Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We did. The children were spoiled by the grandparents, of course. But isn’t that their job? Isaac helped make family pajamas. That was a lot of fun!

At Grandma and Grandpa Lehndorfer’s

With Grandpa Lehndorfer

All the boys at Tori’s family

All the Girls

Opening Stockings before Church on Christmas morning

Magdalena’s bubble wrap for her package =) She does spoil us. Thanks you Magdalena!

Isaac’s Heaven

Benjamin’s Heaven

Bekah’s Heaven

FYI, we changed back into our Pajamas as soon as we got back from church =)

So the real question, What did we give? Over 150 Christmas cards and half of those with Grandma Jane’s peanut brittle or Amish Friendship Bread. If you didn’t get any…. I am sorry you were neglected. Just let me know and the situation with be rectified! =)

She’s Coming!

We are happy to announce that we will have the opportunity to host an exchange student from Germany starting in January. She will be here until the middle of June. More information will follow, but we had to share one important thing. She is from Luebbecke, Germany located in the northern part of the country (different form Magdalena who was from Bavaria in the south). We just did some quick research on her home town.. and well lets just say that the temperature high in July is 16 C….my house is 20 C right now and we are all freezing! Do you think we should tell her that our high in July is 40+ C. Warren says that she will have time to grow into the weather before summer comes and wipes her out! Frederike, if you are reading this… please don’t get scared =)

Our Boys!

    

Please meet Zyed and Damien. Our boys! We were blessed to be able to host these wonderful boys from France this summer. They are great boys! We all really loved them. While they were here, we made sure they had traditional American food, like root beer floats! Damien had one every day! Zyed couldn’t even swallow the first sip, hahaha! We taught them American words like nookie nookie (totally ZYED’S fault). We even took them to great places in southern California like Joshua Tree National Park! Can we say heat stroke! Poor boys, it wasn’t even that hot =) We all had a wonderful time. They were so much fun and kept us laughing! I am laughing now as I write this post! Love you both!

Our Rebekah

Last week at our Festival (see Home School blog) Bekah spent about 5 minutes fixing baby Jesus’ bed before their play. I missed most of it, but one of the moms came to get me so I could watch. She was arranging the hay and rearranging the hay. Then she would gather more sticks, etc, very concerned for the comfort for this doll. So around the time I got there, one of the moms came over to help finish getting everything ready for the play. First thing the mom did was drop a blanket on the bed and on top of the doll’s head. Bekah looked at her (the mom had no idea) and quietly picked the doll up and rocked it, then moved the blanket and fixed the baby in the bed. At which time, the mom turns back and picks up the doll and starts fixing the bed with the blanket lined over all the sticks, etc. The mom and I who were watching were a little nervous about what Bekah might do next. Because she is a peacemaker at heart, she politely shifted something and then walked away since it was time for the play. If only I could have had this on video!!!!! Anyway, after the play was over, Bekah took the opportunity to have this doll all to herself and spent a good half-hour holding and rocking it.

Idiosyncrasies of the Lehndorfer Family

Merry Christmas! This year, we are updating our Blog and sending Christmas cards with our picture =) If you don’t receive a card with our picture, it is probably because you live so close, that you are getting peanut brittle or chocolate snowmen or Santas. Please don’t be alarmed by who the card is from. Warre is really Warren and while I am important, I am not important enough to have my V and my I capitalized. Victoria would have been just fine!

We have had a fun filled 2011. It just goes by too fast. Even Isaac has commented on how quickly life is passing! This year, we would like to share some secret inside information about who we are or what we like.

Warren suffers from ‘served a mission in a third world country and lives in a first world country’ syndrome. He often looks at our home and possessions and feels guilty. However, he then sees great deals on things like the Kindle Fire and gets one for the family. =)

Tori likes things organized and to follow rules. Therefore, she bottles up the frustration with her unorganized house and then explodes and has a problem with ‘gray area’ rules.

Isaac has selective hearing. While reading a book, only the promise of a treat will get his attention. And when asked to go do something, he hears go read a book every time.

Bekah is great at putting others first! She is very nurturing and thinks about how to help or care for others without being prompted! She will also be a great mom. How do we know? Light sleeper!

