Happy New Year!!!

Today is a wonderful sunny day. Very windy and I have have heard that our warm weather is coming to an end. We had a picnic Monday to enjoy the "winter" weather here. It was in the mid 50's, but Sunday it got up to the mid 70's. Wow! I hope we have a real winter this year. We won't be able to go out of town to in search of snow like we did last year.

Today we take down the tree. We have gotten a late start, but it does not take me very long to do it. Every year I put up less and it takes less time to take down. Next year we are going all out however with garlands, wreaths and lights. LOL!!

I have found someone that is going to give me a turntable. For anyone saying "a what?"...just hush. I'm excited to show the boys how I used to listen to music. grin.

We have no big plans for tonight. Andrew wants to stay up late. We'll see. I have a feeling that even if I say yes ... the three of us will be asleep on the couch before 12:00. I say three since Phillip probably will not stay up.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO OUR FRIENDS CLOSE BY AND FAR AWAY.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIEND

Written by former Marine Corporal James M. Schmidt, in 1987 when stationed in Washington D.C., it was pounded out on a typewriter while awaiting the commading officer's Christmas holiday decoration inspection. It was originally title "Merry Christmas, My Friend", and was an instant success that reportedly brought tears to the eyes of the barrracks Commander who ordered it distributed to everyone he knew. It appeared in the barracks publication Pass in Review in December 1987 and Leatherneck Magazine in December 1991.
The poem was recorded as a tribute by Father Ted Berndt, a former Marine and Purple Heart recipient during World War II, currently residing in Dousman, Wisconsin for his daughter Ellen Stout, a Clear Channel radio personality.
Here's the original poem:
MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY FRIEND
‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,

In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give

and to see just who in this home did live.
As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,

no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.

On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.
With medals and badges, awards of all kind,

a sobering thought soon came to my mind.

For this house was different, unlike any I’d seen.

This was the home of a U.S. Marine.
I’d heard stories about them, I had to see more,

so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.

And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,

Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.
He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,

Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.

Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?

Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?
His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.

I soon understood, this was more than a man.

For I realized the families that I saw that night,

owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.
Soon around the Nation, the children would play,

And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,

because of Marines like this one lying here.
I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,

on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.

Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.

I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.
He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,“Santa, don’t cry,

this life is my choiceI fight for freedom,

I don’t ask for more.My life is my God, my country, my Corps.”
With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,

I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.
I watched him for hours, so silent and still.

I noticed he shivered from the cold night’s chill.

So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,

and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.

Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,

with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.

And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,

and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.
I didn’t want to leave him so quiet in the night,

this guardian of honor so willing to fight.

But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,

said “Carry on, Santa, it’s Christmas Day, all secure.”

One look at my watch and I knew he was right,

Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.
©Copyright circa 1991 by James M. Schmidt(As printers in the December 1991 issue of the USMC magazine, Leatherneck)

Sunday Afternoon 12/07/08

This is how the boys like to spend a Sunday afternoon.

This is how my sweatheart likes to spend his afternoon. Paper, check! Animals, check! He must create a lot of body heat. LOL!!

Boys and Trucks

The boys seem to think that everyone likes trucks. So far Taffy does not seem to mind. The boys are being gentle with her and she just sits there while they give her "rides". Taffy seems to be adjusting well with our "pack".

Lost Another Tooth

I lost another tooth! Woohoo!

Only three more to go until I meet the orthodontist. Hmmmm!

Pictures of Taffy at 7 weeks old

Me holding Taffy.
Oh no! We have a dog.(He may never admit it, but he likes Taffy too.)

Let me hold Taffy!

Let me hold Taffy!

Are you really going to make me wear this?

Early Christmas Gift

Christmas arrived early at the Cravey house. For the first year we put our tree up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was pretty fun. I have a lot of help putting up the tree and every year it looks more....shall I say..."interesting". LOL! I know that Jesus is the heart and reason for Christmas. Having the house look like "Christmas" makes me really enjoy the season. Pretty soon we will start making cookies and it will smell like it too. Aaahhhh! Childhood memories.

We received our first gift(and most likely one of the only gifts) Sunday afternoon @2PM with the arrival of our newest family member Taffy. Yes, we now have a puppy. She is from an oooops litter of puppies and we know she is part chihuahua/?. Dad is a mystery. She is mostly light tan with some white fur. She currently weighs @ 1 lb 12 oz, so she is very small and should stay that way. Taffy was 7 weeks old yesterday. We are so excited to have her. It is a lot like having a new baby in the house. House training is going very well as long as I am the one who monitors her play time. The boys do not have the hang of it yet and do not recognize when she needs to go potty.

My computer is having some problems and I am currently not able to publish pictures right now. I will post some as soon as I have it fixed.

