Life is normal over here, so I don't really have much to write about!

What's normal life??

Sunday- Wake up, get ready, go to church, watch football in the afternoon, possibly go to Care Group at night, go to bed

Monday- Wake up, get ready, get ready with schoolwork for the week, Lucas and I go to KAT, do schoolwork, go to bed

Tuesday- Wake up, get ready, do schoolwork, go to bed

Wednesday- Wake up, get ready, do schoolwork, I go to the Solomons, kids get baths, go to bed

Thursday- Wake up, get ready, do schoolwork, go to piano, do schoolwork, go to bed

Friday- Wake up, get ready, do schoolwork, go to bed

Saturday- Sleep in,(as much as is possible with the two youngest), kids watch cartoons, sometimes eat a yummier breakfast than usual, do chores, do projects, Ana gets hair done, go to bed


And of course there's Dad going to work every week day. Then we have the little things come up like having visitors over, having an occasional party, go shopping, go visiting, whatever... And with it being basketball season..

Sorry about this incredibly boring post. I couldn't think of anything new.

Going back to Christmas...

Can you believe it? I forgot one important, fun thing that happened over Christmas!!

We get a paper called the Shopper's Guide every Saturday. Well, inside it there was a contest for little kids to enter by sending in their letters to Santa. Ethan quickly decided to do so! This was so his letter. It was so cute, we had to send it in..

Dear Santa,

Please get me a Thomas train, (Duck) and give my sister a real kitten and a doll that can do almost everything a human can do and me a toy

Ethan X. Vanderhart, age 7,
Homeschooled, Grade 2

AND it was published along with tons of others, BUT it was the 6th one down! Ethan later got a letter and one one-dollar McDonald gift coupon.

But I know what you're really looking for is if they really got it. Yes, they did. Ethan got his train and a toy, Ana, a doll that cries water, and drinks from a straw. And they both got ownership of our family cats. Ana "owns" Pepsi, and Ethan "owns" Collar Dude.

100th Post!

Today is my 100th post! Hooray! Now what to write about...

Snow! It's starting to feel like spring. (That won't last long, but it's nice for this short time!) There isn't any snow on the ground. Just mud, mud, and, hey, a little bit of grass!

But going to the pictures.. This was our first snow. Ethan, Ana and Luke decided to go enjoy it. (You should've seen the snowman they made! It was a pile of snow that sorta resembled a snowman)!

Look at Woody's face. PLEASE DON'T DROP HER ON ME!

Can't think of anything more to write.. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Update

We are having some health issues over here. We could definitely use your prayers.

Mom and Ana are sick with some kind of coughing, tiring sickness. They don't feel good at all. Ana went to the doctor today, but after they swabbed her throat, (I gag again thinking about it..), the test for strep throat turned out negative. So they have some kind of RSV virus.Yucky! Hopefully none of the rest of us will catch whatever they have.

Also, last night I sprained my ankle at a basketball game. I went to the doctor today and they took x-rays to check for broken bones. There were none. So I'm wearing an air cast and my ankle feels normal now.

Woody is also having some sores on his legs... I'm joking! Not about his sores, but listing Woody on the "hurt or sick" list!! :)

Ethan's Birthday

Ethan had a great day full of playing the wii, opening presents,and eating treats!

Ethan adores the wii and was allowed to play it much longer than usual on his birthday. He did it with Ana too, and played Mario Galaxy and Sports and Play.

When Dad got home from work, he brought some Arby food for supper and then opened presents, (glow in the dark basketball, a watch, two disposable cameras which he's already used up, a car track, and Martian gel). Then we had "cupcakes", but it was more like just the tops because the cupcakes wouldn't come out of the pan!!

I think Ethan had a great time. It was a  very fun birthday!

8 Years Ago..

8 years ago, my parents received the call that the birthmom who had picked our family for her baby, was going into labor. I slightly remember Mom running around. I remember quickly writing a letter to the birthmom. As soon as Dad and Mom were ready, and we had someone watching us, Dad and Mom left to go meet their new, baby boy!

Ethan was born really early and the hospital let him go way too soon. When Dad and Mom brought Ethan home a day or two later, he was so tiny that he seemed lost in the carseat! We brought Ethan to the doctor for a check up soon afterwards and they immediately told us to get him in a hospital. So that's what we did! In time, however, we were finally able to bring him home and take care of him ourselves.

Since then, Ethan has grown to be such a big kid! Today he turns 8 years old! (7 sounds so little and sweet, but 8 seems so OLD)!
We celebrated a little bit with our grandparents yesterday and today Ethan will celebrate his birthday with us!

We are so thankful for Ethan. He entertains and amazes us with his phrases, his incredible athletic skills, and his reading!

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, E-E! WE LOVE YOU!

We passed court! Minte is ours!

We passed court yesterday! Now I will share some pictures of our newest addition!

Introducing Mintesinot Vander Hart!

This picture is really recent! Like 6-7 weeks ago, probably.

Look at his grin!

He loves this plane. Hey, check out his shoes! I didn't notice them before!

Babies look like angels when they're sleeping! I love this picture!

Cutie!

What are you lookin' at?

Big doe eyes!

We passed court yesterday!  Mom got the e-mail yesterday morning. Now we are waiting to hear from the agency on our travel date. Until then,we have a lot to get done! Shots at the doctor, painting, getting baby boy clothes, making frozen meals, just to name a few! But we are excited about this! Hooray! Now we can call him Mintesinot Gabriel Xavier Vander Hart! This is a big name for a little boy, so we will call him Minte or Min!

Yesterday

Let me share a funny story that happened yesterday...

