Catching snowflakes

Every Thursday I teach an art class to my children and another little 8 year old boy. We do all kinds of fun projects.  Here was today's:

Cute, huh?  I found the idea on Pinterest.  Since it is supposed to snow again this weekend, it was timely!

Like a true Larchar

Kate has about 4 words in her vocabulary: Dada, Mama, chicken and Jesus.  (I am not kidding, this is her vocabulary. She doesn't 't say chicken and Jesus perfectly, but she is definitely saying them.) Well, today she added a fifth: cheese.  I think she's got it all covered.  What else do you really need?

Goodbye, Old Girl!

Our '96 Honda Accord

We sold a little piece of our lives today.  We sold our little Honda Accord we've had for the last 11 years.  I bought the car 11 years ago- right after I met Kenneth.  We have driven it ever since.  It is the car we drove away in after we were married.  Our first child came home from the hospital in that car.  Our third child came home from the hospital in that car.  It has been with us in New York, North Carolina, Maryland, California and Kansas.  It has been an amazing car.  But, it was time to let it go.  We listed it this morning and by the afternoon we had had over 30 people call or email about it.  The very first person I talked to and made the appointment with purchased it.

 My amazing boss at the time that I bought the car (who happened to also be my sister-in-law's Grandmother) was so nice to buy the car for me and let me pay her back- interest-free.  Here is the record I kept.  I paid it back far sooner than was the goal.  It felt so good to own it outright.  Of course, I couldn't have done it without Margie!

Here is the record of the loan

There we are getting into that good-looking car right after we were married.

 It was a great blessing in our life to have no car payment for so many years.  It allowed me to stay home after Emma was born and Kenneth was still in school.  We had no income and I could still stay home with my baby.  

Kate and Kenneth with the car a couple of weeks ago.

Goodbye, Old Girl!  We'll miss you!

In case you're wondering, we replaced it with another 1996 vehicle!  (Who does that?!?!?)  It even has more miles.  We got a great deal on a Camry from our neighbor.  He had taken impeccable care of the vehicle and we decided to 'upgrade' to a rust-free car with a CD player!!!!!  Yahoo!!!!!  (It's the little things, you know.)

Little seamstresses

The girls have been begging me to teach them to sew.  (Not that I really have any clue). I had them help me repair a sweater and a stuffed animal a few days ago, but that didn't satiate their need to sew.  They finally just asked me to get out my scrap bag and some needles and thread and they have been busy bees ever since.  I think it mostly has to do with the influence from the Little House on the Prairie series.  Here are Arianna's creations so far.  Sleeping bags, pillows, blankets, beds, blankets for small toys:

Here's what my dining room table's looked like the last week:

Even Grant has gotten into it- even though the girls tried to tell him boys don 't sew.

Happy 1st Birthday, Kate, Part 2

We had a great Birthday with little Kate today.  We had our regularly scheduled breakfast (eggs and toast) and leftovers for lunch and dinner.  I made some applesauce carrot muffins with whipped cream on top for the 'cake'.  It was a hit!  Kate (and everyone else) loved them.  I will share more pictures of the day, but
first, here is our little lady throughout her first year:

A thumb-sucker from the start

Sweet sleeper

She's a thinker!

Look at that dark hair!

Growing so big!

Blessing Day

Deer in headlights

Happy, patriotic baby

With cousin Caleb during our visit to NY

Peek-a-boo

Standing more and more

She's getting a little too big for that, Arianna!

Super Kate!

Smiley, drooly baby

You are such a snuggly bear

Merry Christmas, Kate!

Who says laundry day can't be fun!

Happy First Birthday, Kate!

 Kate's Birthday Celebrations:

Kate was Daddy's little girl this morning.  Excited to see him and didn't want to leave his side before he left for work.

At first she was unsure of the whipped cream

Once, she ate all the whipped cream, she slowly picked at the muffin

Once she was 3/4 of the way through she decided to pick the whole thing up. . .

and start stuffing it in.

And feeding her sisters.

Walking with her birthday balloon

Playing with her gifts.  We wrapped up toys we already had that she hadn't seen yet =)

She loved them!  The girls decided to be cowgirls for the gift opening.

Here's a video of Bitty walking this morning:

 

Happy 1st Birthday, Kate!!

I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by.  Kate is such a joy to have in our family; such a sweet, sweet baby.   This morning I thought I'd share a quick video of her going down the stairs, because it is so cute.  She sure is getting fast!  She's walking, too.  I'll try to video that today.

I'll post more tonight after our celebrations!

Arianna - Happy 6th Birthday

Happy Birthday Arianna!  You're simply adorable (when in a good mood).  You remind us of that Mother Goose rhyme about the girl with the curl right in the middle of her forehead.  She told us she couldn't wait be six because people would finally respect her.  (smile)

What a sweet baby

Here is our sweet, crazy, smart, funny girl nowadays:

Sweet Arianna

Funny Arianna

Thoughtful Arianna

Crazy Arianna!

