Angel's We Have Heard On HIgh!

Emily's Christmas Program at her preschool was on Monday, and our little angel played... you guessed it, an angel. Last year, Emily was Mary and she did not have to memorize any lines because the preschool teacher narrated the whole story. I did not know if this year was any different, and when I asked Emily about it she told me she did have to sing to baby Jesus. "Because that was the angel's job." When I asked her to show me how she was going to sing she let out the most beautiful, melodious, (not quite)...... ear piercing (sounded like a cat possibly dying) sound. I was horrified. Could her teacher's really have her do that on stage in front of everyone? I took a big gulp, and asked her if she was sure that is what the angel should sound like and she assured me (quite loudly, with a repeat performance) that is what the angel was supposed to do. (Poor Baby Jesus!) Later on that day (before the program) I mentioned to Dave what Emily had said and sounded like. He laughed, and said that it was his fault. What! He had been joking around with Emily and she had taken him seriously! Now I was starting to get nervous, Emily's poor teacher was probably going to have a heart attack if Emily belted that tune out! Thankfully, the teacher narrated the whole play again, and Emily just had to stand there and look pretty! Of course I am not sure if the teacher decided to forgo the angel singing after a practice or not! It was a great program though! Good Job Emmy!

Emily's Preschool Class

Emily singing Jingle Bells

The Sniffles

We went to Christmas Village last Friday night. It was so cold, but we had gone last year and Ethan had absolutely loved the train display so we wanted to take the kids again this year. Did I mention it was cold? I was so worried that the kids would catch a cold (especially Ben) But I bundled them all up. Poor Ben had 2 snowsuits on and about 4 blankets. To my delight the kids didn't seem to get sick.

So of course I was thinking about my good fortune yesterday, and then, they all woke up with sniffles this morning. I can't blame it on Friday b/c that was about 5 days ago, but nonetheless here we all sit or mope with our runny noses. Poor Ben couldn't decide what was more important this morning,eating or breathing. He finally figured out how to do both at the same time. Thankfully he is a good baby and has not been to fussy. Well, I've got to go and start lysoling and wiping down the house for germs. ;)

Christmas Village

Snowball Fight!!

Non-Crappy Starring You! eCards on JibJab

Decorating the Christmas Tree

We finally decorated our Christms Tree last night. I had put up the tree the night before last, but I was to exhausted from our photo session to feel up to decorating it that night. We listened to Christmas music as we put up the ornaments. A few broken ornaments later we were done. Ethan learned that just because an ornament looks like a ball it is not good to bounce it, and we got a little extra vacuuming in. Otherwise we had a great time. The kids were so excited and it was fun just watching them decide where to hang what. The girls and I made quite a bit of ornamnents out of flour and salt this past weekend so we had PLENTY of ornaments this year.

Alicia took this picture of Ethan, Emily and I

My Little Christmas Helpers

Ben slept through the whole thing (not an easy feat!)

Baby Pictures....

I love taking pictures of my babies. I didn't have a digital camera (or even a good one) until last year so I have SO many more pictures of Ben than any of the other kids. Here are some that I took this morning. He just looked sooooo cute. Question though.. Why is it that a baby can look so cute with teddy bear ears on their hats? Can you imagine a grown man waking around with the same hat?

Christmas Pictures

We took the kids to get their annual Christmas picture done last night. Now I have to be honest here.... I do NOT have perfect children. (Surprised?) And the last, hmmm...I don't know, 5 attempts throughout the years have been nothing short of a disaster. I dread these photo sessions, but as any mom out there can probably testify I feel a need to sit all my children down at the same time so that I can always have a visual memory of how they looked (perferably calm and happy) at Christmas every year. (The pictures also make great gifts for all the grandparents!)

So to say that I was dreading going to the portrait studio would be a bit of an understatement. And then, it started to snow. I could have called to cancel, but no, I was on a mission. The roads were passible and I had my mind made up. I got the clothes all ready for the kids to change into as soon as Alicia came home from school I would get them ready. Alicia came home and I noticed that it looked like she had drank a pitcher of cherry kool aid. But, no, it was not kool aid, it was chapped lips. (poor kid) Ok, I thought, maybe it won't show in the pictures. Then Emily could not find one of her black shoes. We searched everywhere. Could not find the dumb shoe. I was starting to get a little stressed. I decided she could where her pink shoes (which DID NOT match) She would just have to sit on her feet or have a sibling cover them. Then... Ethan fell head first into a container of toy trains. Take a deep breath, Ami...l At least the baby seemed content. Until, he spit up all over himself and his new outfit. Thankfully, he was wearing white, so it did not show to much! So we all trugged through the snow to the van. Safely got in and out without a mishap. ( just a few disagreements between siblings), and we were there.

