Day 3 - the Beach

Monday we took our time getting to the beach (that's a major understatement but only my sister and the GPS understand that whole story).  We spent the whole afternoon with sand between our toes.  I absolutely love the ocean, at least if the weather is warm.  Collecting seashells, marveling at the little creatures (like this man-o-war), watching the vastness of the horizon, the sound of the water and knowing I have nothing to do but to soak it in and relax.  Incredible!

As you can see, the older kids had a blast boogie boarding, despite the cold water.  Oh to be young and oblivious to such discomfort. :)  They loved every minute of it.

Boo may not need that same adrenaline rush but enjoyed the ocean in her own sepcial ways. 

Florida Vacation!!!

What a wonderful Christmas gift we received this year!  The kids and I hopped on a plane and were whisked down to Florida for 10 days of fun.  It's been so many years since we've flown anywhere that it was almost like a first time for the kids. Can you see the excitement just sitting on the plane? 

Not only were we met at the airport by my big sis but we were transported back to the beautiful home of a friend of hers where we were welcomed for the week.  So much nicer than a cold, impersonal hotel.  The next day we made our way to Sea World where we were entertained by amazing animals, the kids were soaked by Shamu and we got to feed and pet the dolphins and sting rays.  Lily found her adrenaline rush right away as she rode the Manta roller coaster over and over again with me. 

 

The next day we went to an African American church in Eatonville, FL.  What a neat opportunity to worship with believers who don't look like us (though Elijah enjoyed blending in), sing like us or dress like us (as we sheepishly realized how underdressed we really were).   That was followed by some fun rides at Universal Studios and a enthralling evening at The Blue Man Group.  I don't even know how to describe that but it was a one-of-a-kind show that left us amazed and in stitches.

 

 

 

We were off to quite a start!  Stay tuned for more fun....

Christmas Photos

 

This was Boo's first year to read the Christmas story for all of us.  Here she is reading out of Luke with her helpful big sis close by just in case.  It was precious and she did a great job.

Here is Goose with her new keyboard.  She's been working hard to learn chopsticks this week.  Below is Spiderman with his awesome remote control helicopter which --- has already broken down and become a project to dismantle and explore.

 

Here is Jaybird with his new airsoft guns.  He's been waiting to be able to shoot these with his brother (and their buddies) and they just had a big "battle" in the backyard today.  Good times. 

 

Below is Izzy with her prized camera, she's been taking so many photos (and videos) of all of us that we're on guard not to be caught in a strange situation.

 

Here are the kids all together in their new jammies on Christmas Eve.  Another year of special memories but no doubt many more to come.  We hope you had a very special Christmas!

 

Christmas Surprise

 

This was one special Christmas surprise.  Aunt Susie has been scheming for quite some time and 6 days before Christmas the kids were given this jigsaw puzzle to assemble.  They really weren't sure what to expect but as you can see by the next photo, there were plenty more clues to figure out.  The next day they saw the sun and were just confused.  Once they saw the suitcase, they immediately became convinced that we were going to Hawaii.  :)  The plane and beach clues only made them more certain and Goose told most of her friend we were going to Hawaii "sometime".  Then came the state of Florida on Christmas Eve.  They were so thrilled at the idea of flying on a plane, much less seeing the ocean on a warm beach.  Little did they know what Florida holds for them.....

 

Christmas Day they completed the last puzzle and opened up a schedule for their upcoming trip to..... (drum roll please).... Disneyworld, Seaworld, Universal Studios, and all that related jazz.  Now my big sis is known to spoil my kiddos but this is definitely beyond any realm of expectation that any of us would have imagined.  These are some very excited kids and no doubt I will have some exciting photos to post a bit further down the road.

THANKS AUNT SUSIE!!!!!
WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!

Christmas season

Well, in an effort to catch things up before the New Year, I'm going to post a bunch of photos, whether related or not. :)  Here you can see the kids proudly displaying their Gingerbread trees.  Below they are finishing up some reading before we could take our Christmas break (I love to see them all together like that). 

 

Here is my sweet baby.  She's the only one I can still "dress-up" for Christmas but I can tell my time is short.  Despite all my praise, she wasn't a big fan of this dress and leaving her comfort zone.

Boo's Birthday

 

I can't believe she is already nine!  If I'm honest, I still look at her and see a 6 year old and when I really think about the number 9, it's shocking.  Where has the time gone?  We celebrated as a family but also with a friend sleepover party, her first one.  They were a delightful group of girls throughout the evening and it was quite possibly the first time we didn't have to constantly nag kids at a party to be quiet and go to sleep! 

 

This year Boo has really blossomed.  She seems much less shy around others and is even willingly participating in the church Christmas play.  That is a first.  She has not only agreed to try basketball this year but is actually enjoying herself!  She still loves her art class but has learned to relax and not expect perfection from herself.  She's always ready and willing to help out around the house and loves to sit and chat, about anything.  One precious friendship that has really blossomed this year is between her and a 95 year old lady named "Miss Ester".  Often while we worked in Ester's garden, Boo would go in to visit with her on her own.  As she is still quite a momma's girl, this step of independence was a real surprise to me.  We all love Miss Ester but Boo shares something special with her.

 

I could go on and on but I won't.  Happy birthday to my sweet, funny and beautiful baby girl!  I love you!

 

Halloween

We had a very different Halloween this year.  Instead of the typical dressing up and going to a church party for candy and games, the kids felt too old for all of that.  As long as I was willing to buy candy :), they wanted to stay home for family fun.  We ended up inviting our Chinese students over to join us for dinner and a movie and had a great time.  I'm not sure if this is our new tradition yet but it was nice to do something at home this year.  Oh and on the way back to the dorms that night, we did take the girls to a friend's home so they could try their hand at "trick-or-treating".  It's fun to experience and discuss the differences in our two cultures and since we're studying China right now in our History, it's very educational as well!

 

In preparation for Halloween fun, Aunt Susie sent out a box with yummies for the family and some fun, festive snacks for the kids to make and share with their friends.  What would we do without Aunt Susie!?!  She spoils us.