Neighborhood Owl

Look what we found sitting in a tree about 20 feet from our front door. He didn't seem to be concerned about the fact that we were staring at him and taking his picture. He must be used to it.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendor,
All for love's sake becamest poor.

Thou who are God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising,
Heav'n-ward by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Savior and King, we worship thee.
Frank Houghton, 1894-1972

Brothers

Joshua - 2006

Noah - 2010

The World Through Joshua's Eyes

Joshua loves to take pictures. He often asks for the camera, and it's fun to see what he comes up with. His shots are a little random sometimes, but they usually turn out great! Like the first picture below. It's a price tag and it's sideways. But the colors are amazing!


He gets some great candid shots.



And then there are the shots of the sisters who want their pictures taken but didn't bother to wipe the hot chocolate off of their mouths first. :)

7 Months

Picture Summary

I've been doing a lot of picture updates lately. Instead of blogging like a normal person, I wait a few weeks and then just post a bunch of pictures. Maybe after Christmas I'll be able to get back into real blogging again. :) For now, here are a bunch of pictures!

Noah is obsessed with pickup trucks. He asks multiple times a day to "go bye-bye Papa's truck". You can tell he is in his element here.

Joseph was excited about going to get the Christmas tree!

Drinking hot chocolate and hunting for the perfect tree


Decorating the Christmas tree is pretty exciting when you're 3 years old...


...or 5 or 6, or 30 or 31. :)

Hannah and Noah are "reading" the Bible to Joseph. Hannah has an Arabic Bible. :)


I think that Joseph is teething (and has been for about a month), though he has nothing to show for it yet. He's been generally fussy and spending lots of time attached to my hip or in the Ergo.
Abigail and Esther are constantly doting on Joseph. They're always asking to pick him up, hold him, feed him, change his diaper, etc. :) He usually loves it, though he looks a little fed up in this picture.

Hilarious!

I've definitely played my fair share of wrong notes, and the orchestral reductions for Handel's Messiah are difficult to play, but this is almost unbelievable!

Giveaway

There is a great giveaway going on over at The Muncks Quiver! Laura's daughters are very talented and have made some beautiful things. I think I would pick the large tote bag if I won, but all of the items are beautiful and I had a hard time deciding which one I would choose. Go here to enter yourself!

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our menu for the week. There are a lot more ideas and recipes here!

Monday - Moe's (I'm thankful for Moe Mondays on days like today! It was unusually busy, and I'm used to it being a quiet and productive at-home day. I had a wedding this afternoon. I had never heard of a wedding on a Monday before, but now I can say that I've played for one!)

Tuesday - Chicken Barley Chili (I will try to post the recipe later when I have more time)

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Chicken Sausage with Peppers and Basil

Friday - Lasagna, Salad, Bread

Saturday - Five Hour Stew (recipe to come later)

Sunday - Leftover Stew warmed in the crock pot (lunch); Sandwiches (dinner)