Friday, December 25, 2009

The Real Meaning

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I absolutely love Christmas, but for some reason, I haven't been able to get into it this year.  I've had fun shopping and baking and planning out our holiday, but I've been a little grinchy.  I'm sure part of it is being exhausted by the baby, but it seems like something more.

After we got the tree set up, I decided that was the only decorating I was going to do.  I couldn't find the nativity where it was supposed to be and I didn't really want to search. Besides, that would mean clearing a place for it, so I never got it out.

Until today.  Getting ready for company, Kevin asked what he could do and I told him he could go find the nativity set.  I really was kind of missing it.  He found it right away, and soon the kids were begging to help put it up.

So they carefully unpacked all the pieces. 
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Then they wanted to arrange the characters. So I asked them what should they put out first.  As they started putting the pieces together, they were all telling the nativity story together.

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They put out Mary and Joseph and the donkey who had travelled a long way.  They told us how they came to the inn and there was no room and how they had to go to the stable and stay with the animals. 

They added animals to the scene and told us how it was crowded and noisy and probably smelled quite a bit.

Then they told us that baby Jesus was born, so they added him to the company.
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And then the angel told the shepherd about the birth, so the shepherds came to visit with their sheep.
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Then the wise men saw a star and travelled very far to visit Jesus, so they added the wise men to the figures.  Soon all the people and animals were gathered close around the tiny baby. 
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The kids were so excited about what they were doing I finally realized why I've been feeling so Grinchy lately.  I've been so tired and busy, I haven't been remembering the real reason for Christmas at all.  I'm so glad my kids could remind me that this tiny baby is the reason for our celebrations!
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The presents and the family gatherings and the food are all great.  But we can't let them get in the way of celebrating how much God loves us to send us His Son.  Merry Christmas everybody and don't forget the real reason we celebrate.  God loves us and He is AWESOME!!

Monday, December 14, 2009

It looks like Christmas!

We finally got our Christmas tree up last weekend.  Usually we do it while Kevin is hunting, sometimes first season, but usually second season.  We are fake tree kinda people, sorry to all of you purists out there, but it's just simpler.  However, that thing is HEAVY!  So I tasked my husband with the job of bringing it up from the basement before he went off hunting... 


Then I tasked him to bring it up after he came home from hunting...


Finally, a week after I had first asked for it...        I dragged it up the stairs myself.  And then I ripped the bag in the process. (That's why he's supposed to do it.) 


It's a prelit tree, but when I plugged in the first of the three sections, only one strand lit up.  Those suckers are very complicated to get off.  In the end only 2 or 3 of approximately 8 strands worked. Our basement flooded last spring and even though we set the tree up in the backyard to dry (yes I know, very white trash but you do whatcha gotta do) I think the water shorted out the lights.  So after several hours of unstringing and restringing lights, we got the tree up.  Then we still had to wait for Daddy to decorate with us, because life is just more fun with Daddy around.


The kids do all the ornaments.  Jadon was really into it this year along with Chloe's instruction.
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Most of the ornaments ended up front and center, because that's how my kids roll, but Daddy tried to help distribute them a little more evenly.



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Isaac wasn't really much help, but he sure is cute under there.

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Micah was more interested in his reflection in the ornaments than anything else.

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After we were all finished with our tree, we made our way to Grandma Ellen's to play with Ilese.  And of course Grandma's tree still needed decorations, so they got right to work over there. 
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Ilese and Chloe worked diligently to make that tree look awfully pretty.

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Of course Grandma is a little more into her Christmas decor than I, and she had already done the rest of the house.  And she decided her home could not be complete without her very own Rudolph. 

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This must be where my husband gets his sense of humor.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

I'm thankful for...

Boys...
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Babies...
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Silly faces...
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Brothers...
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Cousins...
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Creative little girls...
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Chess lessons from old guys who don't play chess...
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Crazy games...
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Family...
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We spent a great few days with my parents and brother last week over Thanksgiving.  My brother Hoa also visited from North Carolina and I got to meet his kids for the first time.  I haven't seen him in almost 15 years and my husband had never even met him.  He was actually my foster brother, but he lived with us for 5 or 6 years while I was growing up, so I've always thought of him as a brother.  It was so great to spend time with him and his family (minus his wife who had to work).

