Christmas According to Jack

Jack and I were talking this morning over breakfast and he started telling me about Christmas. I seriously had no idea he knew so much about the Christmas story. I begged him to tell me again so I could record it and since he loves watching himself on video, he agreed. I love this!

Jack's story

This video is a couple months old but it's too good to not share. Mark is trying to get Jack to tell a story. Basically it's mumble, mumble, mumble, with a bit of emphasis on different mumbles. Had to post to remember...

A Kid's Merry Christmas

Sunday morning was our children's Christmas program. Mark and the worship team led a couple songs in the beginning and then the kids took over and we were not disappointed.

This was Jack's first official Christmas program. The 2-3 yr old class rocked out to a song about the best thing about Christmas is the baby Jesus. They were hysterical. And Jack? Well he kept us entertained. He danced off to the side showing everyone his moves. I really had no idea what he'd do up in front of everyone. My other two are more shy and reserved. Not Jack. He danced like no one was watching and I loved it.

During their first performance 1st service I snuck in (I was helping out in the toddler class) to watch. Jack climbed up on the couch on stage and chilled out. He can kinda act like he owns the place. :) He got herded back to the group second service when he tried again to veg on the couch.A friend of ours whose little girl was also performing got a video of it and posted it on facebook. I stole it to post here in case we aren't friends on FB. He's a bit of a crack up. Hopefully it'll work.



My barefoot princess is performing here with her 4&5 yr old class. They sang a rocked out version of Away in a Manger. I believe they are doing "stars in the sky" here.
"looking down where he lay" Kate's little friend, Anna (next to her in the striped sweater) just stared into the crowd the whole time. She was pretty funny. I kind of expected Jack to do that.
Kale and the big kids' class sang 2 songs. Go Tell it on the Mountain {I believe they are doing the mountain here} and Joy to the World. Their choreography was really cool and they were actually in sync with each other. And since they have more of an attention span than the 2 yr olds they weren't funny...just great.
Well except for this picture when I caught Kale sticking out his tongue - he yawned a couple times during the performance too. Sorry I didn't get a great center shot of him. I was off to the side and if I centered him I got lots of arms with cameras attached...

New Video

Some of you may have already seen this video but I thought I'd post it just in case. Here's Jack's first "gun fight" lesson from Kale. It amazes me how quickly boys pick this up. Believe me, I've barely ever touched a gun in my life much less actually shot one. They definitely did not learn any of these "skills" from me :)

Dinnertime fun

As you've probably figured out, my family is kinda weird. Not that there's anything wrong with that. In fact I wouldn't have it any other way. So I thought I'd share a couple videos from the other night when my husband and children decided to sing together at dinner. Be sure and watch how Jack copied everyone in the 2nd video. So funny!

Here's Jack's

Did you see how he poked his eye? Cracked me up. I know. Terrible mother :)

Watch out!

So I set Jack down the other day near the couch and this is what happened. Watch out! He's on the move and freaking me out!

First attempt.....don't worry. I caught him.



Second attempt....success!

Jack's new trick

Jack is learning how to crawl...sort of. He's more into inch-worming it and army-crawling it. I decided to post a video of his technique in case you wanted to teach it in your crawling classes {if you have one} and wanted an example. He's quite good :) Cell phones work nicely as bait!

Preach it brother

Tuesday night, after dinner, Kale goes into his room and pulls out the kids' Bible we have. He wanted us to sit down and listen as he played "class" with us. We sat on the couch while Kale walked us through the Bible.He first told us to put on our listening ears and pay attention. He started with creation, letting us know that God created the earth. Then introduced us to Adam and Eve. He told us that they were people who disobeyed God by eating fruit. He was pretty accurate with most of the stories. He definitely entertained us with his preaching. He's also shown us that he's a motivational speaker. The same night, Mark had picked up a prescription for me at the pharmacist. Because he stopped there he was late getting home. Kale, who's always a thinker, was wondering why I needed medicine. Obviously I wasn't sick. So I explained to him that I had an infection from feeding Jack and that I needed medicine to help make it better and to not hurt. He proceeded to give me a speech on pushing through the pain. Thought I'd share it with you. I sent the video to a "test market" and they all agreed that it needed to be posted. It's quite comical. We call him Kale, the motivational speaker, and he lives in a van down by the river...

