A new twist on Christmas music

Yesterday we drove back from Tulsa to Austin. As is our tradition, we listened to Christmas music on the way home from Thanksgiving. As we were listening, Zach said, "Who is Santa Clause?" Liza replied, "Well, who is Santa clause?" To that he replied, "Oh yeah. He's the Christmas Tree man." We all laughed. Later, he said, "I want to hear Frosting the snowman." We got a good laugh out of that as well.

Big Fish

While we were at the conference at Pine Cove, Isabella got in on some fishing with some other kids. Just like at her Grandpa's pond, she threw in the line and caught a fish immediately. I think it was the biggest one anyone caught all weekend. She thought it was pretty cool, but did not want to touch it. :-)

Pine Cove Conference

This weekend we have been at Pine Cove Camp, just outside of Tyler, TX for our annual regional staff conference. We've been having a lot of fun, and I've been having fun playing with a new digital SLR. Here are a few pics from before we left and at the conference center...

Zach was looking out the back door and wearing a hat the he and Isabella made at the "Y" on Thursday.

Indie wearing her sweater. I know, I know, your saying, "Really? A sweater?" I felt the same way, but after a couple of day of her sitting around shivering all day because of the colder weather, my mom got her one. She is much warmer.

Zach at Pine Cove today showing off a rock he found.

Liza with the fall colors behind her. It is really pretty here.

The leaves are brilliantly colored.

After nap, Isabella and I went pine cone hunting. She had a great time.

She thought the bottom of these two looked cool.

A big smile.

She gathered up 32 before she ran out of steam...

I asked her to make a goofy face, and she gave this very cute one instead. Expect lots more fun and great quality pictures in the future....

The Finished Video

This is the finished video that I was working on all this Fall. We shot many of these scenes while in Europe and North Africa. Many more of them were shot in Austin in the weeks following. This will be used all over the US and the world in the coming months to encourage students with operational skills to join with our ministry. I hope you enjoy it!

Hide & Seek

On Tuesday afternoons I am on campus, and don't usually get home until around 7. The last couple of weeks, I have come home to high energy and very enthusiastic children. Also a husband looking a little tired.

Tonight the children announced that we were playing "hide and seek" and I think they have gotten pretty good at it. Chris had given each of them a flashlight, and we were taking turns being "the seeker." You have to be fast to get to a good hiding place before they get to 20, and I had to laugh at each round.

Round one--Zach hides from daddy with me in the closet, but keeps his flashlight on the whole time and talks the entire time. I can't believe it took them that long to find us.

Round two--Zach is the seeker, and I hear Isabella giving him very obvious clues to where she is. "Here I am, Zach" until he finds her.

Round three--I am the seeker and they have no patience...they come out to meet me in the hall.

Round four--Isabella knows that Zach and I are hiding behind the recliner, but spends an exorbitant amount of time finding Chris before she comes to see us. She calls "Daddy" the entire time she is looking, and he has to give her many clues to find him including whistles that she eventually follows to where he is hiding.

just a little laugh

I am so thankful my children haven't done this, although I wouldn't put it past them, especially Zach. I don't think I'll show him so as to not give him any ideas. But lots of laughs.

New PJs

My sister and her husband came over to Austin to see the UT/Baylor game (a friend of theirs gave them 3rd row, 30 yard line seats- nice!) and stayed at our house while we were gone camping. My mom sent the kids some new pajamas this weekend so they brought them over. They were very excited about the new pjs.



Thanks Nonny!

Camping

This weekend we went camping with several families from the "New Parents" class at our church. It was the first time we've ever gone camping for 2 nights with the family and it was a great time. It was COLD at night (39˚ outside and 47˚in the tent) but we did OK. On Saturday afternoon, we went over to the play ground and the kids started picking up sticks from the meadow to throw in the creek. It became a game of getting the biggest stick. Eventually Zach saw one and decided to bring it back.
He got started and then Isabella ran over to help him. Here you can see them pulling it over, but it's hard to tell how big it is.

As they got closer we could see how big it was.

It was taller then both of them put together. They were quite proud of themselves and we dumped in the creek with great fanfare. :-)

Only one other family stayed the second night, but the kids had fun playing the net morning after we had pancakes at the picnic table.

I had never done two nights before and didn't know how I would like it, but we found that being able to just stay put on Saturday really made the second night much more relaxing. I think we'll do 2 nights again next time!

Haircut

Yesterday, Zach and I went to Sport Clips to take advantage of a $4 off coupon that we got in the mail for a kid haircut. He did great, though he was sitting on my lap the whole time.
This was not nearly as radical of a cut as his older cousin Morgan got (see that story here) but it was still an improvement.
Before the Cut
After the cut.

Halloween

Since Liza and Isabella were gone to Mexico for Halloween, Zach and I were on our own. We were invited to have dinner at Andy & Ashley's house and then go trick-or-treating with them. We had fun. Andy dressed up like Peter Pan (sans the tights.) He got a turtle neck and cut off the arms to make the shirt. Those arms turned in to great hats for Zach and Katie..

After dinner, we got Zach dressed up in his Tiger outfit. He was very excited to go "trick-er-treat and get candy!!!"

Here he is from the front.
And here he is showing off his tail, which you can see if you look hard. He liked the way it wagged behind him as he walked.

We went up and down the block with Andy and the gang, then headed over to our neighborhood so we could go visiting there. Despite how you may feel about the holiday, you must admit that it is the one night of the year that it is perfectly acceptable to go up and down the street meeting everyone. There were huge packs of kids in our neighborhood and Zach had a really fun time.

We went to our neighbors' house (Dan and Kristy) last year and met them for the first time on Halloween. This year when we went back (they were #1 on the list of houses Zach wanted to visit) they took these two pictures.

Since Isabella couldn't go this year, Zach agreed to ask for extra and then give half of what he got to her. His pumpkin was over full by the end of the night and I think he and Isabella will have enough candy to last them to July and beyond. :-)