Ode to the hill ...

S L E D D I N G
at
E D G E W O O D

OveR tHe RivEr anD thRouGh thE woOd ...

to The sLedDing hiLL wE gO ...

Our Mom kNowS tHe WaY to pull Our big SleiGh ...


And wiPe ouR ruNny no-o-ose ...

HoP on mY sLed wiTh me uP on yOur laP ...

My eYes arE biG and wiDe ...

HorraY fOr thE fuN, sleDding tiMe haS cOme ...

HoRray fOr tHis wiNter riDe!

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Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is upon us,
our tykes gather near.
The Nativity story
rings loud in each ear.

The stockings are up
on their hooks, hung with care.
"...we thank thee for Jesus,"
rounds out every prayer.

The tree is all set,
Christmas gifts spread out far.
The kids tucked in bed,
their doors slightly ajar.

And with Christmas day coming,
such blessings in sight.
Merry Christmas to all,
and to all a good night!

Here we come a caroling ...

My amazing Michigan friend Emily and I have been working on a little project we like to call "Christmas, Primarily." It all started with my discovery of her amazing guitar talents. I always knew she could sing so the guitar was just a big amazing Emily bonus. Combine that with Garage Band's recording ability and ... Whalla! A little dream of mine, fulfilled.

Don't be fooled, there are lots of mistakes ... we realize that. But our goal was simple ... to invite you over to our cozy family room fireplace and sing you some Christmas lullabies. You can click here to connect to an upload site BUT if you do you have to promise to look past the imperfections and find something to enjoy in it. Consider this my way of caroling to your door this year.

Merry Christmas!!

The girl is FIVE

The girl is FIVE!

You know your birthday is a big deal when you've finally used up all the fingers on one hand.

Today was all grins, giggles, squeals and delight.

It's good to be 5!

All five fingers!

A lady bug cake (by request of course).

McD's for dinner with TWO prizes in her happy meal

and a note from the McD's staff saying, "Happy Birthday!!"

A special day - it's good to be FIVE.

A Shirt Full of the Spirit

Gage's Baptism

was just so awesome! Gage is the kind of kid that makes it easy to be a mom. Always wanting to be obedient, knowing what's right and what's wrong, sharing (even new birthday toys) with Sunny and Ike. Such a great kid! The Spirit was strong enough during that I couldn't even sing the opening song. Grandma and Grandpa were there along with several friends from the ward. Grandpa spoke about baptism and Bishop spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost. Gage was was so alert and attentive for both. Our home teacher played an awesome number on his violin for us that really set right the mood. It was all around awesome!

My favorite memory of the day came from Gage who said (all smiles) coming out from getting baptised (and redressed), "Mom, the Spirit is filling my whole shirt!" Then again that night (after getting PJs on), "Mom, the Spirit is filling my pajamas too!" So sweet.

Steve and Gage ready to get in the font.

Grandma and Grandpa with our family.

Gage with his two biggest fans - Grandma and Grandpa Wilding.

Our family.

Me with my big guy!

Gage with his priesthood role models.

Big hug from Dad and sister.

A happy kid with a shirt full of the Spirit!

Uncle John's Cider Mill

Our annual trip to Uncle John's did not dissapoint. The kids were extatic for days before we even went. You would have thought it was Christmas for all the excitement. We love to play on their old wooden train set and in their big sandbox. The cider and doughnuts are beyond compare and the views of the orchards and pumpkin patches are outstanding.

Ike gets under, around, and through the fun train.

Sunny drives the milk truck.

Ike navigates a classic tractor ride.

Gage gets wild and crazy with Old Red.

This train is not match for Ike's amazing ladder skills.

We love it up here too!

Such a fun place!

Leaf Clearance Initiative 2009

It's autumn-time, it's Autumn-time
the leaves are falling down ...

Every year we wait until all the leaves have fallen to tackle the massive Leaf Clearance Initiative. Waiting until they're ALL down makes for a big project that usually lasts ALL day. But the pile is HUGE and awesome. Perfect for 'swimming' in.

I only got one good one of Ike, he didn't want to stop for photo op's.

Gage is our scary leaf-sea monster.

Bridge to Edgewood ...
Our dear neighbors keep dumping leaves and branches on our school trail. We decided to create an obvious path to keep the debris out of our way. So far so good.

Oh yes, it's coooold in Michigan!

Buddies.

Leaf princess.