So busy lately

I feel very badly about how I haven't posted many pictures lately. I am sure you all are dying for some news from us! I have been taking pictures, but I just haven't been posting them. I am going to try to get to it tonight or tomorrow, so that you can all see what we have been up to. We have been getting ready for Christmas...I have been doing 90% of shopping online this year. I am sure the UPS man hates us, but it is so nice to be home with the kids, when everyone else is out fighting over things at the stores. The kids hate having to go shopping, so this is much better for them too. We have been reading a lot of Tomie dePaola books, since he has so many Christmas and Saint books. One of our favorites this year is The Legend of the Poinsettia, which we read and then made poinsettia pins out of felt to wear. I have pictures of that to post later.

Also, we have been keeping up with our bird watching. Today we saw about 10 Oregon Juncos and 10 House Finches --I think they like the new bird food I bought recently and there have been a lot of birds out there to look at. Here is a picture of a house finch...











Yesterday we had three other families over for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. We made tissue paper roses, and the kids brought them up and laid them in front of a statue of Our Lady that we brought in from our garden. If you don't know the story.. you can read about it here. Tomie DePaola also has a book about this to read, so it has been on our coffee table for the past week.







Here is a great painting I found when searching for things for our party. We also ate Mexican food, since the apparation took place in Mexico, and was responsible for the conversion of 8 million people there. My sister and I were lucky enough to go to Mexico in high school, and we were able to go to the Basilica where the tilma is still held. I wish I had known then what a miraculous image I was in the presence of.
I will have pictures of our party to post as well. Keep checking back!