Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

December is upon us! Zoee has written her letter to Santa, the Christmas tree is decorated, and the shopping is well underway. Here I am writing the annual Christmas letter and I am not sure what to write. Since this is my blog, you can see what we have been up to all year. What else do people write in these things?

Darin is now in his ninth year as a cardiac RN. I am still staying at home with the girls. The girls keep us busy!  I have been homeschooling Zoee this year for preschool. She is loving learning and would like to know how to read.  She enjoys playing hairdresser and kitchen! Lilee enjoys coloring and playing with baby dolls. She is a noisy little thing and comes up with new words and phrases everyday! The girls are growing by leaps and bounds and keeping us busy.

We are looking forward to Christmas this year as the girls are learning even more about the Lord and the real meaning of Christmas. They are learning Christmas songs and singing them around the house. Talking about the Christmas story and playing with their nativity scene is thrilling to me as I discover just how much they are understanding! It is a wonderful way to get a fresh look at Christmas when seen through their eyes.

One of my favorite songs this Christmas season is found on Chris Tomlin’s Glory in the Highest. It is called Winter Snow. It reminds me of how the Lord chose to send His son to earth in a quiet way, rather than with a parade and fanfare. Here are the lyrics:

Could’ve come like a mighty storm
With all the strength of a hurricane
You could’ve come like a forest fire
With the power of heaven in Your flame

But You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

You could’ve swept in like a tidal wave
Or an ocean to ravish our hearts
You could have come through like a roaring flood
To wipe away the things we’ve scarred

But You came like a winter snow
(Yes, You did)
You were quiet
You were soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Oh, no, Your voice wasn’t in a bush burning
No, Your voice wasn’t in a rushing wind
It was still
It was small
It was hidden

You came like a winter snow
Quiet and soft and slow
Falling from the sky in the night
To the earth below

Falling
(Oh, yeah)
To the earth below
You came falling
From the sky in the night
To the earth below

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Much love,

the Gerings

Veteran’s Day & Carousel Riding

Veteran’s Day was a beautiful day! We prayed for the people that protect our country, hung our American flag outside and made star shaped sugar cookies.

Patriotic Cookies

We also went to Jantzen Beach and rode the carousel. You might consider it a trial run for our Disneyland trip in February. I was prepared for Zoee to be nervous in true Zoee fashion. Nope, she loved it and was very excited. Lilee was nervous at first, but soon loved riding the horse. Zoee was very excited to tell Darin all about her ride this morning when she woke up!

 

Girlies riding the carousel

 

 

 

Sweater Weather

Typical fall weather is here – mid 50s, rain, and grey. I love to put on a warm sweater and snuggle up with a good book and a pumpkin spice latte!! Knitting is also another way I fill a ton of my time. So, as I have for the past few years, I made the girlies each a new sweater for this fall. Last night I finally finished them!

For those of you that are knitters, this pattern is the Wonderful Wallaby. I have found this pattern to be a wonderful basic hooded kangaroo pocket sweater. It includes sizes from a child’s 2 up through XXL adult. I have made modifications and added things on occasion as well.

October – Nature is All Aglow

“Just before the death of flowers,
And before they are buried in snow,
There comes a festival season
When nature is all aglow.”
-   Author Unknown

I love this time of year! Chilly mornings, gorgeous sunsets, crisp afternoons running through crunchy leaves. The pumpkins are wonderful this time of year as well! We grew lots of pumpkins this year, over twelve! We carved some, gave some to family, and put some on the porch. Papa Gering even carved Zoee and Lilee’s names on their special pumpkins.

Posing with pumpkins

Our spooky pumpkins

Fall pictures with the pumpkins!

OOOOOOOOO glowing pumpkins!

First of Many Playdates!

Yesterday was the first play date with Zoee, Lilee, and their new cousin Emily. Emily was adopted from China by Karen and Gregg (Darin’s sister and brother-in-law). They arrived home just short of 2 weeks ago! The girls had so much fun playing kitchen, dress up, and coloring. We played outside, blew bubbles and decorated fall sugar cookies. Despite a language barrier, they played and played. It takes Emily a little bit to warm up, but after that she is all smiles and giggles. We look forward to years of giggles with the girls!!!

