Announcing, Miss Abigail Joy!

Announcing, Miss Abigail Joy!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

We're Not In Church! (Shhhh!)

Funny moment this morning that I just had to share! :)

Lately little Joshua has struggled sitting still and quiet during church, probably not an uncommon problem for most 2 year olds. But we're committed to trying to train him to learn to sit in the assembly with us, so a solution has to be found. We do snacks, books, etc... but he usually gets wiggly and wants to talk ... a little too loudly. This has resulted in him getting taken out and sometimes being disciplined. This isn't fun for any of us, so.... back to the hunt for a solution.

Well, being an old has-been athlete, I'm convinced that just about anything can be improved if you practice. If you shoot hundreds of free throws, you'll rarely miss. If you serve the volleyball hundreds of times, you'll rarely serve in the net. If you go over hundreds of hurdles, you will eventually glide over them faster. You get the idea. Sooooooooooooo, I'm thinking if you practice sitting in church, you'll learn to do so without wiggling and talking. Maybe.

Anyway, today was our second "sit in church" practice. And we're starting with baby steps. I gather the children and we all line up on the couch. I set the timer for 10 minutes and we have to sit still and quietly. We can look at books, eat gold fish, whatever, but no wiggling and no talking.

About 6 minutes into it, Joshua begins to get fidgety and tries to talk. Emily gently, but firmly leans down to him and whispers, "no-no Baby. We can't talk in church." Then Joshua looked up at her and in a VERY LOUD whisper says, "EM-WAY, WE AREN'T IN CHURCH!"

Then of course we were all struggling to be quiet and not erupt with giggles! :) Guess we better keep practicing.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Good On Ya All Blacks!

Sunday afternoon we got to watch the New Zealand rugby team - The All Blacks- clinch the World Cup! How special for them to win the World Cup on their home field. It was a great game. The Kiwi team beat France by 1 point, so we sat on the edge of our seat the whole game. It brought back lots of great NZ memories... one of a time we actually watched a live game in Eden Park (against France then also). It didn't mist or sprinkle on us... it POURED for over an hour... so much so that it was absurd that we had on rain ponchos. I didn't have any photos because the rain ruined my camera! We were soaked to the bone and freezing. There was a huge group of us and it was SO FUN! I will never forget how nice it was to get in our van, turn the heater on, and pick up take away food on the way home. Aaaaahhhhh. Good times. The girls in their All Blacks t-shirts, waving our NZ flag! Now if only we'd had some Tim-Tams...

All Blacks are #1! :)


Woohoo... World Champs!





Friday, October 21, 2011

The Tale Of The Hungry Giant, by Taylor Robertson

The Tale of the Hungry Giant

Oh how I love food,
It always puts me in a good mood....

One of my favorites is chicken fried steak,
Oh how I'd love to eat it as soon as I wake!

I really like icecream in a bowl,
I swear its nourishment for the soul!

Top some vanilla with carmel and whipped cream,
This is becoming a food lovers dream!

Take some chocolate milk and put it in a glass,
Oh I promise I'll drink it up fast!

Banana pudding is so very good,
I would swim in it if i could.

Some rare food is fried alligator,
Just cook it right up with a baked tator.

Another good one to eat is fried catfish,
This makes quite the dish.

Just dip it in tartor sauce as you eat,
You'll be so happy you'll wanna tap your feet!

Chocolate chip cookies are really yum,
If you don't eat them you're really dumb.

Sour patch kids are so sweet,
This is a candy that's hard to beat.

You can eat American, Chinese, Mexican or French,
Just bring it to me I'll eat it in a cinch.

I haven't even started on venision or wild meat,
Those would be one of my favorites to eat.

I also like sushi, that's raw fish,
This is a meal for which I'd wish.

I eat in the mornings, evening and at noon,
But the one thing I wouldn't eat is wild racoon.

I love me some tacos from the place of Mima,
They're so good they make me yell, "ye-haw!"

Another good one is a big fat steak,
I'm talking grilled, not baked.

I also like bread the kind that is white,
For that stuff I'd be willing to fight!

I do enjoy a rack of lamb,
Or perhaps I'll have a side of ham.

The best food comes from my mom,
When it comes to cooking, she's the bomb!

I like to eat pasta on a plate,
This is good to order on a date.

Parmasean cheese sprinkled on top,
When eating this you can't get me to stop.

One night I had a dream
I was swimming in a pool of icecream.

I climbed out of the pool and what did I see?
A large cheese pizza looking at me.

I looked around to see a buffet
With all kinds of food made that day.

I woke up and thought this might be
The best thing that's ever happend to me.

I'd give anything for a donut,
This will go right to my gut.

I also love a good enchilada,
It's better than the Lion King, hakuna matata!

With my Mexican food I like ice tea,
But the best kind of food is the kind that's free!

I once ate an omlette with sausage and cheese,
I ate it up and said ''more please''.

If you wanna know how I got so big and tall,
It's cause I'd fill my plate and eat it all!

I really like pancakes with syrup on top,
Eat too much and you surely will pop.

Fruit and veggies aren't for me,
And drinking too much water will make me pee.

Some people say food will kill thee
I just say "food, will you marry me?"

Writing this poem was quite tough,
But just like food I couldn't get enough!

Taylor entered a contest for English class and WON with this poem. The prize was a free lunch! Ha! :D

Saturday, October 15, 2011

That's My Boy!

Here are the 7 of us celebrating a big win after Tay's game. It's a rare moment to get Joshua to be still for a photo when there's a football field to play on. (Only being in Taylor's arms could've pulled him away from playing) And it was almost as difficult to pull Tay free from all the congratulators to capture this moment. :) So I haven't blogged much lately about my big boy. That's certainly not because there's not lots going on with him... It's just that I worry about coming across a little TOO proud... ya know? :) He's now 6'7" and 303 lbs - a force to be reckoned with!



Here he is standing with his quarterback (#19). I can't tell you how much I love that Taylor not only really likes this guy... he is his faithful protector on the field. Nobody is going to sack our QB without a fight from Tay. He is like a soldier, always on guard, fighting to protect his fellow soldier.

Another shot of my "little" boy. :) I am so proud of the man that Taylor is. I LOVE that he loves his baby brothers... I love that he cares so deeply for his little sisters. I am so grateful that he's so respectful to me. I get weepy thinking about how much he loves his Daddy... I haven't even mentioned his tenderness towards his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and his cousins. He is a faithful friend. A hardworker. A defender of the weak. He is passionate and driven. He knows when to get serious and push through... and he knows how to throw his head back and laugh loud and hard. :) He handles pressure with massive amounts of grace and dignity. He has high goals and dreams and is full of faith that God will see him through to those dreams. I am asking God for favor and abundant blessing on Tay... and loving watching God answer that prayer. I am sooo proud of the man he is. But can I just say for a second - I'm darn proud of the football player he is?! I'm so proud to wear a jersey every Friday night with his name and number on it... declaring to anyone and everyone that will listen - "THAT'S MY BOY!" :)