Captain Gideon

Matt really wanted to make this shield for Gideon.  The base is cardboard.  He got the design online and he converted it to an SVG so that we could cut the pattern out on the Cricut.  Then he used the pattern to cut out all the different parts.  He did it most of it himself.  I did help doing the front with the taping.  We are all pretty happy with the result.  It also can be used as a very large Frisbee.  We are hoping to keep it nice so that Gideon can use it for Halloween.

1st Ever Pinewood Derby

This is Gideon's 1st ever car. He originally wanted to make a broomstick car but Matt told him it would be too difficult. But I think they came up with something totally awesome. I helped paint all the gold trim on the car. I think it turned out pretty rocking! Yes, that is a lego Harry Potter head attached to the top of the car.

Gideon was really excited to win 2nd place in the Derby. Go Gideon!

Here is a video of the first race of the night and of Gideon soundly winning.

Beautiful Girl

My Eden turned 7 a couple of weeks ago. How did this happen? Everyday passes so slowly and yet so quickly and my kids just won't stop growing up right before my eyes.

Eden had a very musical birthday. She got a guitar and a keyboard, both of which she loves. I think she has been mostly excited about the guitar. She loves making up songs and singing whatever words just come into her head. Her favorite part of the keyboard is that it has a recording button and it will replay what you play.

She played her guitar for us as we sang her "Happy Birthday".

Eden thanking Gideon for a Barbie he insisted I get for Eden.

Her other favorite gifts were a Poodle puppy purse, a two wheeled scooter and a black puppy doll. Eden already has a black puppy just like this one that she has lost constantly over the last 4 or 5 years, but it is her favorite toy ever and the loss of it has always brought on copious tears. Matt decided to get her a second one this year for her birthday. Now she has 2 to love and or lose. She has decided that one is a boy(Sharky) and one is a girl(Rose). Before she had the 2nd puppy the poor single dog crossed genders several times. We are grateful that she no longer has to go back and forth on that issue anymore. It can be so confusing to the toys and the parents to follow the constant changes in a kids imagination. She has been sleeping with both of them now every night since her birthday and loves them both equally.

Top: We had to wake up poor Rushmore to celebrate Eden's birthday. Fortunately this time he woke up pretty chipper.

Bottom: I finally painted flowers on Eden's guitar today. I hope she likes it. I have been promising to do it since her birthday.

I love my Eden Girl. She is a joy in our life and our family. She loves, loves, loves dogs. She really wants to have one, but with the allergies running high in our house that is probably not going to happen. Eden loves to draw and paint and add color to things. She also loves to go swimming. I have been taking the 3 older kids swimming every Wednesday for the past 3 months as a way to exercise and to teach them all how to be more competent in the water. Eden really instigated this change in our routine. She had been asking for months to do swimming instead of dance. I finally realized that she meant it so with the New Year we made the change. She and Gideon both are swimming much better and Larke is slowly gaining more and more confidence. Eden has never once told me that she misses dance and every Wednesday she wakes up and says "It's Wednesday, that means we are going swimming". It is pretty cute. It has been very nice for me to be able to concentrate my efforts without Rushmore there. Being so young he really would just monopolize the time I have with them. It has been great to see them all grow in their abilities. Eden is doing very well in school. She loves learning and really has a creative streak in writing. She was really excited to come home yesterday and tell me that she is the student of the month in her class. Her teacher told her that is was because she is "so sweet". I agree! She is really sweet. She is such a loving, wonderful girl. She is pretty happy most of the time and is getting so grown up. Eden is also showing some growth in her own testimony in God. It is crazy to me that she will be getting baptized in just one year. She rarely picks fights with anyone. She definitely gets mad about things not going her way sometimes, but she is such a great kid. I love you so much Eden! You are my sunshine.

Art Work

So the kids come home with a lot of art work from School and Preschool and also just doing stuff at home. I just can't keep everything. We usually put it up on the door leading to the garage and rotate it. So I've started taking pictures of things that I really like and I thought I would do a post now of random art works the kids have done.

Top: This is the Valentine that Larke made for me this year at Preschool. I thought the note that the teacher wrote down for Larke was too cute not to share.

Bottom: This is a cool bug Gideon made in art at school.
This is a self portrait that Gideon did in art at school too. Still into Mario.
Another picture of Gideon's, I believe it is a Mario World picture. I might have to ask him.

I think that this is Eden's.

Eden made this bear for me. I thought it was super cute.
This is a picture Eden did in Kindergarden and actually won a prize for it. I didn't even see it until school started again this year. I thought it was pretty good for a 5 or 6 year old.

Snowfall

We got a ton of snow last weekend. Friday we played in our yard and pulled each other around the yard on the sled, made snow angels, threw snowballs and had hot chocolate. We got to have Matt home because the roads were too bad so we enjoyed a day of watching a movie in the basement together, playing in the snow, playing board games, etc. It was the perfect snow day if there ever was one.




Then Saturday came the sledding!

We went sledding with the kids last Saturday and had a fabulous time. I never realized how difficult it was to try to sled in snow drifts. It took a good half hour to pave the way for good sledding. Once we had a good path though it was awesome. You get to hear me laughing like a crazy woman in these videos. I hope you enjoy them.

Matt Turns 32

So Matt turned 32 at the end of January. He was very pleased with his gifts. He has wanted a valet stand for a long time and I finally got him one with his Mom's help. The kids made him cards. Eden cut out a lot of hearts for Matt and put them in her card. I got him some ducky cuff-links and Joy got him some Albanian flag cuff-links. We made him do a scavenger hunt to find all the pieces of the valet. He was a good sport even though the hiding places were somewhat lame. We enjoyed Snickers cake that I did not make. It was a nice day!

I sure do love you Matt! You are a great husband and father. Thanks for making me laugh and for hugging me when I cry.

Random Christmas Shots

Above: All the Jones Grandkids with Great Grandma Tibbitts. Below: Rush being cute eating cookies I believe, and lots of them.

Above: Preston and Rushmore Below: Eden and Larke

Above: Rush with Grandma Jones Below: I suppose this picture needs some explanation. My brother Vernon was rocking out to Matt's Christmas present (an Air Guitar-It's a belt buckle that plays music when you wave the magic pick over it, and yes it is totally awesome.) Anyway Vernon hasn't much hair as you can see from the back so we had him put on Larke's Rapunzel wig which was given to me by Kirsta(Thanks Kirsta, this was the highlight of it's career!)From the front he looked a little bit like bozo the clown which was funny enough then I went around the back and just about died laughing.

Above: Gideon as a Harry Potter Transformer, maybe? Below: Larke in the Alice dress my Mom made for her. Larke has decided that Alice is her favorite princess. Not sure why but that's okay because she looks stinking cute in this dress. Thanks Mom for doing that. It really is perfect. She still loves it.

Rush as an angry bird.


Snoopy Gingerbread houses we made shortly before Christmas. I just love Christmas.


I know I am late and that it is almost Valentines but I still wanted to post these pictures and write about them so that I don't forget.