{catching up} Summer Bucket List - all things paint

 the kids favorite things from our summer bucket list was any activity that had to do with making a mess

kidding... sort of

here are there favorites:

1. making sidewalk chalk

it was fairly easy to make and they loved using their own chalk to color on the sidewalk

it last a long time

this may make our list again next summer

2.  making sidewalk paint

a few summer ago i mixed up a batch of sidewalk paint and the kids loved it

we haven't done it since then

i added it to our bucket list and it was a hit again

the kids loved the vibrant colors and creating murals on the driveway

3. painting rocks

we went out to our local lake one afternoon to let the dogs swim

as we were leaving the kids started to collect rocks

once they got some rocks, we brought them home and cleaned them up

one afternoon landon and mauryn sat out and painted their rocks

for over an hour

it was so simple but they loved it

4. squish ball and squirt bottle painting - this was their favorite until they had to clean up. ha!

i poured some crayola washable paint in bowls,

 filled squirt bottles with thinned out paint,

and taped long sheets of paper on our garage doors.

then i let the kids go crazy with tossing paint covered squish balls and spraying with their spray bottles

they were giggling and laughing and having the BEST time

even the driveway was really colorful when they finished

once the painting was done and the paint was dry it was time for clean up

the paint came off pretty easily from the garage doors {much to lance's relief}

the kids then used their paper to create some monsters

even though painting is at the bottom of my list of things to do, since this was all outside clean up was super easy.  i have a feeling most of these things will make our bucket list again next summer!

{catching up} Flag Football

this was landon's second year playing flag football

he played under the same coaches and with some of his former teammates 

this season was SO much fun

landon has improved leaps and bounds from last year

he played with more confidence and maturity

 he even had a few games where he was hawk of the game

hawk of the game went to the player who got the most flags on defense

whoop!

it was so fun to cheer on his team this season

they played really well together and finished the season undefeated

we loved his team

the boys and their families were great

there are only two boys moving up to tackle {aah! that will be landon in a year!}

so most of the same team will stay together

we are looking forward to another great season next year

i put together a clip of some highlights from the season

there could be more if i the person videotaping would hold the camera still

and focus on the action

sometimes i the person running the video camera gets a little excited

oops!

its definitely easier to videotape gymnastics meets than football games :O)


for their last game of the season they played in a neighboring town
on the high school football field
they even had announcers call the game
it was so neat
the boys loved it!
it was a great way to end a great season

Advent: Day 25

Activities:

deliver 12 days of christmas gift

open presents

celebrate Jesus' birthday

the kids slept until 7 am

a mini christmas miracle

considering the last two years they've been up by 5:30 am

 once we let them downstairs, the kids dove into their stockings and found their gift from santa

they had fun with their stocking/santa stuff while i finished breakfast

after breakfast, we did our final advent reading

and then FINALLY the kids were able to open their gifts

 i love their joy

i love their excitement

 i love that they are old enough they take time to really look and appreciate their gifts

there is no more rip, rip, rip

throw gift and go on to the next one

i love that they are thankful and appreciate the gifts they receive

i love how they are just excited for their siblings to open their gifts

 i love how patient they are waiting their turn to open their next gift

i love christmas morning

i love my crazy little family

we spent the afternoon watching movies

playing the wii

eating

napping

reading

eating

playing

in the evening we celebrated Jesus' birthday

the girls decorated his birthday cake

one little girl was making sure the frosting tasted just right for Jesus' birthday

it was the perfect christmas day

the perfect ending to our advent season

it was a little bittersweet to have it end

i am already looking forward to next year :o)

Bible Verses:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
   who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-14

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20

Advent: Day 24

Lego Star Wars Calendar:

Activities:

make lefse

go to church

open gifts under upstairs tree {grandparents/friend gifts}

watch a christmas movie

camp out by the upstairs tree

 it's tradition to roll and eat {lots of eating} lefse on christmas eve day

landon and mauryn helped to turn and transfer lefse

while morgan rolled and rolled lefse

eventually she kicked the two little ones out of the kitchen

she spent the morning rolling and turning out the lefse

and guarding it so we all wouldn't eat it before christmas dinner

after lefse rolling, football game watching {boo for broncos loss}, and dinner eating

we headed off to our candlelight service at church

 this is what i get for trying to get a picture by the tree before christmas eve service

i love the candlelight service

i love listening to my kids singing their hearts out to traditional carols

there are usually a few tears shed

 when we come home the kids throw on their christmas pajamas

except this year, mauryn thought her pajamas were too big

so she sported tinker bell instead

after they get their pajamas on, we do our advent reading for the day, 

and the kids get to open any gifts that aren't from lance and i

once the gifts are opened and the wrapping paper is cleaned up, we put on a christmas movie

this year is was santa clause 3

the kids camp out by our upstairs tree

or on the couch

or recliner

its something they look forward to every year

camping out together waiting for christmas morning

Bible Verses:

 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

Zechariah’s Song

 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, 
   because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us 
   in the house of his servant David 
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), 
salvation from our enemies 
   and from the hand of all who hate us— 
to show mercy to our ancestors 
   and to remember his holy covenant, 
 the oath he swore to our father Abraham: 
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, 
   and to enable us to serve him without fear 
 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
   for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
   through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
   by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
   and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.

