During the Christmas trip to visit my family, we found time for a side trip the The American Girl Store. We had been planning this for months, and the girls weren't disappointed! We all had so much fun! The girls had been saving their money for months, and each one had a nice amount accumulated. We first visited the doll salon where they all had some of their dolls' ears pierced and where Joy and Grace got a doll's hair styled. The stylists were so nice and did a great job, even on the doll that has lost a great deal of hair!
The girls each bought a pet for their dolls. Faith, Hope, and Joy bought the calico cat because, of course, our cat is a calico. Grace bought Kit's basset hound just because she liked it. Faith and Grace also bought outfits. Faith had been needing a new dance bag, and I bought her a really cute one on sale for $10! She likes it a lot, and all of her stuff fits!

After our shopping, we had a snack at the Bistro. We had some ice cream, a milkshake, and cookies and milk. The milk came in the cutest container! It was a little jar with a small cup on top. Joy and Grace had so much fun pouring the milk into the cup and drinking it! Of course, their dolls joined us for our snack.

Elizabeth, in her new hairstyle, and Kit

Josefina, Hope's Kit, and Faith's Kit

Samantha, with her lovely hairstyle

Finally we sent Hope's beloved Josefina to the doll hospital. Much of her hair had fallen out, and Hope had asked for her head to be replaced as her main Christmas gift. We won't get her back for a few weeks, but when she returns, she'll be as good as new!

We had a fabulous time at the American Girl Store, and the girls want to return there some time. I'm sure we'll be back!

Christmas came early in our house this year. My sister and her family were in from overseas during the week of Christmas, so we opened our gifts before we left to go see them. (Since the girls and I are rather fond of presents, this was really quite fun!) The girls each got an American Girl doll outfit. Faith got a bike and a CD. Hope got a certificate so her American Girl Josefina doll can get a new head and a purse. Joy and Grace got scooters, princess "piggy" banks, and wallets. They all got some Legos the share. I gave Paul a cool shirt and a photo book I had had printed. I got lots of Godiva chocolate covered pretzels (which are fabulous!), the A & E DVD set of Pride and Prejudice, and a really nice and beautiful ring! (I was expecting some costume jewelry and got a cool ring from a jeweler!)

(In the picture the stone looks blue, but it's really a white topaz.)

The next day we packed up to go to my mom's house. Food was a major theme of our visit. Whenever we go home there are certain restaurants my sister and I want to eat at. So we went out to eat 3 times in less than 5 days. And we were not disappointed. (Except when we stepped on the scale!) And my sister made a terrific chocolate chip pecan pie which I think I'll have to try very soon.

The cousins all had a great time playing! Her daughter and my girls hit it right off even though they hadn't seen each other in a year. And her son is a little over a year old and such a sweet, happy, and busy baby. The weather was nice for playing outside most days, and the girls had a lot of fun in the yard I grew up playing in.

Of course, there were LOTS of presents to be opened! The girls really enjoyed their gifts, and the baby enjoyed the paper! The dads made sure we opened the big tub of Lincoln Logs when the baby was asleep! And, of course, we gave the can of possum to my sister and her husband. We added a package of Larvets (The Original Worm Snax)to make it even more fun!
(I'm sure we'll get something even weirder next year! Living in another culture has its advantages!)

Our trip was completed by a trip to the American Girl Store, which was so cool it will be getting its own post.

Hope had her first piano recital the week before Christmas. She was so excited! She had practiced her songs and said she wasn't nervous at all. She had chosen to play 3 Christmas songs as duets with her teacher. It sounds easier than playing alone, but I think it was really more difficult because she had to stay on tempo.

The recital was held in the music room at church. Hope and the 6 other students played for their families. Then their teacher played, and we had a small reception.

Hope did a fabulous job. We could really tell that she has natural musical ability! (And she practiced.) She also had had a solo in the children's Christmas musical, and did a great job with her singing. I'm so glad that Hope has found her "thing" in music. She has already told me that she wants to teach piano when she grows up, and that she thinks God wants her to play piano at church when she is grown. I love seeing how she is wanting to use her talents to serve Him!

The Nutcracker was an incredible experience! All those weeks of practice paid off. The girls were able to dance on stage with professional dancers in front of a packed audience. And they all danced beautifully!

My Mom came for the performance, and we'll buy the DVD to show my sister and our friends. (Since this is a professional performance, the ticket prices reflect that!) Even Hope enjoyed watching her sisters dance.

