A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

Many years ago, the Macduff side of the family switched to a name drawing for Christmas gift giving among the adults.  For Christmas 2012, I drew my mother-in-law's name.  I found out from my father-in-law that her wish list was short.  She wanted a picture of all nineteen of her grandchildren.

There's a reason she did not already have such a picture.  It's difficult to get all the members of three very busy families together at the same time.  I started the picture endeavor by contacting my two sisters-in-law so that we could choose a date that would work for all three of us.  We finally landed on Veterans' Day, November 12, 2012.  Everyone would have the day off from school and no other activities were planned for that day.  Mom and Dad would also be out of town, so Mom would be none the wiser.  Perfect.  Or so I thought.

I was awakened at 4 a.m. on the morning of the 12th by the sound of rain.  It wasn't just a little drizzle, either.  It was raining "cats and dogs," as the saying goes.  It rarely ever rains that hard here and it just wouldn't  let up.  My sister-in-law texted me at 7 a.m. to ask if the photo session was still on.  I wanted to get the picture outside in the late afternoon light.  The weather being what it was, I needed to come up with an alternate plan.

The plan I decided to pursue was taking the picture at our church, the only indoor place to which I have access that has enough space to accommodate a large group.  Matt's sister thought this would work, but my other sister-in-law was not so enthused with the idea.  She felt the drive was too far and she didn't want to take that much time out of her day.

Thankfully, the rain let up a little after noon.  Grace and I went outside to get our planned picture location ready.  Upon further inspection of the area in front of the shed, we decided against it (the sun would be in kids' eyes and they would be standing in the flower beds).  We looked at every other possible location in our yard and found that the only other place with no distracting background objects would be in front of our not-yet-completed play house.

The only problem was, the area was littered with construction debris.  Grace, Paul and I spent a couple of hours cleaning up the area while Elizabeth baked cookies as a treat for good smilers.  Grace set up her tripod, camera and tiny chairs for little people in front of the play house. The sky was still overcast, but it didn't rain anymore.  My sisters-in-law arrived with kids in tow at the planned time of 4 p.m.  We were on our way, or so I thought.

I had to awaken Joel, Jude and Isaac from their afternoon naps in order to get them ready for the picture.  Joel was insistent that he wear his Swedish Army hat, along with his usual mustache.  The problem--he looked like Hitler.  I told him Grandma knew him as her little cowboy and he could wear his cowboy hat, but not the army hat.  Then I continued to get the other two boys ready and moved outside to organize the crowd.

Jessica, my sister-in-law with ten kids, announced that some pipes at her house had broken, she had water soaked carpets and her husband was in bed because he had thrown out his back.  "Let's make this quick," she said.  We did.  I think we got about twenty pictures and we were done in about ten minutes.  Jessica and her kids left as quickly as they had arrived.

Grace and I decided to load the pictures onto the computer right away.  We found one we thought would work.  Everyone was looking at the camera at least.  Then I decided to count heads.  Eighteen.  I counted again.  Still eighteen.  And again.  Eighteen.  Who was missing?  It must be one of the ten, right?  Nope.  Then Grace and I both said it at the same time, "Joel!"

Joel, unhappy with my decision about his hat, had been hiding upstairs in the school room the entire time.  Needless to say, I was a bit angry.  Grace and I talked about photo shopping Joel into the picture, but we just couldn't see how that would work very well.  We decided we needed to take the picture again.

Thankfully, Matt's sister and her kids were still at our house, I just needed to beg my other sister-in-law to have mercy one me and come back.  When I called her, she was at the rental store getting fans to dry out her carpets.  It was getting darker by the minute so I begged her "please hurry."

My brother-in-law ended up dragging his pain-wracked body out of bed and driving the kids back to our house.  We got the picture set up and were done in less than ten minutes.  The second picture taking session was actually a blessing, because Grace and I didn't like the angle of the original shots and we were able to change that the second time around.

