She smiles for Brandon! (see post below this)

Miss Smiles becomes Miss Blank Stare when I get out the camera...

...still cute though....

Look for the Ju-bee. :)

*I must be doing something wrong lately, because these are never in order anymore.*

We discovered a few new things that Jubilee likes. She actually LOVES this.  I think it's the nice upright position because she can't really do anything else with it yet.

She's like, "I'm really too little for this, but I like it and I don't cry if I have to be by myself."

 Of course, the boys have to see what this new toy is all about.

A cute one of Noah.

Another cute one of Noah.

And here's the other toy Jubilee likes.  I really do think it's the upright with feet dangling position that she likes because she likes both of these better than the high chair or the bouncy seats and better than her swing if she wants to be awake.

 Everyone has to see what the new Jubi toy is all about

This is pretty much the only door (not counting bedrooms that are far away from the main part of the house and bathrooms that need fully closing doors) that this can go on in this house.  Poor baby has to stand on the cold floor.

 We painted shirts with fabric markers.  I had some ink transfer designs that said "permanent" but Noah's is already washing off... weird.  At least their fabric paint will last.  Abby used it when she was something like 2 and that shirt is still painted after many many many washes.

 Jubilee was laughing and squealing with delight as they pushed her in a huge circle around the kitchen island.  I couldn't get her face though.  They were too fast and too big for the camera and I was trying to avoid getting my toes run over.

Shirts

She looks so old!  I can't believe it's been 3.5 months already!  I don't like being a grown up.  Time passes too fast.  I don't want to get any older.  I already can't keep up.  I'll blink and it will be Christmas again.

 School...see that green first-grade reader under the Noah's ark book?
Most curriculums seem afraid that the kids will feel overwhelmed with a ton of stuff to read in one book so a lot of them give you tiny books.  The girls found this book and were looking at the pictures and getting really excited about the stories.  They asked if they could read it so I let them try a few of the first stories.  They did 4 of the first stories in 2 days.  That's how excited they were about this book.  And they just keep looking at the coming stories and pressing for more.  I am excited about this!  They also have been using the McGuffey readers and learning to read from these.  They have progressed so fast now that I know what I'm doing as a teacher.

 Look at the girls' hair.  They styled it themselves.

 We were using dry erase markers.  Can you tell?

 Look at Abby's pony tail she did.  :)

They were playing school.

 Most of them...

Jubi was the teacher.

He looks like a baby here.  :)

Abby was reading a book to Jubilee.

 Reading to her sister.  The others fell asleep.  We were reading books in the office.

 Playing trains.

She loves her siblings.  Sometimes more than me, I think.  Hehe.

Watching them play.

Abby made a bike seat for her baby.  :)  They sell these that actually go behind the rider for their dolls or go on the handle bars for a barbie.

She was upset that I said they had to clean some more before I got anything new out of the closet.

 Just watching.  "What's this scratchy soft stuff under my feet?  I think I'll pick that one up and curl my toes like I don't like it much."

bumble bumble bee!  :)

We're getting so big

Some of these are old but since I don't know who has seen what, you might get a re-run on some pictures, so just keep skipping down.

Hey look!  I got one of everybody smiling and most of them are looking at the camera.

This is what Noah does when we do school...

...and this...

...and this...
(see the box in the back?  He was taking some trash to the garage at some point and got distracted.)

 ...and he does a whole lot of this...

My favorite place this time of year...
snow, fire, christmas lights, baby, book to read on the computer, and coffee.  :)

I let them sleep in the living room one night

They wanted to read their school books even though it wasn't school time

 playing in the snow 

 He dressed himself.  He looks so "grown up".
See his watch and belt?

 They made their hats "girly."
(In case you are wondering, I was in the middle of a huge re-organization project this day.  That mess in the background was me redoing the whole office to fit our new bookcase.)

 Daddy made us all wear foil hats on Dec 21 (the Mayan end of the world) to be funny so the aliens couldn't read our brains.  Hehe

Shepherd Noah

 The nativity

Isaiah Joseph

Angel Jubi

Emma Mary

 Abby wiseman

for some reason, from here down got out of order 

Decorating Jesus' birthday cake 

 

 Playing Barbies

 Dassah shepherd

 Playing Trains

 cuddling their sister
(notice she has her wrist in her mouth.  This child DOES NOT take pacifiers but she'll take a fist or a wrist or a thumb no matter what I do.)

See our mountain train track in the background?

Showing Jubilee her toys

I'm married to a gourmet chef  :)

It's a lot of fun

 riding his bike

I loved this expression and the fact it was pointed at the toys on her tray

a smile

 Peachey porkchops.  YUMMY!  :)

another smile

They want her to play Barbies with the too.

I went to get the mail and told them to watch her for a minute.  This is what I came back to.  :)

Sometimes all 5 of them do school.  See how Thrilled Jubilee is?  Yes, she's in a backpack carrier in a high chair.  she was having a very "don't put me down" day.

Queen of the bed, don't you think?

Yes, that's chocolate snack on Isaiah's face

 T.H.R.I.L.L.E.D

especially thrilled with the fact that I tricked her into being unattached to me for the moment.

Abby's reading a book about the human body to Jubilee.  This page says, "Babies cry a lot."  Jubilee is looking like she understands that.

 Just for fun we try things we've never had sometimes.
This is Kangaroo Hamburger Helper and my yummy salad.
I think we all loved it except maybe Brandon who may have just liked the salad.
The kids ate every last scrap of food and I found that Isaiah had rolled up some of his beans when he got too full and had put them away in the fridge for later.
In case you are wondering, my yummy salad has black beans, alvacado, mango, strawberries, sesame seeds, and spinach with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  :)  Like I said, the kids ate every scrap except for the 3 green beans Isaiah wrapped up and put in the fridge.  Some of us didn't get seconds.  /cry  :)

 after a long day of spelling...
we get to draw a picture or two or three

She made a dress for her "Emma" doll out of wrapping paper

Yes.  I know.  We're riding bikes in the house.
Our bikes were so very, very, lonely and cold outside.
So we brought them in.
But lest you think it's all fun and games,
we're riding bikes
in our PJ's
while answering spelling questions for school
(and teaching Noah and Isaiah spelling as they repeat everything anyway)
in the playroom.
School couldn't get more fun.
We also did our math while riding bikes.  

This is what Jubilee did while we rode our bikes all over the playroom

 Watching a movie
all 5 of them
while I try to cook supper

bikes in the playroom