Happy Arianna!

Arianna made her own Birthday sign this year.  Mostly on her own.  I helped her back the signs and hang them, but she wrote all the letters on her own.  She made them with snowflakes on them for the Winter Birthday girls.  (Emma made a Birthday sign almost 4 years ago and we have used that sign for each birthday since then, but Arianna must have wanted something different this year.)

The kids get to plan out the menu for their birthday.  Arianna has been all over the place with her menu over the last couple of weeks.  At one point she wanted cold cereal for breakfast (that is something we only eat on Sundays normally around here) but she finally settled on cinnamon rolls and the birthday caterpillar, of course.  For lunch she chose tomato soup, grilled cheese and broccoli.  For dinner she first told me she wanted chicken and green eggs.  Funny girl!  She finally settled on Crepes (we had them 2 Sundays before her birthday).  She chose brownies instead of a cake and wanted them to have a horse on them.
Here are some pictures of her big day:

Arianna before breakfast

Birthday girl gets to lick the beaters used to make the cream cheese frosting for the cinnamon rolls

Time for breakfast!

Birthday Caterpillar and cinnamon rolls!  Kate wants food!

Opening up gifts.  There is the sign Arianna made.

 Emma actually spent her own money and bought Arianna a bracelet and some chapstick.  She was so excited to give it to Arianna.  Such sweet sisters.

Gifts from Emma

Yahoo!!!  Legos!

Here they are working on putting it together.  Thy worked on it a long time yesterday and today and they still aren't done!

The horse pasture brownie 'birthday cake'.  Kenneth designed the pasture and fence and I made the horses and flowers.

The girls' piano teacher and her husband came for dinner and 'cake'

Here is the Birthday Interview:
How old are you today?  Six.

Do you have a nick name?  Yes, Anna.

Who gave you that nickname?  Emma.

Why?  Because she couldn't call me [pronounce] Arianna when I was born.

What is your favorite animal?  A Horse.

What color?  Black.

Why?  Because they are beautiful.

What is your favorite color?  Pink.  

I thought it was yellow?  No, not yellow.  I like pink.

What is your favorite treat?  Ice cream.  [w/ the biggest grin and chuckle] 

Any particular kind of ice cream?  Yeah, chocolate.

What is your favorite food?  Cinnamon rolls.

What is your favorite song?  When Daddy comes home.

What is your favorite movie or show?  I don't know.

Just think for a minute.  I don't know.  Oh, Tangled

Who is your best friend?  Emma. [without hesitation]

What is your favorite book?  I don't know

Think about it for a minute.  I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!

Is it Little House on the Prairie?  No.

Is it Chronicles of Narnia?  No.

Is it The Mouse and Motorcycle?  No!  I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!

Okay, Maybe we'll come back.

What do you want to be when you grow up?  A mom with a horse.  
Dad: Wait, Do you want to be a Mom with a horse or the Mom of a Horse?  A Mom with a Horse.  

I thought you didn't want to be a mom - it was too much work?  I want to be a mom.  I have to.

Mom:  You have to?  I don't really have to, but it's the easiest thing to do.
Mom:  The easiest thing to do?!?!  What do you mean by that? Everything else is even harder.

What?  You don't get to play anything if you have a farm - not even checkers.

Who loves you the most?  God. 

What is your favorite thing to do?  I don't know.

Let's think about it.  Think about your days.  Is it sleeping?  No.

Is it playing?  No.

It used to be sleeping.  No.

Is it learning?  No.

Okay, maybe we'll come back.

Where is your favorite place to go?  I don't know.  I don't know lots of things.

Ha Ha Ha.

What is your favorite toy?  Horses and Magna-Tiles and girl Legos.

You don't have any girl Legos - how do you know you like them?  Because I saw them once and played with them.

Where?  At Emily and Sydney's house.

Note: Mom and Dad were interested in this response because Arianna had not yet opened her gift (girl Legos)

What is your favorite time of the day?  Thinking [and then stopped herself from saying something]

Were you going to say the middle of the night? When you come into Mom and Dad's room and sneak into our bed?  No.  No. No.  Watching movies - that's it.

Why?  Because it is fun.

What have you learned in your five years of experience?  To be kind to everyone.

That's really awesome, Arianna.  Very cool.

You've had a very busy year (2013).  You've learned so much.  You've learned to read, to spell, [Arianna interrupts] I don't really learn...I'm just practicing writing...I don't really learn.

But you learned to read.  Oh yeah!!!

Arianna, oh wise woman, what words of wisdom do you have for us today?  Nothing.

Arianna, is there anything you would like to say on your Birthday?  No.  Can we go open gifts now?