8.

kaycee agnes turned 8 today.

(i was up past midnight last night, cleaning up from a family dinner we hosted, so i hung some balloons in kaycee's doorway. i also blew up a bunch and scattered them on her bedroom floor. it was so cute. as i was hanging these up,
kaycee woke up, looked at her floor covered in balloons, as i dodged out of view, she smiled, and closed her eyes again, and went back to sleep. it was such a precious sight. :)   ) made the extra effort on my part, worth every minute...

she is a delight.

a very sensitive ray of sunshine in our family.

she loves to read. she loves her american girl dolls.

she is a caring, nurturing sister (most of the time).

enjoys playing school, and dolls, and house with her sisters A LOT.

she usually does not question me, when i ask her to do something.

it gets done. (except piano practicing). :)

learning has come easy for her thus far. she excels in school.

she is shy and quiet and keeps to herself in social situations.

we are working on that, but is much, much like her mommy was at this age. :)

she loves to sew, and do crafts, and color and paint.

she is very gifted in drawing and painting and such.

here's a glimpse of kaycee agnes.

we enjoyed having mam-maw and pap-paw Buckwalter here for lunch.

we hosted the extended Buckwalter family Christmas last night.

i think there was 42 people here.

chaos. check.

fun. check.

memories. check.

all that to say we had some leftovers to share for kaycee's big day...

*winter wonderland*

we are not big amusement park people.

we don't take our kids to dutch wonderland *much*
(unless we use our library free tickets from summer reading...)
nor have they ever been to hershey park (unless they were invited by friends)...

so back in november when i got free tickets to dutch wonderland for

their winter wonderland, we were all pretty excited...minus matt, i mean. :)

we used our free tickets on friday night.

it was really cold. but fun.

calli was freezing.

you see. she "forgot" her coat. and well.

i asked kaycee to make sure everyone

a) went potty. check.

b) had hats. check.

c) had gloves. check.

and d) had coats. apparently NO CHECK.

you all wonder how i do everything.

MY FOUR YEAR OLD DID NOT WEAR A COAT IN THIRTY DEGREE WEATHER TO RIDE
RIDES AND LOOK AT CHRISTMAS LIGHTS OUTSIDE.

mother of the year award for 2012.

check. i got it covered.
  :)

i felt awful and she was shivering. so we didn't stay long.

we went and ate at applebee's instead.
will go back to doing my kids coat checks again, no worries.
just trying to skip out on a job. :)

O Come, Emmanuel.

in case you got swallowed up by Santa :)

or lost sight of the real reason we celebreate Christmas in the first place...



the Christmas story has become more intriguing to me since i became a mommy.

the amazement of it all is overwhelming to me at times.

may you find ~joy and peace~ as we continue to celebrate the birth of our Savior

 and reflect on another year gone by in what seems like a blink of an eye to me...

savor and enjoy.

Christmas fun has started...

Christmas fun has started a few weekends ago already...

i have a million things to do today.

including catch a mouse thats keeping me up at night.

eeekkkk.

last night i slept in kaden's bed.

have you slept in your 9 year old's bed recently?

it's not a great night's sleep. let's say that. :)

(i am simply terrified of mice. that is all i can say)

so. i won't post a lot.

but here is a great picture of Matt's family from our celebration yesterday.

Merry Christmas!!

double trouble.

my sister is having surgery on a hernia today.

so we get to have piper and reese here for the day.

 running from Christmas parties at school to home having fun wrecking the house.

what could  be more fun??

now. what to make for lunch. :)

*in praise of large families*

hey. and i think we qualify. :)

matt and i have a friend. and he has a friend who is not from this area.

i guess she questioned or wondered whether people from "this area" (i assume that means lancaster county)
 know "how to control having children."

my friend. he mentioned this to us. not once. but twice.