Now this is the point where things could have fallen apart. But God must have been listening when I asked Him to get me through this without melting down. It went wonderfully I am SO happy to say. Everyone smiled. There were no tears (for the first time in five years) I could have done a happy dance right there in the middle of the mall! Here are a few of the pictures. --The only bad thing is I wanted to buy so much more of the pictures this year!

I love my brother!

Thank goodness for little brothers
They are special as can be
Don't mess with my little brother
Or you'll have to deal with me.

Mr. Smiley

Ben has hit another milestone... He is smiling now all the time. It used to take me coaxing (bssically trying anything) a bit to get a smile. Now he starts smiling as soon as he sees me. I love it!! (excuse the proud mama) Of course, he is probably thinking here comes the lady with the food, whatever, I'll take it.

Choo Choo Man?

This morning I was woken up by the sound of Ethan starting to throw up. Every mom out there knows that sound. I immediately woke up from a deep sleep and caught the the disgusting mess in my hand. (Talk about reflexes) Well, Ethan was upset and refused to wear any new pj's, except for the Thomas the Train pj's that he had just thrown up in. Well I managed to find a thomas t'shirt and he calmed down, for about 5 minutes. Then he threw up again. All of his other train t-shirts were in the laundry and I began to panic at the thought of no more sleep because of a sick unhappy 2 yr old. I ran into his room and grabbed a superman pajama shirt and red pajama pants praying that he would accept these. I could tell by his face it might be a battle, but then I was saved by Emily. Emily (who had woken up in the comotion) said cool Ethan you are going to be superman. "NO, Choo Choo Man" he said proudly and proceeded to let me put on the pj's, much to my delight. Then the "sick" little boy grabbed a bag of wipes from the bed and flung them across the room as he raised his arms and yelled powerfully. Sick huh? Then he started jumping up and down on the bed to show me he could fly. So much for keeping a 2 year old choo choo man in bed.

Halloween Fun!

The last few days have been busy and fun. On Tuesday, my friend Michelle had a halloween party for the kids (and grownups) We all had a good time, and the food was great! Which is probably why, when I looked back at the pictures that I took, it was only of food. Not that interesting to put up. So sorry Michelle, I didn't post any pictures of the food at your party. ;)

Last night we had a few friends and family over to trick or treat with us. We had fun eating and getting candy and dancing all together! Alicia and Connor were really getting down! Afterward the trick or treating we ate some more and then fell into bed as our sugar highs came to an end!

Alicia's School Halloween Parade

Alicia had her annual halloween parade at school yesterday. What a cute Pirate!

Emily's Preschool Harvest Festival

A Rough Night

Now, Imagine me finding a place to sleep......

Musings....

A friend reminded me the other day of a poem.....

One night a man had a dream.


He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.


For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:
one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.


When the last scene of his life flashed before him
he looked back, at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life
there was only one set of footprints.


He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.


This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.


But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."


The LORD replied:


"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you, During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

The last phrase has really hit home for me, especially when I think of last winter with Ethan and even now as I am going through some difficult things again.

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful God. He never leaves me, and even when I feel alone He is always there.

God has also shown his love for me by bringing people into my life when I needed it the most. You know who you are, and I love you all. Thanks for letting God use you to love me.

Birthday Parties Galore!

We were very busy this weekend going to four different birthday parties. I think I might be partied out ;) My nephew Shane turned six years old, and here are some pictures that I took at his party. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins. There are 13 kids total now. Crazy huh? I didn't get everyone's picture, but I got a good amount of them...

Halloween Party

We were invited to a Halloween Party last night... It was fun, and we had to come dressed up. The girls and I were pirates. Ethan did NOT want to be a pirate. I had gotten him a pirate costume.... it is still in the package.... He DID want to be Thomas the Train, and thankfully my very good friend Michelle stumbled upon a Thomas costume at the goodwill. Yeah! Our little pumkin, Ben, was a pumkin!

The Loves of my life.....

Before I was a Mom.....

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom...

I had never been puked on...
Pooped on...
Chewed on...
Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom...

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom...
I ne ver held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him/her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Befor e I wa s a Mom...

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. < B>
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom...

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

We're off to see the Wizard....

