visit from friends, part 3

Before our friends left town, we stopped by the playground to get the annual picture of the dinosaur lover and Goldilocks.  We discovered they've grown and no longer fit on the bottom of the slide together :(

visit from friends, part 2

 Next we made reindeer ornaments -  Natalie traced the kids' hands and feet and cut them out of felt.

Curly Bear's impression of someone with googly eyes lol

 These turned out to be really cute

but floppy.  So if you make these, glue some cardboard to the back 

or your reindeer will have wilted antlers!

Visit from friends

Every year, our dear friends come to visit us.  It is always fun to hang out with them - hate that we live 10 hrs apart!

watching Godzilla on the ipad

 Every year we make some Christmas ornaments with the kids.  The first one we made (very carefully) was glass ornaments with paint inside.  The kids all picked what colors they wanted and liked making the paint move around inside the ornaments.  We did have one casualty and learned this needed to be done over a padded surface.  If you can somehow find clear plastic ornaments, that would be much better!

dancing

Goldilocks has enjoyed taking ballet/tap classes every week.

 She does half ballet and half tap and is very excited about the "show" in May.

mom told me not to dip my fingers in my ketchup

We finally got another hard drive which means we were able to get all 761 pictures off our camera!

Papa Bear's parents came to stay with us over Thanksgiving weekend and helped do more work on the house.  Poor Curly Bear was very sick (bronchitis) and we went to the doctor the day before and the day after Thanksgiving.  She was so congested she was throwing up and I couldn't get the medicine in her.

 Curly Bear sat down in front of the tv when the dog show came on, and 5 min. later when I went to get her to sit down for dinner, I found her sound asleep.

the next weekend (I think) Mama Bear's brother and his new wife came for a quick visit.  Curly Bear showed off her impeccable table manners.  Watch the video to see her in action.

mommy told me not to dip my fingers in my ketchup, but she didn't say anything about my toes!

sigh

Union, dearest Union

I'm joining up with Kelly's Korner today - its all about alma maters.
Ours is Union University in Jackson, TN, which is about an hour east of Memphis and 2 hrs west of Nashville. Its a conservative Southern Baptist school and I loved it!

Union had about 2000 students when I was there and the class sizes were small enough that you usually knew everyone by name, and you definitely got to know your professors and might even end up grilling out at their house or babysitting for them! When all the residents were displaced by the tornado a few years ago, no students spent the night at the red cross shelter - They were picked up by professors and staff members, and church members in town.  That's the kind of Christian love that speaks volumes about Union!
The city of Jackson has 3 colleges in town so the churches in and around town all have great college ministries.  Union provides opportunities for students to go on mission trips during spring break and summer.  Union has built a lot of new buildings in the past 10 yrs since I've been there and now thanks to the tornado that flattened the dorms, there are brand new apartment style dorms. 

I met my husband there!

I was fortunate that I had lots of wonderful roommates, one of which I've known since birth :)

We have managed to see each other every year or so as people have gotten married or had babies :)
Most recently some of us got together in ATL to meet one of the new babies

I'm having NERTs withdrawals to this day.

I have tons of pictures from college, but sadly they are pre-digital.  I need to scan them!
Okay fellow Union alums,  lets hear some of your favorite memories

zzzzzzz + birthday

 After Thanksgiving we celebrated Mama Bear's birthday.  Goldilocks and Curly Bear decorated the bundt cake (devil's food pound cake with dark chocolate chips) with some leftover icing.

 I think Curly sampled more than she added

 anyone want to hire them?

 cakewreck anyone?

Thanksgiving Feast

 Every year, the girls' preschool has a "feast"  and invites the families to come hear the kids sing and then have an early lunch

 Papa Bear came to the feast, but I'm not sure how well he could see (his glasses were broken)

best friends!

 They always have a lot of crafts ready for the children to do, I'm not sure I could squat like Curly Bear, ever.

 grinding corn?

Curly did not perform, but they had made costumes in her class anyway

 maybe she's on the Indians softball team?

cheering on big sister

Curly Bear is currently obsessed with breakfast cereals and eats them at any time of the day.  She loves "o's" (Cheerios), eareal (honey bunches of oats), and rice poppies (rice krispies).  This morning she dropped her spoon and yelled "hay-elp!" (she's southern)  I picked up the spoon and gave it her.  She then hugged it, and patted it saying "it otay boon, you be otay"

Goldilocks has enjoyed making snowflakes out of paper and scissors.  She needs help folding, but is very good with scissors.  She has made nearly 50 snowflakes that are hanging in our kitchen and dining room windows!

Papa Bear is working hard, working out, and yesterday he gave blood.

I've trying to clean out some closets, baking cakes, reading books for pleasure (couldn't do this while in school!), and cooking for the family - breakfast for dinner tonight :)   She is also wondering about velveeta fudge which her friend tried and claims is good.  Sounds weird to me, so weird I need to try it.  I also need to try bacon chocolate chip cookies.  Anyone have a recipe for those?