The days leading up to the performance were full of practices and last minute adjustments. The day of the performance, the girls had costume fittings, pictures, practice with the Russians, and the actual performance. They got to wear some make-up, which they all thought was fun. Faith did a great job doing her makeup herself.

I was a little concerned that Joy and Grace might get nervous being on stage with the Russian dancers, but they did great. ( I did do some serious praying in the audience!) They were snowflakes, which is the youngest group of dancers. They remembered their dance, even the part that was changed the afternoon of the performance!

Faith was a party guest. Since she is tall, she had to wear a boy costume (which no modern boy I know would ever wear, and which is fancier than what most of her girlfriends wear to church on Sunday!). The children were on stage for a long time and danced well.

Faith also was a butterfly. Her costume was gorgeous! This was a much harder dance than the party guest dance, and she was great! The girls danced on pointe and were beautiful. She was the youngest girl in this part, but she definitely held her own! I was so proud of her. She had to work hard to learn the dance, but she persevered. Since she's only been taking pointe since January, I was really impressed with her dancing.

At the end of the show, all the performers, adults and children, came out for the bow. After the first bow, the dancer playing Masha (Clara in the American version) took Grace's hand and the dancer playing Drosselmeyer (the toymaker uncle) took Joy's hand and the group bowed again. That was so cool! I wish I could have taken a picture, but that wasn't allowed, so I'll just have to imprint the image on my mind and make sure that they remember it.

The girls and I hope they have the opportunity to dance in the Nutcracker again next year!

This year we seem to go from one season of activity to another! Our church does a Trunk or Treat on October 31, so I spent several days that month sewing Hope's costume. She wanted to dress up as Susan from the second Narnia movie, which is not a costume you're likely to find at your local Stuffmart. Fortunately, I have used this pattern twice before - for American Girls Felicity and Elizabeth, so I knew how to make it. Unfortunately I forgot that the amount of fabric that the pattern states you will need is not enough to actually make the dress! The fabric store took back the insufficient fabric, so we weren't out any extra money. The dress looks great, and Hope enjoyed wearing it. Joy and Grace dressed as fairies using some wings we bought and old ballet costumes. Faith and her friends had their own "Pajama Party" trunk, and dressed in their PJs. Paul and I were the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything. We used some 90% off inflatables from the dollar store, a dollar eyepatch, and were able to put together pretty decent costumes from our closet!

October also saw the beginning of Nutcracker practices for Faith, Joy, and Grace. All three were cast in children's parts for the Moscow Ballet tour. The little ones had practice on a weekday, and we were able to carpool with a friend. Faith had Sunday practices, so we were hurrying to get home from church, eat lunch, and get to practice on time. But this is an amazing opportunity and so worth it!

So November has been full of ballet! (And piano for Hope, who chose piano over dance this year.)

I've often wished I could go beyond the template suggestions in Blogger without having to pay a lot of money. But since I'm not all that computer-savvy and have really no idea how to do it myself, I contented myself with the Blogger options. Until now.

Sarah has a beautiful new blog design. And when she mentioned it was free, I headed right over to The Cutest Blog on the Block and got my own free blog background. It was so easy! Thanks, Sarah. And, thanks, Ashley.

I was even able to customize my font colors!

Sometimes we have a flood of activities. In the last five days I have :

*Made cute doll t-shirts and purses at Michaels (for free!)

*Brought Faith, Joy, and Grace to a total of four Nutcracker practices

*Attended a birthday party

*Attended a college ministry swim party in which the only people swimming were my girls

*Went to church

*Hosted our small group at our house

*Quickly cleaned up (as best we could) for small group

*Watched a friend's children

*Taken the girls to a total of three dance classes

*Eaten out with Paul and the girls

*Stood in line for 30 MINUTES at Stuffmart!!! (With all four girls!)

*Went to and helped at our first 4-H meeting

*Helped Paul lead a class for engaged couples in our home (and cleaned up and made a dessert for that)

*Homeschooled the girls

*Went to Wednesday night church

*Witnessed this last night on the way home



The picture doesn't do God's creation justice. And there was a second, fainter rainbow above it that disappeared by the time we got home. As I was thinking about the rainbow today and what it means, I realized that not only does God promise never to flood the earth with water, but He also promises never to allow my life to become flooded with more than I am able to bear in Him. Psalm 142:3 says, "When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, You knew my path."

God does know my path, and when I am following Him, He will lead me beside still waters and restore my soul, even in the midst of what may seem overwhelming.