The next day, a friend of mine called and inquired about how the photo session had gone.  I told her the whole story and she laughed.  I said, "I'm sure this will be funny someday, but it's not now."

So my mother-in-law got the picture she wanted for Christmas.  I also made copies for myself and my two sisters-in-law, so it turned out to be a four fold gift.  And I can laugh about the whole thing now.

(I was also able to share the picture with the ladies in my Bible study.  One of the gals had commented that she wasn't so sure about the whole large family thing.  "Look," I said, "All of the these children are being raised to love the Lord Jesus.  By God's grace, these kids will impact the world for good."  What an awesome legacy.  To God by the glory.)

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.  Psalm 89:1

Elizabeth is 14

Elizabeth turned fourteen three weeks ago.  I can hardly believe that my scrumptious little baby "Lil' Bit" is now turning into a woman.  Elizabeth's request for her birthday was that the entire family be home.  Daddy still went to work, but he and Paul stayed home from Scouts that evening so that we could all be with Liz.

Grace sewed Elizabeth a purse for her birthday.  She copied the pattern of a purse she already owns.  It turned out really well and Elizabeth loves it.

Our Lizbeth is a special gift from God.  She has an innate understanding of children and is often able to get her youngest siblings to willingly do things that others in the family cannot.  She is very patient with Isaac and his occasional two-year-old tantrums.  She also has a dry sense of humor that adds a little levity to our days.

A few days ago, Paul asked Elizabeth what the digital clock said to the grandfather clock.  She immediately responded in her usual monotone, "Old Timer."  The real answer, Paul informed her, was, "Look!  No hands!"  I liked Elizabeth's answer better.

Isaac is Two

Isaac turned two at the end of December.  He's still a tiny guy.  I tried switching his clothes to 24 mos. a couple of weeks ago.  After all, our other six children were all in 24 mos. clothes before their second birthdays.  Well, the pants just fell right off.  So I compromised.  I kept out the 18 mos. pants and switched his shirts to 24 mos., as most of his long sleeved 18 mos shirts had become 3/4 length in the arms.

Isaac is still crazy about books.  In fact he was delighted to receive two new Richard Scarry books from his godmother, Julie.  She also knitted him his very own gold bug, with which he's very pleased.

 

Isaac is starting to learn how to stick up for himself.  If he feels as though his been wronged by one of his siblings, he yells, "Hey!"   He's also very good at saying "Plea, plea" (please) in the most adorable way.  Even if his request should not be granted, it often times is, on the basis of cuteness alone.

His eyelashes are still illegally long.  He likes to cuddle with his Mama for quiet time.  Mommy does not object to extra snuggles.  "He's spoiled," the big kids say.  Well, they just don't remember that they when they were little they were spoiled, too.

The big girls have taught Isaac some sign language, which has been very helpful.  Now he's gotten to the point where he says "thirty" (thirsty) as he's signing it.  He does the same thing with several other signs, so he really doesn't need to sign the words any more.  It's so sweet when he does, though.

Not much gets past Isaac.  If I want to ensure that something is not touched by his little hands, I have to put it away and out of sight.  Even then, he's discovered many hiding places, including the drawer where the toothpaste is kept and he's very good at unscrewing little caps. 

The Boy Needs to Get Out More

The other day, the kids were watching a movie That I'd borrowed from the library called Talk of the Town.  At the end of the film, the man on the screen dons his Supreme Court Justice robe.  Someone says, "It's about time. . ."  To which Joel added, "For him to acolyte."

Gifts Given & Received

Matt and I had a discussion before Christmas.  Our kids lack for no material thing, least of all toys.  To keep our budget under control (buying for seven kids can add up fast) and also to keep the junk monster that lives in our house from taking over even more than it already has, we scaled back this year.
I was particularly happy with the gifts we gave to the little boys for Christmas.  They all got cowboy get-ups, complete with hats, vests and chaps.  Jude and Isaac each got stick horses that neigh when the buttons in their ears are pushed.  Isaac needed no instruction on how to use his horse.  The minute he opened it, he hopped right on and galloped away.

