Where our hearts are:



Ice and Snow in Florida

Cherish has been praying for God to send snow to Florida. Well, Gaylord Palms in Orlando brought the northern weather to the south. =) First stop: "ICE!"

Getting ready to head into the 9° Fahrenheit weather
(the parkas were provided):

 Mom, Julie, Cherish, Derek:

 It's all ice--colored ice:

Cherish got stuck coming down the ice slide:

 Lunch with Mrs. Claus:

 Waiting to head into "SNOW!"

 Snow--under a big tent:

 Snowball fights with dad:

 Snowman building time:

 Not much space or loose snow, but you use what you've got:

 Time out for some shows:

A very nice day out at Gaylord Palms, Orlando, FL!

Cherish eats up learning!

Cherish woke up this morning, picked out her clothes, got dressed, did her hair, found this math book, came to me and asked if she could do some math--all before breakfast. She loves "school" (as she calls it).

This is unplanned and unrehearsed:

When she doesn't have enough fingers:

We pull a math book out maybe one to two times a month--because she begs me to. She's always asking questions and seeking knowledge. (She knows subtraction as well.) We are thinking of possibly homeschooling her, but it terrifies me. Maybe a co-op....

Getting things done

I have had more time on my hands lately (due to some changes), so I have been busy getting things done that have been on my "To Do Sometime" list.

So, Cherish and I donned our painting clothes and got to work. We had large doll furniture and children's furniture to prime and paint.

Here's Cherish priming her doll highchair. Priming was great for her, because the raw wood drank up the globs of paint =).

During this time together I got so many comments like:
"I LOVE painting!" "I love you, Momma!"
"I love spending time with you!"
Sweet child!

This doll house was build by Derek's grandfather for

Derek's older sister almost 40 years ago!

Popsie did a fabulous job!

Aunt Rhonda passed the house down to Cherish,

and we gave it some new life:

 It doesn't have "bling-bling" yet,
but at least the "work" part is done: 

What Cherish doesn't know is that for her birthday she will be receiving doll furniture to fit into this house. In the past, she's just been using other items to play "house" with.

Also, we got sand for Cherish and set up a new-to-her sandbox. Of course, we let Cherish play in the sandbox in her pajamas the first night it was set up. Perhaps that's one benefit of being a child of an older parent. You realize that going outside in the dark and playing in pajamas really is ok. (She had a shower and changed pajamas afterwards so she wouldn't be sleeping in the itchy sand-filled pajamas.) We'll have to do that again very soon.

Play--it's work for kids ;-).

Bed time and all the animals are in the exact spot they need to be in! If they are moved, she'll notice--even in the middle of the night!

Good night, Sweetheart!

Family Hobo Party

Our Sunday School class got together for a hobo party Saturday evening. There were many contests and fun activities.

Here we are as the winners--actually, our family won but Cherish went off to play.
(Note Derek's "Bubba Teeth"):

Some of the children:

Cherish has "dirt" on her face and patches on both elbows,

both knees, and one on the chest of her vest.

Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire:

We also each brought a can of vegetables to add to some stock, and we ate Hobo Stew out of our cans. I was surprised how tasty the stew was! Also, we made S'mores! YUM!

 Scarecrow making contest:

 Painting contest:

Of course the children threw hay all over each other and ran around playing until the evening was over. What a great evening of fun and fellowship!



Match Day Anniversary

Today we celebrated our 3rd year since receiving the call that Mei Ai Mei had been chosen for us. That night we went to P.F. Chang's China Bistro--full of laughter and joyous tears. (We could hardly believe we were about to be parents!)

So, this year we took Cherish there to remember and celebrate.

 

We are blessed BEYOND MEASURE to be Cherish's parents! Thank You, God, for choosing us!

4th Grade Girls' Leaders

So, Derek is the leader of the 4th grade boys' class for Pioneer Clubs on Wednesday night. Pioneer Clubs had Camp Day, and since the boys had several fathers volunteer to lead the boys, Derek was asked to lead the girls' group. He recruited me, and we took Cherish along. It was a great day.

Making plaster masks:

 Preparing for horseback riding:

Paintball slingshot fun:

Did I mention the candy rewards for hitting targets?

Building campfires--and teams racing to see whose fire could burn the string first:

 Making and roasting Mexican S'mores:

 Learning archery:

 Canoeing (Cherish wasn't so thrilled):

 Hayride with friends:

 And just plain having fun:

We had a marvelous time with the girls!

Time with family

My brother, David, and his wife Shannon stopped by my mom's house on their way back home to Pennsylvania. It was perfect timing as my sister Michele, her children, Cherish and I were all visiting mom--and the meeting was unplanned with David and Shannon. What a sweet treat! (Unfortunately, we missed visiting with my sister Jen and her boys by one day.)

Shannon graciously playing with the girls--which

they thoroughly enjoyed!

Play-Doh time:

 Aunt Shannon's creativity shining through:

 And it gets better:

 Cousin love:

 Constantly together:

 The boys, however, talk cars: