Christmas in..... March??

After leaving Cheyenne, the next stop was Laramie. Because of bad roads and weather in December, we had two failed attempts at seeing Wayne and Sandy over the holidays. Finally, in MARCH, we celebrated Christmas!

Timothy got the extra bonus -- birthday presents, too!! Here is a video of him opening a very large package right after he opened an EMPTY tool box......




The tools were a hit!



Hey, what happened to Timothy??

Savannah trying on the glasses from Timothy's doctor kit.

Timothy letting her know how he felt about that... (this event of Timothy refusing to share did earn him some need discipline from mom and dad).

Allie loved the prayer shawl that Sandy made for her.

As always, the kids dove into the dress up chest. This time Savannah and Timothy dressed up as well. Phil was thrilled that Timothy was in a skirt and beads.

An exciting game of Pacardy - the game of dice, money and cards!

While we were whoopin' it up in the kitchen, Grandpa and Timothy snuggled together to watch an episode of Sesame Street on the portable DVD player.

Three generations: Timothy Phillip, Phillip Wayne and Wayne Arthur

Another nice looking threesome

As an added bonus, Grandma Zaucha is currently staying with Wayne and Sandy. The kids were thrilled to see her again.

On our way out of town, we stopped by Gregory's assisted living home. He was excited for the kids to see his decorated room.

A trip to Cheyenne

It's Spring Break here in Casper this week. So far it doesn't feel like it, but that's okay because we've stayed nice and warm in Grandma and Grandpa's house.

After knee replacement surgery last week, Grandma Jeannine was ready for visitors. From her comfy chair, the kids entertained her and we did our best to prevent them from jumping on her lap.

Sarah and Timothy look and sound like Indians.



Allie nurses her elbow she hit on Grandma's mirror in a lively game of checkers.



Lindsay was "stair patrol", trying to keep Savannah contained to the main level. Savannah pleads, "Just ONE more time, pleeease?".

Afternoon days

While the big girls are at school, Timothy, Savannah and I stay busy at home. Most days Timothy bugs Savannah and takes everything she touches. On other days, they actually get along.....




...until Savannah decides to tackle him.



March ... in like a LAMB??



We enjoyed a nice warm beginning to the month of March. Timothy and Savannah played at the park, played in the sandbox and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

Savannah is joining the world of walking

Savannah is slowly making the transition from crawling to walking. Most of the kids walked between 13-14 months, so at 15+ months, she is definitely the latest walker.

We can't blame her for staying close to the ground -- her brother is a powerful bulldozer who levels her without much notice.

Here's a little video of her walking across the living room.

One Year of Blogging

March 8 was a special day. It marked ONE YEAR of blogging for the Hubert Family 7!! Take a peek back in time to see what March 2008 looked like.

Check back soon - I know I am a little behind, but more posts are coming very soon........

Timothy Turns Three

Timothy couldn't wait for everyone else to sing, so he began the festivities by serenading himself!!

Happy Birthday to Me, Happy Birthday to Me.....



Timothy was so excited to see me after being gone for 5 days. He kept telling me, "I'm 3 now."



He picked the dinner menu -- hot dogs and mac-n-cheese.


And his cake - Check out Lighting McQueen and Tomater


Timothy thought they should race on the cake!

Happy Birthday to YOU.......

DELICIOUS!

Savannah thinks so, too.

He LOVED the doctor kit from Grammy and Grandpa. He took it with him to Savannah's 15 month checkup so he could help Dr. Ellbogen.

Singing all the way to Spokane

What a trip!! Allie and I have returned from a 5 day Children's Chorale trip. Their group was chosen to perform for the MENC (The National Association for Music Education) Northwest Division Conference in Spokane, WA. Our itinerary was jam packed from the moment we left Casper until we returned 5 days later.

Special thanks to Brenda and Jackie for watching Savannah and Timothy so that Phil could work on Thursday and Friday. MUCH appreciation goes to Phil for allowing me to chaperone this trip and taking extra special care of the other 4 in my absence. I love ya, honey!

I took too many pictures and even more videos. Here is just a glimpse of the fantastic opportunity Allie and I were a part of.


Thursday, Feb. 12 ~ Depart at 6:45 a.m.
On the bus and ready to go. There were 2 large charter buses carrying 111 students and chaperones.






Our first stop was Buffalo, WY to sing at the local high school for all of the elementary students in this district. I believe this song is called High Flight. Allie is in the second row, 4th person from the right.



A crowd favorite -- Oh Susanna



Next stop on Thursday was at a Catholic Cathedral to sing for students in this private Catholic school. The acoustics were absolutely amazing. Phil received a recording taken on a cell phone and he said it sounded like a professional recording!


This song is If You Can Walk You Can Dance, If You Can Talk You Can Sing.




We arrived in Bozeman, MT for a nice dinner at Fuddruckers. Here is the group of girls that I was responsible for.



After dinner (remember, this is STILL Thursday!), the Chorale performed the National Anthem at the Montana State Women's basketball game.


THEN, we walked under a tunnel to the MSU athletic department and the kids got to swim for an hour or so. The kids seemed to come alive, however the chaperones were exhausted by this point!




Friday, Feb. 13: After a VERY short night's sleep (10:15 p.m. - 5:00 a.m.) we loaded the buses again. First stop was an elementary school in Missoula, MT. The kids sang a couple of songs, then we walked to the University campus to eat lunch and sight-see. The scenery was spectacular. It seemed as if we were surrounded by mountains.