Luke 1:57-80

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

Advent: Day 23

Lego Star Wars Calendar:

Activity:

make a foam christmas tree

make an edible christmas tree

it's been more of a crafty focus on advent this week

it's been nice to just {mostly} be home

prepping our house and our hearts for christmas

being together, crafting, cooking, and baking together

this was a nice slow way to end our last week of advent

 the kids made foam christmas trees that they can hang from the trees in their rooms

the trees in their rooms are in need of decorations so this was a perfect activity

 we made edible christmas trees out of sugar cones

the kids enjoyed creating these little trees

this little lady enjoyed stealing bites of frosting and m&m's during the decorating

i am not sure if the tree had more frosting or her mouth :o)

Bible Verses:

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 6:33

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

  The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!  But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Mary’s Song

 And Mary said:

   “My soul glorifies the Lord

  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

 for he has been mindful

   of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

  for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

   holy is his name.

 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

   from generation to generation. 

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

   he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

   but has lifted up the humble.

 He has filled the hungry with good things

   but has sent the rich away empty.

 He has helped his servant Israel,

   remembering to be merciful

 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

   just as he promised our ancestors.”

 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Luke 1:26-56

Insta Joys

it's christmas eve tomorrow. 

what?

how did this month fly by so quickly

landon finished school on tuesday

five days of work in two days

why can't he focus like that all the time??

morgan is finishing up school hopefully today

then christmas break can officially begin

yes!

i am planning on some days in our pjs 

and getting a few books checked off my to read list

the house will get cleaned today

one last party tonight

then the at home christmas festivities can begin

i am so looking forward to our quiet christmas at home

now onto a little glimpse into our week:

 the little miss hadn't had a nap all week

she woke up on the wrong side of the bed on friday

she put herself back to bed around 11 am

i was a tad bit jealous

i could have used a little nap too

she woke up a MUCH happier girl

we hosted a gingerbread house party on saturday night

12 adults

14 children

so much fun! 

our completed gingerbread house

thank you costco for a pre assembled house

 so easy

unpack and decorate

the gingerbread house party food and decor

taco bar

hot chocolate bar

peppermint flavored dessert bar

 mauryn's sunday school teacher gave all the children in her class the christmas story

she used old christmas cards for pictures and bible verses 

then hand wrote the story for each child

there are over 20 kids in her sunday school class

its awesome

i am going to have it laminated so mauryn can have this treasure for ever

 off to the movies

alvin and the chipmunks: shipwrecked

the kids loved it

 movie and popcorn just go together

i love movie theater popcorn

{hold the butter though... eww on soggy popcorn}

 we met some friends for an afternoon of swimming at our rec center

my little fishes swam for 2 1/2 hours

then came home and crashed they were so tired :o)

yeah for afternoon swimming play dates

 the kids made thumbprint nativities

this is morgan's

i am in love with it

{thank you pinterest for another great idea}

i got my first gussy bag

yeow!

i've got a thing for bags... love them

i've had my eye on one for a while

when gussy had a little sale

i used my blow money to snag a bag

now i've got a problem

morgan wants it  but mama's not giving it up:o)

how was your week?

are you ready for christmas?

what are your plans for christmas??

linking up with jeannett for insta friday

Advent: Day 22

Lego Star Wars Calendar:

Activities:

paint nativity with sun catcher

make a thumb print nativity

i am not a huge fan of getting out the paints for my kids

BUT they love to paint

love it

it isn't so much the painting or the mess

its the clean up from the painting

cleaning the brushes

getting the paints put away

washing paint covered hands

projects laying around drying

ugh!

sometimes i will overlook all those things and let them paint

so when the kids saw their advent slip and saw they got to do two painting projects they were overjoyed

its the little things that can bring them so much joy!

 they painted sun catchers

and made thumb print nativities.

i am going to get some frames for the thumb print nativities and set them out next year as part of our christmas decorations.

i love how cute they turned out.

Bible Verses:

In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
  Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Luke 1:5-25