What you can do with a little snow...

It snowed...a little bit...last week and Sam was pretty desperate to build a snowman.  We really didn't have any measurable snow last year so I don't think he remembers making one.  On Thursday, after I picked him up from preschool, he asked if on our way home we could stop somewhere and build a snowman. That really didn't fit our schedule and we were busy the rest of the day.  By Friday, most all of the snow had melted.  But the kids got home from school and found a small patch of snow outside and went to work.  This is what they were able to build. 

Yes, Anna is building a snowman in a fancy Christmas dress and tennis shoes.  And it was probably 50 degrees outside and beautiful so Sophia's gloves and a short sleeve shirt, well, that worked too.  That's just how we roll around here! 

Yes, a baby carrot nose, and we couldn't figure out what would work for eyes.  Nothing would stick.  So we ended up sticking two chocolate covered marshmallows (on popsicle sticks) into the snow.  Nice!  The kids had fun though and we're expecting another small snow on Christmas!  I LOVE a white Christmas! 

We have had a wonderfully blessed year with our family and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year!   Love, The Moons

A few Pictures...

There are a few pictures I wanted to share, but didn't have time to write a whole blog about each.  So here's your condensed version. 

Sophia getting ready for her 4th grade music program.  She is NOT a girly girl.  So when she easily agreed to let me curl her hair I jumped at the rare chance!  She had a solo in the program and did great!  

 

 

Sam in the church Christmas program.  A very cute wise man!

 

The girls at church in last year's matching Christmas dresses.  So nice they still fit! 

 

Chris giving the kids lessons on how to stand on their heads. 

Just another day at the Moon house! 

 

Watching attentively.

 

Sophia actually figured it out very quickly! 

 

 

Chris trying to help...

 

Mom's way of standing on your head...propping yourself against a wall. 

 

I guess when you don't have cable - you improvise for your evening entertainment! 

 

 

 

Sam's Big Dream

If you have ever sat with our family at a sporting event you have probably learned a few things about our family.

1st - Our kids bring their own activities to entertain themselves.  They don't like to get bored.  And the game itself doesn't quite hold their attention yet.  Here's a picture at a recent basketball game.

 

Isabella's pretty good about packing a bag with a couple of books, paper, crayons and a few cars for Sam.  And the nice thing is that we can finally watch more of the game.  We used to always have to leave by half-time.  

2nd - Sam's big dream when he grows up is to be in the marching band.  Seriously.  He talks about it a lot.  He spends the entire football game watching the band.  We have to get there early so we don't miss when they march in.  And then he's mesmerized during their half-time performance.  He pretends to play the drums or the trumpet usually.  He doesn't like basketball games as much because there's no marching band.  The other day he was practicing at home.  With a ruler.  He worked hard at his "high knees" too. 

We dream big at the Moon house! 

Snowflake Wreath

This is the wreath I usually hang on my front door.  

I made it a couple of years ago with a million hand-cut felt circles and I really do love it. It's great to hang almost anytime of the year. And it's held up to our crazy Kansas weather.

But I wanted to make something new this year for winter. So I bought three packages of shatterproof snowflake ornaments from Hobby Lobby for 50% off. I could spend all day in that store!! And I got out my hot glue gun.

I started by taking the thickest/strongest snowflakes and glued them together.

Then I just slowly added more. When I was done, I added a white ribbon to the back. Presto. New wreath in 25 minutes.

It is a little lopsided as I am not a perfectionist at all.  And I thought about fixing it with some of my leftover snowflakes.  But, I really wasn't in the the mood, so maybe another day.  For now, I think it looks great!  Now we just need our first snow! 

 

 

A little like her mama.

This year for Thanksgiving I wanted the kids to spend a little extra time being thankful.  So on Thursday morning, I gave the kids pieces of paper and asked them to make a list of the things they were thankful for.

It was so fun to see the progression from a four year-old's list to that of a nine year-old.  The things that matter to them are sweet and funny. 

