Confessions of a Bad Blogger

Since I have been overwhelmed with life in the past year lately, I may have passed up a few bloggable moments.  But there are a few things I would never forget to tell you from 2012.

1. I would never forget to mention that Will learned to ride his bike this past spring.

2.  And I am sure that I remembered to post photographical evidence that we actually did spend a week at the beach with Tim's family. No?

 3. Likewise, I would never fail to blog if Kate learned to read.

4. If Ben had continued to write funny comic strips to amuse his teacher and me, I would post every single one.

5.  I am sure that if Will had visited the local newspaper office and become inspired to write his own newspaper, complete with cover story, sports section, interviews, comics, and puzzles, of course I would have told you about it!

6. I got a new camera just before Thanksgiving, but if a tall, skinny stranger tried to eat my youngest while I was messing with the settings, I am sure I would have remembered and posted a photo.

7.  I always remember to post the Annual Cousins-on-the-Stairs pic, especially if it is Jack's first one.

8. And if Kate ever won an award at school for never giving up or quitting, I would have taken the time to blog about it.

9. We didn't do anything fun like decorate gingerbread houses. And Jack-Man did not eat his house before it ever got decorated.  (Thanks again, Lilly!)

10. And of course, Jack did not fall on his face shortly before said gingerbread adventure, getting a large contusion on his forehead which is still visible more than two weeks later. 


I am also sure that the astute readers among you noticed that I still failed to mention our Christmas celebrations, but maybe I will get to that before the spring thaw. Or maybe I won't. Who knows what you will get from this bad blogger. 

And Now for Will and Kate's Christmas Song

Will and Kate's choir opened the Christmas program last week.  They sang four songs, and Will and Kate both had solos in the last song.

However, Will ended up stealing the show.

He started out with the wrong words, and, well, he messed up, said, "Oh, Poop," and the whole congregation roared with laughter.  Maybe someday you will see it on tv:)


Thankfully he recovered magnificently, and he and his sister sang their hearts out.  

We are very proud of both of them and how hard they worked to learn their song.  And we can't wait until next year's performance!

Ben's Christmas Play

Ben was thrilled, and maybe a little bit fearful, when he was cast in one of the lead roles of this year's church Christmas play.  He did a fantastic job, and we are super proud of him.  Grandparents, here you go:

Christmas Piano Recital

A few weeks before Christmas, Ben got an Unidentified Virus. It was not a big deal, but I felt like I should cancel his piano lesson for that week. When his teacher answered she said that we should really reschedule his lesson since his recital was next week.

Ummm, what? What recital?

She said that she had told Ben, and that he has been memorizing a couple of pieces since the fall.

(Further proof that I don't pay nearly enough attention.)

I asked Ben about this, to which he responded, "Oh, yeah. Didn't you know about that?"

Uh, no Ben, even though I claim to read your mind, I really don't know stuff like this unless you tell me.

And so began the week of 1-2 hour practicing every day to learn and memorize two pieces that he should have been actually practicing diligently months before.

The night before the recital, he finally got to the point he could play them without mistakes, but memorizing them without mistakes would have required more hours in the day than we had. Regardless, he performed them, sans sheet music.

So, for the grandparents and other relatives, here are "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" and "Joy to the World."

Another Reader in the House

Will has been sounding out words for a couple of years now, but his journey to becoming a reader has been one step at a time. I think that is partly because of Ben's reading skills. Even though we constantly remind them that they are not in competition, well, frankly, they are brothers, and they are in constant competition. So even though Will can read, he has not had the confidence to step out and challenge himself (or allow me) to read harder things.

The other day I suggested he read Green Eggs and Ham to me. He is a huge Dr. Seuss fan, so I thought this would be good practice for reading in front of people more. Thankfully, it was a hit. I was so proud of how he was able to sound out words he didn't recognize and read the whole thing by himself. So proud, that I forgot to video it, which I had wanted to do for months.

Today he came home from school with a book from his reading group, so I asked him if I could video tape it. He was so pleased that I wanted to record it that he even said I could post it here:)

So here is Will, reading Rescuing Nelson. (Grandparents and other family, this one is for you - Enjoy!)

A Musical Debut

And now for Ben's first public performance... "Amazing Grace"

Ukelele Kate

Going Beyond

One of the people we are blessed to have in our lives is Kandice. At summer camp this year, she was challenged to pair what she loves to do with helping others, and so she threw a blanket party, where we made blankets for people in Zambia.

My kids think she is amazing, and so do I. Kandice, thanks for being someone who seeks God's own heart.

I'm Going Beyond - Kandice Kidd from thebeyondeffect on Vimeo.

Randomness...

As I was looking for soccer pics, I came across these random photos. These were taken in the car (obviously) because the boys and I accidentally got locked out of the house. (That's what happens when you rely too much on the garage door opener, and then your batteries die.)

And so no one is left out, cute video of Kate NaNa being... well... cute.

Kate's Chinese Hometown

Day 5 - Suzhou This was an amazing day of bonding for Kate and me.
what you come here for (video from Tim's blog) Even then the boys couldn't stop hugging on her:)

These posts from Suzhou really make me want to go back. I loved China, but I think Suzhou was my favorite. Kate spent her first two years there, so I kind of have an emotional attachment, plus it is a beautiful city.

Happy NaNa Day!

Today marks the one year anniversary since Kate NaNa joined our family. She has brought such joy to our lives. I can't imagine what my life would be like without that blessing.

Tim posted some precious video of our first day with her, and of course, my blog post was "What a day!" We were all so terrified. And she was so tiny. It's hard to believe how far we have all come.

Tonight we are going to celebrate being a family by eating Chinese food and watching home movies. Sound good?

Three Rapscallions (as in Veggie Tales)

Praise Him

For the past month, I have been taking Kate to Sunday school. Mrs. Sandra is a wonderful teacher who incorporates sign into her songs and memory verses. I can't believe how well she fits right in with everything we are doing at home (Isn't God good?). For the music, she teaches the kids motions that are a combination of mostly sign language with some fun motions, and she has been teaching me some extra signs too.

One of the songs they have been singing each week is Praise Him, Praise Him. After a couple of weeks, I started doing it at bedtime, and Kate loves it! She does the motion for "all ye little children" whenever she wants to sing it. Tim caught her "singing" along with me on video today. (Please bear with my singing... my children are the only people who think I sing well.)

After Sunday School, I take her to the worship service with me. She usually dances around and tries to climb onto stage. Today Tim led us all as we sang I Am a Friend of God. As I was singing I realized that I knew the signs for I, friend, and God, so I started doing them as I sang. I am trying to get more in the habit of using sign in my daily life, so I thought this was good practice. I really didn't think Kate was watching me. Every time I looked at her she had her eye on a hymnal or the stage. But then she wanted to be picked up, and as I held her I noticed that she was signing "I" and "God" along with me (she really hasn't figured out "friend" yet).

I can't even begin to explain how overcome I was. I almost cried as I realized my little girl was learning to praise God. (Ok, I cried a little. Ok, I got really choked up.) And what a huge responsibility I have to teach that! I pray all of the time that she will know how much God loves her and that she will love Him too, just like I always do with the boys. But anytime I see that knowledge growing in them, I am so thankful to Him. Praise Him, Praise Him!