It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Ron's up on the roof hanging Christmas lights, childhood stockings are hung, the Advent candles and ornaments are sitting ready, Christmas Village houses are set up and our Advent Calendar project is coming along nicely...

It's all so cozy -- until we step outside into the 80 degree heat!

Advent Candles

We're doing something different this year for Advent. Instead of a wreath, we found this fun candle holder with 5 spaces - just enough for the four candles to mark the Sundays of Advent with the white Christ candle in the center.

Thanksgiving Weekend Hike

We typically take a hike on Thanksgiving weekend - but this year, our trail was closed due to being burned out during the Station Fire 2 years ago. Although we didn't get to take our hike, we did walk around the creek a while and take a few pics before heading back home.

Advent Poem - 1st Sunday

Here's a poem to celebrate the first Sunday of Advent:

RUTH, Part 1 - by John Piper

Random Photos from Thanksgiving Visit with Grandma and Grandpa

Balboa Island

Spending the afternoon on Balboa Island with Grandma and Grandpa Boomsma: strolling the water's edge, watching sailboats, enjoying beautiful gardens, sipping Starbucks, taking lots of pictures, riding the ferry, eating pizza in a small cafe on the boardwalk and then a gorgeous scenic drive along the Pacific coast on PCH. Good day.

What are you thankful for?

Every Thanksgiving we answer this question around the table as we eat our dinner. Best answer yesterday came from Courtney:

"I'm thankful for this table - for what it represents: All the dinners we've had throughout the years together...around this table as a family. Hearing God's word read after dinner, morning Bible Studies..."

I've been thinking about this all day today. We've had this table for about 12 years. Give or take a few, that would roughly be:

~84 birthdays (7 people in the family x 12 years)
~96 annual holidays< ( New Years, Valentines, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas)
~2,100 days of homeschooling
~4,380 dinners
~13,00 meals

This table has been a constant in a family that keeps changing. In twelve years we've gone from a young family with kids ages 14, 11, 5, 3 and 1 to now having 2 adult children with careers and living on their own, a daughter-in-law, 2 high schoolers and a junior high student.

We've sat at this table teaching everything from table manners, to how to use a sewing machine, to teaching every grade K-12. Years of handwriting, grammar, math problems and Latin lessons have been done on it's surface.

This table has witnessed our bickering, teasing, anger, quarreling, tears of frustration and bitterness, as well as our laughter, kindness, humility, cooperation and serving one another.

While our family dinner table isn't very fashionable, maybe a little rugged and rustic, it really does tell a story of the life we've lived together in this home and represents so much of who we are as a family. And that's what I'm grateful for!

Paige's New Prius!

After searching Craig's List for several days and doing tons of research on small used cars that get good gas mileage, practically memorizing Kelly Blue Book stats, countless hours of phone calls, trips to the Toyota dealer for advice, scanning ads and calling private sellers and dealers from Long Beach to San Bernardino to Verntura... we finally found a car for Paige. And, thank goodness it was just in El Monte - just a few minutes from home!