Our First Two-Piano Duet

Click here to watch it on YouTube.


Sarah and I got to play our first two-piano duet at church on Sunday, Christmas Day. I gave her the music in November and challenged her to see if she could learn her part by Christmas. Not only did she learn it...she memorized it and played it flawlessly. We are so proud of her and the way she is using the talents the Lord has given her! Hopefully this will be the first of many times we are able to play together!

Neighbor Gifts

I know it's nearly Christmas, but maybe someone out there is still looking for a last minute idea for gifts for neighbors and/or friends. I get really tired of the excessive amount of sweets consumed over the holidays, so I decided to make a cookie mix in a jar this year to be enjoyed at a later date. If you're interested, you can check out this link for the recipe, instructions, and printable tags.

Children's Christmas Program

Here are two quick pictures from the Children's Christmas Musical on Sunday night. They all did a great job in their vocal and speaking parts. This was Rachel's first time to sing with the "big kids". She had a quite a performance (ahem!) and proved to us that indeed she is a bit more like Garth than me. :)

(Sorry for the quality of the pics...I only had my little camera!)

Handel's Messiah

Here's a quick picture from Handel's Messiah on Saturday. Garth stayed home with the kids and gave me such a little break. I went with 3 people from church and we all had a great time!!

A Favorite Spot

This is one of Ruth's favorite spots...the laundry basket! Whether the laundry is clean or dirty, she loves to lie down on top of all the clothes and stay there a while. She thinks it's so hilarious that she can climb in and out of the basket by herself.

Happy Birthday, Benjamin!

Today we celebrate another birthday at our house! Happy 7th birthday to Benjamin!! He wanted biscuits and gravy for breakfast and then to go to the Japanese Steak House for lunch/dinner. We are also taking him to Toys R Us to get a bike since he has definitely outgrown his old one.

Happy 4th Birthday, Rachel!

Happy 4th birthday to Rachel Mikaela! We love you very much and are so excited to see how you have grown into a little lady.

Today we are celebrating Rachel's birthday with waffles for breakfast, macaroni and cheese for lunch, spaghetti and grapes for supper...and yellow cupcakes (her favorite color since she could talk!).

Oh Yes, I Did!!

Yes, I know that we are having another girl and I have bins of clothes in the garage. And yes, I know that I'm only halfway (plus a tad) through this pregnancy. But you know, this little girl needed a new dress!! JC Penney had this absolutely adorable girly dress on sale for $10 today!! So this is her first outfit that is just for her and I LOVE IT!!!!

Trip Home From Whistler

On the way up to Whistler, we were driving in the dark and could tell that we were passing beautiful scenery but could barely see it! We left early from the village so that we could take our time coming home and stop at as many places as we wanted. Oh my, it was beautiful!!!! Here are just a very few pictures out of all that we took.

This was my view a lot as Garth tried to get lots of perfect shots!!

And no visit to Canada is complete without a stop at Tim Hortons! :)

Birthday Trip To Whistler

For my birthday, Garth whisked me away to Whistler for the weekend. Some very dear friends kept our children. It was a very nice, relaxing weekend and I'm very thankful that we were able to go. Since the ski hills weren't quite open yet for the season, we had planned to go snowmobiling or ATVing, but they wouldn't let me go since I was pregnant! We settled for a jeep tour up onto the mountain (altitude of just over 6000 feet). The weather was absolutely perfect so that we could see the neighboring mountains and the village below. The tour guide had been working for this company for ~7 years; he was quite knowledgeable, answered all of our questions, and made it really interesting.

On one of the stops up the mountain (while the guide was putting the chains on our tires), we met a guy snowboarding down. We struck up a conversation with him and asked how he got up the mountain since the lifts weren't open. He had hiked 3 1/2 hours up to the peak with all of his gear and then was boarding down. Talk about perseverance! That was one long hike for such a quick trip down. He was exhausted and happy to stop for a break to talk to us!

And Baby #5 Is...

A GIRL!  

Rachel's Ear Surgery: Round 2

This morning Rachel had surgery on her ears to put in heavy duty tubes and to remove her adenoids. She had surgery back in May to put tubes in, but they fell out after only about 3 months. She has, therefore, struggled with her speech and hearing again for the last couple of months. We are hoping that these better tubes, along with having her adenoids gone, will help her hear better and to speak more clearly.

Since her consultation with the ENT two weeks ago, she has been very excited about having her ears fixed. She's been counting down the days and telling everyone about it! She chose strawberry-flavored gas to go to sleep with and walked straight back to the operating room with the nurse. The nurses and doctors all said that they wished ALL kids were this excited about having their ears fixed!

When she woke up from the surgery, she was pretty nauseated, but that passed within about half an hour. Once she could sit up okay, the nurse gave her a ride in the wheelchair out to the car.

I had planned to take her straight home, but she asked if we could please stop and get some ice cream first...so we did. :) She is resting well at home now and has a fun day of movies, coloring, and quiet playing planned. Thank you to everyone who prayed for her!

Cider Pressing: A Day of Fall Celebration

Recently we joined some friends for a harvest party. Garth and the three older kids had a great time helping to press apple cider. Ruth and I enjoyed the warmth of the house. :) This was the first time we had ever pressed cider, so it was a great learning opportunity! I will let the pictures suffice to tell you about the day!

A Canadian Thanksgiving

On Monday we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Usually each year we celebrate two Thanksgivings, which is just fine by Garth. :) We talked about what each of us are thankful for and enjoyed a yummy meal together as a family. Here are some pictures!