Thanksgiving

Well it is the Monday before Thanksgiving. Short school week. Woohoo!! I am not hosting the family this year. It will be nice to visit family and not have the stress of @20 people coming over. Next year it'll be my turn. I really do enjoy it. I just end up cooking more when I host. The boys and I will have fun cooking Wed afternoon. They want to make cookies. That's because cookies are easier to grab when no one is looking than a piece of pie. LOL!! They think I don't know this. I'm thinking yeast rolls, veggie of some sort, and a pie. Might be a frozen pie like Mrs. Smith. SSSHHHH! I also have to think of things for the boys to do while there. None of the other grandkids are attending which lets you know they are all older. The youngest grandkid in this family is 20(the oldest is 33). I'm thinking a soccer ball, the legos, books and some paper and crayons. It's going to be great.
Friday we are going to get our tree and put it in the house. Saturday we should be getting a new addition to our family. It is of the four legged variety. Phillip should bring the camera home from work tomorrow, but Daniel has a small one he purchased at a yard sale. It works pretty well so I will post pics when I have them. Three of us are excited and one is at least not putting up a fuss.
We did lose a member of our family recently. Peter(beta fish) started acting funny(not ha ha) and floated to the bottom of his bowl. We had a short service for him and burried him next to T.F.(tree frog), Hoppy(toad) and Snakey. We now officially have a pet cemetary. It can only have very small pets due to lack of topsoil in our back yard.
Bun Bun is 15 years old this month. She will have to go out to the cemetary at my brother-in-laws house in Powhatan. I already have one cat out there.(Gizmo) She is slowing down, but I think is fine right now.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving. God has given each of us so much. We should thank Him everyday, but Thursday is a good day to also.

The Most Beautiful Tree in Chesterfield

The tree is so beautiful that most years it looks fake. It is a great place to take family photos. There is a very limited amount of time that it looks splendid.

Army Dudes

Thank to Mr Jason and the girls they can "play army" with the best of them. Thanks again! This are their serious faces. They really are having a good day.

Library Field Trip

We had a lot of fun at the library. Ran into Miss Shea and her girls. The boys were excited because we got to "go behind the scenes" and look in the room behine the desk. Too funny. They got to see the little room and the bins the books drop into when you stick them into the night drop. Ooooo! LOL! You should see the atack of books we came home with.

We like the toys at the library too!

Trying to make the computer work. The mouse was not really going where he wanted.

Fun at Target

For $1.50 we have a lot of fun! It's snack time at Target.

Virginia Air and Space Center

The boys "trying on" flight suits.

Our Family preparing to be the first family in space. LOL. Daniel took my picture. That's why I'm cut off at the knees. grin

The boys taking charge!

Soccer 2008

Both boys have enjoyed soccer again this year. Neither are very competitive when it comes to playing. They like to have fun. Here are a couple of pictures of them posing and playing.

Afternoon Project

The boys worked very hard on their project today. A little art, a little construction with lots of imagination. Loads of fun and 3-D with signs installed in strategic places.

My newest adventure. Canning!

The picture on the left is everything I have canned so far. Apple butter and apple sauce. It's about 17 1/2 pints total. That is the result of three canning sessions. Next I want to can some pie filling. My sister in law and brother in law have apple trees and have been nice enough to give us a ton of apples. I have also made a apple cake and pie. That's a lot of apples!

Movie Night

My boys got together to watch a movie. The "boy" in the white fur coat is Ivan and he is in love with my sweetheart. To funny! I got him to be my lap cat. LOL!! FYI - This picture was not posed. It's the way I found them when I came down.

Williamsburg Friday

We had a good time at Williamsburg on Friday. We had seen most of the stuff before, but it is still very interesting. It will mean a little more once we finally hit that period of time in our history class. We especially enjoyed the Storytelling Festival. Those people were great. Our family agreed that it was the best part of the day(after meeting up with the Walters). I think we are going to it again when they have next year.

Today is the big day!!!

We just got back from Andrew's birthday luch with Grandma and Papa.











Today Andrew is 7 years old. It just does not seem possible. He is growing into such a confident, strong boy who loves the Lord. Every day he amazes me with how capable he is. I am so proud and blessed to have him as my son. He has gone out to eat with Papa and Grandma for lunch. He has to finish school when he gets back, but that's ok. We are taking the day off Friday for a field trip to Williamsburg. Homeschool week ends that day and the Storytelling festival starts. Woohoo! Lots going on this week. I will post some pictures later after we have our family celebration tonight.

Birthday Party

Here are the pictures from the party. 9/13/08 at Chick-fil-a

Andrew will be 7 on Monday!! We will celebrate Andrew's birthday today with friends at Chick-fil-a. We will have his best guy friends attending with their little sisters. "The Girls" are toooo far away to come. Sniff!!!! We miss them so much, but are happy that God has provided for them. I will post pictures after the party so that they can see how goofy we were.