Legoland with the Waymeyers

The 'cousins' had free passes for guests and they graciously invited us along to Legoland last week. Derek came home from work a little early and on a whim we tried to find an inexpensive hotel on priceline for the night down near Carlsbad. We managed to get one for a rate of $45 for all of us, and that included a decent free breakfast-- what a blessing! Add Legoland to that and it was a very fun mini-vacation.

We'd never been there before and enjoyed it a lot. We got there at open and our family was able to stay until close. The cousins stayed for the first couple of hours.


Zach, Luke and Julie

Matt, Leah and Jessica

Jessica and Luke

The cousins-- Caleb, Zach, Luke, Jake, Anna, Courtney, Jack, Jessica and Leah.

Piano Recital

I'm very behindo on happenings around here because of Christmas and related events. Instead of playing serious catch-up, I'm just going to pick up about a week ago and go from there!

Anna and Jack had a piano recital for a retirement home/hospital last week. They both played a couple of songs, but if you ask them what they enjoyed most about it, they'll probably mention the bag of cookies and candy their teacher gave them for a Christmas gift after the show was over.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Friends and Family,

We didn't get a chance to write a Christmas letter this year so we wanted to take the chance to use technology to update everyone (who reads this) with a little summary of our 2009. As much as I like to get letters in the mail at Christmas to read from many of you, I know how much work goes into getting it ready and out the door into the mailbox and I know you do, too! This isn't quite the same as fun snail mail, but we hope you can still enjoy it a little.

Life is getting busier and busier as I'm sure it will before it starts getting slower, but I have really enjoyed the richness of this busy time with the kids and how full life can be. Not full of things to do, although that is true, but full of the richness of the blessings that God has given us in our children and our life whether it be the exciting joys or the deep sorrows and struggles. I'm finding less time for extras and more days where I feel like I just wake up and then it is bed time and I'm not sure that I did anything although I'm sure that I was busy, or more than busy it seems, all day. We've been back in CA for about a year and a half and Derek is still with Weyerhaeuser. He's been there for 11 1/2 years now and is accruing 4 weeks of vacation a year now... wow! Now we only need to find the time and where-with-all to take 4 weeks of vacation. We're feeling at home in Norco, a fun little horsetown here in the middle of the continuous city that is Southern California and, after a year of looking, we finally found a church home that we are so grateful for.

This year we started our fourth year of homeschooling. It is an ever-changing adventure that I am thankful to be able to do with our kids. Anna is in third grade, Jack is in first and Leah started Kindergarten this year. Each child I add and each year they get older, the work gets more involved and more intense and I'm only still in the elementary years! Even though it can be a full-time job on top of my other full-time jobs as a mom, I have yet to wish for anything but what we are doing. Seeing the kids learn and grow in our home and under our guidance is rewarding for me and has so many benefits for the kids. We don't know where we'll go on this journey, but for now we hope to continue homeschooling for a number of years to come.

Anna is 8 and is in third grade. She really does well in her school work, but primarily LOVES to read. She reads faster than Derek, I think, and uses a broader vocabulary than even me sometimes from all of her reading journeys. I am thankful for the library and good books that are available at so many publishers these days. One night last month as a special treat I told her that she could stay up until midnight reading if she wanted to try it. I thought she'd probably make it, but Derek was shocked. I think he went to bed well before her and she wanted to go on past midnight! Her other primary interest is anything to do with horses. Norco is perfect for her! Last month she took a horsemanship class and beamed all the way through it. I love how she loves to cuddle and works hard at her jobs and is such a sweet helper to the other kids.

Jack is 6 and in first grade. He is a bright little kid and catches on quickly to most of the things we go through. He started taking piano this year (along with Anna) and he's zipping right through it as it seems a natural for him. Not Mozart-style natural, but intuitive for him in some way. Last spring he did Little League T-ball for the first time and absolutely loved it. He'll probably do regular Little League this spring. He's still debating between that and flag football this year since we told him he can only do one. Jack is so tenderhearted and sweet to others and open to training and I've loved to see those qualities in him. He's quick and gentle when caring for others and has been a big blessing and encouragement to me.

Leah is 5 and in Kindergarten. She is the character in the family, although Luke might be giving her a run for the money soon. She's really enjoying school work and just finished her ballet class with a Christmas recital. She loved the spotlight of the show, but has had enough of the classes. If it were up to her she'd do show after show after show. She's always there helping me or wanting to know what she can do to help me, even if the others are off having other fun or playing. Those who've visited or spent time with her can probably attest to her asking what she can do to help-- whether it is cleaning or cooking or otherwise working alongside you. She also got her first haircut this year. Really it was just a trim, but she was begging for one and since she was 5 (!!), I thought it was about time. She still has some of her curl, though, which I love.

