoon, ha-ha-ha, jokes on me!! But, it was funny once my heart started beating normal again! Then we walked all through the GIANT pumpkin patch, over to the small pumpkin patch - let the kids pick put one pumpkin each. We also got some homemade honey sticks (basically straws melted shut with honey in them) they are super good! They have regular honey, strawberry/honey, raspberry/honey, peach/honey, etc...and man they are addicting! Me and Kaleb had several of them! mmmmm! Anyhow, I did not have my camera with me, but I took some pictures with my phone...here they are!

Kaleb and Cameron

Cameron playing in hayKaleb in the hayCameron and her little sideways glare!Kaleb was trying to be patient while I took pictures!!Cameron had a blast! She found a small green pumpkin and chewed on it the whole time!Kaleb in the sea of pumpkins

Kaleb Got Bit By A Spider....

Kaleb woke up Thursday morning yelling at me "mom, my bone is sticking out of my leg and its hot?!!!" Of course I jump out of bed and run into his room...to find that he has a large lump (bigger than a golf ball, smaller than a baseball) on the side of his leg. It was really swollen and really hot. I gave him some benadryl and tried to contact a nurse! By 4:30 I still had not heard from a nurse, but his bite started getting little water blisters all over it? I sort of freaked out and called Elizabeth, I told her everything that had happened....luckily, there were no "red flags" about the bite and we were told to just watch it...

Well, it is now Sunday and it looks great. It hasnt been hot since the first day, and the swelling went down altogether...it looks great and he is great! YAY!!

The picture I have isnt that great, but it does show the red spot as well as the blisters!!

Black Mail..

You know all those times your parents said "You just wait"....well, it all boiled down to one defining moment for Joe and I - POOP....

Kaleb woke up about three weeks ago complaining that his room stunk. So of course we flick the light on to find this....

I am not going to lie, it was a disgusting mess! I had to take a picture of course, so you could all share in my self pity!! But, we managed to get her up, bathed, bed changed, all in a short matter of time and while not making her too angry at us. I am pretty sure she was content sleeping right where she was! What a little terd!!

Pool Accident :(

Our favorite Grandpa and Grandma Whitney were up visiting from Ohio last month and they happened to get a hotel with a pool! YAY!!! We spent a few days playing in the water, splashing, and spending good, quality time with them! We really wish they lived closer, the kids really love being around them and are always so sad to learn that they are gone. They dont quite get good byes yet, so it takes them a sad day or two to realize that they are father away now then they were when they were visiting! (Got all that?! hehe)

Anywho, while on our visit to the pool we were all enjoying ourselves (Will, April, Grandpa and Grandma Whitney, Me, Kaleb, and Cameron) when all of the sudden Kaleb steps out of the pool to sit down. He makes it about two steps (he was even walking) and hit a slick spot. His feet shot backwards out from under him and he landed face first on his cheek and chin. Amazingly he cried for about 30 seconds, as soon as I mentioned it was time to go, he was like "no, mom, I'm ok, I dont want to go!!!" So he got a few more minutes of play time, then we finally had to say fairwell to the pool! Despite his little accident, we had a great time swimming! We cant wait until Grandpa and Grandma Whitney can make it back this way!! We love you guys!!

Here are some pics of Kaleb's boo boo...