To Wii or not to wii....

Funny story...about 9 months ago Mark came to me and said we should get a Wii. He said I'd love it and I'd love the Wii fit. Uh huh. Sure I would. I'm sure that me - the one who really doesn't like video games or another reason to be planted in front of the TV - would love a Wii. He got the hint.

Months go by. I played the Wii my sister got her husband and yes, it was fun, but I wasn't convinced that we needed one. Then I started thinking about how in the world I was going to work off this baby bag (ie. flabby stomach where babies used to be...) that is empty but not going away very quickly this time. Thought about a treadmill. Wanted a treadmill. Realized I'd most likely be the only one in the house to use a treadmill. Heard about and starting researching more into Wii fit.

Then I shocked Mark. Freaked him out actually. I told him I think we should get a Wii. His face was hilarious. Like, are-you-joking-with-me-because-if-you-are-it's-cruel-and-I-can't-handle-it-kind of face. I told him I was serious. Then he proceeded to remind me that several months ago he suggested it and I shot him down. I then shared with him that you don't ever say I told you so, especially when you're getting what you want :) He shut up. So we made plans to get one with our tax return.

A week later we got an awesome, and completely unexpected, birthday present from my folks. Yup, a Wii. Mark about cried. He was sick when it came but you could tell that he was dying to get up off the couch and play. He even said to me, do you want to get the kids ready for bed and I'll go to Walmart and pick up another controller? I laughed. He had a fever of 103, hadn't been off the couch in days and here he was desperately wanting to go to Walmart to pick up a controller. I told him I'd get one the next day and that we'd be fine till then.

And we were. Mark was able to play tennis laying down on the couch. Kind of missing the point but then again he was beating the pants of the computer. Quite comical.

The next day I did go to Walmart and got a controller and picked up a Wii fit. Let me just tell you that we've stinkin' had a blast playing it. And this is coming from me! Kinda crazy really. We've hula hooped, stair stepped, tightrope walked, slalom skiied, ski jumped, jogged, yoga-d (not really a word but it fits with my list here), strength trained and laughed and laughed.

I only have a couple videos of Kate doing it, unfortunately. But they're kinda funny if you have a sec. Kate is ski jumping and hula hooping. What a blast.



So the question remains...to Wii or not to Wii...this family says heck yeah! Wii baby!

some of our lunchtime entertainment

This afternoon at lunchtime, Kate stood up in her chair after she was done and started a little concert. So we had to film a little. She's really a ham! Kale tried to join in but got embarrassed quickly.

S.O.S.

This past week, while driving by garage sales, Mark introduced Kale and Kate to the Police. He loaded up my iPod with some driving music. There was the Police, Sting, Simon and Garfunkel and Van Morrison I think. Kale found a song he loved and now wants me to bring the iPod with us every time we're in the car. Here is a little bit of me catching him singing Message in a Bottle - the "sending out an SOS" part :) Sorry the picture isn't too great. I was driving and paying attention to the road of course! Can you tell he digs the song?

Shimmy like my Sister

We had a little fun with the kids today and then Mark had a little fun with his Mac and video editing stuff. It's a pretty cute movie! It's about a minute and a half.

My beautiful doll

Heritage Square

As a little stress reliever and just plain old fun, the family went up to Heritage Square to ride some rides. Kale and Kate were both thrilled with being able to ride the Alpine Slide. I was amazed that they had no fear!