We have a tradition here at the Cone house, and this year we included Jamie and Mady in it. It is.... drumroll please... to be in the annual Mohnton Halloween parade. Jamie is very into the Wizard of Oz, and because of this Mady wanted to be Dorothy this year for Halloween. (She makes a very very cute Dorothy)

After hearing about this, I asked Jamie if she would want to have the kids all dress up as characters in the Wizard of Oz. Of course, we had to dress up too.... And thus the idea of being in the Halloween Parade came up. Jamie was one awsome Tinman. Alicia made a great Wicked Witch. Emily, well, she just had to be Glenda, the good witch (fairy, as she likes to tell us)and Ethan, well, he was supposed to be the cowardly lion. (He wore the costume for about 2 minutes before he refused to put it on again. I was the scarecrow. Ben was going to be Toto, but we decided it was better to leave him at home with Grandma so he didn't catch cold.

I have to say it was fun!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!!!

Jamie and I took the kids to the Philadelphia Zoo on Monday. We had been planning on going for a while and Alicia and Jamie didn't have to go to school so we thought it would be a perfect day. Of course when we planned it we had this idea of going to the zoo on a cool comfertable Autumn day, and let me just say it was not cool or comfertable, it was HOT! Hot and crowded! Apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea as us, but we still had fun!

Emily saw her elephant, which was very important! We saw our Lions and Tiger and Bears! Alicia saw her snakes... Yuck! Ethan saw his turtles.. Mady saw her poor sick giraffe, which she makes sure to pray for every night. That a girl, Mady. And... (drumroll please) Ben enjoyed his First trip to the Zoo. He slept through alot, but he did peek around a bit..

It was a good time!

Fall is Here!

Let me just start by saying I am a SUMMMER Girl. I love summertime. As soon as it starts every year I am already saddened at the thought that it is going to end in a few months. However, I do like Fall. (Winter I could do without) Since I have had my kids I have enjoyed fall so much more too. I love all the fall activites, decorating, and enjoying the cool days at the park.

Saturdy was a very busy day for us. Alicia had a soccer game bright and early and the day seemed to fly from there. My dad came over to help me with some things around the house. Thanks Dad! He took the kids and I out for lunch and by the time we got everything done it was going on 5pm, and I decided the kids needed a treat for being so good all day. Emily's preschool had a fall festival going on so off we went. Jamie and Mady met us there. We always have a good time with them, and we did! It was fun!

We finished the day by going to see fireworks! Mohnton turned 100 years old so they had fireworks to celebrate. Let me tell you I know slept well that night. Well, as well as mother of a three week old can sleep. :)

Getting Back to Normal.... Sort of

Well, Ben has been here for 2 weeks now. Talk about time flying! Life is starting to resemble a little bit of normal. If normal includes, nursing a baby around the clock, and changing about a thousand diapers a day. I am not complaining though. I have to say that even though I am extremely tired by nightfall, it is SO worth it.

Last week was great because my mother in law was here to cook and help me out around the house. Lets just say we ate very well all week. We are still eating well with all the leftovers and the meals from church. It make take me a while to take of some of this baby weight, but it has been so nice not to have to cook.

Well, this isn't going to be a long post because by the smell of things my little Benjamin has been busy. :)

Alicia's 1st Soccer Game

Alicia had her first soccer game on Saturday. She played very hard, and we are so proud of her! The whole family, even Ben, showed up to watch and cheer for our awsome soccer player!

Chasing down the ball

Kicking the ball down the field

Alicia checking out the competition

Benjamin David is Born!

Benjamin David came into the world yesterday, 9/11/07, at 3:58 pm. He weighed 7lb 3oz. He is so sweet, and such a good baby! Here are a few pictures of him! I hope you enjoy!

Emily's First Day of Preschool

Emily had her first day of preschool today. This year was a little different because she already knew a lot of her classmates, and she has been so excited about going back to school. She has been busy all week making little "crafts" for all her friends. Her teachers seem very nice and Emily actually remembered them from when we dropped off her cousin to preschool last year.

Our Little Emily is growing up so fast

Emily and her best friend Mady

Emily and Ethan

Emily and Mommy

My Little Soccer Stars

Alicia started her soccer season about a week and a half ago. She played last year so she had an idea of what to look forward too, and was super excited to start her 2nd soccer season.This year seems to be a lot more instructional, so it's been good for her to actually "learn" more about the game. Alicia is a natural athlete and very competitive, which makes for some good "offensive" action. She knows her coach from church and she already has quite a few friends from school on her team which also makes it a lot of fun.

Emily on the other hand, is totally new at this soccer thing. In fact, to be honest, I had visions of Emily standing in the middle of the field picking flowers. But, she wanted to play with her best friend, Madelyn. Madelyn's dad, Heath, (God bless him) is the coach, and Emily loves him. So of course I had to sign her up as well.

I have to say though that Emily really did surprise me. She got very in to playing this new game of soccer. Heath is an awsome coach, and Emily seemed to have a ton of fun.