Luke is 3 and is still my cuddly baby. He's doing his own preschool work during some of our school time and loves to do what the others do, whether it is school projects or play and isn't far behind them in their running around. It is fun to watch his personality show itself more through his expressions and takes on life as he starts to talk more and more. I usually understand him and it is so fun to hear him get all excited and talk-- mostly in a high pitch and very rambly but so adorable. He gives some of the best hugs and kisses! He also got his first haircut a few months ago. We chopped off all of his curls, which was sad, but they started to look more like a rat's nest than surfer-boy hair. He loved it, of course, because it was a big-boy thing to do. Although being the youngest, he leads the records in at least one area: broken bones. In March he broke his nose crashing into a coffee table and about 5 or 6 weeks later he broke his collar bone falling out of bed. Child Protective Services didn't visit, but I was pretty careful about what I let him do for awhile after that! He's fearless (or more accurately, foolish-- like most children) in a crazy way and I often hold my breath when he jumps off of things. Lord willing, he'll keep that record steady this year.

We are thankful for so many of you, our friends and family, that bring richness into our lives. We often work our way through this Christmas season busy with gifts, parties and food but we pray that this year we, and you all, are reminded of the baby that came to die and that without His death we would be without any hope in this world. Praise God that he uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise!

Merry Christmas!

The Pools

Leah's Ballet Recital

Leah had been longing to do ballet and this fall we signed her up for the semester through the Christmas show which was last Wednesday. She LOVED the show and performing, but she also said that classes were 'too hard' and she just wanted to do more shows instead!

At home before we left.

Silly smiles.

Waiting backstage for her performance.

In her prime... the spotlight.

Cold, Rainy Days

It has been unusually cold (highs in the 50's... rough, I know) and raining off and on for a week, which is also unusual. The fun part when the clouds clear is seeing the snow on the mountains. It feels like winter!


The view from our front balcony with low hanging clouds.

5 Years at CBC

They had a special service this morning to recognize Matt's 5th year at CBC and I was able to take a few pictures so I thought I'd share them here for the long-distance family to see. It was great to be able to be there and see old friends and faces, too.


Jeff presenting Matt with a scrapbook put together for the day.

One of the three yummy cakes.

Rick came to speak in honor of Matt.

The Waymeyers

Where did we get this kid?

Heaven On Earth For Anna

Not literally, of course, but Anna was in her own little perfect life when she finally got to take the horsemanship class through the city last month. She had to wait until she was 8 to take it since those are the limitations set by the city. It has been over a year and her anticipation only grew greater.

The first few weeks were spent learning how to groom, lead and otherwise care for a horse and the last week she finally got to RIDE! She absolutely loved every minute, including the not so glam parts of grooming and she could have done it for hours and hours on end. She's read nearly everything she could get her hands on about horses and horse care and was ready to put it to use. Her teacher noticed and mentioned that she really seems to 'get it', thinking that she must have had classes or ridden somewhere before.

Anna, of course, wants to take more riding lessons. We were flabbergasted at the cost so for now she's going to revel in her month-long experience. This class was offered through the city so it was a great deal... maybe we'll just do this again sometime!

The pictures are pretty pathetic and I'm not sure what was wrong with the camera, but they are good enough to get the idea.


Anna riding her pony. She chose this one and was later glad she did pick such a short guy since she was responsible for lifting the saddle on and off all by herself!

Steering left.

Anna in horse bliss.

Anna and her teacher after dismounting at the end of her last class.

Darth Fan

Disneyland has a Jedi training show that is held several times a day in the outdoor stage at Tomorrowland and over the last year while we had our Disneyland passes, we saw parts of it several times. Somehow along the way Luke has become a Darth Vader fan! Maybe due in part to Derek saying, 'Luke, I am your father' to him in his best Darth Vader voice.

The other kids had a build-a-bear already and it was Luke's turn since we had a coupon for a free bear. We went and got him the black teddy bear with the Darth Vader outfit. It even comes with a little light saber, so cute! Teddy Darth has become a fast favorite and his sleeping buddy, as you can see below.

