Light the Night

We like to change things up a bit...a lot...all the time.

Keeps life interesting.

This year for Halloween, we knew we needed to do things differently than we had the past few years.  We used to live in the country, and NO ONE came to our house for candy.

 

This year, being in a big subdivision, we knew there would be children, and lots of them!

So, we decided to "Light the Night."  In other words, be a bright, happy, fun place on an otherwise dark, scary evening.

The kids love to dress up, so they came up with their own costumes.

Laura had some help, but isn't she just the cutest bunny ever?

Char was a policeman...in a cowboy hat.  Must be from down south.

Jacob...I mean...Jengo Fett helped man our popcorn maker.  I tell ya...it was the hit of the night, along with the hot apple cider we handed out to the adults.  It was fun watching the expressions on the parents' faces when we offered them something, too.

Of course, there was a princess.  Do you think she would choose to be anything else?

Jamie got home early from work to join in the fun.  He took over the popcorn maker and kept us stocked up.  Big job since the beggars liked that more than the candy.

Our little friends from next door were having fun with us, too.  All of the kids were running back and forth all night, handing out candy and popcorn, playing with swords and light sabers. 

Part of "Light the Night" is turning on all the lights in the house so it's bright and cheery.

I'm sure our electric company was smiling.

Our friends next door did the same thing.

It was a fun night, and we're planning to do it again next year!

7 & 6

At exactly 5:14 P.M. on Oct. 30th, Charlie turned 7 years old.

But, of course, we couldn't wait until that late in the day to start celebrating,

so at 6:40 A.M., Char appeared in the kitchen...all excited for his day!

 He was sure he needed to pick out his candles that morning.

 He chose to go bowling and out to dinner at B@ss Pro Shop.

Can't think of a better place for a growing boy!

 First stop was the huge fish tank.

 Then a stop to color, and have their picture taken with Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin.

 Then they all went hunting.

 Char took a call from his buddy, Preacher.

 And it's a spare!  He was so excited...

 he Tebowed.  What a character!

He also beat everyone with a score of 102!

 He loves tickling his big sister and making her smile.

 Can ya tell we had a goofy night?

 After dinner, we went back home to open presents.

 Jenna had put so much glue on her picture, Char couldn't even open it!

 It's good to be 7.

 Yes...he finally got his big-boy Bible.  He was so sweet with it.

He said, "Mom.  I'm going to get up early to read it, OK?"

Yeah...totally OK.

 He put it in his new case, carried it all around  last night, and this morning, and 

took it to our homeschool co-op.  He even got Preacher to sign it.

Later I heard him tell Jenna that it was time to play Bible.

 He loves Hero Factory...

 and legos...

 and his new shirt!

 My little man is just pure joy.

 He loves life and believe me...he lives it to the fullest.

 His laugh and smile are contagious.

 He holds nothing back.

 And what a difference 6 years make.  

This was the first photo I ever saw of Char...in April of 2006.

Oct. 31st is his Gotcha Day.  In our arms for 6 years now.

We can't imagine our lives without you, Char, and we can't wait to see where God leads you as you continue to grow.

We love you!!

Molecules?

Jacob and I went shopping at one of the "dollar stores" in our town.
I know...I know...I spoil him!  :)

I saw Pop Rocks.  Does anyone else remember these?

Well, Jacob had never had them so I decided that was deprivation, and he should have some.

He didn't even know what to do with them.

Just dump 'em in your mouth!

He did, and started laughing.  It was hilarious...and noisy with all the poppin'!

After a minute he said in his serious tone..."What do they do to alter these molecules?"

Huh?

It's Pop Rocks, buddy.  Just be a kid and enjoy the craziness of it all!

What a trip!

 Jamie and Amarin just returned from their daddy/son trip.

This year was Amarin's turn, and he chose to visit Legoland in Florida.

He loves building with legos...loves it, and he's good!  

So this was the perfect place for a visit.

We met Jamie at the airport after work last Friday, and off they went!

 This always cracks me up...my Thai son lovin' some southern biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

It's his favorite!

  Welcome to Legoland!

 Amarin took "driver's training.  There were real stop lights, they had to use hand signals to turn, and he told me that he didn't crash once!

 He is a treasure!

 

 Legos and Star W@rs?  This was nothing short of heaven!

 

 Legoland also has a water park.  It just keeps getting better.

 This lazy river had tubes that could hold lego creations.

Look at the floating legos!

 They even had time for a game of golf.  Can you believe they saw my cousins there?

 Daddy bought a couple lego sets that Amarin really liked.  He said that Amarin had them put together in less than one hour.

So thankful they had this time together.  Char's next, and he's already planning!

Another "Char-ism"

I was folding laundry the other day and Charlie was helping...rather...watching me.

I had some of Jamie's "unmentionables" and Char says,

"Wow!  Those are so big they could fit Mom!"

Silence.
I stared at him and he continued, "Well, that's just what was in my brain!"

I think it's time to start teaching him about the filter that needs to be used before sharing such brainy insight.

And I'm not sure who should be more offended...Jamie, or me.

And that's all I have to say about that.

His Patch

I hadn't planned on buying the vest.

With four of our kids in AWANA,

buying the books and paying the dues,

I figured we could save some money and do without the vests.

Until I saw Char's face last night at AWANA when he earned his first Sparky patch

for learning the first batch of memory verses. 

Proud, excited, elated...and something he did all by himself.

He studied all on his own during his daily quiet/rest time.

And not in the shadow of his big brothers, which, being a younger sibling,

can all too easily happen.

So guess what I bought?  Yep.  The vest.

And I have a feeling I'll be sewing on a lot of patches!

Because he is one determined, passionate kid, 

and that determination and passion will serve him well.

A friend recently said, "I just love that kid.  He is passionate about everything he does."

And how excited was my little man, you ask?

Well, he wore his vest today while doing his chores...

 and doing his schoolwork...

and at the dentist's office.

I think I have it off of him long enough to sew on the patch!

So proud of your hard work, Char!

"Sinus"

I love keeping this blog for many reasons.  One is to keep a record of some of the funny and precious things the kids say.  The things that make me laugh.

At church tonight, a gal asked if two of the boys could be in a Christmas play, based on Charlie Brown's Christmas.  Absolutely!

Amarin will be in the play, as will Charlie.

We already know Charlie will play the part of...drum roll...Snoopy!

Because he's funny and always runnin' around!

We don't know what part Amarin will play, so we were making guesses.

Mom:  Maybe Charlie Brown, since you are brown.

Amarin:  Oh, yeah!  Cool!

Charlie:  Oh, Oh!  Maybe you could be "Sinus" with the blanket!

Jamie, Jacob, and I were the only ones that caught it, and we burst out laughing.

Ya just can't make this stuff up!