This is our second year at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. The kids are loving Sunday School and choir. This year our choir director planned out a rather fun and musical 30 min program called ONCE UPON A STARRY NIGHT. This is the first year all 5 of our kids are involved in a program. We had 3 stars, a shepherd and a wise man with a solo. In fact, all but Echo had speaking parts as well! So much of our December and a bit of November was spent with lots of practicing. 

The girls both wore their special Christmas dresses. This is the second time wearing these as we dressed up in our best for Santa earlier in the month (that picture to follow as well). Miss Echo was especially proud of her blue dress and star! 

I was very proud of Trinity. She used learning her lines as a way to improve her writing and for the first time ever was willing to stand at the front of the church AND say something into a microphone! 

Emanuel was a wonderful shepherd though his headgear did not make it down the aisle for the procession in. 

Gavin was a wonderful star and helped Trinity along with her lines.

Zander was loud and clear and sang beautifully! 

We even had guests come! Not only Nana and Baba but Renee, Nathan and Evan! Talk about exciting. Being able to share our pageant with friends was great fun. We go to Evan’s musical night on Tuesday which just happens to be at the huge Catholic church literally down the street a bit from here! 

All in all an adorable concert with the kids so proud of themselves. We ended it with bags of goodies… all sorts of traditional Christmas treats!

Quite the wonderful morning! A much loved Advent tradition.

Waiting and stitching before service. We had to come there by 9:30 for the 10:45 service as usual so they could do a run through.

Ken even SHAVED for the event (the day before but still… not bad!).

Trinity with a couple friends.

Ready for the procession in.

The babies are so adorable!

3 Wise Men… Persons… Wise Persons.

Singing

There was an adorable lost sheep solo too… Baa-bara had a song to sing.

Singing around Baby Jesus.

Our littlest star… she even sang some of the words!!!

And again…

It was a joy to be able to wear again the June wedding guest dress this time with the red crinoline underneath!

May 30-June 2

And in a blurry blink May is coming to an end! What better way to learn about Texas and discuss weather than to draw up the 4 seasons. The kids were stunned by the lack of real lasting snow.

Trinity and Emanuel drew us up a stunning Texas poster full of things the remember reading and hearing about over the last month.

The big brothers are really pulling out all the stops and reading to the littles. I love it when they do. The storytelling is getting more and more fluid and fun. And the audience is definitely learning more patience as we go along.

We are seeing more and more gorgeous weather and with a willing Daddy to remove the cars from the drive… well every afternoon we can we are out in the sunshine in our toys with bubbles and books for Mommy.

And then back in to make box forts for the girls!

On Saturday I took the leap and headed over to Regency Hair School and got a brand new CONSISTENT colour! I have to say the price was AMAZING (set price not sliding according to hair length) and the work wonderful. I had an amazing student and walked out with a terrific colour!

We managed a few garage sales and came away with new shoes for Miss Echo, a skein of eyelash yarn and a summer dress for yours truly. We are on the hunt for good finds this year… books, a scooter for Emanuel… anything homeschool related. Garage sales can be where it’s at. Sadly so far this year all the homeschool ones posted on the egroup are not reasonable driving distance for us.

Sunday was new members service for us! Very exciting, not only did the kids sing at the front first with the Sunday School group but we also came up to declare ourselves new members of Saint Mark’s. With a brunch to follow we had a great time meeting some of the other members, having a lovely meal with our new church community and spending some time as a family all dressed up!

We brought home our carnations that were pinned to our shirts and put them in a pretty dish to make into a centerpiece on the table. So pretty!

We had some amazing Lego creators hard at work to make Pokemon.

On Monday we set to work making peanut butter and birdseed on toilet paper rolls for birdfeeders to hang in the front yard. Another Scouts achievement to add to Emanuel’s list for his year.

Miss Echo is utterly in love with “doing her mail”. She simply cannot be stopped when it comes to completing the pages Gammie sent her. I think she is going to LOVE the curriculum we picked up at Sam’s club for an absolute steal.

Our morning was completed with a blanket fort.

There was planting to be done in the straw bale garden out back…

Which of course led to playing outside.

Emanuel chose to use Art for Kids instructions (link on right) to make his very own Mario.

That evening it was time for one of the last Scout gatherings for the year. Darcy had to be at 6 places at once so we collected Aidan early, hung out for a while and then headed over to the dam. We ended up at the wrong parking lot but in the end the boys managed to meet up with their group for their hike.

Super high water levels!

We hung out at the Novak’s for a while while the boys played games until the rest of Aidan’s family got home.  A great ending to a terrific day and the start of a whole new month.

March 28-29

We got our Novak family fix over the last  two days of the week. Thursday was a special day for our god son and his big brother… their first communion (Lutheran Style). Our whole family spent the evening with them. But first, our day back with Nana and Baba. I was grateful that I managed to get their spelling practice in (our test is delayed to the following week to accommodate our Easter schedule) and some reading… a little bit of this and that. But mostly… Nana and Baba time!

Looking at trip pictures

We did get in some paper airplanes time! What a great find those books on how to were for 1.00 at Christmas!

Gavin and Emanuel

Ken was in office so it was up to me to get all 5 kids and myself ready for our first church experience in a while. I think they cleaned up nicely! With the weather warming up there was a last minute scramble to find shoes that fit the boys… definitely going to have to get Zander a new pair as he is the biggest, no pass me downs!

Miss Echo got dressed first HOURS earlier… she was adamant… it was time to look pretty

All the pretty babies

Miss Trinity

The service was nice, the music lovely and our 9 kids… manageable though not perfect.

Andy and the children… well some of them

I am so proud of our god son… he is growing up so quickly! I remember being at his baptism and being just as proud!

Our boy!!!

Andrew’s godparents with their two little darlings also managed to make the special Maundy Thursday service. Their little girls and my little girls had some fun after service together. I wish I had gotten a picture of Echo’s good bye hug.

Andrew and his godparents

Post first Communion… together

After all that fun and with Friday being a holiday for all but Big Andy what was there to do but say good bye to Andrew’s godparents and their family and head back to the Novaks’ for cupcakes and play time. It is so great to see more of Andy with him no longer driving trucks… just fixing them.

Andrew and the cupcakes

The children descend

We have so much fun with this family!

Friday started our Novak experience all over again with a morning egg hunt at one of their local parks… in fine Minnesota tradition… in the snow. Not so much an egg hunt as an egg mad dash. Ken and Anthony took the girls to their age range, Darcy Aidan and Emanuel and then I made sure the twins and Alex made it to theirs while Andrew helped where he could.

Walking to the field

The little ones

Emanuel and Aidan

The twins and Alex

In the end everyone got candy but Alex and Gavin each got bigger prizes.

With the prizes

Easter Bunny

We all headed back to the house, less Andrew who came after lunch, and made hotdogs and KD.

Snoopy

Then it was play time for the kids, naptime for Ken and Echo and shopping for Darcy and I. We made the circuit of all the Walgreens, Walmarts and Targets and got Darcy as close to ready for Easter as we could.

CANDY

5.00 pizza for dinner and Ken hard at work on the household pc’s… we watched Disney together… hung out… played… had an AMAZING day! Oh, and I gave out the first of my cupcake bags! 

My favourite one!

The guys working on the laptop

Anthony’s birthday is in April so it is time to plan out that first birthday gift where we are in the country. Exciting! But in the meantime… two action packed days more and Easter is over!!!

Again, Easter Egg Hunt in Minnesota!