Nuggets

More often, it occurs to me that they're growing up and they don't need me anymore. Yes, I know they still need mom, but they are also becoming independent. When I left home for a conference in January, they took great care of themselves (and dad). I had nothing to fear for my household. Maybe that's what Solomon meant in Proverbs 31 when he said that the virtuous woman had no fear of winter for her household, because they were clothed in scarlet. Here are these golden heads, that love Jesus ("more than anything," the boisterous one declares) and acquiring life skills and reasoning. No matter what they are His and they know He is always with them. They have nothing to fear. So why would I?
Sorry for that rampage. Onto a funny note, Madison had to plaster her face for art. I had to get a picture! Silence for 20 minutes! And yahoo for the Lego chapter book, Madison says she was just reading it for Aliya's sake, but I think they were all three captivated by it. Last, a little nugget I'll repeat from my Facebook page. We finally finished our Christmas Advent family devotional. Yes, it took us two months and nine days to finish a twenty-five day devotional. Some may be ashamed, but I'm proud of us for persevering. It's not so much when you finish as if you finish.

Aliya wonders

"Wouldn't it be neat if one person's name was hershey and one person's name was kiss and they said their names right after each other?"

Christmas rewind

 
The tree is packed away and little red hearts began popping up everywhere today. Time to review good Christmas memories.

Gingerbread houses look a little less like the pintrest board we made.

Look at the sweet little girls with red dresses. Their moms have great taste!

Finally got to have that tea party with Evie.

We got to see all our grandparents over Christmas. Always a blessing!

A great birthday party for grandpa and Chloe. Derrick, Lucas and I got to play pinochle with the birthday boy.

Aliya should look a bit more excited.

She sure was excited the day we took them to the Children's Museum. Always a favorite spot!

A play, starring the DeWildes.

Delivering mail…never ending task!

Such a serious painter!

Excited

While we don't feel stressed about Christmas around here (just excited) there have been lots of good and fun things happening! Madison's artwork is featured at Dunn Bros. Coffee house in Farmington. Twenty-four artists in fifth grade at Riverview were selected to paint their images on canvas. Pictures of the canvases were made into Christmas cards. Between her dance classes, we went to Meet the Artist night at the coffee house that unveiled all their hard-work. Her painting is the snowman in the middle of a blizzard.

 Last weekend, we got to visit Dakota City, a 1900s town in Farmington. Our girls can't seem to get enough of this place. We're thinking of volunteering since we're there almost all the time anyways.

I told Derrick, "this is a picture!" While I don't bring the Canon out on the ski slopes, this was too great to no drop on my belly to snap this one: all those ski boots lined up in a row the night before and ready to go. Four pair. Momma stayed in the lodge and took the tired ones home early. While downhill skiing isn't exactly a cheap pastime, Derrick and I agree that at least this way, we're all together spending money.

 Madison performed in her third Winter Dance recital on the 21st. She performed in three dances. Grandpa Leon and Grandma Linda got to join in on the excitement!

Those eyes...

 

"Those eyes would be big on a cow!" - Bedtime Stories

Typecast

"I don't believe this, I'm being typecast!" (Kramer from "Seinfeld.")

Little Miss Breanne seems to have been typecast. In her acting career she's always played some sort of a gang member: Munchkin, Dwarf, Elf and now a rough and rowdy Herdman in "The Best Christmas Pageant EVER." And as the doctor in that "Seinfeld" episode says, "Oh, it's no mistake. We loved what you did with it."
Mom and Dad are so proud of you Breanne (or shall I say, Gladys Herdman?)!

"I think she went home. I think she got sick. All I did was I just said hi, Beverly and she left. 

The Christmas Pageant

Aliya was a baby angel…her second play.

The last line of the play: "Hey, hey, unto you a child is born!"

The Herdman kids.

Seriously, we did it

We're in the far right corner.

Madison & I really were at the 5K Chocofrolic Race last Sunday in St. Paul. Madison beat her goal by 30 seconds: 32.32 seconds. Her first race and she says she'd do it again in a heart beat for chocolate, but only for chocolate.

After a full recovery, in our shirts.