Baking Cookies

Elizabeth gets to stay up an hour later than the other two now (bedtime is 8 o clock for her). So we often do things like make cookies or watch Andy Griffin or play checkers. And we always try to have a cup of tea right before she goes to bed.

Memories

I remember going to Grandmas for Thanksgiving or Christmas when I was a kid. The aunts and uncles and cousins would all come over. One year was snowy and icy and I believe I had a new driver's license. Maybe it wasn't so new, because Bunney was with us, I think. The adults had gone to bed and the kids were up, probably playing cards. Nathan and Bunney and I (was there anyone else with us?) backed the car out of the driveway with the headlights off and started slowly to the store on the icy roads. We purchased a half gallon or so of ice cream and made our way slowly back to Grandmas. We turned the headlights off again to drive into Grandmas yard. We thought we'd gotten away with something, but the next day my mom found ice cream in the freezer and gave a knowing smile.

We played lots of cards at Grandmas. Watched Princess Bride and Anne of Green Gables countless times. Seems like there was always shrimp and dip which was really, really good. Uncle Dan and Aunt Lenora would make fresh salsa. We would play outside in the snow. I remember going to shoot guns on a mountain one year. Lots of good memories made with my cousins and aunts and uncles. I hope my children have their own special memories by the time they leave home. Memories and traditions that they can make with family and with friends. But there seems to be no more special bond than the ones made with family.

"Do you know what Thanksgiving is about?"

This I asked of each of the kids. Their replies:

Phoebe: "Yea! Hewupdewow"

Jonathan: "Um... Food!"

Elizabeth: "The Pilgrims moved to America to get away from the king. They had a big feast. The Pilgrims and the Indians shared their food. The Pilgrims were the first Americans in the country." (then she got a little confused because she wasn't sure if the Indians were the first Americans or if the Pilgrims were.)



Rush Limbaugh always reads a section from a book he wrote and the section is about the real Thanksgiving. The link to read it (scroll down to the bottom of the page) is:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_112107/content/01125113.guest.html

It is so good to be reminded of because the Pilgrims had a great faith in God and we don't hear about that very often.

Handsome Preacher Heading out the Door for Church!

Kids

Phoebe in her monkey pajamas eating her breakfast of golden grahams, half a banana and her cup of milk.

  

Jonathan eating his breakfast of cheerios and milk (tired of bananas) in his spider man costume which he wears for pajamas now.

  

Phoebe crawling up on the table being silly.

  

Jonathan wants to be super spider man!

  

Elizabeth in the play equipment at Burger King.

Family Day at St. Augustine

Phillip is on vacation this week, so we decided to skip school and spend an afternoon at St. Augustine. Elizabeth changed into her "Olden Days" clothes complete with a blue "bonnet".

  

We walked through the old town area which has the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the US, a fun water wheel (used for a mill), oldest drug store, a Huguenot graveyard, and lots of old homes and walls and tourist shops. We stopped for ice cream at Tedi's Olde Tyme Ice Cream Shop.

  

Elizabeth chose chocolate, Jonathan had superman (the brightest most artificial blue and red you can find), and Phoebe and I shared cherry vanilla. Phillip bought a chocolate peanut butter cup at Whetstone's chocolate shop later on.

  

The most favorite part was walking around Castillo de San Marcos (an old fort). The kids loved the "castle" as they called it, and they loved the wind. It's so cool to think of the ships that sailed up to that fort. To think of the men running around on the ground you're walking on, loading cannons, shouting orders.

  

We went to Burger King for supper and the kids played in the play area. Jonathan got stuck up at the top and Phillip had to go rescue him.

  

Phoebe didn't get much of a nap, so she was a little crazy. She gets very silly and falls over a lot when she's tired. It's funny to watch. Another fun fact I found at the old drug store. There was a headstone type of thing with an inscription about an Indian Chief. It said that this man was kind-hearted because he would not scalp you if you begged for your life or if you paid him money. He was more of a gentleman than a savage, it read. I just found this humorous.

Lovely Friends

Our good friend Tara (the family we exchange kids with once a week) has worked in a hair salon before, so she offered to cut all our kids' hair! Yea!! The last time I took all 3 kids it cost $40, so I was glad to have her come to our home and wrestle with them as she gave them a haircut. I didn't get a picture of Phoebe because I was trying to distract her and keep her from falling off the high stool.

Christmas is close

Phillip inadvertently found the all-Christmas-music- all-the-time radio station which is already playing all Christmas music all the time! The kids and I are happy about this, but Phillip isn't thrilled. We bought egg nog while shopping today. Christmas decorations went up immediately after Halloween (in stores, not in our home). All signs that Christmas is close! The picture is of our one and only Christmas tree that we've had since we've been married (4 years ago, I think). I've always loved this picture.

Gotta Love' Em

Jonathan in Dad's baseball cap.

  

Elizabeth trying a new hairstyle (crinkling paper taped to barrettes).

  

We often find Jonathan asleep on his bed like this.

Phillip's Sermons Online

Just wanted readers to know that you can listen to Phillip's sermons online at the following web address:

http://ccflemingisland.com/index.php?id=8

It's the Media page of Christ's Church Fleming Island website and his sermons are under the title "Audio".

Great Price!

I found this stroller on craigslist.com for $3!! It normally costs $15 plus I would have had to pay for shipping. I just had to go pick it up from the lady's home who advertised it; and I gave her $5 because I didn't have change. But after our $10 stroller gave out (it was 6 years old); this was a great find and I'm so proud of it. I'll have to start looking on craigslist more often. It's better than garage sale shopping!

Fall Fun

We went to a pumpkin patch a few weeks ago and bought some pumpkins that the kids picked out. I wanted to go to a real pumpkin patch at a farm or something, but the closest thing like that was an hour and a half away and only opened on weekends. We ended up at a church parking lot with pumpkins set up on straw and bales. Good enough, I guess. We cut up and cooked the large pumpkin to make a pumpkin cupcake recipe that Elizabeth found. Jonathan's little pumpkin we made into a jack-o-lantern which we lit for several days before it turned moldy for some reason and had to be thrown away. Fall is my favorite season, and even though it's not all that cold and fallish here, I still like the cooler winds and the few leaves on the ground and all the fall colors and baking oatmeal apple cookies and pumpkin muffins with cream cheese frosting and such. We're enjoying it!