What's Wrong With This Picture?

Other than the fact that my baby wants to sit in a big boy chair.

Extreme Fieldtripping

While to most kids field trips are becoming a thing of the past, to homeschoolers they are very real and happen quite often, or when Mom can manage. I have been trying to get a trip to the fire department planned for quite a while. However, due to time restraints, scheduling conflicts, and just plain confusion it hadn't happened. Then on Thanksgiving Day the kids and I got an awesome gift.

My cousin, J.B., is a fireman with the Tahlequah (Pronounced "Tal a Kwa") Fire Department in Tahlequah, OK. He told us to come by the station after we had eaten. We didn't tell the kids until we were getting ready to walk out the door. They were so excited, but this trip was well worth it.

When we got to the station J.B. let the kids simply wander around. They were in awe of all of the different trucks, hoses, tubes, ladders, etc. Although, I was disappointed that there was no fire pole. J.B. told me he was also disappointed, but said he tries to not let it affect his job.

Here the kids are climbing all around one of the trucks.

Then of course they had to try on a real fire helmet
Warrior

Professor

Princess

Then they all got their own hats.

Then J.B. pulled one of the trucks out of the garage/bay, and the fun really began. He let the kids run the sirens. They got to open doors, touch equipment, pull on hoses, and ask more questions than one adult could keep up with, but J.B. did pretty well. And to top it all off, J.B. took the kids for a ride around the block in the truck. How cool is that?

Here Professor and Warrior are buckled in with one of their cousins to take that ride.

One really funny thing was that Professor was completely fascinated by the windows in the truck. They rolled up and down using a handle instead of a button (ugh! How old am I?).

Baby J got to participate, too. Although, he was content to do it from the safety of Rock's arms.

We did put J.B's first aid skills to the test when Professor shut his thumb in the door of the truck. Praise God it was equipped with a safety feature that keeps the door from being able to pinch the finger off. Professor got off with a sore skinned thumb.

Here are all the kids with J.B. For that day he was the "Best Cousin EVER!"

Before we left we had to check out the antique truck from 1901. It is still in working condition, although J.B. said it is an all day event to get it started. This truck was also featured in the movie "Where the Red Fern Grows," which was filmed in Tahlequah.

Here are my Mom and Dad with Princess on the truck. My Mom grew up in Tahlequah, and my Dad met her while they were both attending Northeastern State University which is in town.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty good day, and what a terrific adventure!

Thank You J.B. and the Tahlequah Fire Department! Keep up the good work!

Our Princess

Someday she is going to kill me for this.

This is what happens when you let the kids use your camera.

Why I Love Gift Cards

I come from a very pragmatic family when it comes to gift giving.
1. You don't give expensive gifts if you can't afford them.
2. You keep your personal feelings out of what you give someone (If he wants a singing fish and you can get it cheap, buy the stupid thing.).
3. The cheaper you can get the gift the better, and bragging about your bargain is totally acceptable; because that person should be completely impressed that you gave them exactly what they wanted and saved yourself money in the process.
4. Things that you have taken the time to make are always better than anything store bought no matter how inexpensive the materials.
5. Gift cards are absolutely okay to give. Especially if you didn't have time to make anything.

Our family especially likes to give and get hand made gifts. One of my favorite gifts my sis-in-law, BusyBee, at The Beehive gave me were some handmade paper Nutcracker Christmas Tree ornaments. She gave them because she and my brother were newlyweds, and she could make them cheap, but I think they are awesome (Plug: you can see many of BusyBee's handmade paper products at her Etsy store The Beehive). I spent $15 my first Christmas I was married and made crocheted tree ornaments, and for the past few years I've had complaints that I haven't been giving ornaments. My Grandmother and Grandfather are always making awesome things for we grandchildren and the great-grandchildren, and we will fight over them, steal them, hide them, and try to get out the door with them even if they aren't ours.

However, I also have to say that I love to get gift cards. Why? Well, it is simple really. It is money that is designated for shopping! It is a card that says, "You cannot spend me on groceries, car repairs, bills, or anything necessary. I must be spent on something you don't really need, but you have always wanted." As a mother of 4, I can tell you that a little guilt free shopping is always welcome, and it doesn't matter if it is a card for $5. I promise you that there is something that I will love that costs just that amount. This goes for my darling Sis-in-Law, BusyBee, who sells handmade paper products at her Etsy store The Beehive and takes special orders, who loves to get that Hobby Lobby gift card, and my Mother who loves to get that Sonic gift card. For me Creative Memories, Hobby Lobby or Barnes and Noble are winners.

So just keep these ideas in mind when you are buying gifts. And did I mention that my wonderful Sis-in-Law, BusyBee has an Etsy shop, The Beehive, where you can buy many pre-made or special order handmade paper crafts and the link to her store is in my side bar. I'm just sayin'.