It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

There will be no picnics today!

I bought some peppermint mocha coffeemate--perfect for sipping and blogging.

Stay warm!

Hidden Treasure Field Trip to the Shawnee Fire Department

Darick, Todd, Makenzie, Emma, Fireman Wood, Michael, Zoe, Joy, Stevie, and Ryan

We were "lucky" enough to witness an actual call. It was a medical call, which is what they mostly get. Lord willing, everything turned out alright.

The highlight for me was seeing the 'jaws of life'!

Makenzie just loves her baby brother. She is so enamored with him that sometimes I have to remind her that she can't carry him or pick him up. She is always begging to hold him and I am constantly giving her another chance to prove that she can follow the rules. About every other time though, she just can't contain herself.
This morning, after feeding him, Makenzie asked to hold him. I acquiesced, with the command: "don't stand him up". After several minutes, I went in to check on them. Sitting on the couch, Makenzie had Isaac standing up and she was trying to manipulate his legs. I scolded her and went to save him and Makenzie's response was, "I was just trying to teach him to shuffle, hop, step"!

Recently, I've been using the old "I'm gonna tell Santa that you're being naughty" line on Zoe. She's not too sure who Santa is, but she knows he's going to bring her chocolate--her favorite. She doesn't really care about toys; if you ask her what she wants for Christmas, or what she wants Santa to bring, she'll tell you "chawtlut".
Tonight at the supper table, she was being less that angelic (hmm, imagine that!). Stevie told her that she better be careful or she might just find a lump of coal in her stocking come Christmas morning. Zoe then picked up her invisible cell phone and "beep beep beep"ed in a telephone number. She then said, "'lo? NO chawtlut." And then she hung up.
I'm still chuckling...

Hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!

Stevie and Makenzie did an awesome job on their clay turkeys. They made a lovely centerpiece for our Thanksgiving meal. We have so much to be thankful for! Praise God!

The last time I colored my hair was right before I got pregnant with Isaac, hmm, carry the naught and add naught and let's see...about 18 months ago! We're having a family portrait taken tomorrow so, along with being called Grandma yet again, I finally decided it was time to color my hair. After applying all the dye and setting the timer, I came downstairs to get some computer time in. Several minutes later, I heard the timer and before I could get out of my chair, Stevie said, "oh no, Zoe". This is not what one wants to hear with permanent hair dye on one's head! Zoe thought she was being helpful by 'fixing' the timer. (She's also very good at closing doors, especially if I'm coming up from the basement with a heavy box in my hands.) I asked Stevie if she noticed how much time was left, of course she didn't. Did I look at the clock when I was done? Oh no, why would I, after all, I was setting a timer. Stevie thought it had maybe 10 minutes left. Well, I'm happy to report that I don't have green hair, although Stevie did try to scare me with that thought when I took the towel off my head. Now I know why I was waiting to color my hair...

Third picture to make it to EXPLORE!

Why is this so exciting to me? Everyday, only 500 pictures are chosen from among hundreds of thousands and making it into this group makes me feel like I've accomplished something! Silly, huh? Oh well, I'm a kid at heart and all kids love attention!!

I need help! I can't decide which one I like the best and so far, no one here has the same favorite. Please tell me which one (or two) you like the best. Why do I have to pick one (or two)? Glad you asked! Until I get a pro account on flickr (hint, hint, Santa), my upload is limited and I've got too many pictures to choose from. I've already done a couple of mosaics of shots of Isaac and I finally decided on one of Zoe and Makenzie, but I'm stumped on Stevie's. HELP!

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

I don't know if it's the holiday season or the soon-coming one-year anniversary of my mom's passing, but I've been thinking of her quite a bit lately. It is still hard to believe that she is gone. Probably because of the distance that was between us--not only physically but emotionally.

When I was young, we didn't always get along and I always hated her alcohol addiction, but I still clung to her as my mom. I remember being a kid and hating it when she took a nap--I would always check to see if she was breathing. I was terrified that she might die. I wonder if my kids think that way too; they never let me take a nap!

As I got older, especially after I had children, we drifted so far apart. Largely due to the fact that she moved to Port Isabel, Texas. We didn't communicate easily, so phone calls were few and far between. We always vacationed down there, so I did get to see her once a year or so, but she was so involved in her way of life, that we didn't fit in well. We would always have to make an appearance at the American Legion--a smoke-filled hole-in-the-wall bar. That place was her life; she was very proud to be a part of it. They made her an officer and she was always boasting of their good deeds. For me, though, it still seemed like such a waste. We would make our appearance and then there would be a phone call or two before I saw her again.

