Planting time again

The kids helped Mark plant more wildflower seeds again this year. I hope they bloom as nicly as last year. Don't you love Lil's Ballet costume with Kelly green tights?

My new blog

I have started a new blog called A Picture Per Day. I was inspired by another artist blogger Misty Mawn to do it, and now my friend Amy Barnes is doing it! Doing what? Posting a picture per day! No comments, no explanations. I take photos of the kids daily anyhow and it takes seconds to upload to blogger. The hard part for me is not writing a title or a little caption! I like to talk, at least a little. But hopefully the photos will speak for themselves. I plan to capture our life at home on the new blog. Cole World News blog is designed to capture our family life in general and to document the kids growth for the extended family and friends.

It has been fun seeing what the other ladies are taking photos of. Anyone else want to start? Email me your link so I can add it! Shonacole@aol.com

New territory

For the first time in 2.5 years of living here I went exploring the front part of our forest. I have a whole new respect for my dogs. They have some wild countryside to roam in there! It is made up a series of mini streams (drainage) that have cut little valleys up to 8 feet deep in places. It would make an excellent place for toy soldiers staging a civil war. We ventured out there today with Ricky Welch, whose family goes to church with us. Needless to say there were guns involved.

Just for fun

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

There are:

1130 Mark Coles

791 Matthew Coles

20 Lily Coles

612 Laura Coles

259 Annie Coles

Annie enjoying becoming one

Where's Annie gone?
There you are! Hello.

Yum, yum, pink icing. I think I will enjoy being a big girl!

Happy Birthday Annie Rose

Annie Rose Hope Cole was born this day last year. She looked like this!

This was taken on the eve of her first birthday. She is a happy, easy going baby who loves her family and loves to sleep and eat and sway to music. She has been a joy all year. She has a beautiful soul and I am so excited that I am get to see her grow up. I love you Annie.

One afternoon

Lily the cat went cycling to the front gate

We had to stop to check a toe boo boo, well Laura if you would wear shoes sometimes!
Lily got the camera!

I have been in this stroller too long mommy.

Winter at the Coles

We are cold here. It is lovely, a lovely change. The kids went wild to see real icicles hanging of our roof.
Mark likes to use our fireplaces as much as possible to heat the house. A good spot for QT.
We still made it to our regular playdate at the Nixon's house. The boys played chess, the girls did as they always do - dress up!

Weekend in Waco

This weeknd we went to Waco to visit friends. The kids loved spending time with Mr. & Mrrs. Roberts. Mark and Matthew went with some of Mark's old college buddies to a basketball game after we had a blast at the children's section of the Mayborn Museum.

Dress Up time

Annie Rose

Annie is keeping up with the big kids. She is in that crawling, dirty hands & knees, put everything in her mouth stage. She is putting more weight on her legs now, so perhaps walking won't be too far away. Her 2 buddies Belle and Hope are both walking!

Matthew

My big, strong boy. I am so proud to be his momma, as he calls me.

Dancing princess

Lily loves to dance. She is always moving and singing and dancing. She loves the musicals Cats, Sound of Music and Starlight Express and can sing along to all of them. What fun having little girls.

Another dancing princess

Laura has taken to dancing everywhere, just like Lily. We do family worship after dinner and when we sing the doxology she runs around with her arms out. We are thinking perhaps she will be a charismatic :)

Back to School

We had a pretty succesful start to the homeschool year. Mark and I had a big planning session on Sunday thanks to the Michelsens for taking our kids home after church. Lily is doing really well in her Veritas Press Phonics Museum. She does Math U
See, Bible, copybook, Latin songs, art and gmnastics also.



Here I am with my cross Mommy look.
Even Laura gets some school done. I am concentrating on her learning her letters. She knows all her shapes, colors, numbers, matching things, animals etc... she can sing the ABC song, but now will be learning to recognize them. Lots of flash cards and reading aloud.

Matthew is going to continue to do the 3rd Grade work he has been doing, but we are adding in Veritas Press history this term (Last term her read 'A Child's history of the World on his own and wrote a summary and did an illustration per chapter). I will sit down with him and do history - it is Rome, should be interesting. He does Latin and Greek with Mark. He does literature, math, spelling, film review and chess himself. He does Bible, Latin songs, art and copybook with Lily. And of course he has Karate and Gymnastics. And he does 'Men of Valor', like boy scouts, which is organized by some teens in church. Phew!

A few days in Tulsa

We went to see Mark's family in Tulsa after Christmas. It was fun. This is Grandma Marcia with my 4 and cousins Everly and Delaney.
That is Mark and his dad.

We had fun, we stayed at Mark's brothers house and we played tons of games. I didn't get photos of his sister (sorry Dedi!).

At Grandma Marcia's house Lily and cousins Delaney & Everly deorated a cake for Uncle Clyde's birthday.

We went to a fun park and rode some rides.

We played with cousin Taylor.

We ate their food.

We did crafts.
We lounged.

Matthew beat everyone at chess!

Christmas at the Coles

Christmas at the Coles passed with lots of presents and fun. We started with a waffle breakfast, pretty much the one we have every Saturday where the girls help dad make waffles and sausage. They we had our family worship time, which we do after every meal together at home, remembering that Christ is center of ALL.

Of course present opening time followed. We love seeing our kids enjoying their gifts, the ones we gave and the wonderful presents from family. Matthew got his bigger bike, here the girls are in the princess costumes that uncle Andrew sent, they are perfect.

We had to have a break from present opening at one point, so we went for a family walk. After watching some of the Sound of Music DVD, which we bought for Lily (the girl loves musicals), while Mark cooked a roast and garlic mashed potatoes, we went to our friends house for dinner. Three familes were there and we had turkey, ham and roast... no veggies here! It was as wonderful time.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas to all our friends and family. To anyone wondering where the Cole Christmas card is this year.... well, ummm... I never got around to it! I may do and New Years card.... but then again....