overheard

"Bunny, I just realized, we have ten fingers!"  --Gemma

the rest of Christmas (finally!)

Ok...let's get this job finished!  Only a month late on these Christmas pics.  Then I have 3 kids' birthdays to report on.  Whew, I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  :o)  But I really want to get these special days shared and chronicled--these really are happy, joyful times in our house.  :o) 

enjoying a nice breakfast of farm-fresh eggs (we're up to
a dozen-plus a day!  yay chickens!)

a new trick

What does a fox say??

I used Bunny's (nicer) camera for Christmas Eve pics (Mass, play, dinner) but I'm just too lazy to find them right now.  So here are a few I took after her camera card got full:

so tired (both of them, I think)

10 grandkids means total chaos at presents-time

in love with her American Girl doll, Saige

very tired the next morning...brushing teeth
before going down stairs to see what Santa brought...

Christmas morning

Bunny's top item on her wish list: "A Real
Football Helmet" :o)

Marcus cooked us a lovely brunch, but we adults were kicked
out of the dining room so we had to eat in the living room :o)

no more falling out of trees because of
duct-taped and zip-tied shoes!!!

Calico Critters = a big hit (and Auntie Erica's
hats and scarves!)

Christmas dinner.  Best. Dinner. Ever.  (good job hubs!)

wine, prime rib, scalloped potatoes, spinach salad, and
brussels sprouts (with bacon and cranberries)
Y U M M M M M !!!!

VDay craft

a sneak peak on something I'm working on for Valentine's Day... 

two kids down, three more to go...

Christmas Fun Day

My parents flew in from Ohio (and boy were their arms tired!) a week before Christmas....

grandma got right to work reading books to the kids

and grandpa spent time outside

The first day they were here, we went on our annual "Christmas Fun Day" trip to downtown Portland.  We leave in the early afternoon (this year, after dentist appointments) and see Santa before the evening rush. 

walking to Macy's 

Benson Bubblers 

dinner at Deschutes Brewpub, yum!!

visit to Finnegan's

Another successful "Christmas Fun Day" in the books!!!  :o)

Music Recital

Ok, so we're still on last month...  :o)  Not sure if I'll post ~everything~ I have from the 2nd half of December, but it's some good stuff so I'll probably post most of it.  If you're "done" with Christmas, sorry!  It's still goin' here on my blog!  :o)  ho ho ho

The 3 oldest kids are taking music lessons this year.  Bunny had been taking guitar lessons on-and-off for a few years now, and James for a few months last year, before our teacher had to quit for health reasons.  I put off finding a new teacher, figuring it would be hard to find someone who would come out to our home.  That was pretty much a requirement for me, since it would be soooo hard to pack up all 5 kids, then make the young ones stay quiet or stay in the car for 1 1/2 hours, or run errands with them when they're cranky, or whatever I'd be doing when the older kids would be taking lessons.  By having a teacher come to us, we could be in the comfort of our own home and the littles could run around, be noisy, etc.

Anyway, a friend in my homeschool group gave a plug for her son's teacher, Mrs. E.  I jotted down the name and number, and called her up.  She was not really actively ~looking~ for students, and she hadn't taught in-home, but she is a Catholic mother of 5 herself so she understood my plight.  She agreed to come to our house!!  It has been such a wonderful experience for us these past few months.  She is a tough teacher but so so talented in both teaching AND in music.  I am just amazed at the kids' progress.  

Mariposa started taking piano in September, our only kid to
learn this beautiful instrument.  (Although Bunny's doing her
 own independent piano study since she's interested.)

James is doing great!  He likes "doodling"
instead of actually practicing his songs, but
he is really developing his musicality.

And Bunny, wow.  She is Mrs. E's best guitar
student, I think.  For the recital she played
"Classical Gas" because Marcus wanted her to
learn it.  She is also excellent at strumming
any song, and making up songs.

Some of Mrs. E's students.  Many are Catholic homeschoolers
like us!  Mrs. E. holds quarterly mini-recitals at her home so
that the kids can develop a sense of community as well as
have a "purpose" for learning new songs.  So great!
We are very very lucky to be a part of this group.