This blog post will have a little bit of everything.
Even though it covers less than two weeks, it's
quite eclectic. Cute, too, I think.
 |
| Claire is in the red ruffled dress near the center. This is her pre-school Christmas program. |
 |
| Evan is directly in the center. Can any three-year old look more angelic than this? |
 |
| In fact, Evan is an angel! |
 |
| In the same way that Claire is literally a star! |
 |
| The Beulah Hill Baptist Church altar for Christmas |
 |
| Additions to my salt and pepper collection, courtesy of John and Gloria Brock. Many, many thanks. |
 |
| The sweethearts in a sleigh was particularly timely. |
 |
| Dear friend Tena and her roommate enjoy holding Chipper Claus and Froggy the Elf. This was before my Christmas singalong. |
 |
| You may have seen my brief video of these deer. Only five are in this picture, but there were seven in all. |
 |
| It may be December, but Hunter is wise to wonder if these ants are going to come out and try to bite us. I hope we'll enjoy 3 or 4 months of less ant activity, then renew our assault next spring. |
 |
| Bri, like all of our grandkids, has a tremendous work ethic. Nowadays they are all more likely to turn down offers of help, saying "I can do it, Grandpa." And it's true, they can. |
 |
| Bri puts a lot of thought into the hanging of outdoor ornaments on this little redbud tree. |
 |
| She places each one with the care of an artist. The fun part is standing on a stool and hanging each ornament as high as possible. |
 |
| Hunter hung several ornaments, too, but here he gives new meaning to four-wheel drive. What a worker! He insisted on pushing them by himself. Uphill, then down. |
 |
| You may have seen on Facebook where Hunter placed Baby Jesus for safe-keeping: in the secret treasure hideaway of his pirate playset. |
 |
| I was delighted to share in Farm Life's holiday program. Or programs. 3rd through 5th assembled first, followed by K through 2nd. I played a variety of Christmas music as they entered, then accompanied a singalong of their favorites. Jingle Bells and Rudolph never fail to top the list. And the older kids were awesome in helping me do the Twelve Days of Christmas with motions. I learned that version at the Cameron Boys Camp some 30 years ago. |
 |
| Some good-sported teachers shared Christmas riddles with the students. Such as: Q. "How much did Santa's sleigh cost?" A. "Nothing. It was on the house." |
 |
| I loved watching all the kids take the floor for a lively holiday dance/workout. It was amazing and participation was impressive. The two groups combined are well over 500 students. |
 |
| Evan decided this fold-out Christmas book was just the place to settle down for "a long winter's nap." But no nap for him-- this is strictly a demonstration. |
 |
| Meanwhile Claire is delighted with a Christmas pop-up book that has similarly affected children all the way back to my early years of teaching (and including Jennifer and Amanda as young children). We bought that book at the old Country Store, which was located at Town & Country Shopping Center in the mid-70's. We also got a wooden breadbox there, that we still use! Anyone remember that place? |
 |
| Not all of our action was Christmas related. Evan and I were entertained by this worker with a front-end loader. The man got a kick out of putting on a show for Evan and even waved at him. Riding on two wheels (sometimes the front two, sometimes the rear) was Evan's favorite. |
 |
| These may look like shredded wood chips to you. But as Evan can tell you, "It's Pixie Dust!" |
 |
| This vacant parking lot with its gentle slope is a fine place for some free-wheeling fun. Very little to run into. Do let us know if you see the Taylortown policeman approaching-- and we'll slow things down a little. |
 |
| Evan liked the same game Hunter did-- tossing Frisbees into this tub. But while Hunter did it as a ninja, Evan is Captain America. Well, to each his own. |
 |
| More outdoor decorations. If Christmas hadn't arrived we would have run out of "extra" ornaments. And that would mean-- cringe-- starting to use the breakable ones!! |
 |
| But actually, the kids are extremely careful, and I don't think anything got broken. But I'm sure I'll step on one when I'm un-decorating later! |
 |
| I showed Evan and Claire where I'm clearing more woods for more shady play space. Evan really liked my wisteria snake. The size of some of the vines I'm cutting is mind-boggling: grapevines, catbrier, and wisteria. Fortunately, NO kudzu. That's a relief! |
 |
| Sometimes we have to stop playing to see something that demands our attention. A deer, a bird, a plane, or maybe even Superman. |
 |
| Claire coolly demonstrates how to walk down a car in boots. |
 |
| Extra points awarded for not spilling her juice box. What style! |
 |
| At another Christmas celebration with friend Joy, plastic fruit, a Teddy bear collection, and imagination are the only requirements for fun. |
 |
| With four grandchildren, the number of presents under our tree is on the upswing again. Yay! |
 |
| Knowing there would be some rainy nights and some other nights we wouldn't be home, Judy and I put out luminaries Saturday night. A few years ago we did that and a teacher friend called to ask if we knew our front lawn was on fire. That was scary, but no problem this time. |
 |
| As we wrap things up, observe how Evan uses all our Christmas icons to show how Santa delivers his gifts. You've got to have Santa, a sleigh, and reindeer. And oh, yes, don't forget the Pixie Dust! If I don't get any more pictures on before Christmas, I wish all my dear readers a very Merry Christmas, followed by a Happy New Year. |
