Gabe turns SIX!

On January 21, 2011 Gabe turned six! It boggles my mind that he is six and in less then three months he will be SEVEN, wow!!

For Gabe's sixth birthday he picked a theme "Wings of War", which is a World War II (I think) game that Greg plays with them. I had no idea how we would make this work but of course my older boys and Greg had big plans. Greg started with hanging the planes from the fan. Very impressive! If you look closely you can see them in the picture.

Of course a war game theme needed red, white and blue decoarations AND some themed art work!

Ethan and Sam did a great job with the art work!

As I have mentioned before, Gabe is a sucker for anything "As Seen On TV". He was fascniated by the giant cupcake. Let me just say, it wasn't as easy as the box makes it out to be. This was actually my second attempt after some advice from Nancy! We had the Jacksons over to enjoy his birthday with us. I guess I forgot to take some picture of them....bummer!

Blowing out candels!

Opening gifts! I love this picture of Abby, HIL-A-RIOUS!!

I'll save my things I love about Gabe for when he turns seven! Can't wait!!

Abby's 1st Haircut

It's kind of a fib to say that these next pictures are Abby's first hair cut. All my kids are born with a ton of hair. It's really cute at first. For about the first two and half months they look like little monkeys from the back BUT then it starts falling out! They have all lost their hair in random patterns. It's never pretty. When Ethan was a baby my Mom and I got a great idea to just shave all his hair off. We did that with Gabe and with Joel, but I just couldn't do it with Abby. I really should have, I mean look at this picture:

TERRIBLE!! I did cut off her rat tail but looking back she had some FUNKY hair. I tried to trim it when it needed it but it is hard to cut your daughter's hair! My cousin trimmed her up when we were at my Aunt's funeral and told me to just keep trimming the back until the front and back could catch up. I'm glad I listened to her advice, now Abby has really cute hair! Here are some pictures from what I'm calling her first "real" haircut on January 20, 2011!

Some before pictures.

Cheese Momma! I've been trying to get her to call me Momma because I think it sounds REALLY cute but she basically refuses!

The boys read some magazines while they waited. It was Crazy Sweater Day at our Home School Co-op hence the Christmas sweater on Ethan in January!

Ready for a trim!

Having second thoughts at this point.

Resigned to the fact that she was getting the trim no matter what!

After! It's hard to tell but it was a cute little stacked bob! Check out her bib....can you tell who doesn't like black olives.....she clearly isn't a Leppert!

Found some better AFTER pictures.....no that's not Victoria Beckham:

Sassy girl!

What a Helper

My kids have all had a fascination with the tupperware cabinet. What kid doesn't?! When they are in this stage I don't even bother organizing the cabinet. I just shove everything back in and close the door as quickly as possible and wait for the next time they pull everything out. This stage drives Greg absolutely CRAZY. It seems like the tupperware emptying stage will last forever and then one day it just stops.

There are a lot of moments like these with your kids. Days when stages just stop. I often think back and wonder when I last picked up Sam, Ethan, and Gabe. One day I had a "this is the last time I will ever hold you moment", but I didn't even know it. I guess the Lord plans it that way, or we as Mother's would be blubbering messes ALL the time!

I remember when Sam knocked out his top four teeth in kindergarten, I called my Mom in tears saying, "I so wish I had paid more attention when I brushed his sweet little baby teeth last night". I pray often that I don't wish my children away. That I don't shoo them away all the time. That I listen when they need it. That I'm patient when they need it and bite my tongue when they make me batty. That I don't rush them to bed just to finish off another day. That I smile when I wake them up and pray for them constantly. The Lord has given them to me for such a short time, or in the words of Mordeci, "for such a time as this"(Esther 4:14). I hope I enjoy and remember every moment, and treasure them in my heart just like Mary did with her sweet baby Jesus!

BUSTED!

My Mom gave Greg these cool flash lights that you wear around your neck. Abby found them especially handy for seeing into the depths of the tupperware cabinet!

Hey Mom!

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010 seems like a million years ago! We've done a lot in the last 10 months. We started the holiday season with some pictures by my friend Desi! She has an amazing eye for pictures and her work just keeps getting better and better! She took the pictures that I used to create my header. If you are local, book her now!!

Abby!

Ethan

Gabe

Smoochy, smoochy!

Joel

Sam

The picture on our Christmas Card!

The Spencer Clan!

2010 was the first year, in years, that we weren't with family on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My parents did come the day after Christmas. This year the entire Spencer/Akin/Leppert crew will be at our house. SHOOOWEEE, makes me tired just thinking about 7 kids and 6 adults under one roof! CAN'T WAIT!!

Right before bed in their Christmas Jammies. A yearly tradition!

This year on Christmas Eve they opened one gift....slippers. Joel especially loved his. He was sure they made him faster and they also made him dance like an elf!

Demonstrating the power of the slippers!

Kids are in bed, Presents are in place!

Coming down on Christmas morning.

Sam on the spin bike he was dying to have!

Opening presents!

These three gifts had to be opened at the same time......DS's!!!! To say they were excited would be an understatement!!

Sam showing off his excitement.

We let Abby sleep in. Here she is coming down to open presents.

Admiring her new kitchen!

LOVED IT!

Snuggling with Gigi!

I can't believe we are less then 60 days from Christmas 2011!! Are you ready??!?!?

Belvedere Plantation and Home Groups

In the fall of 2009 our church decided to kick off a Home Group ministry. Home groups are 10-12 people (5-6 couples in our case) who make a commitment to each other to meet once a week for 18-24 months to study the Bible together while at the same time "doing life together". We have really enjoyed this ministry. Our first home group was so good that after the first "year" we knew the church needed more leaders and we decided to start a home group in our home.

I so enjoy the families in our group. I feel like we are starting to be very real and comfortable with each other, which is fantastic! Last fall the church had a Home Group event at Belvedere Plantation in Fredricksburg, VA. You may remember a blog post many moons ago, when Joel was a newborn and we first discovered Belvedere. It is a great place and very family friendly. Last year we went on their final weekend, November 6th, and as my father says, "it was colder then a well diggers elbow". (Yes, yes, I know, that is not how the actual phrase goes, but he cleaned it up for our little ears!) The benefit of it being COLD and the last weekend was that our group pretty much had the run of the place. That part was awesome!

Greg pulling the boys in a wagon!!

Abby sporting pig tails for the trip.

The zip line! Always a hit!

Joel!

The cow train!

If you are local and go to First Baptist Church of Woodbridge I highly recommend our home group ministry! If you aren't local but your church has a home group ministry JOIN. If your church doesn't have one START ONE. Home Groups was the vision of a couple in our church, I'm so thankful that they stepped out in faith and got the whole thing going!

It's raining here, with a possibility of SNOW! I'm off to do the budget and then snuggle under some covers!!! Happy Fall Y'all!!