A Few Years Ago

We had out some old pictures and videos tonight and it reminded me that I hadn't ordered prints for awhile from all of our digital pictures. I don't order many, but I've consistently ordered enough for the kids to look back and remember times whenever they want to pull out their box of pictures. After things were cleaned up and the kids were in bed, I trolled back through my menu and found out that I last ordered pictures in the summer of '07! Yikes, more than a little behind. I decided to just finish out 2007 tonight and will go on to the other years some other cozy 'winter' night.

In reviewing the old treasures of two and a half years ago it dawned on me that the kids always make the blog and the grown ups rarely do. I found a couple worthy of being resurrected in this little post.


This picture was taken at a children's museum in Rockford when we were back in the fall of '07 for our family vacation. It is appropriately Papa John's that these big kids are serving up.

My parents surprised us with tickets to the Green Bay/Vikings game while we were home on vacation. There were 9 of us, plus baby Sam, and Mom and Sally stayed home with the other 11 kids (all 10 and under) while the rest of us spent an almost 24 hour journey leaving early in the morning on game day and coming back late that night-- more like early the next morning if I remember correctly. It was great because it was the game where Favre broke the touchdown passes record and we got to see it in person. Little did we know that two years later he'd be suiting up in the other colors! There were many memorable moments-- some of the best include Dad's trip into the women's restroom (oops) and the crazy storm on the looooong drive home-- that coming from me, one very tired driver.

That Christmas we drove out to the Waymeyers for our 'Christmas Eve' get together. I'm not sure what they're doing here, but I'm sure it has something to do with a sporting event.

Alex and Deanna visited right after Christmas and they brought their Wii and the addiction began. Jack loved it, of course, but he had a hard time wrestling some play time away from the adults... mostly Derek. :)

Derek and I have often joked that it is easy for us to remember different events and their timing by pictures because we've moved every two years in the nearly 10 that we've been married. I'll never have trouble identifying a child in a baby picture because they were all babies in a new house-- well, not Anna and Jack, but Jack wasn't too old before we moved to our Saugus house. If the above picture wasn't taken in our AZ house, I'd be guessing as to what year this was. I guess there are some benefits to all the moving!

Dad Came AND...

The mantle and trim got put in (I'm priming to paint),

the mysteriously missing electrical box was located, the drywall repaired and the light was finally mounted,

baseboard in two bathrooms was put in,

and the cabinet door was saved from the children's attempt and permanent demise.

That is the short list. I frankly can't remember the long list since Dad was running circles around me and I was struggling to keep ahead of him, and on some days just stay awake! Thanks again, Dad.

Anybody ever have success painting tile?

The Tower

The tower that Jack created...

and destructed.

Typical boy format.

A First Haircut

Leah has been begging for months to have her hair cut and until recently it really didn't need to be cut. That's right, below you will find 'first haircut pictures' for my 62 month old. Or you could call her a 5 year old (plus 2 months). I just evened out the bottom a little to make it look less straggly-- if that is a word.

She loves her new hair cut and has been fond of fixing her own hair recently and wanting me to do more with it. I think she is more girly in that way than Anna. Anna might be a little tomboy-- she even prefers hanging out with the boys at church (instead of the girls) and sitting at their table. When I asked her why, she told me it was because the boys play games that are more fun. Makes senes... should I be worried?



That hair at the bottom has been around since birth. It was the peachfuzz on her head that slooowwwly grew out to this beautiful, curly strawberry blonde hair.

Clip, clip.

Being a good little client.

Death that is not Dying

In the last week or so, death has become a regular visitor to our days. Dear friends losing their wives, mothers, children and others at times has seemed an unbearable weight of sorrow for those left behind. The mom and dad who had their little three year old die in their arms, the husband and father of four little ones watch his wife bravely fight to the end of a battle with cancer, an old friend lost his wife to inexplicable causes, and the list goes on.

But we have hope! And so many times in the last two weeks I have been reminded of the following passage that I memorized years ago with a friend as we took after-work walks around Pasadena.

1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance that in undefiled and imperishable and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen him, you love Him, and although you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

1 Cor 15:55
Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?

Those, of course, are rhetorical questions. And two of my favorite ones! For our dear friends whose hope was in the Lord, they have received their prize and victory in glory. Their death was not dying.

Are you kidding??

The kids had a blast at the Fall Festival at church on Saturday night. They played games and 'won' more candy than we can eat in a few years, I think. Here they are with their stash. Disguised behind one of the giant bowls is another prize of the night-- more goldfish! They're still alive, but I don't know how long they'll last in a flower vase eating bread crumbs.