Just Wanted to Share

Emerson was telling us about a car and a track that he saw. He described it in detail to us and told us, "It didn't have a remote. It was juf totally automatic-less"

Coming Up For Air

I'm finally coming up for air. What a crazy few weeks we've had. Annie started a one day homeschool enrichment academy, an emotionally wonderful closing on our old house, a whirlwind move to a new house, and Annie's birthday....

I will post details soon, I promise.

The Promised Land

I'm not the wordsmith that I wish I was. I often have trouble finding the right words as I sit down to write. The words are all perfectly formed as the idea comes to me. While I'm drifting off to sleep, driving, or wherever there isn't a pen.

When I was in high school, I carried around, in my huge 80's purse, hand written snippits of that speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. I memorized that speech. You know the one... the one that says:

"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream...
...I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Needless to say, my words won't do my emotions justice here.

I get choked up every time I try to talk about it, so I'm just going to write about it. I was listening to NPR's coverage of Obama's Whistle Stop Train Ride and they were documenting people's inaugural journeys. One woman was bringing photographs of her mother who didn't live to see Obama elected and photos of her grandfather and great-grandmother, both of whom were born into slavery. She is bringing the pictures to Washington to honor her family.

OK. Here's the part where I'm supposed to say something profound but I've nothing to say. I am just simply proud of my country and my people right now.

I have seen the promised land!

Click here for MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

We're Packing

Just so we don't forget them...they packed themselves.

Contract on our House

We have a contract on our house and the option period will be over tonight at midnight. I'm confident the buyer won't walk away tonight. We got the offer on December 30th. This is very bitter sweet for us.

Now, if we can get things to finalize on the house we're buying we'll close on the 22nd of January. We're Busy, Busy, Busy! If anyone is dying to come over and help us pack or move, no help will be refused.

Click here for the house that we are selling.

A few days after Christmas, I promised Annabelle and Emerson that we would go geocaching together, but I realized that my GPS was in my car, which is in the shop. So we went back to a geocache that we had tried to find when Grammy and Bompa were here last time. It is called Tanglewood Trio.

This geocache is located in the cluster of trees in the center of this map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=30.178973,-97.841249&spn=0.000812,0.001195&t=h&z=20

Grammy and Bompa will recognize this right away...probably the hardest cache we have tried to find so far!

Anyway, with no GPS and I figured the kids would just have fun digging around.

I was trying to round up the kids to leave, and told them the cache probably wasn't here anymore, when Emerson said "Daddy, what's this?". Sure enough, he was holding the geocache container! It was about the size of a lighter, and inside of it were the coordinates for the next cache that we have to find! This is called a multi-cache, for all of you non-geocachers.



Way to go, Emerson! A future treasure finder, perhaps?

The adventure will continue! I'll let you know what we find at the next coordinates!

-Daddy

Annie's Fairy Movie

Today Annie wanted to make a movie based on the "How to Find Flower Fairies" book that she got for Christmas.

She told me exactly how she wanted the video to go, and she narrated it on the fly! Emerson helped as a grip and added some extra sound effects in the background.

When we were finished with the recording and narration part, we loaded the video into the computer so we could edit it. Annie told me what special effects and colors to use, and even selected the background music that she thought would be just right.

We hope you enjoy her movie! I think that we have a very talented movie producer here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKjcU0ewoUM

Love Daddy

Merry Christmas!

Last year they circled just about every thing in the various catalogs that come around Christmas time. The next day I asked them to go through them and put stars by the things that they really wanted. A few days later I asked them to heart 3 things they really really really wanted. This was a painful process for them.
So this year when the catalogs started arriving, they skipped all the steps and circled only a few things each, on their own. Emerson wanted some more cars and Annie some more toy dogs and they both circled and triple hearted the same thing. A beautiful wooden tree house. Since their requests were reasonable Santa's helpers found a great deal on a recycled tree house. Oh, how those helpers love eBay!

Here they are in front of the tree this morning!
We had a leisurely morning at home opening gifts at Annie's pace. I just love how she enjoys each gift as she opens it and doesn't rush through. Emerson took notes this year and followed her lead.

We went to my dad's house for dinner and enjoyed the company and food and we all played Aunt Gerie's new video game Rock Band. It was actually pretty fun. We all took turns on the drums and Gerie and Mike played the guitar. No one was brave enough to take the mic.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to all!

Just Because

Our Christmas Beeswax. Emerson sculpted one of the trees and one present. Annie made the snowman and one present. Mommy made a tree, Santa, sleigh and reindeer.

In Grandpa Chuck's "tree house"

Annie at the house that we are trying to buy. These guys are our neighbors.

Our gingerbread house with Gramma Jan. Emerson is unable to control himself around it. I often find him with frosting on his face or munching a piece of candy....

Emerson and his daddy!

More Magic

What a wonderful solution to the "no toys made in China" gift! Grammy and Bompa made a professional looking magic kit for the kiddos. The kit is nicely stored in a hard box, complete with a poster and tickets advertising "A Magic Show with The Amazing Annie and Emerson the Enchanter", home made magic wands, and several props for doing the tricks. These aren't store bought props, no way, these are beautifully hand made props. A lovely hand sewn Wizard's Wallet, hand cut wooden paddles, handmade boxes for various other tricks and two beautifully hand made magicians capes (all made by Grammy and Bompa). One dice prop was purchased but not made in China.

But that's not all folks. The service doesn't end when you get this kit home. It comes complete with Grammy and Bompa performing the tricks on DVD and showing the kids how to do the tricks. They even tell mom and dad when to leave the room so we won't hear how to do the tricks. Also, they've included a laminated "how-to" book with step-by-step instructions and photos.

The kids can't get enough of it. They are studying the book, they've watched the DVD 5 times and have already mastered and performed 4 of the tricks. The video below is their very first professional magic show.
Don't be surprised if you get an invitation with a ticket to come watch our show!

Thanks Pam and Dean for your thoughtful and wonderful Christmas gift!!!