Thank the Lord!!

 All I have to say is “Thank the Lord” for digital camera’s!! Trying to get “1” good picture this year for our Christmas cards was worse than getting a root canal. It was dark outside not letting enough light in from the outdoors, the lights in the house made the kids orange, and the tree lights gave a ‘special’ fire type glow! I give/gave up….picked 3 out of the terrible options and by far have created the worst family cards in my opinion in 6 years. O’well the message is still the same “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” and “Many warm blessings for a happy 2012”!!

 Hope you enjoy the laughs….the blurry pics

 


 Ugh, Another one bites the dust!

 Cheese!

 She was soooo patient!!

 Are we done yet?

 Ahhhh, too much light!

 Getting old….

 Not bad 🙂

 Duh?!?

 The squeeze of death…

 Hey, lets see how many ornaments I can take off?

 


 
So close but sooo far!!

 Another…Cheese!!

 Really, Mom, just stop already!!

 This one would have been cute..minus the blur and the light

 I told her big eyes…no squinting…this is what I got..LOL

 Serious face?

My Lord, I hope you all enjoyed this because…I personally wanted to cry and I’m sure my kids did too! Thank you God I didn’t have to print them all to view them 🙂

Train Up A Child – 5 Reasons Kids Should Help With Family Chores

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

5 Reasons Kids Should Help With Family Chores

  1. they gain a great deal of confidence and sense of accomplishment
  2. they feel “a part” of something
  3. it helps prepare them for their future
  4. they will have a greater respect for the “things” and people in their lives
  5. it helps reduce your work load – less time spent doing chores means more time to spend with those who matter most – our family!


Check it out – Pumpkin just folded two loads of laundry..(you rock baby girl)!

 

Among the many things we teach our children…keeping “house” is one of my favorites. It may not be done the way I would have done it but it gets done!

Kids love to help- when we let them.

They learn the importance of teamwork, respect of ones belongings, and simultaneously learn time management.

Yes, all while cleaning!

 

 

K.Bear enjoys most anything to do with water (washing windows, starting the laundry, dishes, and floors) all of which require supervision. That is unless huge piles of water does not stress you out?!

Although, she has found a love for the vacuum. Unfortunately, she is so tiny and it is so big the front of the vacuum does not lay flat on the floor to ‘suck‘ up the dust bunnies; the effort is there though.
 
My little man works like the best of them too!! A dusting/swiffering machine. He’s fast, he’s cute, he’s tiny….he is all smiles when helping mommy and doing chores like the big kids!

Random Tot School/Preschool

Amazing, December is here….and the Christmas hustle and bustle is well under way in our home! It is funny how once the craziness began I stopped blogging (again). I admire the people that blog daily because I surely don’t know how they do it! Someday?! The blogging may have halted for a bit but the fun and pictures surely have not. Mr. Smiles is blowing me away with his skills and abilities (3rd baby?) he plays pretend with his sisters, paints, colors, FINALLY sleeps through the night (18 months), enjoys play doh, and loves doing school with his Momma!
 

 K.Bear is learning to write/trace, her ABC’s, #’s, size, shapes, and colors. Her interest in workbooks and handwriting is quite impressive for a 3 year old (especially one whom can’t usually sit still for more than 5 seconds). It is a joy to work with her and watch her grow each day by leaps and bounds.



 

We are still working on eliminating the “paci” but I know the time will come. The truth is, I think it bothers others more than it bugs us 🙂 yes, she’s “3” but she was nearly potty trained at “1” stubborn = “ABSOLUTELY!” All will be done on her own time….I/we are still leaning that is just the way she rolls!! In the mean time practicing daily “patience” in dealing with the “struggles” of having such a very extreme (spirited) child can be draining. I rest assured knowing it is her way or the highway and no one will ever sway her mind differently. 

K.Bear’s other new love is “ABA” patterns!! (take note of the paci…haha)