It's Still Snowing...

...so I will blog and share all the photos I haven't posted since December. :) When January 12th hit and the earthquake happened in Haiti, all the other tasks of life besides schooling, eating, sleeping, etc. were put on hold as I checked continuously for news and updates. I'm so thrilled to report that these families have been reunited with their kids: www.makefunofyourday.blogspot.com and www.havingfunservinghim.blogspot.com !! They have prayed and waited, and waited and prayed, and I'm so excited to rejoice with them as they learn to become new families together. I continue to pray for those New Life Link young children who are yet to be released to their families. Those Americans who decided to try to take Haitian kids across the border to the Dominican Republic DID NOT HELP THINGS. Oh, that makes me so mad. The amount of damage they did to international adoption from Haiti is yet to be seen, but I would be suspicious of any American wanting to adopt from Haiti if I were the Haitian government now!

Anyway, here are the photos to catch up from Christmas on...
Our fireplace Christmas morning. I am thankful for such a large, stretchy stocking. :)

Roscoe is playing with the toy that Shiloh got for him from the pet store. She wrapped it and everything. :)
Calvin is helping himself to some fo my coffee Christmas morning. :) No, I didn't drink it after that.
Don't the kids look snuggly in their new fleece blankets? I am now coveting them, and I use one when I'm watching a movie in the basement because it's FREEZING down there. It makes me realize that I'm happy we didn't move the schoolroom down there.
Cora is snuggling with Cuddles, who is overcome by the warmth of the blanket.
Oh- Calvin got in there, too!
The following pictures are scenes from a play the kids put on for us Christmas Day when we had our friends the Rasheeds over. Jhael, their daughter, is the one with the flying hair. She's a reindeer, obviously. Adah and Nathaniel are playing a brother and sister (realistic casting, no?) who have a visit from Santa, hence the title of the play: "A Visit from Santa." :)
Here are the reindeer arriving with Santa in his laundry basket...er...sleigh.
Santa is climbing to the top of the house. This part made me cringe a little. He did in fact crash through part of the roof, and I think it discombobulated him for the rest of the play. He refused to follow direction from Shiloh after that. She told him to say ho, ho, ho, and he replied, loudly, "No, THANK YOU."
Here's Santa unloading his pack.

The cute four reindeer. Abigail forgot to paint her nose; she was supposed to be Rudolph.

The brother and sister discover their gifts from Santa. Nathaniel got an iPod (I made sure I got that back.).

As with all good plays, this one ended with a song. Shiloh copied the song sheets, and they all sang "Up on the Housetop." Seriously, how cute are they? They thought up the whole thing, designed the costumes and the set, and practiced their lines. They crack me up. The Rasheeds seemed to enjoy the show as well. :)

On January 9th, we attended the wedding of friends of ours. This was an INTERESTING wedding. The couple is a little quirky - a lot quirky - and we love the way they think. The BRIDE asked if the boys, who were to be ring bearers, could have mohawks. I said, "Are you sure? I mean, the mohawks will be in the wedding pictures 20 years from now." She was sure. So Daniel cut their hair the day of the wedding. Jackson decided he wanted to go with a high-and-tight and spike it with some gel. :) The girls were also asked to sing, "Morning Has Broken," to which Daniel replied, "They're singing a song written by a terrorist?!" (Cat Stevens, now Yosef Islam) Daniel threatened to break in during the choruses with, "Death to the Infidels!" or "Allahu Akbar!" I gave him THE LOOK. He didn't do it, but I know he did in his heart. Here's Nathaniel in all his handsomeness. He did a GREAT job, despite the fact that he didn't walk beside Jackson down the aisle. That made Jackson's ears turn bright red because he was embarrassed. :) And when I say bright red, I mean fire-engine red. We can always tell when he's in trouble or embarrassed because his ears give him away. Number one, they're big. Number two, they're bright red with nothing to cover them. :)
Look at this handsome five year-old!

Looking serious preparing for the job ahead.
Here they are with the lovely couple and the flower girl.
Jackson didn't like this picture. "They were smushing my jacket, Mommy!"
And hey! Here's another kid with a mohawk at the wedding! We had to get a picture! Apparently mohawks were in.
Yes, there's a picture of me. Shiloh wanted to take it. I liked this dress, so I put it on the blog.

January also brought Shiloh Elizabeth's ELEVENTH birthday. I just cannot fathom that. I know every parent says that, and we all mean it. It just flies by so quickly. Shiloh made her own crown, and she decorated the house herself. (Cora wanted to, but Shiloh loves to do it and decided she wanted to. Shiloh is now the official birthday-decorator, and I love the fact that I am out of a job.) I made apple pie, because Shiloh doesn't particularly care for cake. She decided she wanted to dress up in Cora's Indian outfit, so she made a crown with feathers. Cora dressed in her colonial outfit, so they had a little theme (we're studying the French and Indian wars right now).





Cora wanted to carry the pie in. :)


I gave Shiloh some old-fashioned curlers for her birthday, and I put them in that night. This is the result in the morning! I was going to brush them out a little, but she liked them "boing-y."
What a beautiful girl, inside and out. I am so thankful for her sweetness, her cheerfulness, her helpfulness, and her strength of character. I see her diligence, and I know she is more hard-working than I ever was as a kid (sorry, Mom!). Shiloh surprises me by what she likes...Legos, stories about the French and Indian wars, I Love Lucy, and playing out in the snow for HOURS. She's an interesting person, and I'm so blessed to be a part of her life. I can't wait to see the woman she becomes!
Well, I better go find some other projects to catch up on since we're snowed in again this weekend. Last weekend we missed church, and it looks like we'll miss again this weekend. Ugh. I thought we moved to Virginia, not Minnesota??