A Mountain of Fun

During the week of Thanksgiving we loaded up the Suburban (and new rack) with loads of clothes and food and took off for the Smokey Mountains. We had such a memorable week, celebrating Thanksgiving with our family members from Mobile, AL. We started the week off in Ober Gatlinburg enjoying some ice-skating (we took a pass), black bears, ski-lifts, and the alpine slide. Even little Alden enjoyed the fast toboggan-like slide down the side of the mountain. We enjoyed food from the Apple Barn Restaurant to top off the day. We made two trips to Cades Cove National Park where the kids enjoyed "driving" the vehicle and visiting cabins and old churches. Of course, we paid Ol' Dolly a visit at the Dixie Stampede (William's favorite) and even went horse-back riding on Thanksgiving Day. Brave Caroline rode a horse all by herself up and down a mountain. We did a little outlet shopping on Black Friday to top off our trip. We had such a great time and family memories were made that will never be forgotten.

Happy Birthday Dous

While my parents were visiting we decided to do something we rarely can do with them - celebrate birthdays. We planned a last minute party to celebrate the girls' birthdays at Chuckie Cheese and invited some friends from church. Everyone had a great time, especially Jason. The men enjoyed a little basketball competition (if there is such a thing). A special thanks to all that came and made that evening a special night in our little girls' lives.

Washington D.C.

With 5 young children it is a rare thing for Jason and I to ever go on a trip by ourselves. However, my brave parents came for a visit and graciously watched our children while we enjoyed ourselves in our nation's Capital. The main purpose of the trip was to visit Capital Hill Baptist Church, pastored by Dr. Mark Dever. It was a great time spiritually where we could sit and reflect at the strengths this church family possessed and how we could grow from what we see them do in great strides.

Jason & I also did some sight-seeing accompanying by lots of walking, picture taking, purchasing souvenirs, and checking in on the kids. Through friendships at the church we were very thankful for our private tours of the Capital, West Wing, Eisenhower Building, Supreme Court, and Library of Congress (yes we were in the reading room).

Pretty Pumpkins

Here are some cute pictures of the kids in front of the house decorated with pumpkins and mums. Jason and Anne-Marie went and picked out the fall decor. Anne-Marie has really gotten into watering the mums for Karen. Denise (family friend) came over one night to watch the kids and they carved the pumpkin. Only Caroline liked digging the "guts" of the pumpkin out - surprise, surprise! Of course, it is nearly impossible to get a picture good of all five kids at one time, so here are a few of the best taken.

Fall Fun at the Farm

On Saturday members of our Sunday School class all meet at Huber's Farm for a fun day of play and food. The kids had a great time! Of course, like always, we overdosed on fried rolls and apple butter in the restaurant. Alden picked up two, one for each hand, and enjoyed every bite alternating left and right hands for mouthful bites of yummy bread. William absolutely loves the barn. He and another boy got into a "hay throwing" competition. We had to strip him down in the garage because of all the hay inside his clothing. Caroline and Anne-Marie's highlight of the trip was the pony ride. It really wasn't something that special, but to them it was wonderful. The trips to Blackacre have really helped the kids warm up to the animals, especially the goats.

First Smiles

Each time one of the newborns give their first smiles it is always exciting. Elizabeth, now 3 months old, is regularly giving sweet grins and happy smiles to everyone that looks at her. She is an absolute delight. All the kids love taking care of her and holding her. These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago.

The Puzzle-Maker

Caroline certainly has probably "changed" the most of all our kids. Preschool has been so good for her. Apparently she loves to make all the kids laugh. When dropping her off, you can hear the kids' little voices whisper, "Caroline is here." Followed by Caroline opening up her long arms and responding, "I'm hear every body." We have had a few episodes of discipline. Mom was shocked one afternoon to learn she spent the afternoon in the Principal's office. We think she has a good understanding now of what is expected of her. One of the funniest things about Caroline is her "sense of style." She models her fashion after Punky Brewster. I don't know where she learned to "roll" her knee socks, but she loves it. Karen will drop her off for school with the socks tall at the knee and pick her up with them rolled down to the ankle bone. Karen has made her promise she will never do it again. Caroline could possibly be our tallest child. She has almost caught up in height with Anne-Marie and wears a size 1 shoe (remember she is only 4). She continues to be the source of laughter in the household. Her newest title is "puzzle-maker." It really is amazing how quickly she can put together a 200 piece puzzle all by herself. She has matured so much and is excited about life, liberty, and the pursuit of laughter.

No, Not Yet...

No, the little guy still isn't walking. He really doesn't have any desire. He now is 14 months old and can cruise the house at about 7 mph. He is pretty much on all table food even with only having his front teeth and seems to have no trouble at all. Unfortunately, he is still attached to the stinky yellow blanket. I swear, he is Linus from Peanuts. The blanket gets washed pretty much every day, but he crams as much of it as possible in his mouth to sleep thus it smells like the inside of his mouth. Two blankets have been bought. One blanket was purchased off Ebay and is the exact blanket, but he still won't have anything to do with either of them. We are doomed if the blanket is ever lost. He is learning sign-language. Surprise, surprise, his favorite sign is "more."

Watch Out World - Here Comes William

Karen feels as though she is always leaning something new when it comes to rearing boys. William doesn't cut her much slack either. Coming from all girls, Karen didn't grow up with critters, wrestling, and heaven forbid dirty clothes. William definitely keeps mom and his older sisters on their toes. Karen has learned a few lessons from this little one. The first and foremost lesson is when cleaning his clothes ALWAYS feel the pockets of his shorts from the OUTSIDE before sticking the hand inside the pocket. [I will save the readers with weak stomachs all that has been pulled out.] One of his biggest delights is going to preschool. He absolutely loves playing with other boys. The teacher doesn't bother filling out an accident report anymore. I think she has learned that is going to be an everyday experience with him. He usually has at least 2 band aids on his body at one time during each day. Since school takes in at 7:45 am, mom usually lays out every one's clothes the night before to make the mornings run as smoothly as possible. We are so blessed to get "hand-me downs" from the cousins in Alabama. William has a favorite outfit: camouflage shorts with an orange football t-shirt (you will see it in previous blog pictures if you look). Usually some time after mom and dad go to bed, William sneaks out of bed and exchanges the clothes his mom picked out for his favorite outfit. Surprisingly, he even puts up the outfit his mom desired for him to wear back in his drawers. Usually, he is understanding when he doesn't get to wear it, but it is still a laugh in the early morning hours. I commented that we probably got our last big picture of Anne-Marie with her baby teeth. We are very glad William still has his teeth! (Though we have swollen mouths and had to made dentist calls).