Thanksgiving Tidbits 2008

We travel every year during the holiday season in order to spend time with our extended family, so our children don’t really know what it's like to celebrate Thanksgiving at home. This year, DD requested to have a special meal with her immediate family before going out of town, so we did. We had turkey and dressing with all the trimmings. Brother Darling and Sister Darling joined us. It was wonderful having all four children together at one time, but I was so busy cooking and serving that I had very little time for pictures. Oh well…

The girls loved helping me make the dressing.
Just being themselves...

We spent Thanksgiving Day at PawPaw’s enjoying the food, fun, family and football!

This is how PawPaw enjoys watching football. lol

As long as Brother Darling has a guitar...he's having fun.

A little computer fun with Sister Darling and future Darling SIL.

We spent the evening at Aunt Muh’s visiting with more family. The girls really enjoyed playing with LH’s boy toys and their princesses…

Look closely. If you’ve ever wondered how Cinderella got home after her coach turned into a pumpkin…wonder no more...Now you know. That RRA (Royal Roadside Assistance) is hard to beat.LOL

The Goats Were a No-Show

Well, our topic in school this week was “Goats.” The lessons discussed how the high priest offered goats as sacrifices in the Old Testament to cover the sins of the people, and how that practice is no longer necessary since Jesus came, died and served as the sacrifice for our sins.
Since I know very little about goats, we checked out several books and watched a National Geographic for Kids video. We were also able to “donate a goat” to a family in Asia through http://gfa.org/gift. DD really thought this was a neat idea. Of course, she wouldn’t mind having a goat in her own backyard as a pet, but we’re not going there. We plan to buy some goat milk for her to taste today. That should be interesting. We also made a special trip to the zoo to get a “close-up” look at these creatures in the “petting zoo.”Unfortunately, there were NO goats to pet. I couldn’t believe it…a petting zoo without goats??? Impossible. But, that’s the way it was.

As you can see, the girls had a good time anyway.

Sharing a home with a dwarf mongoose...

And actually touching the birds.

Only Daddy D would kiss a raccoon statue…He’s crazy, but we’re glad he went with us...After all, he's just a big "kid" anyway.

I Prefer the Silly Ones

For the last few weeks, DD has been talking about a little boy named Micah. (Micah had this.... Micah did that..etc.) She pointed him out to us at the fall festival and just giggled. She really thinks this Micah is something. He really is quite cute...red hair, freckles and all! Anyway, this morning while getting ready for church, DD said,"I'm going to look so pretty that Micah won't even know who I am." lol She was wearing a new dress that Santa Sandra bought for her. When I asked her to pose for a picture, this is what I got...(Hmmm...I'm not sure I like it.)

Then they started acting Silly.But then, this sulky look (DB) is what I got after scolding them for acting silly. So, if I have to choose between sexy, silly, or sulky, I prefer the silly ones hands down!

P.S. I asked DD after church if Micah recognized her in her pretty dress. She just informed me that Micah didn't like girls who talked too much. I guess that means he wasn't impressed by it. lol

Favorite Photos This Week

Here are some pictures I made earlier this week...Enjoy. Doodlebug
So cool in Daddy Darling's sunglassesLoving Daddy D (the biggest kid of all)
Just wish DD had more confidence...lol

Desheng Darling Sweet sisters

(Doodlebug's dental exam-NO CAVITIES!)

This has got to be my favorite...Does your dentist offer you sunglasses?

Just Hanging Out with Friends

We are so thankful for our play group friends! The girls had a great time today at the park followed by lunch at Chick-fil-a. Our little group has had many changes since its beginning at JC Penney's a few years ago. Panda Girl and Spicy Girl have moved to other cities. GS and OS have moved to another country. MH is busy in first grade and Cheerleader has moved on to Pre-K and isn't able to join us often. We really miss them, but we are blessed to have our new friends- Ally, Merisa and Megan. We are expecting another new addition, Mary, by early next year. Hurry up Mary...the more the merrier!

Octopus Outing Omitted

This week we studied about the octopus…quite an amazing animal. The emphasis was that “Even the Octopus praises the Lord.” Psalm 148 speaks of how all creation is like a majestic choir composed of many harmonious parts that together offer up songs of praise to God with each one individually offering praise. It’s a great example of how we as believers should praise God individually and as a part of a great choir of believers worldwide. We started the week with a trip to the library for books about octopuses. Across the street from the library is a small park that the girls really enjoyed.

It’s hard to believe that they are still wearing shorts with sleeveless shirts in November.

The girls had fun making these little pom-pom octopuses. They later added sequins for suction cups. Got to have a little sparkle!

Then we made octopus cookies. You know how it is…when you can’t think of anything else to do…make cookies. LOL

Notice that DB has no shirt on. When I made them wash their hands before making cookies DB decided to wash all the way up to her elbows without pushing her sleeves up out of the way. Needless to say she was soaking wet! Lol

And for some reason, she decided not to smile...

or OPEN her eyes!
We also made octopus wieners served on a bed of seaweed noodles (tinted green.) It was pretty gross, but the girls liked it.
Lastly, we made octopus leg bread sticks complete with suction cups made of Cherios. To top it off we served them with grape (ink) jelly. Too cool…even with your eyes closed! LolAll of these activities were fun, but we also had plans to do something a little more educational like visiting the local aquarium. Unfortunately, the aquarium was closed this week for renovations, so the octopus outing was omitted from this week’s plans. Oh well, maybe DB will decide to open her eyes by the time the renovations are completed. I somehow think she would enjoy it more if she could see it. LOL

Gotcha Day with a Buzz and more...

Long post….Busy week
(Mostly pictures…!)

Last Saturday was a very special day for all of us. We celebrated DD’s Gotcha Day! Four wonderful years ago God added her to our family and our lives changed in ways we could have never imagined. What a blessing!!!

We started the day out with a trip to Dixie’s for DD's Gotcha Day charms (She chose Cinderella and her carriage charms), followed by a trip to the Disney Store for a special toy. DD's only comment, "WOW!" I really thought that she would choose one of the princess dolls, but instead she chose Buzz Lightyear! She never ceases to amaze me. LOLA special carousel ride at the mall with Daddy D… and Buzz

Just couldn't resist posting this. Doodlebug looks so happy!

(At the airport)

After our visit to the mall, we all went to the airport to pick up PawPaw and finished the day with dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
This picture was taken at the restaurant. How could you take this guy seriously? Cute girls though..

Here are a few pictures of our school activities this week. The topic was "Dinosaurs" and the theme was “Big and small, God made them all.”

Creative artists at work DD’s favorite kind of dinosaur….the Graciosaurus!

Meet "Dynomike."

Doodlebug with her ferocious dinosaur teeth (made of apples, peanut butter and marshmallows.)

From Dinosaurs to Dynasties... Mulan I and Mulan II
The girls really enjoyed the Fall Festival held at our church this week.

They went as Mulan I and Mulan II.
Notice the expressions as they played the same game…This is pretty much representative of how they approach life in general..one serious and one happy-go-lucky! Can you guess which one is which?

The games were fun; the candy was good; but the pony ride was the absolute favorite activity of the festival for the girls. You can tell by DB's big smile that the Princess Bounce House ran a close second. Fun! Fun! Fun!

A New Month

Our conversation went something like this:
Mama Darling: “Today is Monday, October 27th. We’re almost at the end of October. DD, what month comes after October?
DD: November
followed by DB's response...
DB: Yesvember!!!
Too funny. I learn something new everyday.