Merry Christmas to You! 2013

While the blog posts over the past year are a good reflection of what we’ve been up to, sometimes it’s nice to have the condensed version, the quick summary, the cliff notes of the Darling family.  So here it is:

Luke: dentist, loves blizzards (the ice cream, not the weather condition), and wishes he could find more time to golf in the summers.

Kim: stay-at-home mom, on the MOPS steering team, teaches 2nd grade Sunday School, directed the Sunday School Christmas program, and loves Starbucks.

Logan: 2nd grader at Crown Point Christian, enjoys taking piano lessons, favorite subject is PE, would rather type than write, listens to Magic Tree House books before bed.

Audrey: is now enjoying 2-day PreK, loves to color and write, takes a weekly ballet class, never gets tired of doing crafts, loves to play “teacher” with her siblings.

Emily: loves her two days alone with Mommy, plays independently very well and loves her dollhouse, tiny in size but mighty in volume, loves to be babied.

We hope you have a wonderful, safe, and meaningful holiday as we remember our Savior’s birth with thankfulness and love!

Daybook 12.16.13

Outside my window… it is dark and still.  Snow has been falling tonight and the neighborhood Christmas lights are brightening up the street.

I am thinking… about what I want to do next Monday when Luke’s parents will have the kids all day and Luke will be at work.  A day at home to myself!!  I’m thinking my dresser drawers need some sorting and organizing.

I am thankful… for a warm house on this cold night.

From the kitchen… I made mini meatloaves and cheesy potatoes for dinner tonight, and there is still leftover apple crisp from both of our parents visiting before/after the Sunday School Christmas program last night.

I am wearing… a comfortable sweatshirt, boot cut jeans, and socks. My feet are a little cold and I wish I had some slippers.

I am creating… a plan to reveal our spring Disney vacation to the kids.

I am going… to mail Christmas cards tomorrow.

I am reading… nothing right now except for magazines and blogs, but I’m looking forward to reading The Light Between Oceans, our January book club book, over the holidays.

I am hoping… Logan will wear the shepherd costume I’m creating for him for Angels and Shepherds Dress-Up Day at school on Wednesday.

I am hearing… the beautiful sound of a quiet house.  The kids are sleeping and I hear the hum of the fridge and the distant sounds of Luke shoveling the driveway.

One of my favorite things… free shipping!  And the UPS man who is delivering all of my Christmas gifts this year.

Around the house… the school papers and Christmas crafts are piling up.  It’s so hard for me to know what to keep and what to dump.

A few plans for the rest of the week… caroling at a retirement home with my MOPS group, piano lessons tomorrow afternoon, coffee with friends tomorrow night, Awanas on Wednesday, salon appointment and ballet on Thursday, and my friend Erica is coming over the teach me how to make banket on Friday morning (I’m not a baker, so we’ll see how this goes!).

Picture for thought I am sharing… a snapshot of our Sunday School Christmas program last night…

Daybook idea from http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Brunch with Santa

One of our Christmas traditions is heading to Youche to see Santa and Mrs. Claus and eat pancakes with sprinkles.  This is the first year that each child was brave enough to sit on Santa’s lap alone.  Audrey was still a bit apprehensive, but she felt brave for conquering her fears!

   

   

      

  

Thanksgiving

I hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the first time this year! 

Happy 60th, Mom!

When I saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew this would be a special way to celebrate Mom’s 60th birthday.  Living in 4 states over the last 60 years, she has touched a lot of lives and made lots of wonderful friends.

I sent letters to everyone I could think of, asking them to write a memory they had of mom.  We were amazed at all of the letters that started coming in from old friends, choir members, past student-teaching mentors, relatives, people who met her at Lamaze class, people who hadn’t seen her in forty years… people from every decade of her life from birth until now.

Surprisingly, we had exactly 60 people respond!  We put all their memories into 60 envelopes…

… and took her out for a nice meal at an Italian restaurant in town.  We got babysitters for all the kids and had a private room reserved for the evening.

After dinner, we surprised her with “just one more thing”…

… and we watched as she opened the letters and read the memories.  We heard some funny stories and special messages that brought back good memories.  Some made her laugh, some made her reminisce, and some made her cry. 

It was a lot of fun to collect the letters and take a glimpse at what Mom was like before kids, to see how all of these people were woven into Mom’s life to make her the person she is today.  It was the perfect, nostalgic gift to celebrate her.  Happy Birthday, Mom!

Romantic

This picture shows true romance in my eyes… Luke took the kids grocery shopping to help me out and give me some time alone in the house.  What a romantic (and brave!) man!

My God is…

All the students at Logan and Audrey’s school were asked complete the phrase “My God is…”   Their responses, in pictures, were used at our annual school fellowship dinner.  Check out Logan and Audrey’s responses. 

If you were to visit us this evening…

You would have been welcomed by:

Alice, insisting you join her for a cup of tea…

…or a seat by the river.

The toothless Mad Hatter

And Her Royal Highness, the Queen of Hearts (who happens to be more sweet than sinister).

They all love a good tea party…

…and a little candy to go along with it!

The month of October

“I am so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~Anne of Green Gables. 

I love that quote, and I love the month of October.  Here’s what we have been up to during the beautiful and busy month of October.

*A hayride at the arboretum

*Meeting Beth Moore (she was standing in line with us to check into the hotel) at the MOPS convention… and the 70s-themed “mom prom” on the last night. 

*A trip to visit Grandpa and Grandma (while I was at the MOPS convention)

* No October would be complete without lots of pumpkins!

* A quick road trip to Iowa to see both of my brothers and their families and to celebrate my sister-in-law’s 30th birthday.  We spent a night at a hotel with a waterslide on the way there.  It was great to meet up with my family for a few days.  The cousins loved playing together! 

* Unfortunately our quick trip was cut short due to Emily not feeling well and having a hard time breathing.  We decided to leave early to get back to our own hospital.  We drove almost straight to the ER, and Emily ended up getting admitted with a short stay until her breathing returned to normal.  Lots of pokes, pricks, and x-rays though.  No fun!  Thankfully the hospital stay was relatively short and she is feeling much better now.

Fall

Fall days have come around and have brought some beautiful weather for…
1)  Apple picking
      

2)  Flying a homemade kite

3) … and falling off an outdoor concrete patio table at Culvers requiring a trip to urgent care.  Turned out to be only a sprained elbow.

Emily’s 3 year photo shoot

We had a fun photo session with Beth Fletcher a few weeks ago for Emily’s 3 year photos.  I am so happy with how the photos turned out!  I can’t believe Miss Emily is 3 years old already.  We are filled with love and thankfulness for this sweet and joyful little girl that came into our lives with her early arrival 3 years ago.  Time goes so fast!

     

   

                

Happy Birthday, Emily!

My baby turned three.  Where has all the time gone?  Her birthday brings back so many memories of uncertain NICU days three years ago.  We are so thankful for her health and development.  I love this little girl so much.  She is sweet and polite and a joy to have around. 

We started her birthday with a “pancake party” on Saturday morning.  She had been talking about this for weeks, telling everyone “I’m having a pancake party!”  When a grocery store clerk asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she replied, “A pancake!”  At bedtime that night she said “I LOVE my pancake party!”  What a dear.















Then it was time for the pancakes!  And lots of toppings!  Yum!



A few gifts for the birthday girl.













We followed up the pancake party with a trip to Taltree Arboretum where the kids like to spend time in the railway garden.

Sisters playing in the water



And putting on a little “show.”





And tailgating for a snack.  What a fun morning!  Happy Birthday, Emily!



Here’s a link to a video I made two years ago of Emily’s first year.  So many memories…