Great Music

Recently our cd player and surround sound system went kaput. Since then we've been listening to music on our laptops via a website www.pandora.com which is totally free. You can click on one of their genres (their contemporary Christian genre is especially good) or you can create your own station centered around an artist or genre that you like. It's fun to have some music on while working on the computer! Hope you will enjoy it too!

A Very Busy Month!

Sky's class had the traditional Thanksgiving feast a few days before Thanksgiving. The students made Indians and Pilgrim costumes and were able to choose which one they wanted to wear for the feast. Sky and I made the stuffing for the feast. My mom and Bill attended the feast with Sky. While they were here, I was able to volunteer in Sky's classroom a bit because they babysat Brad and Lila. It was fun to be back in the classroom and also to get to know some of the other students in Sky's class.
Every month Sky's school focusses on a different character trait and compassion was the trait of the month for November. The teacher chooses a student that exemplifies this trait and that student gets to have a special reading time with the principal. Well, Sky was chosen for being compassionate and she received a very nice certificate as well. We are very proud of her!

My mom and Bill babysat Sky and Brad so that we could get together with our great friends from Cincinnati, Joyce and Gary Sallquist. They were vacationing in southern California and they came to our house for lunch one day and we went to their vacation home on Balboa Island one day (without Sky and Brad). It was such a treat to see them!

One night we made gingerbread houses. I think this is becoming a family tradition. It's so much fun and the houses come out so great that they make wonderful Christmas decorations.

Bill loves to plant and grow flowers so while he was here he worked on planting some flowers and sprucing up our yard for us. It looks so much prettier now!

Bill thought it was pretty cool to be able to plant flowers in late Nov./early Dec.

We usually have students here for Thanksgiving dinner but this year it seemed as if all the students I asked already had plans. My mom's husband's (Bill) birthday landed on Thanksgiving this year so we decided to go to Downtown Disney and have lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. It was loads of fun and we even had a lava cake to celebrate Bill's birthday.

My mom and Bill at the amazing Leggo store in Downtown Disney.

The Christmas tree at Downtown Disney.

One day the kids and I were able to attend a Gymboree class for free through the Moms Club. They had so much fun that day!

Sky has been begging for a tire swing recently and Ken and I keep trying to explain to her that we don't have a suitable tree for it. Anyway, she was in her glory with this tire swing at Gymboree.

It has been a very busy month for the Ways! My mom and her husband Bill were here over a

2 1/2 week span and we had lots of fun with them! They came to help me out while Ken was gone to his annual SBL (Society of biblical literature) conference. This year the conference was held in New Orleans and Ken was able to try some alligator. He roomed with a good friend of ours from Cincinnati, Russ Mack (also a fellow Hebrew Union student). Lila was so cute when Ken returned home from being gone for 5 days. I think she really missed him and was so glad to see him.

4 Months Old

Today Lila turned 4 months old. She is such a sweet addition to our lives.

I Love My Brother

There have been many moments lately when it seemed as if Sky and Brad would NEVER get along. But the other morning while I was getting dressed, I could hear Sky talking to Ken in the kitchen. She said, "Daddy, can I marry Brad when I grow up?" To which Ken responded no, you can't marry your brother. Then she said, "But I love him so much!". Too cute! Maybe there's hope after all.
On another note, thanks to many of you for your prayers for Sky at school. She is doing so well-better than we could have imagined. She wrote her first full sentence today at the breakfast table using words that she has learned. Just for fun. It's very exciting to see reading come together for her!! She's been very cooperative with her homework too.

Happy Halloween!

This Halloween Brad was a race car driver, Sky was the tooth fairy and Lila was a pea pod (although not in costume in this picture). We had a great time at Candy Land at BIOLA and also handing out candy at our house. I know these pictures are all similar but I couldn't decide which one to post... Enjoy!

MOMS Club Halloween Potluck

Our little pea pod Lila

Brad in his race car driver costume. It's barely cool enough for him to wear this costume!

The trick or treat parade. Brad ate his weight in candy, I think. Now for the fun stuff... Before we went to this picnic, we went to the dollar store. I love the dollar store and today was a very successful day at the dollar store. I got a big black plastic spider which Brad and I hid in the bathroom to scare Sky. I told Sky that there was something creepy in the bathroom so she went in very cautiously to check it out. When she saw the plastic spider she picked it up and didn't seem scared at all. Until I yelled, "Don't let it bite you!" To which she screamed and threw it across the room. Brad screamed too. Then I started cracking up laughing and Sky was a bit indignant but Brad loved the humor and started doing a full belly laugh and he kept saying, "I was scared of the pider (he says "pider" for spider)!" Brad and I were laughing for at least 10 minutes and Sky finally joined in. I know, I know, I will have to pay for their therapy over this later.

Even better than the plastic spider at the dollar store was a Hilary Clinton mask for only a dollar!!!!!! You have no idea the mileage I will get from this one. It's awesome!!! Below are pictures of Sky wearing it, Brad wearing it, and me wearing it.

Here's a picture of Brad inside the Elmo bean bag toss game.

You're leaving her in charge of me???