Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees

Yesterday we worked on a fun project, ice cream cone Christmas trees. I saw the idea on another website...but as usual, put my own spin on it. They are a nice alternative to building gingerbread houses. It's a very similar idea with decorating with candy, but not as difficult, especially for younger kids. I think they turned out really cute and Isaac and Grace had a great time working on them.

The set up: we had the cones, green frosting, and then a bunch of decorations (mini m&m's, sprinkles, red licorice lace, starburst star, marshmallow snowman, mini non-pareils, chocolate presents).

The were very excited to get started:

Ruthie enjoyed eating a green cone... this would have been a little too messy for her to try... but she had fun watching!

Hard at work:

Isaac's final project:

Mmm...

Gracie's finished product:

Yummy!

This is definitely a project I want to do with them again next year. It was a lot of fun and not a lot of work. :)

1st Snowman

We finally have enough snow (and good, packing snow) so the kids could make a snowman. With daddy's help they made a pretty nice one :)

Visit with Santa

We took the kids to visit Santa at the mall today. They were all so good and quickly climbed onto his lap. They each took turns telling him what they wanted. It is so fun to see Christmas through the eyes of our little ones.

Christmas Tree Decorating

We finally got to decorate our Christmas tree today. This is my favorite time of year and decorating the tree and house is at the top of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season. I love pulling out all the special decorations and taking our time unwrapping each ornament. Isaac, Gracie, and Ruthie all had a lot of fun putting ornaments on the tree. The finished product is always beautiful!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I'm in the midst of Turkey Day madness. I'm cooking the entire meal...which I didn't think was unusual until I started telling people. Many of my friends have never cooked a turkey! I've done our Thanksgiving meal since the 1st year Francis and I were married...and I love it. I'm sure I'll post pictures later...but for now here are my little ones from a couple of weeks ago! :)

Fall Fun

The kids had a lot of fun dressing up for different events this fall. They all love to play dress up, so we have lots of clothes to choose from. It was neat to see what they picked each time. Our first adventure was to the Zoo. Isaac was a race car driver, Grace was a bride, and Ruthie was an elephant. It's always so much fun to go to the zoo. Going in the fall is a much different experience then in the summer when we usually go, because it isn't as hot so the animals are much more active and engaging.

Our second fun night was held at the high school. Isaac went as a fire fighter, Gracie was a cheerleader, and Ruthie was a ballerina. They got candy, watched a movie, and had a snack. Isaac loved seeing the fire truck and ambulance that were outside the school :)

Finally, we took the kids trick or treating with some friends on Sunday night. They had such a great time despite the cold and snow that started to fall. We had Optimus Prime (a transformer), Little Mermaid, and of course... a Baby Ruth. :)

Coffee Break

Gracie and I always enjoy our coffee together after Isaac gets on the bus in the morning. It's become a special part of our morning routine... a special memory I want to remember in the coming years! :)

My Little Performer

Since the kids were babies we have always sang to them as part of their bedtime routine. Most of the songs are special just to them. One of the songs we have always sang with Gracie is Amazing Grace. Slowly she began to learn the words and sing along with us. A few weeks ago she said she wanted to sing it in church. I thought she might get nervous once she got up in front of everyone...but she did such a great job. I missed the 1st part of the song...but am glad I got what I did. The only way you can tell she is a little nervous is that she runs out of breath during it. :)

My favorite part: When she gets a big hug from her daddy at the end :)

Bad Blogger...

I'm not sure what is wrong with me and why I have such a hard time keeping this updated. I've missed putting up so many "important" and special events. I'm great at taking pictures and jotting quick notes down on our family calender when things happen...but I'm not so good at sitting down and sharing them. My free time is few and far between. In fact, it's taken me almost 5 hours to write the few sentences I have and edit the pictures to follow. *sigh* So, for tonight this is all I'll be writing. I hope it won't be as long until my next post. Thanks for checking in with us.

(Well I decided to just post this picture for now. The others I edited deserve a post/posts of their own...hopefully soon!)

Day of Hope

Happy 4th of July!!!

(I know I'm a bad blogger lately...but I'll try to be better!!! It's been a crazy couple of months, so I have lots to catch up on!!)

Show Me Your Space- Children's Ministry

Again today I am participating in Show Me Your Space over on the Girlfriends with a Purpose blog. This week we get to show off our Children's Ministry. I'm glad I took my camera over to the church last week...because this week our service was held outside at the Grandstand of our local festival. Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday!

This is where our children normally come each week. This room is for kids who are 4 years old to 3rd grade.

This is our nursery for newborns to 3 year olds.

The room "in use"... my 3 babies :)

So there it is...you can check out other submissions for this weeks Show Me Your Space here. :)

10 months...

Ruthie is 10 months old! We had quite the time getting her pic done...she is just so squirrely now and is in constent motion. But after 3 "photo sessions" we were able to get a few nice ones :)

See my TWO teeth???

Such a big girl...

6 years, 2 weeks, 6 days...

...is how long it took for my BABY boy to lose his first tooth. He was a little leary and unsure when it first came out. He didn't want to close his mouth or talk. Today he is much better...but he really sounds a lot different!

Here he is just a couple of minutes after it fell out.



And this is a picture of both of us...because we BOTH lost a tooth yesterday. :) Mine was pulled out at the dentist in the morning and he was toothless before bed.

Show Me Your Space- Worship Center

I follow a wonderful blog and am so excited to be participating in her Show Me Your Space. This week we get to show off our Worship Center... I guess I would call it our Sanctuary. Our church was formed in 1821 and has a long history. The santuary has burned to the ground on 2 separate occasions...the most recent time being in 1973. So, this is what the sancutary has looked like since it was rebuilt.

The view from up in the balcony:

The view from the foyer/entryway:

View from the pulpit:

So...there you have it. This is the first church Francis and I have served at. I know that we probably won't be here forever...just because it is the nature of the job we have. I know that this little church will always hold a special place in my heart! Head on over here and see other places people worship each week!