(i think the second time was by accident, but still...)
he is from a big family himself, and i think he kind of laughed off the comment to us...

but each time i was really bothered by his comment.

i don't know what i even said, but i was irritated both times at the end of the evening.

i am currently painting our mudroom. currently as in right now this minute.

and this broadcast came over the radio.

now. as i type.

and it is good enough to pass on.

so. if you wonder why there are large families out there.

you should listen to it.

it will give you insight.

it kind of made me feel like "that-a-girl".
i need that sometimes.
(who am i kidding? i need that all the time.) ha.
i feel like having 5 children gets me beaten up in this world a good bit.
people are critical. and harsh.
and i can't say in general that people are supportive of our large family.
anyway. enough of my insecurities and wanting to please the world.

you can find it here.

now that that's off my chest, i will return to painting. :)

a heavy heart.

i struggle to find the words to write after such a heart wrenching tragedy in Connecticut.

i just cannot shake it from my mind.

my heart breaks for those families who lost someone so tragically that day.

the tears keep falling from my eyes.

i do not have any words.

except.

that i am so so sorry.

i keep thinking of my own precious 5 miracles.
(and yes, we had 5 on purpose...some think we lacked some judgement or acted in error.
we did not. each of our children were planned and very much wanted.)

how blessed and lucky i am.

amidst fighting and chaos saturday morning, i kept repeating to myself,

"you are so blessed. you are so lucky."

 i was actually grateful to be able to hear squabbles that day.

i picked up a jacket that was left on the floor, without asking someone to come do it themselves.

i held laundry a little bit longer as i folded it against my heart.

i looked at their faces more intently. and lingered in their rooms a little longer that night.

i selfishly pray i will never have to bear the heartbreak of losing a child.

oh to find air to breathe.

i cannot imagine.

so i continue to whisper prayers. for the people of Sandy Hook.

for all of us. who are not promised tomorrow.

to savor and enjoy what we have today.

even if it includes some Christmas stress with too much to do in too little time,

and whining ungrateful children.

(not mine of course!)  :)

here's to playing peek-a-boo at lunchtime and ending with a thumbs up to lunch.

p.s. you will notice karolina's bandage.
she burnt her hand on the woodstove last night.
all. my. fault. but i won't bore you with the story...
a bit traumatic, but she is much more herself today.
her hand doesn't look so good. but we are praying for healing without infection.
please join us?


 

poor deer.

so the welcome end to buck season has come to pennsylvania.

:)

[i don't mind that matt hunts, but i am not a big venison lover, so...i am never disappointed if he
doesn't fill the freezer with venison, especially since it is always filled with our high
quality, home grown beef and organic chicken. :)  ]

kaden has been rising *early* to hunt with matt for the past couple weeks.

i mean at 5 a.m. getting us up and at 'em.
(who am i kidding. i roll over, and go back to sleep most mornings.)

matt has been very patient with him in the woods.

kaden does not usually sit still, unless he is watching t.v.

i wish i could somehow see them out there in the dark, waiting for the *big one* to walk by.

matt was hunting with another matt friday, and they both got deer.

this is no surprise, as how we were hosting our sunday school christmas party at 6 p.m.
and in drove these 2 guys at 6 p.m. :)
i am learning not to get uptight.
i do this entertaining thing on my own. up until the.very.last.minute.
and then matt contributes in mighty ways. :)

my matt was being a bit "choosey" all season...waiting for a big, beautiful buck.
graciously passing up some smaller ones, to wait it out. :)

he tells me this was a mercy kill.
this deer had apparently been wounded earlier in the season, and i quote.
"he came to the creek, and couldn't jump it, so i had to put him out of his misery. that is no way to live."

maybe compassion is sneaking into his heart after all.
i will take it. :)

and the other matt, well. i think he was just gun happy. he shot a tiny, itty deer.
poor thing. :)

doe season continues. matt typically does not shoot doe, but will continue to hunt with kaden
to see if maybe he can't shoot one.
kaden would be over-the-top thrilled if that would happen. :)
here's to more time on pinterest, scoping out delcious venison recipes.
it always works out for me. :)

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

around here.

and. i. LOVE. it.

