The Lundy 5

we all had mixed feelings about spending christmas in florida. no snow? no cold? away from home? well, now we all agree - we loved it! mostly because the grands were there, so it felt like home. but it was so fun to enjoy the sun and beach, and christmas too! we're now also big fans of driving overnight. it was great without all the traffic, stops, bright sun, (not to mention the whining and fighting, oh i just did!) and it took 14 hrs instead of 17. allen and i took turns snoozing in the back (and watching little house episodes with the kids). great way to travel! i took 1,105 pics this week, so i'll just make you suffer through a few of them! 12/23: walks by the canal, boat ride, only spotted one gator, looking at christmas lights 12/24: day at the beach, swimming and kayaking, opening one gift early 12/25: opening gifts of course, and playing with them all day 12/27: the kids (and dog!) jumped on the trampoline for hours today, until it snowed, then for hours more! ...

we're having a great visit with the grands in middleofnowhere, florida - where every day it's in the 70's, there is no agenda, life moves at a slower pace (literally), and grandchildren are being spoiled (rotten!). we're loving it! this morning started a bit early for the grownups, but the kids couldn't wait any longer. they all agree: BEST CHRISTMAS EVER! josh was so happy with his real BB gun. matt's loving his pump action shotgun (not real!). and lizzy loves her new doll and named her regan. and we were all amazed to see that santa left a trampoline at home in ohio!!! (that would have been hard to get home in the van!) i have a feeling that will be the source of future funny videos and possibly broken bones... we hope you're having a very Merry Christmas today wherever you are!

mon, dec 14: · math and spelling tests · grammar & math worksheets · reading books · bible lesson with allen. (no mention of laser beams this time, so all is well) · gym class was some combination of throwing/catching balls while jumping on the mini-trampoline · from the prairie primer: reading, history, writing, bible, vocabulary, reasoning, safety, geography · i seamlessly tied in a story about internet safety to a little house on the prairie lesson about strangers. i used my geek powers for good! :) tue, dec 15: · math timed tests · grammar worksheets · "area of need" day - some extra time for the subject each struggles with · reading books · the children of God band practiced loudly for music class · from the prairie primer: reading, history, reasoning, literature, bible, geography wed, dec 16: · math timed tests · spelling words in abc order · reading books · bible lesson · while reading the book (by the shores of silver lake), the chapter had a major cliff-hanger...

so allen's convinced me that i *am* a cook afterall and i'm embracing it! i've always hated it, never understood it, and was rarely good at it. but lately i've been applying what i am good at, research, and it's working! (i knew that college degree would come back into play one day.) now i've switched gears from betty exhausted crocker to research scientist baker and i'm loving it! my family doesn't mind that i don't spend hours slaving over meals. they just know the stuff i threw in the crock pot smells good. they don't care if i thaw the chicken first or grate my own cheese. they don't care that i think anything over 10 minutes to prepare is way too long. they don't even care that i don't know what half these ingredients are, or what any of them do. they are just thankful that they have yummy meals (usually, there are plenty of failures, learning opportunities still) and a much happier mom in the kitchen. i love my bread m...

mon, dec 7: · math and spelling tests · grammar & math worksheets · reading books · from the prairie primer: reading, history, writing, bible, science · we watched more little house episodes. they LOVE these! we're on season 2. · cleaning - yay for life skills! tue, dec 8: · math timed tests · grammar & math worksheets · reading books · the children of God band practiced loudly for music class · from the prairie primer: reading, history, science, character, health, geography, art · we made dishwasher soap just like ma would have, if she had a dishwasher, and running water, and electricity... · art class involved paper, glue, hole punches, and lots and lots of little paper dots · more little house episodes wed, dec 9: · math timed tests · grammar & math worksheets · reading books · quick recesses because it was so cold and windy, but they just *had* to get out there · from the prairie primer: reading, history, bible, geography, art, writing · art class today was playdo...

The chidren's choir performed "The Best Christmas Present Ever" tonight at church and all the kids did a great job! (We videoed it for the Grands, so you can see it in 2 weeks!) There were lots of speaking parts and solos and you can tell how hard they've all worked for months. And such a great story line. It was a birthday party for Jesus and they invited everyone they knew. All 3 did great jobs on their solos and speaking parts. Matt had the most adorable solo and he was so worried people would say awww . And they did, but he was okay with it afterall. :) He was nervous and forgot just a bit of it, but says he's ready to go back up and do it again. They were all sad to see it end! Here's a little peek at Matt and Lizzy's solos.