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Milestones

Well there is certainly lots going on around here these days.  It seems like my boys have all decided they're going to grow up this week.  Today happens to be Micah's birthday.  Happy Birthday Micah!!  He got to spend his sixth birthday looking for deer in the woods with his Daddy.  What a fun day! 


While Micah is getting a little bigger, he's still the same ball playing kiddo he's always been. But he has certainly added a wealth of football knowledge as well as a serious interest in soccer recently.  So far, his size doesn't seem to be impeding his athletic ability much.
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Micah's baby brother also just happened to turn two months old today.  Just look how cute my boys are together.  At least they're cute when they want to be ;)


Isaac has changed quite a bit over the last month.  He still doesn't like the car, but now he does tolerate it under certain circumstances.  We've even discovered that he will take  a MAM pacifier if we insist, but usually he'd just prefer a blanket and a cuddle.  The best part of this new two month old baby is the smiles.  He's decided he loves to play with us first thing in the morning, right after breakfast that is.  He'll smile and laugh at anyone who comes to him for a good ten minutes if he's just eaten.  Baby smiles are just the best aren't they?!
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Now for Jadon.  His birthday was last month, but he's decided he's not to be left out of the growing boys' club.  We had an unusually calm week, so he and I spent the better part of Monday through Wed in the bathroom on the potty.  And believe it or not, my boy is potty trained.  If you ask him, he'll be sure to tell you big boys go in the potty and babies go in the diaper.  And Jadon is definitely a big boy!!
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Some days I just can't stand the fact that my kids are growing up so fast, but most days I'm so proud.  They are great kids, aren't they?

Monday, November 2, 2009

Fall photos

You know that old saying, "the best laid plans..."  Well, that was how I felt today after my attempt at a photo shoot for my kiddos.  The day was gorgeous: blue sky, lots of sun (not always great for photos, but there were enough clouds to make a go of it), warm enough for just a sweater and no rain.  So I found some fallish sweaters for the big kids and went to town looking for something for Isaac (I had a gift card specifically for this purpose).  We struck out at Walmart, so I used the gift card for family essentials and found a cute sweater for my guy at Target. 


Then we headed off to the lake.  I had done a shoot out there a week ago that the scenery was awesome for.

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However, I forgot to take into account the torrential rains we had last week. Of course I think my kids are adorable so anywhere will work, right? Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the rain decimated the leaves on the trees and filled the lakebed with water.  This shot was no longer possible.  That was REALLY sad, because I love it and I wanted it for my kids.

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But we made do. I stood below this dock to take pictures last week, today the water came right up underneath it.  There was no standing below it today. But Micah definitely seems to be at home on the water, doesn't he?
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Here, we found a little bit of yellow still left on the trees, but JJ appears more interested in the stick he found than in any photo shoot.  Maybe that's why I absolutely love this shot.
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Chloe is certainly growing up to be a big helper. 
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She's such a big girl and she's really sweet to her little brothers (most of the time).
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Isaac is getting big too, big enough he stayed awake and happy to sit for the camera with his big sister.  Aren't they sweet together?

We had a great time out together despite the rough start.  And it was a great day to be outside even without any picture taking.  I hope we have a few more days like it this year before it gets any colder.  I just love fall.


Sunday, November 1, 2009

Our own little pumpkin patch

Last night was Trunk or Treat.  I had already planned on Isaac wearing the pumpkin costume I made for Jadon when he was a baby
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so Micah and Jadon wanted to be pumpkins too. 


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Chloe wanted to be different and be flower this year.
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So we got them all dressed up to go to the church where Kevin's cousin and his family actually had a jungle theme set up in there trunk. They even included the boys' costumes in the theme.

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The kids were adorable and they all had a really great time. I can't wait to see what they come up with next year!!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Are you ready...?