Here is Aunt Kelly and Kate riding up together.
Dad was able to go down the fast lane after he took Kale up once for a ride. I think he had fun doing both.
After Mark took Kale down, Kale ran over to Grandpa Bob and asked him to go with him. My dad, who wasn't going to ride at first, said yes. Who can resist this adventurous 4 year old?
All around the park they have these boards up. We couldn't resist all the photo ops. They are very entertaining!
Here is Mark and my sister Kelly. Nice faces!

This has got to be one of my favorites. Notice the cute little dalmation and the hairy woman!
This one and the one of Mark and I are very much alike. Do we have mini me's or what?

Kale went on the go-karts with Grandpa on our last trip up to Denver and apparently he spent the whole ride bumping into the walls. This one was much more successful. He looked like a professional! Especially with those shades....
Kale is definitely at the age when all this is fun. He went on this Dragon roller coaster three times and laughed every time. Kate tried it once (after much convincing that she was excited about it) and held on to Aunt Meghan for dear life with a terrified look on her face. She didn't go again :)
Another ride that she seemed very interested in until she actually got on. Grandma's asking her what she wants to do. She ended up chickening out before it ever got going.
Kate really wanted to go on the paddle boats so I convinced grandma and Meghan to take the kids (pregnant women are not allowed on the paddle boats - I don't get it - are the waves of the still pond just too much for us?). This arrangement only lasted a moment however because the kids were a little too squished. So Kate switched and rode with the boys.
Here she is with the boys. Neither of them were thrilled to be riding but both were willing because Kate wanted to go. She was fine for about 30 seconds. Then it got hot and the life vest was uncomfortable. So it was a short ride.

The Camo rehearsal

So my blogs are a little out of order but you'll get the idea. I'm home now in my hot house, but it's home and we're glad to be here. We had a great time in Denver and miss being there but it's nice to be back taking over your own space instead of everyone else's. Make sense?

So here's a few pictures from the camo rehearsal. First we went shopping at a western store for new cowboy/girl boots for the kids. They were so excited to get new boots. Both of them have grown out of their old ones.

The rehearsal was up at Micah's parents house. I included a picture of the groomsman (all in camo) and the bridesmaids (Meghan had bought us all camo ballet shoes - they are adorable and I will be wearing them again!). There's also one of Kate. The look on her face makes it seem like she's really going after something!

After the rehearsal we all drove up to Black Hawk and had a wonderful dinner and then enjoyed a really amazing fireworks display. I think it's really cool to be able to say that you watched fireworks for your rehearsal dinner.

Good night Sweetheart!

So a few days ago, Grandpa Doug (Mark's dad) emailed me a request to share with you all a portion of our nightly ritual. After several days of dealing with internet issues we are finally able to upload this video and share with you the Durango Palmer quartet. Enjoy!

The best Father's Day

I have been blessed to have an amazing father. Of course I didn't fully realize this until I grew up and left home. I always knew he was great but didn't know how great. He's compassionate, loving, protective, gracious, answerer of all weird questions (good and bad), he helps guide me in decision making but doesn't control my decisions, he's always lovingly led me to be the person God wants me to be. He was a hands-on dad. He changed diapers, made dinners (breakfast dinners are what I remember the most), coached softball and attended all other games as well, came to every band nerd concert and marching band competition I was in, cared about where I was and how late I was out, cared about my grades and about me doing the best I could, he challenged me to be committed and respectful, independent and intelligent. He made me do "boy chores" (mowing the lawn - I always thought he just wanted a boy so I was going to be that till he had one...) and he made me drive this giant red and white club wagon van to school after I got my driver's license (he knew I needed some humbling). He loved me unconditionally and I always knew that if I screwed up (which I did a lot) that I was always welcome back home to a loving dad who would help pick me up and put me back on the right track. I remember being caught smoking in high school (not something I'm real proud of). I never got in trouble, never got grounded or lectured, but what I did find out was how disappointed my dad was and that was far worse then any punishment I could've received. I was devastated to think that my dad was anything less then proud of me. So I never had another cigarette again. It meant the world to me to know that I was making my dad proud. He was, and is, all around superior to every other dad I've ever know.

