A Walk to Bethlehem

This evening, our family visited a nearby church that hosts an annual "Walk to Bethlehem."  Outside, a guide led us along a path where we encountered people from the Nativity story and others looking forward to the Savior promised by prophets of old.  It was a nice reminder of all the hopes that Jesus Christ fulfilled.

After the tour outside, we explored an ancient Israeli market place where we got to taste ginger and smell frankincense . . .

. . . and the kids dressed up as angels.

I guess these angels are still in training.

A Calendar Parade on a Saturday

How did you spend your Saturday?

Daniel played a solitaire game of Linko.

Joy and Daddy made a table out of spare lumber.

Todd made monthly calendars in different colors . . .

. . . which he and Anna then carried in their parade.

First Snow Day of Fall

We received our first light dusting of snow today, so of course, cautious Maryland cancelled school.  What a perfect day to relax at home with the kids and play board games, right?

Wrong!  We had dental appointments scheduled today, so I very carefully drove everyone to the dentist office, then very carefully drove everyone home.  Then I spent the afternoon wrestling with some computer problems.  Talk about the opposite of relaxing.  Oh well--at least it was pretty outside.

Do YOU Have It Memorized???

Hmm . . .

. . . what is Todd typing on Daddy's computer?

Oh, just the quadratic formula.  I'm the only one in our geeky family who doesn't have it memorized.  I need to step up my game.

The Fox Pup Turns Five

Todd turned five this week!  I felt a little bad that his birthday fell during our whirlwind California trip, but fortunately he's an easygoing little guy who was content to celebrate when we got back.

This evening we sang him our traditional birthday song . . .

. . . then Anna gifted her little brother one of her Halloween treats.  He was pretty thrilled.

Whatever could be in that beautiful gift bag???

Socks!!!

And an Etch-a-Sketch drawing pad--the perfect gift for a little boy who loves to "draw" (translation: write equations, the entire alphabet, or a monthly calendar).

Happy Birthday, T-Dot!  We love you so much!

Visiting Our Old Home

On our way to the airport to fly home this afternoon . . .

. . . we decided to swing by our old home in South Pasadena.  We enjoyed visiting with a few neighbors . . .

. . . driving past the kids' old school . . .

. . . and having lunch at good old In-N-Out burger.  That place could beat McDonald's with one Double Double behind its back.

Then it was time for our family to fly back to Maryland.  It's always more fun to travel with friends. :)

Till We Meet Again

We said goodbye to my dad this morning.

Sometimes it's still hard to believe that he's gone.

It was comforting to spend this day with so many people I love . . .

. . . and to know that I will see my dad again someday.  I'm so very grateful that Jesus Christ made that possible.  Thank you, dear Savior.

Flying and Family

Last night . . .

. . . we packed up backpacks and laid out shoes . . .

. . . so we'd be ready to head to the airport bright and early for our flight to California for Papa's funeral.  Half our kids have never been on a plane before, and the other half were infants the last time they flew.  They were all pretty excited when the plane left the runway, but the novelty wore off after half an hour, with just four hours to go before we landed on the West Coast.

While our reason for traveling was a sad one, we were grateful for the chance to spend time with so many loved ones we don't get to see very often.  This afternoon, we met Pink Grandma at Craig Park and had a fun time playing with her.

That park brought back a lot of sweet memories for Phillip and me; we took many romantic strolls there when we were dating.

This evening, we gathered for dinner with my siblings and all of Red Grandma's relatives who had come into town. I'm sure Andrew's wearing that flamingo shirt ironically.

Fistfuls of Candy

Last night . . .

. . . we carved our pumpkins . . .

. . . and lit them with candles to decorate our yard . . .

. . . then I took the kids trick-or-treating.  Joy was an engineer's assistant (note the clipboard, and the hoverboard for quick assignment completion), Daniel was a bat again, Anna was a princess (bride?), and Todd was . . . a cute little boy with a treat bucket (at his age, you can still get away with that).

There weren't a lot of trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood this year, so all the neighbors gave our kids fistfuls of candy.  When we finally returned home, they had a lot of treats to trade.

We love Halloween!

The End.