This Week at Our House #48

1. John and I went to the temple on Tuesday. It was really nice to be back there after our move. It's a longer drive now, but will be a much longer drive in January because the Raleigh Temple is closing and we will have to go to South Carolina. We are hoping they will have it set up so a once a month trip can accommodate our whole family.
2. I left the Temple wondering how we were going to pay our bills or do much of anything for Christmas. The next couple of days, family and friends, some anonymous, graciously took care of those worries.
3.  Ruth wrote on Monday. Apparently she has to bike an hour before she gets wifi. She was fed a large and delicious Thanksgiving dinner.
4. All of the kids love to play with Kate. She is a ring leader and a kind and friendly one at that.
5. Johnny spent a lot of time on math and computer programming, even though he is on vacation.
6. Adam asked permission to rake leaves. He spent two days doing so and piling them all up to jump in. 
7. Rachel told me how that now that she understands dates and pays attention to the months and days waiting for Christmas is hard.
8. Anya is very reliable. I can always count on her to take good care of Sam when I am busy or pick things up when there is a big mess. I am a little surprised, because when she was 4, Anya told me that she would never do housework.
9. I had Joseph help me dig in the garden a lot. He doesn't love it, but he does a good job and is fun to be around. He jokes the whole time.
10. We decorated for Christmas on Friday. While I was running between the garage and the house to get some decorations, Josh met me outside and said, "Let's go to Christmastopia! It's in our house." That night I made a quick decision to put one piece of candy in all the stockings each day until Christmas rather than any sort of advent calendar. It took the kids several hours the next day before someone played with the stockings and found that there was a piece of candy in them. At first, they thought it was there from last Christmas, but when it was in every stocking, they knew. But Josh was not around for that. To be sure, that Josh got his candy, I told him to check his stocking. Later, Josh came out to me in my garden plot. I asked him if he got his candy. He said he did. I then asked him who put it there. He paused for a moment and simply said, "That was the worst Christmas!" Joseph and I immediately laughed. Apparently Josh thought decorating was Christmas Eve and that one piece of candy was his Christmas present. 
11. Arwen is beginning to read and doing such a good job. If she doesn't know a word, she just sounds it out and can get it easily from that. I think she likes to read too.
12. Suzy has been cutting her hair. Parts of the top of her head were shorn to the scalp. I probably made a big mistake, but I cut off her adorable long curls to even things out. I am just heart broken. It took her nearly 3 and a half years to have a descent amount of hair and it was so pretty and curly. Now she is back to what she had a 2, only a little thicker. 
13. Sam loves to eat and eat and eat! Spaghetti is his favorite. As soon as he smells the sauce he is just crazy and anxious to eat it.

Pictures

There is a large round spot of beautiful soft sand in our back yard where the former owners had an above ground pool. This pile of sand has given my kids hours of entertainment.

We got this giraffe years ago at DI for about a dollar. Sam loves it!!! He is always holding it and snuggling it.

and biting it