rocket on his “dock”

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rocket on his "dock", originally uploaded by mandyrberry.

Rocket spent the evening fishing on his dock. This is a huge step for him. Firstly he played by himself, secondly he used his imagination. And he was sooo cute to boot!

Happy Rex Manning Day!

10 points to how ever gets that movie reference. Today is November 21, better known as Twilight day. I had the pleasure( or supreme geekness) to attend the midnight showing with my Friend Nicole. Two moms, standing in the freezing cold , knitting, waiting to go to a teenybopper flick. Our respective husbands were at home with children shaking their heads at us. They just don’t get it.

My favorite part was the Baseball game. I was totally creeped out by Jacob(i mean Shark boy). My kids love the movie Shark Boy and Lava Girl. I can not see Jacob when i look at that boy.

Other than that it was FANtastic. I think you would have to Love the books to get the movie. We will see,  I am going again this evening with my moms group and some of the moms have not read it.

So , if you have nto read the books, go now and do it. You will not regret it.

too close?

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too close?, originally uploaded by mandyrberry.

This morning had been great. The children have been quiet. Mostly because of this. Ella built a tent to watch movies in. We dont have TV. just a ton of VHS movies and a few dvd’s. THis morning they are watching Indian IN The Cupboard. THey asked to read the book. i love my kids.

gearing up for the crazyness

I knwo that everyone is thinking about the next two months. Especially as the belts get tighter by the week.

I love Thanksgiving. As a child, our church spent the day hosting a feast for the community. we took food to the homeless and shut-ins. We had big , long tables set up in the parish hall at St. Hellena’s Church.  Each family woudl bring and cook at least one turkey and some sides. It was open to any one who wantted to come and eat for free. At some point in the day my family(mom, dad, sister and me) gathered to eat something together amongst the others from all walks of life. It was such a beautiful day for me.  We watched the parade on a TV in the nursery while the parents began the massive cooking prep in the kitchen. After that got old we woudl wander around in the cemetary that had a pirate! We woudl romp in the leaves. SOme years it was still warm, some tiomes it was cool. We always smelled like the outdoors when we made our way in to find something to eat. I think we had worship time before the feasting began.

The impact of this was huge. We had few true traditions, but this one has the most lasting effect on me.  My parents had a ugly divorce(are there any that are not?) when i was 14. All holidays and traditions changed. Most lost all together. I hope to start this thing with our church next year.

As for Christmas, i was pointed to http://www.adventconspiracy.org . This is how we will be doing Christmas. Now if I can get my in-laws onboard.

P1010812

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P1010812, originally uploaded by mandyrberry.

Halloween for free! Ella is Wendy, Rocket is Peter Pan, Juliana is Tigerlily, and chris and I are the pirates. I did not spend a dime on anything. Juliana;s costume I made in one evening with a bed sheet, rockets aare old leggings covered in fake flower leaves, and Ella owned the nightgown. Chris and I happen to own a very piratey wardwrobe.

rocket rocks out

October is always full

I am learning as I get older that October is a beautiful month that i never have any time to do any thing fun in. THis fine week falls in line with that.Monday we had friends over to chat about church stuff.  We found out last week that Chris’ grandfather Poppop was going to have a tripple bipass on Tuesday. So we spent Tuesday at the hospital. I think it is important to offer support and gather to take care of each other in these situations. Praise God the opperation went well. Wednesday was great because The Phillies won game one of the World Series. We went to the in-laws to have Philly food. I had never had a Philly pretzel in my life, and man it was good! We had cheese steaks and tasty cakes.  Thursday, Homeschool was building up from not getting everything done. THe girls had their second piano lessond with Kali. And Poppop got moved to a regular room so we coudl finally visit him. Then we had small group here that night. Game 2 did not go the way we wanted it to either. Friday, it rained all day, and Poppop got sent home from the hospital. Our friend Dan cam over to rock some guitar Hero. that was great. Saturday we did manage to sleep in a bit. Chris had to spend the morning gathering things to make the new set for sunday school.( CHris is the Childrens minister at church, and I am his lovely assistant) The kids played outside whil my neighbor and I pulled weeds and scrubbed the front porches. Then chris got home and we spray paiinted set peices and got ready for setting it all up. then we set up church, I practiced the music as I was leading worship also this morning, and set up the new set(Indiana Jones style. I need to take a photo). then we ate and headed to the in-laws to visit with poppop and watch game 3. And oc course we had church thismorning. I am finally getting time to was more than a weeks worth of laundry, prep for next week school, and plan a menu for the week.