Pile on Karen!

Fall is here!

As we drive around town Zoee will shout, “Mommy! Those leaves are yellow! Those leaves are red! It’s fall time!” I too, am looking forward to leaf and pumpkin cut-out cookies, apple cider, crunchy leaves under my feet, and pumpkin bread. I won’t think about the tons of leaves we have to rake every weekend in the front yard or the endless rain.

We are enjoying playing outside in the late afternoons with the warmish breeze blowing. A large portion of our yard seems to be a pumpkin patch. What fun those will be to carve, paint, or decorate. The girls have already selected their Halloween costumes and love to wear them around the house as well.

This fall also brought the beginning of the school year and the first year that I am homeschooling Zoee. She is always excited to do her preschool work and loves to learn. She is eager to memorize her memory verses and can spout them off readily. I am sure there is not  a better sound than hearing children quote God’s words.

I am thinking a cup of  tea and a piece of pumpkin bread sounds good… Happy Fall!

The Little Blue House is Blue Again!

Our house has finally been painted! We are so happy with the way it looks! We have just a few more details to finish, as in exterior lights next to the front and garage doors and new numbers for the house, as well as a new mail slot cover. Those will be ordered this month!

In the Good Old Summertime!

The warm summer days have melted into one another and have formed a continuous string where the beginning and end cannot be determined. This evening I helped a teacher friend put posters up in her classroom and get things ready for the beginning of the school year. It just occurred to me that summer will be coming to a close all to soon.

Our typical summer day began at 8 a.m. After girlie #1 came downstairs and woke me, I would take a quick shower and go upstairs. I would begin to make breakfast and girlie #2 would wake up. We would eat breakfast quickly, pop the girlies into their clothes and off for a walk with a Grandma Donna. After our two to three mile walk we would stop in the park or run a few errands together and return home in time for lunch. Lunch was promptly followed by nap time, much to my delight! After naps we would play outside for a while before coming inside for the dinner making process. Dinner time would usually require me to say, “Take another bite,” about twenty times. Dinner time was followed by bath time, story time and bed time.

What a lovely summer it has been, not that it is over, but there are only a few more precious days to hold on to before we begin new routines and reluctantly release Grandma Donna back to teaching.

Playing in the back yard

Check me out!

Bubbles are fun!

Playing Dress up

It must be summer!

Even though it is not officially summer, we have had so many nice days (above 80 degrees), that I am sure it is summer. We have been able to do a lot of things outside, taking advantage of the beautiful weather. 

We have put in our garden and hope to have lots of tomatoes, tomatillos, lettuce, squash, sweet onions, and other tasty things. Zoee is excited to see the plants grow.

As a family, we have enjoyed a few outings already this summer. We took the girls to the zoo and rode the zoo train. Lilee and Zoee love the zoo! Also, we discovered a yummy place to go on a hot day. Sheridan’s Frozen Custard is delicious. A taste from the midwest right here in Vancouver!

Lilee had her first haircut. I’m not sure if she enjoyed the experience, but she looks like such a big girl now. I was not ready for that. Zoee loves having her hair done. When she is older, she will want to live in a spa! Darin even snuck in a haircut when the girls were finished. 

We got a new little kiddy pool for the back yard. Zoee and Lilee and friends enjoy playing in it on the patio. 

As I sit here writing about the weather it is very grey and drizzling outside. It must be the northwest!

Kids say the funniest things!

Zoee says some of the funniest things. She loves to hang “upslide down.” She needs help when her shirt is “upside out.” When it is hot out side we like to play in the “swimming cool.”  When I was putting dishes in the dishwasher she said, “Wow Mommy, you are a good helper.” My favorite of all time was when I put dinner on the table and she said, “Wow Mommy, you are a good maker.” 

Lilee says hi-ya, bye-ya, mama, dada, woo-woo(doggy), and cack cack (duck).