Christmas Crafts

Tabitha invited us up for a belated birthday celebration for me.  She cooked me chicken and dumplings and fried okra.  I had never had either dish and thought both were absolutely delicious!  And also a moist and tasty chocolate cake :)  I love this woman!  Tabitha even planned special craft projects for the kids to make their own Christmas ornaments.

Owen took great care in coloring in his wooden ornaments.

Tweety supervised from the kitchen counter.  When she wasn't throwing left hooks at my face.

Next craft was making snowmen ornaments by painting their palms white and grabbing the ball ornaments from the bottom.  The fingers would become the snowmen.

Can you tell our girl likes paint?

She had to have both hands painted to make her two snowmen ornaments.

Poor Ben had the froggiest little voice while we were there.  But he played as hard as the rest of them, tearing around the house like a crazer.  The next day he spiked a 102.7 fever and ended up laying low for the next week.

Alex was the last to be painted to make his ornaments.  I love the focused look on his face as he watches his big brother make his ornaments.

All the kids gathered round to watch Alex make his.  I think they were wondering if he would do something crazy because this boy is a wild thing!

I had such a fun night and so did the kids!  I wish my friend lived closer and our kids could play together more.  Hard to find such good friends!

Lunch and Walk with Uncle Martin and Luke

After the soccer game, we made a pit stop at home for Owen to change clothes and so I could pick up my old camera that Martin wanted to buy.  We met at the $3 Cafe for lunch.  Our kids always have so much fun with Luke.

Owen had stories to tell them.  That needed to be told while he was standing up.  On his chair.

I love seeing smiles on my kids' faces!

After lunch, we headed over to the Chattahoochee River where we walked the weekend before with Cas.  Aren't these tree roots cool?

The Canadian geese were out and fishing.

Owen and Chloe were busy showing Luke all the good places to climb.

Geese butts!

I think the caves are still their favorite places to explore and run around in.  :)

Over lunch and our walk, I gave Martin a fast tutorial on using his new camera.  He was excited to have a new, fancy camera.  And I'm feeling the same about my new camera :)

Owen's Indoor Soccer Game

Chloe looks so small as she walks across the playing field while the teams are practicing.  She wanted to go play with the other kids at the air hockey table.

I love watching this boy take off from the sidelines to get into the game when it's his turn.

Owen loves to play goalie.

Because then he can punt or throw the ball up high.

Chloe returns periodically throughout the game from her roost at the air hockey table so she can watch her brother play.

Go, Owen go!  Get that ball away from those kids in black!

Get it Owen!

The boy does cartwheels when he's happy.  :)

The indoor soccer games are much faster paced than outside on grass with the tile floor and smaller playing field.  But the kids are still constantly running around.  Such good exercise!

Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus

Little River was hosting a fundraiser pancake breakfast this morning to help a boy with leukemia.  The kids were thrilled to go out for breakfast and get pancakes, but then even more excited when we arrived and saw that Santa was at the breakfast!

Only Chloe got to sit on Santa's lap, but I think Owen was happy with hugs from Mrs. Claus.

They were both thrilled to be given candy canes.

And Santa thought it was great that their wishes for Christmas were really just a trip to the North Pole to see his elves and reindeer.

Tae Kwan Do

Owen has been taking karate lessons and absolutely LOVES it!

This was a game for two kids to launch off from a sitting position on either side of the mat, grab the pouch in the middle and run back to their seat without being tagged by the other kid.

Owen is already up and running before his opponent is even standing all the way.

Our boy is FAST!

He is reaching down to grab the bag before the other kid is even in a full run.

Did I say he is fast?  Even the instructor tells the other kids to watch out for O because he's so fast!

On his way back to his seat...

And back to safety without getting tagged.  Go Owen!

Owen got a stripe added to his belt for good grades on tests at school.  How cool is that?

After getting the new stripe, they bow and shake hands.  I love the respect that is being taught in here!

He's so proud of new stripes!

And here is the start of Karate Ball.  This is Owen's favorite game and is basically the equivalent of dodge ball, with the instructors throwing the ball at the kids to get them out.

Owen is normally one of the last kids standing/running in the middle.  :)

Cause he's fast like that!

Music and Dance class

The kids love Thursday afternoons at Discovery Point.  Miss Brandie is teaching them a dance routine to Justin Bieber's song Baby, Baby, Baby.

I love the looks on the kids' faces as Miss Brandie is thinking up the next dance move for the next lyric. 

They are learning dance moves one lyric at a time, beat by beat and word by word for where their hands and feet are supposed to be.

They come home and practice together.

I love the looks of concentration on their faces as they dance to the music and not in slow motion as they do when first learning each move.  They're all so serious!

Our First Frost

Love the designs and shapes the frost made on Todd's car this morning!