Allie taking a little break from all the walking around campus.




We arrived in Spokane late afternoon and the kids had time to play some games in the lobby of our hotel. Allie and Mackenzie enjoy a friendly game of Connect 4.

Next it was off to dinner at a local BBQ place.



Saturday, February 14 -- VALENTINE's Day: Since the kids all missed their school parties, each of the parents packed little bags of goodies and treats for the kids rooming together. Maridi, Natassia and Allie indulged me with a quick picture in their jammies before breakfast.

On Saturday morning the kids preformed at the conference as well as watched a couple of other musical groups. We were on our own for a couple hours to explore downtown Spokane. Here we are enjoying our lunch at PF Chang's.

After we finished with the conference on Saturday, we were off to a Natural Arts Museum. The kids wandered around and found some neat presents in the gift shop. Here is Allie enjoying the bird area.

After the museum, we had Italian for dinner at a local restaurant and then more swimming at the hotel.

Sunday, February 15 was mostly a long driving day. We wound through the mountains of Spokane, Idaho and Montana and arrived in Bozeman. We enjoyed Fuddruckers for the second time then were off to a local athletic club to get rid of some energy! The staff at the club was super. The kids got to play racquetball, basketball, dance, do aerobics and take part in a spinning class. Here is Allie and one of the chaperones, Jen, concentrating on the instructor's instructions for the "race".

Here is a fun video of the dancing. I can't remember what they called it -- something like Zaboom ?? (update: Missi told me its called Zumba) After they went through all their stations, it was off for MORE swimming.

Monday, February 16: We left Bozeman and headed toward Sheridan for lunch. Missi, David, Meg, Ella and baby Jackson bundled up and met us at Arby's for 45 minutes. It was great to see them.

We arrived back in Casper at 3:03 p.m. WHEW! It was a great trip for both Allie and I! Too bad we couldn't come home and go to bed. It was Timothy's 3rd birthday and Phil had been busy at home getting ready for a little party. More of that in a later post.

Fun February Facts

Fact #1: Savannah is not happy about the closed gate at the top of the stairs.

"Please"


"I really want to go downstairs with my sisters."


"NOW!"

"Being little stinks some days"

Fact #2: Sword Drills are a fun way to get the kids learning where all the books of the Bible are located.

We often start out our family devotion time with some scripture passage "sword" drills. Timothy participates with his picture Bible.

Fact #3: Timothy loves to learn and is a good singer also!

Fact #4: Chocolate Chip cookies are SOOOOO delicious!

Those big dark eyes just melt my heart!

AWANA Quizzing in Lingle, WY

The most important part of AWANA is Bible memorization. The kids start at a very early age learning verses and passages of scripture. The goal is that they will hide God's Word forever in their heart so that they will not sin against Him. Visit this link to learn more about AWANA.

Once a year, regional quizzing events are held. The purpose is to have friendly competition with other AWANA clubbers, testing basic principles, topical elements and Bible memorization. There is an oral and a written part to each test. The kids are tested in their appropriate level book and awarded plaques and ribbons for their efforts.

This was the first year we have participated in quizzing and we had a great time. I was absolutely astounded at the amount of God's Word these kids in AWANA have been taught and the amount they have at the forefront of their minds. What a precious, invaluable thing to possess at such an early age.

Our church, Cornerstone Evangelical Free, had 6 teams (2 people per team) participating in 3 different books. Sarah and Kristy quizzed in T&T Book 1 and took first place.





Allie and her friend Katelyn placed second at Book 3.

Allie and Sarah had AWESOME coaches - Donna K. and Deb M.

The quizzing group from our church.

Let the Races Begin.............

For the past couple of years, our church, in conjunction with the AWANA program, host a Grand Prix Pinewood Derby. We have attended in years past, but this year we decided to GET INVOLVED!

For the low, low price of $3.50 per kit, each participant receives a block of wood and some wheels. That's it. It's up to the kids to determine the final shape, design and color.

Phil was less than thrilled that we came up with the idea of vegetables. Why, you ask. Well, we are studying the book of Daniel at church and had just finished the chapter about Daniel requesting to eat fruits and vegetables in place of the king's choice food. The result - a much stronger and healthier Daniel.

The way I look at it is it was a good excuse for Phil to buy a Dremel kit. He won't admit it, but he actually had a lot of fun out in the garage getting covered in sawdust!

Here is Allie helping him with her vegetable car -- asparagus.



Lindsay's half painted corn on the cob



Sarah's finishing touches on her pea pod

Timothy is one proud owner of the speedy carrot car!

All four vegetables ready for the races!

Blake, Pete and Phil discuss the correct placement of weights on the cars.

The spectators are excited and ready for the races to begin

Daddy and his girls holding their veggie cars. They all had a blast working on this together.

At the end of the race, the vegetables lined up to see which was the fastest. I think the corn won.

Timothy tried as hard as he could to stay awake but he finally crashed in Phil's arms. The race went from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Hello -- that's nap time at our house. As you can see Savannah preferred the recline position in her stroller as well.

It was very difficult to get good video. The races were so fast and there were so many kids crowding the track. Here is a race that Lindsay's corn on the cob was in.


I realized when I uploaded my pictures that most of the video was taken sideways (which I cannot rotate). Just turn your head, or your monitor, and enjoy the race.