Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the family of fish!

We baked our traditional Happy Birthday Jesus cake. (And some gluten free cupcakes.)

Happiness is telling your gluten intolerant three year old that yes, he may lick the bowl for once.

Uncle Matt armed the kids with all sorts of Texas goodies. With his new boots, Caleb is more convinced than ever that "Now I can be a real cowboy, just like Uncle Matt!"

Abby read us the story of the first Christmas from her very own pink Bible.

Levi mostly wandered around pulling bows off of boxes and taking ornaments off the tree.

But the highlight of the day was getting the news that our new nephew had been discharged from the NICU and was headed home with his parents. Praise God from whom all blessings flow for this awesome Christmas miracle!

Fish in a barrel

Because their dad is awesome, Caleb and Jacob, along with their Papa, got to be a part of the excitement of stocking the Chattahoochee River with trout on this cold, wet morning.

It seems the excitement of dumping buckets full of fish into the water trumps the frigid temperatures.

One limb at a time

The kids have some sort of plan to assemble their own Christmas tree when we get home.

Shhhh.

Don't tell them about the big fir tree on top of the van. It will make for a fun surprise when we get home.

Future fighter pilots

The kids got new bomber jackets from Nana and Granddaddy, and I got new photo ops.

Now they'll be warm and stylish!

Light reading

Everyone else in this family likes to sit underfoot and flip through books while I make lunch, so why shouldn't Levi do the same?

For the record, there are plenty of beds and couches and chairs where they could be reading. But no, my kids prefer to create an obstacle course of Children Engrossed in Books in the kitchen for me to maneuver around.

And if you don't think Levi reading "Five Little Ducks" at the top of his lungs with macaroni stuck to his shirt is adorable, then you're just wrong.

Read alouds

Guess who just read this whole book aloud all by himself?

My favorite shark-loving four-year-old, that's who.

I have a love/hate relationship with these stupid little Bob books. But I have nothing but love for an achievement that makes my kid smile like that.

So happy to have another little reader in the family!

Live in concert

The kids performed in their annual CBS Christmas concert, and their antics, as usual, did not disappoint.

Caleb stayed glued to the side of his dear friend Gloria the whole time, and only remembered to sing when someone in the front row reminded him to put his shirt down, stop rubbing his belly, and face the front. Once he got started, he was the loudest kid in the bunch, as usual.

Abby stuck close to her buddy Violet and failed to notice I was in the audience trying to take her picture, so intent was she on following the teacher's cues and not missing a note.

And Jacob, like most of the three year old class, mostly stood around looking confused about why in the world they were standing in front of a room full of smiling moms instead of playing on the playground like they usually do after story time.

And proud mom that I am, I got it all on film.

Creative writing

"I don't have time to get dressed, Mommy," Caleb explained when I asked why he was still in pajamas. "I have to write this story!"

For the record, my firstborn never did this when she was learning to read and write. Abby has been (and is still) too worried about spelling something wrong to attempt much creative writing on her own.

But Caleb is another story. This kid wants to at least try, usually because Sharky really, really wants him to write down his adventures. Whatever his motivation is, I'll take it.

"The shark wnt out one day and the shark saw a fish!"

Sharky and the Fish is my new favorite piece of fiction.

Beep, beep!

You know what's exciting?

Trash day is exciting.

Especially when you live in a neighborhood where no two homeowners can agree on who provides the best trash service, so at least 5 different companies drive their big old trash and recycling trucks up and down the street throughout the day.

Those truck drivers have no idea how popular they are with the 3-and-under crowd around here.

On their own

 

At the recommendation of some friends, we started a new workbox system for our homeschool curriculum. And so far, it's a big hit with my students. (All two of them.)

I know it's a big hit, because at 7:45 this morning, they were pulling out their boxes and starting their math assignments. 

That's way too early for this mom, who hasn't even finished her morning coffee by 7:45 a.m. I told them as much, and Abby reminded me that I said they could work on whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, unless they came to a box with a stop sign in it, indicating they needed to work on that one with supervision.

We'll see how long the novelty lasts. For now, I'm fully enjoying every second of student-led school time.