Benjamin loves his thumb and his puppy blanket! If given the choice, he will only wear a shirt with silk screen print on it so he can rub it all day long!

Our Farm =)

When Isaac turned 4, we got fish; easy and inexpensive! We have had at least 2 dozen fish/dwarf frogs come through this home now. And when someone can tell me why 3 of my fish committed suicide this past August I would love to hear why!

When Isaac turned 8, we got a hermit crab, named Hermie . He was great to look at for about 2 seconds. He was nocturnal and not very interactive. Things we told Isaac before, and things he believed after =)

We also got a guinea pig named Taco around this time. Super cute and fun, but hairy! It is part of the rabbit family. She would love to be taken out everyday and played with! However, with my allergies, she only gets to come out outside. She could use a home that will play with her =)

When I turned 37, we inherited an outdoor cat named Julie (she needs a home immediately). Julie is a Himalayan and beautiful inside and out. The children would hate to see her go, but she is meant to be an indoor cat and the weather really isn’t warm enough for her to be outside. We do have a doggie house for her, but a nice inside home would be better.

Then, just because, we got a bird, named Will, who died =( So,to mend the broken hearts, we got a Bird named Blue Scurry. Blue likes to sing when we vacuum or when he gets wet from playing in his water and fly around his cage and make a terrible mess. He also likes to be around the children.

We are also waiting for a possible butterfly to hatch this spring!

For fun, we have also animal sat my parent’s dog, Elly, our friend’s dog, Cookie, and our friend’s hamster Bianca. (we were supposed to have their bird, but that had a tragic loss too,not my fault though).

Meet Will =) Say Good-bye Will =(

On November 15 we went to the Magnolia Bird Farm for a field trip. We came home with this lovely parakeet, Will. He was so friendly and sweet! He would sing when the family sang and sit on Bekah’s and Isaac’s head while they worked. He was great!

Sadly, this is Will now =( Due to an extremely unfortunate accident, he is no longer with us. My heart is still breaking.

Thing's Change

I LOVE my Oak tree!

Scouts

So, last January, Isaac joined the ranks of scouting. He got his uniform for his birthday and wouldn't take it off!

He absolutely loves going to his meetings and LOVES earning the awards!!!! In preparation for becoming a scout, he learned everything for the Bobcat rank BEFORE his birthday! So, on his birthday as he opened his manual (way easy presents for this birthday), he promptly opened the book to the page where we sign off and started reciting everything he had learned. Funny boy =) By May, or June, he earned the Wolf rank. Since then he has earned 3 arrows, about 10 belt loops, and 3? awards (Leave No Trace, etc). Come January, we will actually have to start putting effort into him earning the next rank. Fortunately, he does most of the initiating, so my life will be easy =)

Happy Halloween

We had a great and festive Halloween season!

First... Bama and Papa's party. Isaac went as a ranger (reluctantly because he only had 2 arrows and not 36 like a real Ranger), Bekah went at a mermaid (which she had been BEGGING me to make a skirt for for over a year) ,and Benjamin went as a pop pop eater (we forgot to change him the entire night, but he had lady bug wings to wear with his cousin).

Next, we had our trunk-or-treat party at church. Isaac went as a wizard (he lost his quiver on a hike is still very upset), Bekah went as a fairy, and Benjamin went as a lady bug!
Then, the night we carved our pumpkins, the neighbor came over and asked us to come to their party. As soon as our pumpkins were carved, we dressed up and headed over. Isaac was a ranger again (without the quiver), Bekah was Snow White, and Benjamin was a pirate.
Finally, on Halloween itself, Warren's brother and his family came up for dinner (not so great Shepard's Pie, sorry) and to go out trick-or-treating with the bambinos. Benjamin and I stayed home and handed out candy. I think we actually had close to 30 trick-or-treaters! Isaac was a Ranger, Bekah was a Dancing Princess, and Benjamin was a Ladybug.
Trivia time... who can tell me WHY my daughter would NOT wear the same costume twice and would NOT wear that mermaid skirt she asked for for more than a year more than once! WHY!!!!!

I will go eat some candy now =)