Looking back 6 years ago upon this day...

...I am in awe at how fast the time has gone by and how much you have grown and changed.  You are definitely your own little person, with your own little perfect personality, although you remind us mostly of your big brother, Mario. (our M&M boys!!!)   Since you are 6 this year, here are SIX things we love most about you....


#1 - you are our blondie boy.  I never got to meet my brother (your uncle Tony, in heaven, whom you get your middle name from), but I think since you share his namesake, you have other resemblances too - most especially your blonde hair!

#2 - how you whistle and sing all throughout the day.

#3 - how you will yell across the house "I love you, Mom" without thinking twice.  You just need to say it, and I most definitely need to hear it!  Keep it up, darling!!!

#4 - how you bring a contagious JOY and happiness to the room when you enter it.  Your easy-going personality and tender-hearted way about you brings so much JOY with you wherever you go.

#5 - how brave you are - one of our only kids who doesn't mind going to the doctor, getting shots, poked at, etc...  Having been through surgery twice, you are one tough kid for sure!!  We are SO proud of you!

#6 - your awesome facial expressions and silly faces - make us all giggle and smile!

Happy 6th birthday, buddy!!!

We love you!!!  

++Loving God, you created all the people of the world and you know each of us by name. We thank you for "Max", who celebrates his birthday today. Bless him with your love and friendship that he may grow in wisdom, knowledge, and grace. May he love his family always and be faithful to his friends. Amen. ++

Our favorite versions of "What does the fox say?"

The mean mom and dad at this house doesn't let kiddos search and watch videos on YouTube on their own, but they know they are free to watch the videos posted on our blog.  So, I'd thought I'd be a nice mom (for once, eh!!  mark your calendars!!) and post their three favorite "what does the fox say" videos.  The first one is a brand new one, and SO good (my favorite one of the three)!!!!!!!!! 

 

I hope that has you dancing
and singing along, now!!! 

Theme Thursday: Barns (trapping edition)

I know this is my second post on Theme Thursday, but I had to separate this post from the last one...  This one may stir up some negative comments (with the furs of animals hanging from the barn and the proud trappers standing near), so I had to separate it from the "cutsie" one.  This barn is marked in all of our memories and has served so many purposes throughout the years.  My father over the last couple years completely re-roofed the barn with some buddies.  It was a HUGE undertaking, but he did it.  (he has a little stubborness in him, and obviously didn't learn from the first fall out of the barn - silly guy!)  Anyways, not only do we have farming roots, but trapping genes as well. My dad trapped as a young boy and is proudly passing on this art to his sons-in-law and grandsons. One of my brothers-in-law (the one in the picture below) has really latched on to this art and is doing quite well - he recently opened up his own business, in which he makes and sells trapping baits (Camp Creek Trapping).  These pictures were taken up against *the barn* with all their treasures from trapping season a few years ago...

For more Theme Thursday posts on barns, click on the picture below....

Theme Thursday: Barns

Having grown up in the country as a country girl with chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, pigs, a horse (only for a couple days - lol!), plenty of dogs and cats, and fields of corn and beans to surround us, I have plenty of memories of "the barn"...

*the barn my dad fell out of and broke his leg when they were baling hay and getting the hay up into the loft (although this happened before I was born!)

*the barn that housed our sheep - "Happy" and "Birthday" and all the ones to follow, not the mention the rest of the farm animal crew

*the barn my sisters and I played in for hours swinging down from the hay loft with the long rope and landing in the pillow of hay bales below

*the barn where my dad stored tractor after tractor after tractor....., all GREEN, of course!  

*and many other memories which I am forever grateful!!


And, now as a grown momma myself, the barn in which we all posed for family pictures in November of 2013....

~My wonderful parents~

~My parents, 3 amazing sisters and I, and 

2 brothers/intercessors in heaven above~

~The whole crew~

~The "real" version of the whole crew~

~My amazing husband and 7 "arrows" 

that God has given us to raise~

~My beautiful (goofey) "arrows"~

These will probably be my favorites out of all the pictures ever taken, because of the big red barn as the background!! 

++Thank you, God, for the big RED barn++

Join other Theme Thursday barn posts by clicking the picture below....

A poem to share

"Dogs and Cats"

by:  Melody

Dogs are cuddly, dogs are cute,

But their puppies are never mute.

Cats are fuzzy, cats are nice,

Except when it comes to mice.

Cats and dogs, dogs and cats,

Friends for you and all the rest. 

(This was her reading assignment today - to read some poems and create her own.  She did it all on her own!!  I think she did a super job!!)

"Months of the Year" song and poster

A couple weeks ago, Pookey and Max created a handpainted "Months of the Year" poster to share with the residents of the nursing home where my Grandma lives.  They were planning to sing the "Months of the Year" song and hold the poster, during a talent show.  It was an opportunity to share their love and talent with the residents.  All five big kids performed at the event:  Fone played piano and did his black belt TKD form, Mario was in a magic show and did his black belt TKD form, Melody and Ariel both sang "Gold" and played piano, and Max did his TKD form and sang this song.  Pookey got to sit in the van with Rose and I, because as we arrived and were unloading to head in, he said he "had a belly and might throw up".  Sigh - I couldn't go in and chance a sick little guy with all those wonderful "grandmas and grandpas".  So, Pookey never officially performed until now - his blog debut of the "Months of the Year"....

This was such a fun project - what kid doesn't love to get their hands all dirty and full of paint, only to create a lovely piece of art??  

Didn't it turn out great???  

 

**we learned this song many years ago when Fone and Mario were little - it is on our Sounds Like Fun cd. 

**you may remember from a year and a half ago, Mark made a similar poster and sang the same song at a Fine Arts Festival.  We like to stick with what works in our house!!  :) 

"You say grace...."

Sarah, over at Amongst Lovely Things, is hosting a "Weekends with Chesterton" this year every weekend.  How great is that!!  A reason to study and share your findings -brilliant!  (I need all the accountability I can get)    I know I am a day late after the official weekend, but truly this quote came to me yesterday, I promise!!  So, I still consider this a "Weekend with Chesterton' post.  (my first one actually!)

"You say grace before meals... 

a meal with Tigger & Friends - April 2013

But I say grace before the 
concert and the opera,

Cat Chat - 2013

Toby Mac concert - 2013

and grace before the 

play and the pantomime,

Fairytale Christmas - Circa 21 - 2013

Nutcracker ballet - 2013

and grace before I open a book,

and grace before sketching,

sketching lessons at Disney - 2013

sketching at Disney - 2013

painting,

"Months of the Year" painting - Jan 2014

swimming,

 


fencing, boxing, walking,

 



playing,

dancing,

and grace before I dip the pen in the ink."

~G.K. Chesterton

++Thank you God for the wisdom and delightfulness 
of G.K. Chesterton, his writings, and his love for You, 
and all these reasons to give you thanks and say 
"grace" all day every day!++