I bought all of the boys' outfits at yard sales, thrift stores or for 75% in the Halloween clearance bin.  I found the stick horses, in nearly new condition, at a yard sale as well.  Joel had been asking for a leather vest that buttoned for a good couple of months before Christmas.  Little did he know that he'd be receiving one for Christmas that I'd bought in brand new condition for $3 at a church yard sale.  (Well, it was brand new for about 2 days, until his baby brother decided to decorate it with ink pen.  GRRRR.  Thankfully, the internet offers solutions to all kinds of kid-produced problems.)  Joel was thrilled when he opened the vest on Christmas Eve.

(The hats the big boys are wearing in this pic were from Aunt Jessica)

Elizabeth loves to wear scarves.  I was able to buy a blue Vera Wang silk scarf for her in the Kohl's clearance section for $3 after the $10 coupon I received in the mail was applied to the purchase (originally, the scarf was $30--whoa!).  I also bought Lydia a Carter's fleece nightgown with horses on it using the same method. Lydia also got some craft items that I'd purchased on clearance at Michael's.
For Grace, I ordered several different sets of thank you cards with her own photographs on them.  Every time a deal would come up on one of my coupon blogs for "Ten Free Cards," I would upload one of her photos, pay a minimal shipping charge and then wait for them to come to our mailbox.  Cheap and easy.

Both Paul and Grace received magazine subscriptions.  Grace got Urban Farm and Paul got Field and Stream.  Each subscription was just $5 (again, another coupon deal).  Paul also got a couple of hunting apparel items that I'd gotten on clearance last winter.
The big girls were so surprised to open identical hats that I'd purchased brand new (still had the tags on them) at a yard sale earlier that summer.  I'll be honest, Grace was with me at that sale and she suggested I buy both her and her sister the hats for Christmas.  "I think I will," I said, and I did.
Grace and I also found a fabulous teepee at a yard sale.  The only think I disliked about it when I inspected it was that it's front panel was in Spider Man fabric.  I'm not a fan.  I knew I'd have to change that, so I tried to dicker with the seller.  It was late in the morning and the sale was out in the middle of nowhere, so I thought I'd have a chance.  Nope.  She wouldn't budge.  I ended up buying the teepee for the $10 she was asking.  I later bought a blue bed sheet at another yard sale.  Grace, Elizabeth and Grandma Dianne put their heads together to replace the Spidey front panel.  When all was said and done, Grace said we'd have never been able to buy the materials for a from scratch teepee for $13, so I was happy.  So were the boys (and Lydia) when we brought the teepee out for the grand finale present on Christmas Eve night.

Last but not least, Grace received an organ.  Matt found it on Craigslist and picked it up for super cheap.  The sellers just wanted it out of their shop.  Matt arranged for two friends to help him load the organ into the van (it was in town about forty minutes away--thankfully we have a number of homeschooling friends who live there).  He then got two more guy friends to unload the beast once he got it home, help bring it into the house and down the stairs into the basement.  Let's just say, that thing's not going any where.  Grace has had a desire to learn to play the organ so she might possibly be able to help with the music at church someday. 

This year, our kids surprised us when they came to us with their pooled money so that they could buy a goat for a needy family through World Vision.  Actually, they wanted to buy a sheep through Samaritan's Purse, but Mama messed up on the ordering.  My bad.  But God knows their hearts' intentions and so do their Mommy and Daddy.
Lydia also knitted a scarf for her Grandpa Tom in a very manly country blue color.  He loved it.

Advent to Epiphany: A Recap

Our December seemed to go by in a blur, even though the time from Thanksgiving to Christmas was longer this year.  

We did a good job of keeping up with our Advent wreath, lighting a candle each Sunday.  Our family also partook of a soup supper and Advent service at church one Wednesday evening.  However, we didn't do so great with our Jesse Tree.  We hung the ornaments in stops and spurts.  We'll make an effort to do better next year, as the tree really is an important teaching tool for the kids, covering the entire Gospel story from the beginning of the Bible to the end.

