I made chicken and dumplings tonight. Right from the start I'm warning you to take all cholesterol lowering medicine because there is Crisco in the dumplings! Why is it that all the "bad" fats make us feel so "good"?
Tyler at Coronado looking out at the view
What do you see Al?
I'm just amazed at what is out there!
Point Loma Lighthouse, San Diego
Tyler took this picture from the tower window. Just imagine taking care of this lighthouse every day and climbing all those stairs up to the light. How exhausting!!
Tyler coming up from a gun turret. Emy and I wondered why Dad and Tyler were taking so long on their adventure up the hill!
Emy took us to Coronado on Wednesday. Here we are in front of the tree in the hotel lobby. It reminded me of pictures I have seen of the Titanic; very opulent.
Here is an outdoor view of the hotel.
Tyler, Emy and Al had been throwing the football around on the beach. They had a great time!
Here is one happy Tyler as we headed off for Point Loma Lighthouse.
We went to Emy's on Christmas Eve. We had such a spread of appetizers!
Tyler has been to Emy's before so he was very confident!
Trey and Lizzie are soo cute together!
The "Three Musketeers" posing for a shot :-)
We went from beautiful 70 degree weather in San Diego straight into snow on our way home! Our last evening in San Diego we went down to the water and took this beautiful picture just as the sun was going down. Tonight as we hit Williams the snow began to fall. We were blessed to follow a big rig all the way from Williams to the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff. He went very slow and cleared the road for all of us. When we got closer to the junction we met up with a snow plow. That was our beautiful welcome home :=) I'll be posting many more San Diego pictures.
Sometimes in our house, it is hard to tell --who is behind the gate! Is it puppy or is it the resident human? We watch"The Dog Whisperer"; We know all the tricks of the trade...but, my oh my, it is so hard to put it all into practice!!
We are crafting a nativity scene in our after school program. Each child has an idea of what this means to him or her. Our foster/adopted kids have a much expanded version of the Nativity. There are those who have a much scripted version of the Nativity. Each one is so precious; depending on where they are in their lives. "For God So Loved The World That He Gave His Only Son..." John 3:16
A sweet friend surprised me today with this gift. I had just been talking to Connie about yummy coffee drinks (she used to be a barista) and I was actually longing for a Starbucks peppermint mocha! Well, in walks Melodi with this special gift :-) She also had Sees Christmas candy for all the kids in our after school program. Thank you Melodi!
It can be come a real juggling act to keep our after school kids engaged and happy. Today was one of those times when it all came together. All it took was microwaved popcorn for snack (plenty of it), a new set of army men (please, don't send your cards and letters about war) and playdough. There is something about a new canister of playdough that encourages children to create, imagine, and share!
Tyler's school had their Christmas play tonight. It was incredibly sweet! The first picture shows Tyler and Gideon waiting for their turn to be on stage. The next two pictures are of the "Jingle Rap". The last picture is "Just Believe". How can you not believe when sweet little angels sing to you?
We met Chris and his family today in Calistoga. We had dinner at a mexican restaurant and opened our presents right there. Our waitress was sweet enough to take a family picture. Just look at Kiah's "cheese" face!
We went to Ashley's birthday party last Saturday. There were many kids from school there and as you can tell, it was held at the bowling alley. The kids had a great time. The only (almost) mishap of the day was when two boys put their heads in the ball return to watch the orange bowling ball come back! Here they are in the last picture giving each other high fives! Sorry their heads are cut off but it is really hard to catch two 5 year olds in mid air :-)
We have had to resort to putting up a gate so puppy can't get upstairs. She becomes naughty puppy when she gets upstairs. You name it, she does it !
Just looking at my Jenny's post tonight reminded me of simpler times. My favorite illustrator is Eloise Wilkins. I think I have read every book published (that she has illustrated) to my children. She just seems to capture the simplicity of raising children in a wholesome manner-- with routine, good food and exercise. Just think...drive through, fast food was not an option! Outside programs (valuable as they are-- AWANA, Scouts, Soccer etc.) were not available. Life revolved around home and hearth.
STOP--BREATHE...Just what can we cut out of our lives to make it simpler, calmer, healthier...?
I base our after school program on one thing--going home after school. From there I ask myself, what would my child want for an after school snack? Which environment would be best for my child to complete his/her homework? So...yesterday we had hot chocolate as our after school beverage. The kids loved it! I'd like to report that they did their homework without prompting or they treated each other with kindness and gentleness... :-( Just not so!
What does happen is that every child feels the love we have for them. They go home feeling loved, accepted, AND their homework is done!