First of all, Ana had  a church meeting in the family room yesterday. She gathered a lot of chairs and turned them towards the treadmill, (her stage). She next grabbed her dolls and sat them in the chairs with "hymnals" and everything. I was watching and mentioned to Ana that two of her dolls were just heads. (The kind of doll that are made so that you can do their hair). I asked Ana how they were supposed to move without arms and legs! She ignored me for a while, then answered in a disgusted tone, "That was how God grew them, Emily!"

I'm not going to go into the meeting... It was.. umm... interesting. And this interesting doesn't mean, "Let's learn more about it!" It mean, "Forget it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!" Have I mentioned how Ana slaughters songs?... Yeah..

Basketball

Lucas and I are both playing basketball on homeschool teams. We have the same name, (the Cougars), and play the same position.

Lucas's season is doing pretty well, although it is wrapping up soon. Luke has tournaments in two weeks and then he's done. His team has won once. I'm not sure how many they've lost.

Lucas plays down under the basket and, (from what I've seen of the games), likes to catch it under there, do one or more dribbles, and try to shoot. He can't wait until he plays on JV next year. He's looking forward to more games, tougher games, and all the other things that come along with highschool basketball. Oh, and don't forget better refs! Hopefully...

As for me and my team, we have won 3 games and lost several, (not sure how many). Our season ends in early March so we have several games yet to play which will be fun. Our team is pretty good. We just need to look down floor, triple-threat, and not hurry things.

I played point guard last night for the first time, and not for very long, but it was very different! I usually stay down low. I like to post up next to the person guarding me and I like to box out people and screen. I also like to hit people with my hips!!!! (I get it from my mom)!

So this is how our basketball season is going. We are pretty busy. But I like it! In two weeks, Lucas has tournaments and I have four games all in one week! We will be extremely busy!

A sandbox

So have I ever mentioned to you that we don't do well with doing things right away? Well, here are some pictures that show this in two ways. First of all, you might notice that these pictures are new, but that they are taken when we actually had green grass. We take many pictures, but they never actually get on the computer until many months later. The next thing is that here Lucas is putting sand into that sandbox I was talking about in my first post in August.

Lucas made the frame, but didn't actually put it in the yard or put sand in it until November.

The sandbox still needs a secure top. That will be done in a couple years. Or never.

But, the kids really like the sandbox and that's the point.

 We had snow a few weeks later, so Ana and Ethan haven't had much playing time in it. :)

Doing Pumpkins, Part 2

This was Ethan's plan for his pumpkin. (Notice that there's a growth on the side of the pumpkin for where he ran out of room for his pumpkin)!!

He settled with this, though.

This was Ana's. When we're little, Dad and Mom ask us, "Do you want square or triangle eyes? Do you want a triangle or circle nose? What kind of mouth?" This makes it so much easier. Then they get old like Ethan and want something extoadinary.

This was my plan.

So Dad and Ethan got started.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this picture. It's so cute. It's like a perfect father-son picture.

Ethan got to use a little knife this year.

Fortunately Dad isn't sticking the knife through at this time. Ouch.

FINISHED!

Meanwhile Mom is carving Ana's pumpkin as Ana finds other things to do. I actually had to MAKE her hold her finished pumpkin for a picture. After cleaning the pumpkin guts out, she was done.

Ana's finished pumpkin. Isn't it pretty?

Mine. You might notice that my pumpkin now has eyebrows, unlike my plan beforehand. I ALWAYS add more to my pumpkin then I started with just to make it look "nicer". It usually makes it look weird. It acually looked kinda nice this time. Last year I tried making an E in the middle. Mhmmm, yeah, that didn't work out so great.

Riddles

Lucas and my math teacher like to give us extra credit sheets over holidays. Over Thanksgiving she gave us a sheet of riddles. If we answered correctly we'd get some extra credit points. Here are some..

1. I have two coins totaling thirty cents, and one is not a nickel. How is this possible?
2. If a rooster sitting on the very top of a roof lays an egg, which way will it roll down, east or west?
3. It is possible for half of twelve to equal seven. Explain.
4. What is at the beginning of everything, at the end of time, and is always in between?
5. How much dirt, (in cubic feet) is in a hole 3 feet wide, 2 feet long, and 6 feet deep?
6. You throw away the outside, then cook the inside. You eat the outside of what's left, and then throw away the inside. What did you eat?
7. What occurs in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years?
8. How many 3 cent stamps are in a dozen?
9. An airplane carrying the U.S. Olympic Team crashes on the border of the United States and Canada. In which country would you bury the survivors?
10.A man rides into town on Friday. Three days later, he leaves, again on Friday. How is this possible?
11. Which is correct to say, "The yolk of the egg are white," or "The yolk of the egg is white?"
12. There are six ears of corn in a hollow stump. If a perfectly healthy squirrel carries only three ears out each day, how many days will it take to empty the stump?

So try to answer these riddles. Remember that if it's too easy, you're probably wrong.

Answers will be in the comment section below. Let me know how you did!

January 1, 2010

Can you believe it's 2010?? I know I'm gonna have trouble writing 1-4-10 on my papers Monday. It's going to be weird!

Dad, Mom, and all the kids but me went to our church's party on New Years Eve. They had a lot of fun. There were games, a ping pong match, and food.

I babysat twin one year olds and brought my friend, Rachel, with me to spend New Years Eve while the babies were in bed. We had a great time.

Have you made any New Year resolutions? Rachel and I came up with one. We are going to memorize Psalm 119 by the end of the year! The cool thing is that we are doing it together so we can urge eachother on.

Well, Happy New Year!