Isabella wanted help spelling each word correctly and Chris helped her.  Her list looked like this:  "I am thankful for my family, Sadie, cousins, my plants and flowers, my house, God and Jesus, going to my friends houses, my grandparents, my food, the rainbow, the heavens and the earth, and water."  Love it! 

Sam had a list of 35 things.  In the end he was just looking around the room naming things.  His first few were Mama, froggy (his favorite stuffed animal), Daddy, his sisters and dog, froggy's pillow, and wrestling with Daddy.  Number 17 was Moses and number 34 was Daddy's coffee. Pretty funny.  And I did point out to Chris that froggy beat him out for the number two spot! 

Anna made a long list as well starting with her family, her house and her stuffed elephant.  She had some fun items like sharpening her pencils, hamburgers, conditioner and Daddy's underwear.  I guess we're all thankful for that!

Sophia made an extensive list of 60 things she's thankful for.  Her family, dog, and stuffed polar bear topped the list followed by God and Jesus and the swim team.   As the list got longer, she was thankful for the USA military and the USA Navy, lots of states, the Earth and the Milky Way. 

But what I love most is that after she finished writing her list she asked to type it on the computer.  You see, in many, many ways, she's a lot like Chris.  She can be serious and also ridiculously goofy.  She is a book worm and loves learning new facts.  She LOVES the great outdoors, climbing trees, going on hikes, and finding "critters."  And physically, she shares a lot of his characteristics.  But typing a list....well that's all me.  I typed all my notes in college so they were organized and easy to study.  Honestly, it really warmed my heart to see her act a little like her mama. 

It's so nice to stop and really focus on all the amazing things we're thankful for.  The little things in our lives that bring us so much joy and happiness.  Even if it is Daddy's underwear! 

"Look what I brought home from school!"

Dreaded words for this mama.  I never know what they'll bring home, but usually, if it's announced with any amount of enthusiasm, I'm probably not going to like it very much.

This week Sophia's class dissected owl pellets.  Um, maybe you're a little smarter than me, but I wasn't quite sure what that was and had to google it.  I sort-of wish I hadn't!  Apparently, if I understand correctly, owls don't have teeth and can't chew their food so they rip their pray apart with their beaks and then swallow the large chunks whole.  As they digest it, they separate the meat from the bones then regurgitate the bones, feathers and fur in a pellet.  So appetizing.  It looks something like this:

Since my daughter loves all things gross, she and her lab partner divided their treasures and brought them home to share with all of us. 

More loveliness.  Now this bag of treasures sits on my kitchen counter.  I have no idea what to do with it because she's rather proud  of it.  She even said she saved the mouse's hip bone just for me.  I wasn't really sure how to respond to that.  But in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm just going to be thankful she thought of me. 

 

The date to trash mountain...

Chris' parents like to take our kids out on a special date in honor of their birthday.  The girls usually go to lunch and a movie and out for a little shopping.  They LOVE the one-on-one time they get and it makes them feel very special!  Sam has really never gone since he's been so young.  But this year he got his chance.

When they asked him what he wanted to do, he told them he wanted to go on a date to the dump.  A date to the dump.  Yep, you read that correctly.  My guy dreams big!  Sam loves trash trucks, dump trucks, excavators.  If it's got wheels and moves, he loves it! 

So yesterday, Sam, Chris and Howard set out for a trip to the dump.  Or, as Howard affectionately called it, "trash mountain."  Howard had to get rid of an old, broken, sidewalk.  Afterwards, they planned to head to the sandpit to get a trailer load of sand for the new sidewalk.  Sam was told to bring his shovel along for the trip.  Here are a few pictures from the big date. 

 

 

They ended their day with a trip to McDonald's where a firetruck pulled up and Sam got to check it out.  Great way to end a day!  He had a blast!  I'm thinking Sam is going to enjoy "helping" Papa with more projects which might require trips to the dump in the coming years!