Payoff

Sometimes when I'm working with the kids and it's a lot more work than if I were doing it myself, I wonder if and when all that trouble is going to bear fruit. Well this was what has been happening this winter at our house.



I've only shoveled once so far. I'll have to do the real wet heavy stuff for a while yet, but I am very excited that my shovelers are working. So far they are enjoying it and thinking it's fun.

Caleb -1 Tooth

Caleb is definitely getting older. I tried to pull on it a little bit, but in pure Caleb fashion, he went to the bathroom by himself and emerged a few minutes later minus one tooth. He was very excited, so excited that he almost broke down. Those of you who are introverts know what it's like to be so excited you almost cry, right? Amanda said she could definitely relate. We'll celebrate his 7th birthday at the end of this month. Things seem to be moving very fast at the Gammons house.

The View Out Our Back Door

Last week we woke up to a few friends in our back yard. Matthew, of course, was the most interested. After he watched for a while, he and I put our coats on and sneaked out to get a closer look. Before we got too close, both of them ran into the neighbors yard. Matt really like to see their white tails flap back and forth.

Happy 4th Anniversary Gammons Fam Blog

Today marks the 4th anniversary of my first post on this blog. The picture above is from that first post welcoming you all aboard. Thanks to all of you (or should I say both of you) who have been reading this whole time. It has been a good conduit to keep up communication with those of you who are far away. It has also been a good way to meet new people, especially at church. Someone subbed in my Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago and said, "Did you go to Calvin College?" I said, "No, but I worked there." I then asked her how she knew any of that. She replied, "Oh, I was on your blog once." Kind of funny.

Whether you've been here from the beginning or this is your first time, welcome. Thanks for reading.

Hymn of the Week: Thanksgiving Hymns

Every Thanksgiving we pick the same hymn, Come Ye Thankful People, Come. You can read previous posts about that hymn and why we've chosen it here and here. This year we also sang another hymn of thanksgiving for the week before. Now Thank We All Our God is a hymn that I have only sung a few times. It is a great one though. This week in church we focused on the thing that all Christians have of which to be most thankful, our redemption in Christ. When we sang this song and Ben and Caleb both looked at me and smiled, it was a great affirmation that something, albeit something very small, is actually sinking in.

As you and your family gather around tables this Thanksgiving, I pray that you are not only thankful for the many material blessings that we all have, but more so, you are thankful for God imputing your sin to Jesus and imputing His righteousness to you. If you are not yet thankful for this, I pray that God will give you the gift of faith and thankfulness for it.

Hymn of the Week

Now Thank We All Our God

Words by Martin Rinkart

Music by Johann Crüger

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,

Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;

Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way

With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,

With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;

And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;

And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;

The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;

The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;

For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

Snowmen in November

Only in Minnesota can you use a leftover pumpkin for a hat and a gourd for a nose on your first snowman. This was from last weekend.

Attempted Stay-cation

Last week I had Veteran's day off, so I took a Friday off in hopes of having a four day weekend. The plan was to stay home, get some things done and make take a trip to the state capitol. Starting last Monday though, our family was hit with one of our annual pandemics. Every child in the period of a week, threw up at least once. Most of them vomited more than once and most of them did it in their beds at least once. Needless to say, we spent the weekend doing laundry, renting a rug doctor, lighting candles, eating saltines and drinking 7-Up.

We were so tired of being in the house that on Friday, Matt, Ben, Molly and I went to St. Paul and stopped by the capitol. We didn't go inside though. We decided to save that so that Caleb could go with us another time. The rest of the time we spent doing puzzles. We did a 100, 300 and a 500 piece puzzle along with a couple of really small ones. I told Amanda that the differences between our house and a nursing home were very minimal this week.

Quotes: Hypocrite

Is it okay for me to put quotes here that aren't my from my kids? I think so. Hey, it's my blog.

Last night at church I was talking about a passage in Matthew where Jesus refers to a hypocrite. I asked if anyone knew what a hypocrite was. One of the girls raised her hand.

"My mom is sometimes a hypocrite. Because she asks me to make my bed but doesn't make her own."

AWESOME! That's why I like teaching second grade.

Summons

This poem was read at a meeting I just attended. I appreciated its spirit.

Summons
by Robert Francis

Keep me from going to sleep too soon
Or if I go to sleep too soon
Come wake me up. Come any hour
Of night. Come whistling up the road.
Stomp on the porch. Bang on the door.
Make me get out of bed and come
And let you in and light a light.
Tell me the northern lights are on
And make me look. Or tell me clouds
Are doing something to the moon
They never did before, and show me.
See that I see. Talk to me till
I'm half as wide awake as you
And start to dress wondering why
I ever went to bed at all.
Tell me the walking is superb.
Not only tell me but persuade me.
You know I'm not too hard persuaded. 

It made me think of the kind of relationship that I want with my boys. What thoughts were brought to your mind?

Halloween Details

From Halloween

From Halloween

From Halloween

From Halloween

From Halloween

Halloween 2010

We had a great time out last night. The kids all looked fun and we hardly spent any money on their costumes. WIN, WIN. It was a beautiful night for trick or treating in Minnesota. Any night for trick or treating in Minnesota where you don't have to wear a winter coat over your costume is a beautiful night.