They'd wear them around town if we let them!

So I come across a certain annoying toy in the kitchen yesterday evening, swoop it up and ask Renee what the repercussions of depositing it in the garbage can would be. "Just don't let the kids see you do it," she says. Into the can it goes. Said toy was a talking hippo figurine. When bumped it would say in a growly voice, "Wow - I'm like every hippo's dream" - whatever that means.
I thought I had taken care of that one nuisance and was quite happy with myself until the garbage can starting talking to me when I was cleaning up after supper. More than once I've dropped something in and its responded, "Wow!" Somehow the kids haven't quite clued in yet!




Rachel's new way of indicating she needs a diaper change!

Cozy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, we had snow! We got about an inch in less than an hour and it was beautiful. It's always exciting to receive those first real snowfalls, especially around the holidays.

A little while later all four of us went outside to play, pick up sticks (haha, I know, a little late...), and eat snow. Rachel touched the snow with her little fingers and was not too impressed. Joshua raked the snow and helped pick up sticks. He tried to eat the snow, but kept getting grass clippings in his mouth!













Back inside it was cozy with Christmas music and just being together as a family. Later in the afternoon we all went over to Joe and Heather's house for Thanksgiving dinner. They are friends from church and they have a little girl, Isabel, just over a year old. The dinner was delicious and the company was fun. There were 14 people total including children. We played, and chatted, and of course watched a little football. I think the winner for Joshua was the big playhouse in the basement. He asked me for one today. Of course I said no, what would we do if we had people over. We wouldn't be able to see each other. "They can just talk through the windows [of the playhouse]."
All in all it was a cozy Thanksgiving and we are thankful for God, for Jesus, for family, and for everything God has done and given.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Goofy

Some fun pics of the kids! Joshua has blue goggles, pool wings, and a paper towel tube. Rachel is eating her banana (which she peeled by herself!)

Assumption

When I was a child, books were my companion. I read many different books, over and over. And, like most children my age, I received magazines such as, Your Big Backyard, and Ranger Rick. My brother received a boy scouts magazine, Boy's Life, which I also read when I could get my hands on it.
Now I am older and married. An adult, perhaps?

Once in awhile, Joel and I will be having a conversation, which comes rarely, but it is a good thing for married couples to do. Sometimes, there will be some disagreement on how a 'word' is pronounced. Usually Joel is the winner on this one. My defense? I usually have never heard the 'word' spoken out loud before. I had always read it in books and sounded it out the way my childish brain thought was the way it sounded.

I will give you some examples:

Brooch (an elegant sort of pin that ladies wear on their throat). Now if you were 10 years old how would you sound this out? Exactly. Broo-ooch. Can you hear the laughter the first time I attempted to say this out loud? No dear, it's 'Broach'.

Another one: Hors d'oeuvre Again, imagine an English speaking only, no French experience except for her name, trying to sound this one out! Would you like to know how I spoke it to Joel for the first time? Literally: Hors di-vores. I was quite shocked that I had been pronouncing it in my head so wrongly for so long!!

There are many other words but these are the two that I can think of right now.

So I mentioned that I looked at Outdoor Magazines. I've seen many different animals in pictures, but hardly in real life. Last night, Joel and I finally watched 'March of the Penguins' for the first time.
Imagine my shock when I saw the little 2-4 foot penguins walking around the cameramen when for almost 20 years I had thought these Emperor Penguins were at least six feet tall!!

Photography can be very deceiving.

Traffic Jam

Some wives' husbands come home from work later than expected due to the high volume of automobiles on the road. Some come home late because of an auto accident, difficult weather, or perhaps the car broke down.

My husband, Joel, was late because of some moose on the bridge. Not just on the road where the moose can just run off, but it was on the bridge where they were stuck. It took awhile for the few moose to meander, begrudgingly, off of the bridge and eventually off of the road.