I love October. This October has been stellar. But I keep missing it for all the things needing to be done. I am tempted to take tomorrow off of school and just hang out with my kids. I am feeling so tied to the “must get it all done” idea and i think we are missing out. Iwhat is wrong with taking it one day at a time?

i want to go to Philly

i grew up in a sportsless household. I can’t even recall my father ever watching a part of a sports event on tv. He loved music. My husband on the other hand, practicaly grew up on a baseball diamond. Infact he was like 7 months old at the 1980 world series in his grandfathers arms as he whispered everything that was happening to him. His grandparents had seasons tickets to the Phillies for I don’t know how many years. They bleed Phillies, his family.   For the first 6 years of our marriage, he hardly ever watched baseball. When we moved in with Poppop two years ago, it re-lit the flame in him.  I can not pretend that i understand much of the game, but i know how happy it makes my husband and his Grandfather. I want to go to Phillie if they make it to the World series.

We took the kids to the movies yesterday to see The City of Ember. It was very good. All the things I love in a movie:great set, costumes, colors, based on a book, and Bill Murry!  Of course my book loving children asked if the movie was based on a book, we looked it up, and so it is. There are 4 books in the set and we hope to read them all.

This week we are starting a new book in history, Detectives in Togas. Juliana is so excited because she wants to be a detective when she grows up.

Charlotte’s Web

The kids and I have been reading Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White. I have loved this story since childhood. I love the movie(i mean the cartoon) and sing the songs all the time. When Juliana was a baby i used to sing the song that Fern sings to Wilbur as a baby pig. It goes something like this:

there must be something more to us than you and me

it must be tangled up somehow in history

I used to think the sum of one and one was two

but we add up to more me and you

oh i can see me and Juliana snuggling on the couch and her cooing at the sweet sound of mothers voice.

Any way , back to yesterday. Juliana is now 8 and we are snuggling on the couch with younger sister and brother and reading the last 3 chapters of the book. I warned them that it would be a tear jerk er. Ella replies”i know momma, Charlotte dies”  I start to get all choked up as we read how Wilbur gets in the crate with the sack in his mouth and Charlotte is there all alone. I read and cry. then i notice tha Juliana is crying too and then Ella.  Rocket is of course humming Iron Man and being a three year old boy.

We snuggle and finish reading and them craft for the rest of the morning. the girls make spider webs and Charlotte’s babies.

I love home school!

I heart fall, even thought we dont have it here

I love in the deep south, on the coast. I grew up here. Fall to me was 85 instead of 95 and sweating at the pumpkin patch.As a child i dreamed of living some where normal that had 4 seasons and you did not have to sweat while you ran around on Halloween, As an adult, Chris and I moved to Central North Crolina for 3 glorious years.  There is indeed 4 full seasons and beautifullness every where. It was still a little warm on halloween, but the leaves were turned and crisp, you coudl smell the fall lovelyness. Can you tell i wish i still lived there?

Now we find ourselves right back in the place i grew up. The last two halloweens the kids have sewated as they ran from house to house. The leaves adn the grass are dead because it had been so hot and dry. Not he same beauty, let me tell you.

So to make my self feel better, I light fall candls all over the hosue so i can smell pumpkins spice, vanilla, apple cider, ect. I convince myself that it is cool enough  to wear Jeans and cardigans.

ANd Halloween is one of my favorites. My parents decided when i was about 9 that we were not going to do halloween anymore because it was a devil day. We instead dressed up as bible chracters and played all the same games as usual, but with christian names. We got candy, but it ws not door to door. This was one of the biggest traumas of my childhood, you coudl say. At least it was something that had a BIG impact on my sister and me. I vowed as a parent to never not do Halloween. It is one of my biggest joys to spent momths planning with my kids the costumes, adn gathering fall decorations, and what not. I love the memories of getting out and the entire neighborhood talking and being friendly  for one night.

This year we are having a family theme of Neverland. Rocket will be Peter Pan, Ella will be Wendy, Juliana is goign to be Tiger Lilly, and Chris and i will be the pirates or Mr and Mrs. Darling. I am so excited.

Now if it coudl just be cooler than 87 this year!