Happy Thanksgiving

We have a houseful of very thankful kids, and over 40 construction paper cut-out hands listing the many, many things everyone if thankful for. Here is one of Peter's class projects this year; I think I like it because it isn't made out of hands.

He is thankful for brothers, sisters, Earth, God, family, schools, house, being nice, clean water, and Mom and Dad.....I am thankful, too.

The Best of Both Worlds

Happy Birthday, Patricia

She had a little "Hannah Montana" party with her siblings and her friends. David is a big fan and he did a bit of singin' and dancin'

The best of both worlds -- friends and family :>


Here's a picture of Patricia with Lorraine

















and with some friends

cooling off

...at the local splash pad at the mall (how convenient is that?)

Sorta Camping

Fun...fun....fun

I don't know if you get to call it camping when you watch Hannah Montana on the tube before tucking in.

And any cooking is done in the kitchen rather than a campfire.

But there really is nothing like a night of backyard camping....complete with a morning cup of hot chocolate with biscotti.

When did Lammie grow up?

I know that kids "grow up fast," and I think I'm okay with that and getting used to it. But occasionally they surprise me. David (he's 3 - the youngest in this crazy house), is life-long friends with a fuzzy and much loved stuffed animal that we all call his Lammie (it's a lamb -- see the picture).

Of all the kids, he is the only one that has always been attached to just one special guy. Virginia and Lorraine sleep with an army of animals, Patricia an occasional one, Peter maybe with a monkey or Winnie the Pooh. But, David...man if we don't know where Lammie is at bedtime, we all go on a manhunt, searching under beds, behind couches, in the bathtub, under the table, anywhere and everywhere until he is found. When the two are re-united, David will happily holler, "Lammie!" with great joy. As he falls asleep (or even when he needs a little extra comfort) he snuggles up to his Lammie just so adorably.

So, why blog about Lammie now? For the last couple days, when he can't find him, David asks, "Where's my sheep?" I'm all for helping find him, but I just wanna know -- so exactly when did Lammie grow up and become a sheep?

What we did last summer

I just came across some photos from last summer...I'm kinda sick of winter, so it was fun looking at these shots from warmer days.

Reading in the tree house















Storming the capitol building...















Patricia's birthday party















Enjoying Waupaca with cousins
















Hiking in Devil's Lake















bike races in the Bay















playing with Gabriele at Evan and Grant's house in Appleton















Playing in the sprinkler















and eating lollipops :>

Book Review by Patricia

and here is another great review-

I read the book Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. The main idea of the story is to tell a story about a pig named Wilbur. Wilbur was the runt and was going to be killed but Fern rescued him and named him Wilbur. One day Fern's dad said "it's about time that pig sleeps outside!" Finally it was time to send Wilbur to Uncle Zukerman. Then he meets a spider named Charlotte who promises to save his life. Will Charlotte save his life or not? Read this book to find out!!!

Book Review by Virginia

Thanks, Virginia for this great book review:

I read the book Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Ella had a gift. Well it turned out as a curse. She got the gift of obedience. She had to obey anything she was told. If someone said, "go to your room," she would. If someone said, "I want you to go to your room," she didn't have to! Think about obeying. If you always did what you were told, wouldn't you be sad? If someone found out they would order you to give them all your money. Poor Ella, I wish she didn't have the curse. Will she break the curse, or learn to live with it? Read the book and you will know!

Snow Day

Yippee!
Forecasts here are for 14-18 inches. I don't believe them.

So, they all just now got outside (proof above), and in less than one minute -- no joke ONE MINUTE -- one of them is already back in the house.

Enjoy