...For some Football?
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The last two weeks have been completely chaotic.  I must have been insane when I filled my schedule to overflowing just a month after having a baby.  We have had dr appts and photo shoots and retreats and just a few birthday parties.  But we survived and had a little fun on the way. 


Micah and Jadon's birthdays are exactly 4 weeks apart, and because of the sheer number of fall birthdays in the Rodie clan, we've celebrated them together the last couple of years.  Last year, we had an airplane party at the church where we threw paratroopers and foam gliders off the balcony into the gym.  I wasn't sure if we could top that this year, but we sure had a good time trying. 


Everyone agrees that Micah is the king of baseball, but Jadon has become a pretty big football fan.  And what's more appropriate for fall birthdays than football?  So we borrowed some flags from Aunt Jody, and invited all our friends.  And then we prayed for good weather.  It turned out to be a perfectly fall day.  We did get a little sprinkle during the game, but not too bad at all.


So how do you throw a football party with a bunch of kids ages 3 to 7?  Well first you need teams.
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Kevin and Justin were our captains.  They did a great job teaching the kids how to play.  And how cute are these little football huddles?


Then you start running!
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Caleb was a little intimidated to begin with, but he quickly got the hang of the game.  Look at him go!!


Of course we had to have a cheerleader.  "Touchdown!" 
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Eliana was happy to oblige.

After an hour, all the kids were pretty tired and sweaty so we headed inside for some cake and yummy hot chocolate.  What a great party!

Friday, October 16, 2009

A month already?!

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Little Isaac turned one month old yesterday.  I can hardly believe it.  I know that sounds cliché, but really, it seems like he was just born the other day.  At the same time, so much has happened in the last month.  For one thing, he's gotten really big!  He weighs about 10 lbs already, although I don't know exactly, but he's really starting to get some fat on him.
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He's not a paci baby, much to his father's dismay, but he's a great sleeper (at least he is during the day).   He sleeps through all kinds of running and fighting and playing all day long.  I keep joking that we need to have Micah and Jadon run through the house in the middle of the night to get him to sleep better.
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For the most part, he's really a happy baby.  He really only cries when he's in the carseat.  This is the face he makes as soon as he's buckled in.
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Yesterday, he cried most of the way home from Camp Akita.  That's really too bad since we have to drive 20 minutes just about anywhere we go.  Hopefully, he'll get a little more accustomed to that soon.


This is Zac's favorite place to sleep. (Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but that's what happens when the 7 year old has the camera)

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I made a bunch of these slings before he was born and we both just love them.  It's a really great alternative since he hates the carseat so much.  And he's certainly easier to carry around than lugging that heavy seat everywhere.

The big kids just love having a baby brother.  They are all eager to help and are constantly asking to hold him.  Every once in a while, the ugly green monster rears its head, but not very often.  I'm sure the day will come, but we're all having a great time right now.  Hopefully that will last a long time. 

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Camp Akita!!

One of the great things about homeschooling my kids is that I get to spend so much time with them.  But one of the hardest things for them is how much time they spend with me.  Don't get me wrong, they spend lots of time with friends and cousins, but sometimes they just need a fun day with other kids.  So that's what we did today. 


Camp Akita is just a little over 30 minutes away from us and they have opened up their camp to our homeschooling coop for free once a month.  Today was our first day out there and we had a blast!!  It was a little cold and wet, so we spent several hours out there at the lodge doing crafts and playing games.  Look what a great time we had!
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Petra supplied a craft for all the kids to do together.  Even Micah enjoyed that and he doesn't usually like to stay in one place for too long. 
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Jody organized games for the kids.  Relay races are always fun! 

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This game was a big hit.  I can't remember what she called it but we used to call it "the blob"!

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Who says you have to group kids together by age?  We had 15 kids ranging from one month to 13 years old.  While I don't think Isaac actually had any strong opinions, the rest of them seemed to have a great time together despite their age differences.  And how great is it to see the big kids playing with the little kids? 
Mom to four beautiful blessings including a brand new little guy. Laugh and cry with me as I navigate the joys and perils of motherhood and homeschooling.