Christmas has always been my favorite time of year to decorate.



sorry. had to sneak this thanksgiving picture in here.
(we are even missing a few. can you imagine the fun we are going to start having in just a few short years?)









hoping you are feeling energized and excited
for this Christmas season...

and something new i tried this year for advent is wrapping up Christmas themed books, and each child takes a turn opening a present, before bed, and then we snuggle in a bed, and read it together. it's been a lot of fun. i was surprised at how many Christmas books, i actually gathered around here, and then we got some library books, and i bought a few to add to the stash...all leading up to the Christmas story to open on Christmas Eve...i got the idea here.

of course it was not my own. :)
i am so inspired by pinterest and blogs.

it's probably an addiction of some sort. :)

some may think it's a waste of wrapping paper, and maybe it is,
but when you collect it at yard sales and goodwill for no more than $1/roll,
it's really no great sacrifice.
the kids get so excited when it's their turn to open the book.
even my nine year old, and it ensures we take time out to read together before bed.
a great habit, that sometimes gets missed in this household.
funny what five kids has done to bedtime...
life, really. :)

cheers.
are you done shopping yet?
just wonderin'.

wanna hear a sob story?

because i have one for you.

a real. live. sob story.

i have had a sore throat for a couple weeks now.

it came and went.

and now it's back again.

i was sure i had strep.

i don't.

i don't know how i don't, but that's another story. :)

so i loaded calli and karolina in the car, from picking them up at my mother in laws,

and we were going to run to a greenhouse to get some more

berries and greens for an arrangement i needed to do for church,

and low and behold i was driving too fast,

and got caught.

eeeekkkkk.

i don't drive fast, in comparison to my husband, i mean.

when i drive fast, it is setting the cruise to 10 mph OVER the speed limit.

that's what i do. on route 30 to exton. really.

so. when he told me i was doing 70. in a 45. i swallowed hard.
(and i did not cry for the record...that is cheating. :)  )

not because i was doing 70 because i was doing 64. :) 

i looked as soon as i saw him tucked into the trees.

but still. it's too fast, and i can't even believe i was driving THAT fast.

i don't really think any section of route 41 should be a posted 45 mph speed limit anyway.

this same section of route 41 that i have driven everyday of my life for the last hmmm.

17 years of my life.

besides i think i could count on my fingers how many cars actually drive 45 mph on this highway on

any given day.

can you hear me?

sob. sob. sob.

i don't feel good. i just came from the doctor's.
i need to finish an arrangement at church. i need to take calli to speech. i don't have time for this.

sob. sob. sob.

and of course the good part of the story is that my husband is encouraging me to

plead before the judge to reduce my points.

agggghhhhhhh. gives me a belly ache.
i don't think i am going too. :) but i didn't tell him that yet.

i can't even tell you the last time i had a ticket was...a very, very long time ago...

which tells me maybe it will be a very long time again, so 4 points won't matter much.

right?

that is the end of my sob story.

thank you for your compassion. :)

i have a long list of to do's today, before i am ready to host another *christmas* party tonight.

(from alli and matt's wedding)

and will share my house *christmas-fied*  later.

i love christmas.

even with a $171. ticket and 4 points.

ugh. :)

* the w.e.d.d.i.n.g. *

my cousin *alli* got married on saturday.

it was gorgeous. and i knew it would be.

i got to help do some flowers.

oh.la.la.

not really *my* thing, wedding flowers.

i love doing flowers for my house, because i am the critic, and so what i think looks cute, goes. :)

weddings are a whole nother ball game...

but my mom needed help, so i obliged. while my mother-in-law and hubs kept the kids.

*thank you*.

i had so much fun.

the wedding and reception was at the quilt museum in lancaster.

it was gorgeous by itself, and then my aunt and company did *so* much work.

exquisite.



lots and lots of white. winter white. and white feathers.

alli is all girly girl.

fit her to a tee. :)

we had a great time being there and catching up with family.
one of the most fun things there, was a photo booth.
yep. even with dress up boa's and hats. what a riot!!
thanks for the great evening shank's. :)

here is a tiny snippet of video that encompasses pieces of the day.
my favorite part is when they see each other for the first time. love it. :)



you can check out more of stonermedia weddings here.

can you BELIEVE this weather?

i mean. seriously?
70 degrees in december.
i am totally LOVING it.

karolina grace- 16 months. has fallen in love with this hat??  :)

i am still having massive amounts of trouble loading pictures onto here.

bare with me. :)
i may just have to break down and buy some more storage...
but my cute cousins are "on it" and will advise me as they see fit.