In Remembrance Of....

This is in remembrance of Sylvanus M. Moyer, Jan 3. 1916-Dec 28, 2009. A little background on Grandpa as I remember, he was born in Souderton, PA and during the depression things were very hard. News was heard that in Newport News, VA things were better. Land was available, so S.M.'s family bought 700 acres and sold some off to others and kept 300 acres for themselves and built a farm. At the age of twelve Grandpa moved to Newport News, as years passed he met Grandma, married and continued to farm on this land.

Grandpa and Grandma's wedding photo.

Grandpa and Grandma have been married for 68 years! A wonderful example set for the rest of the family.

One of my many memories, is fishing with Grandpa. Their farm was located on the banks of the Warwick River where a pier extended out and Grandpa always had crab cages down in the water which he would pull out and show us these crabs that were moving around opening and closing their pinchers. He'd reach in, grab a hold of one, pull it out, crack it open and use the meat as bait. I remember many lessons on fishing from Grandpa. He showed us how to crack open the crabs and how to extract the meat for bait, and yes I did try and was successful. I remember he even showed me how to tell a male from a female! He had a little john boat (I believe) that I remember rowing out into the marshes with Grandpa and exploring a little- or it felt like we were exploring. I remember gazing down into the water watching the many jellyfish moving around and being somewhat afraid of them. I didn't do much swimming there-not really liking the salt water and those jellyfish! Most of my childhood memories of Grandpa include this pier and his love of fishing. My memories are old and somewhat faded. If I could go back I believe I would try to remember a little harder and appreciate more. As children we live our days in the present not realizing that someday these are going to be treasured memories.

But Grandpa left us with his legacy and our family. This picture was taken several years ago and there have been many additions to our family since then. The wonderful thing is that we are Christians, we gather together to socialize, to sing harmony and to have a good time. Families are still together and keep connected. Grandma remains here on earth to spend some extra time with her family, while Grandpa is rejoicing in heaven, may we all be united one day.

Christmas Vacation

I am so glad for Christmas Vacation! I have enjoyed having my kids all home at the same time, and believe it or not, I feel like I have a little more time to do some extra things around the house! When the older two are at school, I need to play and entertain Rachel, when they are home, the three play together and I have some time to "catch up". This Christmas Vacation we have had an abundance of snow to occupy Jacob and Ashley. I just need to help with the bundling up and the unbundling over and over, but that's okay! I am also so glad we have a basement where they ride their scooters and bikes and release some energy.

This was a Sunday morning we were all dressed ready to go to church, when at the last minute we did not go due to ice, so I had time to take a couple of pictures. My girls like to dress alike. Every Sunday morning we deal with the issue of matching dresses. I do not have matching dresses for my girls, since we rely on hand me downs, but this year, I tried to find new Christmas dresses to match. Ashley is in the big girl section of clothing, so I did find a red dress to match, although it is not identical. On this particular morning all girls were happy since they "matched".

I did manage to get the kids together for a quick picture. Rachel does not like to be out in the snow since it is so deep and hard for her to walk, plus she does not like being bundled up so much. This was Violet's first time outside as well. I had her bundled up good as you can see. We are all dealing with colds and coughs, so the little ones weren't out long. I do enjoy watching Jacob and Ashley play in the snow, and did get out a little to throw some snowballs at them. I feel torn, wanting to play outside with them, but yet needing to be inside with the little ones.

The cookie making is in full swing. I have not made as many different kinds of candies and cookies this year. I just can't seem to get it done. But I do have a lot of willing helpers. I let them help and am thankful for kitchen space for them to all work at the same time. It's also interesting to see who hangs in there and works until completion and who just works a little and then they're done.

I sit Violet in her chair while I work in the kitchen. She loves cheerios, banana pieces, crackers, and throwing her sippy cup on the floor! Notice her missing sock? That seems to be her little trademark. Wow, is she growing so fast!

We are currently reading Little House in the Woods, as our reading project, and hopefully will finish this book soon and move on to the next. Well, it seems as if I have used up my time, the kids are getting restless, with all the interruptions it's hard for me to concentrate and keep my train of thought going, so until next time........

Ashley's Birthday

My dear little girl is turning 6! Wednesday is Ashley's 6th birthday, so our family gathered on Sunday to celebrate her birthday and also to dedicate Violet to God. My children's birthday affect me so much differently than my own. My birthday is another year, a different age, not really that big of a deal. On my children's birthday I reminisce. I reflect back on the birth, holding that new little baby, those feelings of happiness, the adrenaline (where did that go?), and ultimately end up thinking- how does time fly so fast? Now Ashley is turning 6- so how did that happen? Ashley wanted a tinkerbell cake-so here is Tink sitting on her tree stump. I enjoy making these cakes for her, it is fun to plan and to think about these cakes and I enjoy watching their anticipation as they watch these cakes being made.

And of course there are gifts to be opened. This one is of a wall hanging that is currently up on the wall by her bed, given by her Grandma.

Sunday morning, we dedicated Violet to God. Violet wore a beautiful gown sewn by her Grandma. This is very special as all three of my girls have worn this gown on their dedication. The details to the dress are just amazing. And, Violet did wonderful. She was presented to the congregation by an awesome friend. Violet did not cry as I thought she would, and she just did great! What a wonderful day we had! Full of so many memories I don't want to forget!