When Mom first died, all I could bring to mind were good memories. Now, I seem to be flooded with the childhood memories, most of which were not necessarily good. Confusing times.

Just last weekend, at Daniel's funeral, I saw my mom's family for the first time in years. It was the first for many to meet my three youngest kids. More than once, it was mentioned that they all resemble my mom; this is a fact, indeed!

What do I hope to accomplish by writing all these thoughts twirling around in my head? A few things, I suppose:

1) Know the Lord, and love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul.
2) Remember to call your mom, often.
3) Forgive petty faults and ignorant deeds.
4) Hold your kids, often.

http://video.xanga.com/madenham/7befc122448/video.html
Stevie teaching Makenzie the Pledge of Allegiance
from November 2004

Wool Dyeing

Today, our home school coop kids learned how to dye wool with Kool-Aid. It was fun and not as messy as I thought it would be. It smelled yummy and we are going to try to make God's eye ornaments http://www.uk-craft.com/projects/gods_eye.php from our yarn.

Thanks to Jill and Kim for teaching this class.

http://video.xanga.com/madenham/9bad9120425/video.html
the first minute of Stevie's arena dance...for Troupe

http://video.xanga.com/madenham/9d306119823/video.html
Who says boys don't scream?

http://video.xanga.com/madenham/45c9c119063/video.html
Makenzie...from October 2004

http://video.xanga.com/madenham/018ea118898/video.html
Zoe...from November 2004

http://video.xanga.com/madenham/4af8f118698/video.html
from August 2003
Stevie participated in the T-Bones Junior Spirit Girls
she is on the far right, next to the real cheerleader
the video is not very clear (sorry), it's better in my documents than it uploaded, but you'll get the idea...

EXPLORE on flickr

My creation
Originally uploaded by meldenham.

This is my second picture to make it in EXPLORE!

We celebrated Glenda's birthday tonight. Our prayer is that this time next year we'll be celebrating more than just her birthday...she will have surgery this month to remove the remaining cancer and make sure that it hasn't gotten in to her lymph nodes. If all is clear, after 4-8 weeks of recovery, she'll undergo radiation treatments. Lord willing, the cancer will be gone and will never return.

This was Glenda's (Grandma's) birthday cake.

Makenzie, Stevie, and I made our first checkerboard cake! It was fun and easy to make. We all fought over who got to make it--we finally all did some.

And They Called It Puppy Love

Look at that boy sitting up! Why do they have to grow up so fast? With three older sisters, he'll be racing to catch up. :( Sad for momma, in one respect, but also joyous to see them change and become little people.

I do well not to grumble about the monetary sacrifices having children entail, however I do complain about not having enough time to myself. Although it is important to have a moment here and there to recharge, I need to remember that this time will be gone in the blink of an eye. I need to cherish these moments and create lasting memories.

Sequel to ode to a 70's childhood:
http://www.tv.com/land-of-the-lost/show/1254/summary.html
you can actually view a video clip here...

Ode to a 70's childhood:
http://www.melaman2.com/cartoons/singles/speedbuggy.html

Most every night, Makenzie asks the blessing before supper. Tonight was no exception. She said her lovely prayer and then asked Stevie why her eyes weren't closed! :P

This is my husband's 96 years young grandmother: Helen. She had fun with us at the skating party on Halloween.

We are blessed to have four generations in our family!

On the verge of...

It's all about the hair
Originally uploaded by meldenham.

Oh my, she's growing up. It is exciting, scary, sad, rewarding, and challenging...for both of us!

Trick-or-Treat

Trick-or-Treat
Originally uploaded by meldenham.

Stevie was a pretty kitty. Makenzie was Veronica from Josie and the Pussycats (Jill, you remember, right? Tammy is too young to remember). Zoe was a sweet ballerina. I had to bribe her to wear the tutu, but she wouldn't don the princess crown :( Isaac was my sweet Captain Jack. He fussed a bit when I put the doorag on, but once the costume was in place, he took it all in good humor.

We visited a neighboring church and saw our former family pastor, John. Then it was off to Skate World. I couldn't resist--I skated too! Thank goodness for that heating pad!!!