A Hope and a Future

N is for nuts

I took a couple of pics on my iPad of our preschool activity for today so I thought I'd try out the mobile blogging app:)
They pretended they were squirrels gathering nuts and then we shelled and enjoyed some nuts together....fun!

Facebook statuses October-December

Four exhausted kiddos are tucked in to sleep after slashing, riding slides, and swimming for almost TEN hours today....SO thankful for the opportunity to do something so fun:) 

you know what's SUPER fun? The day AFTER your kids have a full, busy, fun day and don't get enough sleep that night! :( Whew....how many hours till bedtime?

four years ago today I was excited to have reached Isaac's "due date".....and his birthday? Yah it's the 21st. I can laugh now b/c it's funny....it was NOT at the time:)

It was easy to rejoice while walking through the woods yesterday enjoying the AMAZING fall day that God gave us while exploring mountains and waterfalls with sweet friends....but you know what? This afternoon while I am back home mediating fights and kissing boo-boos? I will still say "this IS the day that the Lord has made and I WILL rejoice and be glad in it" :)

off to the zoo with my sister and the kiddos:)

Sixth annual Welch family trip to the NC state fair.....looking forward to some chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick.....I mean awesome family time:)

If you have never had an opportunity to watch 3 and 4 year olds play soccer you really should try it.....it is a truly entertaining activity:)

today my favorite blue-eyed boy turns FOUR! He is our sweet, happy, smiling, precious miracle.....we love you Isaac:)

Got Rebecca signed up for UPWARD cheerleading tonight....she is sooo excited:)

Loving this awesome fall weather....eating lunch at the picnic table w/ my kiddos:)

Isaac after hearing me mumble to myself: "mamas sometimes talk to themselves".....yep:)

four year old giggly boys in the bathtub....love:)

my littles are FASCINATED by the "frosting" that has been on the ground the past 2 mornings:)

one of my neighbors just saw my littles and asked "now which ones are twins?" Ummm....REALLY?

hoping that tomorrow morning goes well....the "fall back" is not typically kind to us mamas of young kiddos:(

Contentment is an awesome emotion......

I just found out the hard way that the Pampered Chef apple slicer is VERY sharp....ouch:(

in my pj's at 6pm? Yep, that's a good night in my book:)

the kids and I are excited about walking with the RCHSA float in the South Rowan Parade this afternoon.....praying for NO rain:)

This morning I am thankful for my precious Rebecca who brought her siblings downstairs, helped them get breakfast, helped them get dressed, and entertained them so Dennis Welch and I could sleep until 9am....amazing:)

spending the morning decorating the house for Christmas with my sweet family then off to feast with D's family this afternoon:)

My co-op kids did a "create your own nativity scene" today with stickers and Isaac put the baby Jesus sticker in the sky. When asked why baby Jesus was in the sky he quipped "because that's where he came from!" ♥

SO excited about Rebecca getting the opportunity to do UPWARD cheerleading......but having to tediously fix these pom-poms? Not so much.

got put on call for work last night so now I get to spend a rare WHOLE Saturday with my sweet family:)

Around here when I hear "Mommy" and respond, I am just as likely to be told "oh we're playing that (whichever kid) is the mommy right now" as I am to ACTUALLY be needed for something:)

Nine years ago today we were blessed with our first miracle, Rebecca Leigh. Happy birthday my precious blue-eyed girl:)

Rebecca to me as I was fixing her hair for church: "I'm wearing my hair like this because people will say I'm adorable!" Gee, glad to see we aren't dealing with self-esteem issues yet:)

Mama needs a time out and it's only 9:30:( Time for an attitude re-adjustment!

It's such a beautiful day that we moved school outside.....is it really 12 days till Christmas?

Making monkey bread and chicken salad for my favorite blue-eyed man's special day tomorrow:)

Today is the 17th time that I have had the privilege of celebrating Dennis Welch's birthday with him....and I am praying for many, many more. Happy happy birthday to my sweet man! I love you MORE:)

Headed out in a few minutes to go meet Dennis and sing some Christmas carols for the"grandmas and grandpas" :)

SO excited about having a date night with my love and SO thankful for sweet friends who are graciously keeping our kiddos so it is possible:)

Spending the afternoon making Christmas cookies with my babies, listening to Christmas music, with a little school work thrown in....love:)

Hanging out at my mama's house today learning how to make her homemade cinnamon rolls that we have every Christmas:)

It's going to be weird to work a different shift than usual today (3-11) but I am thankful for it because it means I get to enjoy Christmas tomorrow with my sweet family:)

My children woke up, immediately started playing, had to be convinced to come eat breakfast, and went right back to playing happily. I have entered some sort of post-Christmas twilight zone!

 

Merry Christmas!

What a sweet day we have had here celebrating the birth of our Savior! I think this has been our most fun Christmas yet.....all the children are now old enough to really "get it" and have had such a fun time. To experience the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of my children....it just doesn't get much better than that. 

We started our day (shockingly not until 7:30 am!) with opening stockings. I laid their stockings out on the dresser in my room; I have fond memories of my parents doing the same and us opening our stockings in their room (as an adult I now realize that this was so they could delay getting out of bed for JUST a little longer!)

I think they liked them:)

Mom and Dad joined us for our traditional breakfast of sausage balls and sweet rolls (yum!) and then we gathered to read the Christmas story together

and started opening presents:)

Rebecca's only request this year was a Nintendo DS.....

and she got it:) She was SO excited!

The boys each got a few smaller presents (Samuel's theme was definitely cars and Isaac got lots of animal toys) but their big present was a train table. We had it hidden in a closet and Dennis put it together last night after they were tucked into bed (on the floor in the girls' room). He also went ahead and bunked their beds to make more room.

So when we took them upstairs to unveil it....

 it was hilarious to me because Isaac immediately noticed the train table but Samuel could only stare at the beds:)

and THEN he noticed the train table:) Also please notice that he is holding his hot wheels cars....he would NOT put them down for anything:)

Hannah's theme for this Christmas was apparently anything that had a gazillion pieces to it:) She was SO excited to get tons of "barbies", ponies, and other such things. She is the kind of kid who will sit in her room for HOURS playing with that stuff....love it:)

When all the presents were opened the children spent some time playing with them....

and their sweet daddy took the time to open what must have seemed like a million boxes of toys (especially Hannah's things!)

After we got dressed and ready we headed over to Bama and Granddaddy's house where we spent time with family and ate some yummy food:)

cool sunglasses from Bama

a Barbie bag with more dollies:)

told you this boy was in heaven today:)

Rebecca was excited about the watch that granddaddy picked out for her:)

So thankful for the chance to spend this day with my family....feeling very blessed tonight.

"Born is the King rejoice in the day....it's Christmas"