The big girls helped me wrap all the Christmas presents (except their own).  I can't tell you how much I revel in not having the present wrapping responsibility anymore.  The girls also helped me get some of my baking done (cranberry coffee cake, eggnog bread and fruit cake) as well as tackling their own baking projects (Grandpa Bob's Famous Bourbon Balls, cinnamon and orange rolls).

Grace, Paul and Lydia played piano in a little recital.  Grace also sang, accompanied on the piano by her teacher.  They all did a beautiful job.  We also had some friends over for our annual Christmas get together as well as hosting the Macduff family Christmas exchange.  Some years ago, the family opted to have a pizza party/present opening a few days before Christmas to eliminate some of the chaos and stress on Christmas day.

Our own family also had our annual viewing of It's a Wonderful Life, while we ate snacks and sipped sparkling cider.

Per tradition, we hosted my family here on Christmas.  My Mom, Dad, sister, niece, brother and his girlfriend as well as my aunt, uncle & cousin were in attendance.  We went to church mid-afternoon (Dad and I were a bit late on account of a small set back we had getting the prime rib into the oven).  We then came home to a Christmas feast, a time of fellowship, singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and a gift exchange.  The kids really had a blast.  One of the best parts of my Christmas was watching them.

 Almost everyone came back for breakfast on Christmas morning.  Just as we were finishing up, it started to snow.  The kids were over the moon.  "It's Christmas snow!  It's Christmas snow!" they yelled as they ran through the house.   Matt and Paul put the studded tires on the van so that we could go over the hills and through the woods to Grandmother's house later that afternoon. We had a nice, peaceful Christmas dinner and Bible time at Matt's parent's house with most of the family (a few were too sick with colds to make it).

The weekend after Christmas, we loaded up the van and headed up to spend some time with my Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna.  The kids got to attend an impromptu sledding party, all in their honor.  My Uncle Keith's friend, Stan (the same one who gave the kids semi-truck rides last summer), invited the whole crew to his property.  Once there,  he and Matt dragged the kids' sleds behind four wheelers (at very slow speeds).  They had so much fun.  Afterwards, Stan's wife, Debbie, made all of the kids hot chocolate.  How's that for last minute hospitality?  Pretty impressive.

My parents came over and ate dinner with all of us both nights we were in town.  We celebrated Uncle Keith's and Isaac's birthdays one night.  Aunt Leanna gave Grace some sewing instruction at different times throughout the weekend.  We attended church on Sunday morning.  They saved our pew for us.

On New Year's Eve morning, Matt and the boys went duck hunting with my Dad.  Jude was absolutely insistent that he go, despite my telling him how cold and boring it would be and how very quiet he would have to be.  To no avail.  He went.  No ducks were flying that morning, so it didn't matter that Jude couldn't keep his trap shut. My Dad has the patience of Job.  All the boys liked the restaurant breakfast after the hunt the best.  Pancakes as big as dinner plates anyone?  Count Paul in.  Jude may have been a bit tired, judging by the look on his face, but ya can't keep a good man down.

When Matt and the boys came back from the hunt, Grace and I had everything packed and ready to be loaded into the van so that we could go home.  The boys loaded up and we headed out, leaving Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna to enjoy a little peace and quiet to ring in the New Year.

When we got home, the girls and I prepared snacks.  We had another snacky/movie night that evening.  Captions Courageous was the night's showing.  We were all tucked in our beds by 9 p.m., exhausted from all the holiday fun.

On Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany with our annual Middle Eastern dinner.  We didn't invite guests this year, as we were all finishing up colds.  Daddy talked about how Jesus came for the whole world, not just the nation of Israel.  We had a good time, even if the palates of the little boys weren't exactly thrilled with the evening's offerings.  That does not include Isaac, however.  For a little guy, he sure is a big eater (he takes after his big brother Paul).