This made it very difficult to find a husband who was worthy. I wanted someone like my dad. Funny, helpful, respectful, involved, committed, etc.... Doesn't seem to be many of those just floating around. I searched and searched. I tried to settle for a few that were far less then my expectations only to realize that there was no way I could survive with someone less than. Then I found Mark. He had all of the best qualities that I was looking for and then some. God not only answered my prayers for someone who could be the kind of dad and husband that my dad was/is, but he also had the qualities I wanted/needed and didn't even know I needed in a husband. He is loving and patient, helpful, respectful, fun, kind, creative and he does diapers! I have no doubt that he adores our kids and would do everything in his power to protect them, raise them to be respectful people, encourage them to do their best and love them unconditionally. He also, is the world's greatest dad. I could never, on my own, found someone so wonderful. Thank you Jesus for bringing two amazing men into my life.

And it is because of these two men that I can see my God as the ultimate Father. I have had such great examples in my life that seeing God as that great and even better hasn't been hard at all. I know people who've had lousy fathers, fathers who have abandoned them, beat them, criticized them, loved them conditionally and dad's that have said horrible things that they've never forgotten. Because of this they see God the same way. They see a God who will only love them if they do things right, who will leave them when things get tough. I am so beyond words thankful that I can see God for who He really is because of the amazing examples in my life. I am so thrilled that my children will also be able to see God the same way because of their dad and grandpas. Strong, committed family men who love hugely and unashamedly. Thank you Lord for those gifts.

And so I dedicate this silly, sweet video to two dads who have absolutely demonstrated this kind of patient, unconditional love.

Our Memorial Day

We had such a great time this weekend. Mark was off of work Friday, Saturday and Monday. It was so nice to be able to spend so much time together as a family.

Friday night Mark performed a wedding for a former highschooler. It was a nice ceremony. Mark did a great job.

Saturday night we went to some friends house for dinner and had a great time catching up.

Sunday we spent catching up from our week. Our children were beginning to think that bedtime was 10 o'clock instead of 8 so they were really out of whack.

And Monday we went to town and went to a park and played on the swings. Be sure and watch Mark's amazing talent of swinging on his stomach. Did not know he could do that..... After the park we went and got lunch and took it to a park and listened to a band play some swing music and big band music. It was wonderful. It almost felt like we were living in a big city! The kids wanted to dance so they convinced their awesome dad to go down in front of the crowd and shake his booty. He did, because he's an awesome dad. They had a great time. We all got a little sunburned but loved being outside.

Today I'm hopefully getting a new fridge delivered. I have a feeling I'll be here all day waiting. Our old fridge is dying quickly and we're living out of a tiny college fridge and have been for the last 2 weeks. I'm ready for a nice reliable fridge. Of course we replaced our other appliances that we thought were doing much worse....Murphy's Law in action.

Mark's video

This is a video that Mark filmed and put together for Mother's Day at church. He recently put it on YouTube. It's pretty cute. And of course our kids are in it :)

water boy!

So it was almost 80 down here today and it was beautiful. Kale decided on the way home from church that it would be the perfect day to put on his swimsuit and run through the sprinkler. When we got home mom and dad spoiled the fun and said that he needed to have a little quiet time (actually it was probably mom and dad who needed the quiet time). When he woke up he was still determined to go run through the sprinkler. I thought it was a little too chilly. While he was resting, the clouds came and the breeze started blowing. Of course he thought it was still perfect weather. So I said sure. I mean he wouldn't take just my word for it right? So we went out and I turned on the sprinkler. Then turned on my phone to capture the unfolding drama....hence the video. Now, I don't know if you can understand what he's saying but he runs from the water and says "I'm getting wet!" That's the point I say. Then he informs me that he's done. Remember, this is the one and only time he ran through today. Lesson learned? Yeah right :)