Christmas Day

We had a wonderful Christmas. The kids were so excited! Alex would rip open one present and immediately want the next while Sabrina was so busy playing with her new toys that she wasn’t interested in opening any more for a while. We all got some very nice things for which I am thankful.





After the presents I cooked while the kids played. Charles came over for a late lunch and we watched the Nativity Story. It was a great day and we really enjoyed each other’s company.

Marie-Anne

Too excited to sleep

Alex fell asleep in the car before service and had a nap that he normally doesn’t take then he had more cookies than he should have. That combined with the fact that tomorrow’s Christmas and we have one little boy who’s too excited to sleep. Finally we let him get back up and play on the computer for a while- he was up until 1 am!
When Sabrina wakes during the night Alex NEVER wakes up. Tonight when I went to get her he was awake! I asked if he was still up. He said< “I’m supposed to be awake I have presents!” I explained that Sabrina didn’t know it was still night and we still had a few more hours and he went right back to sleep.

A wonderful Christmas Eve

Frank’s grandma gave us money for Christmas Eve dinner so we had a wonderful lunch at Olive Garden. The food was delicious. The staff was extremely nice. The best part was that we were together as a family and enjoying each other. We had a very nice time.
Later we had a Christmas Eve service. It was beautiful, we sang hymns and Frank read the account of Jesus’ birth.
Frank – We read from Matthew chapter 1, Luke chapter 2 and then Matthew 2. Every five or so verses we would stop the reading and sang a Christmas hymn that corresponded to the scripture we read. We sang: Joy to the World, O little Town of Bethlehem, O Come All ye Faithful, Angels We Have Heard on High and Silent Night, Holy Night. Afterward everyone was invited to fellowship to have a “Cookie-Exchange”, people bake some cookies and then exchange them. We provided Eggnog and we had a good time.

Operation Cookie Drop-Off

One of our church members had a great idea: to bake cookies and take them to people who wouldn’t be able to make it for the Christmas Eve service. So we baked a lot of cookies and he baked a lot of cookies. Then we met up with him, Charles, an Airman stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, and spent 3+ hours delivering cookies. Amazingly someone was home at every house we went to. Everyone was surprised and happy that we thought of them.

Reclaim Christmas

We recently went to a place of business where the employees were no longer allowed to put up a Christmas tree like they have always done for fear of offending someone. The employees wanted the tree! While talking about it they offered to give out the corporate number so we could call to complain about the lack of tree. I thought that was an ingenious idea.

If you are like me and want to celebrate Christmas and not just happy holidays call these businesses and let them know, maybe if they get enough calls they’ll realize that the majority want Christmas and quit catering to the minority who don’t.

Marie-Anne

Ethel M Chocolate Factory

Last night I took Alex and some friends to Ethel M. Chocolate Factory to see their wonderful display of Christmas lights. Jr. and Josielyn absolutely love Christmas lights so this was a great treat for them. I enjoyed visiting with their mom and her sister. Since it was an outdoor event I left Sabrina with Frank. So they had father/daughter time. Last year Alex and I went with other friends, it’s free and it’s fun. Maybe it will become a tradition.

Marie-Anne

Children Church Concert

Yesterday was our children’s church concert. The kids sang three songs for everyone at the end of service. They did a good job, better than I expected. Then the kids had a pizza party.

Marie-Anne

Making Family Stories into beginner Readers

Yesterday I saw a video on making beginner readers for your kids. Since Alex is always asking for funny stories about Frank and me I wrote several mostly true stories about us. I drew simple illustrations and Alex has three new books. Alex loves the fact that we are the characters. Here’s the script for a fiction story:

Alex Wants a Pet

Alex wants a pet. What pet will Alex get?
Here is a hog. Will Alex choose the hog? No.
There is a cat. Will Alex take the cat? No, he will not.
Alex sees a duck, but the duck is not the pet for Alex.
Alex goes to the zoo, but he does not find his pet.
Alex walks to a farm. Will Alex get a pet at the farm? No.
Alex looks for a pet at the pond. He sees a frog on a log, but it is not his pet. Will Alex find a pet? Yes, he will.
Alex goes in the woods. He sees a bear. A bear is not a pet! Alex runs.
A trip to the pet store will help. Alex looks at the pets, but which pet is best?
Alex sees a fish. Yes, a fish is the pet for him.

It took a little bit to reword the stories so most of the words are ones he knows, but his response has been great. For my illustrations Alex is a stick person (I don’t draw people very well) and I looked at coloring pages on the internet for the animals.

Please share stories of our family to include extended family. I already wrote a story about Jennifer, but I haven’t made it into a book. (Jennifer, do you remember the black hen?)

Marie-Anne

Lost tooth!

After days of telling Alex how much I want his tooth he swallowed it! While eating a cookie he finally lost his first tooth. Now if he loses the other loose tooth before Christmas he can say, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”

Marie-Anne

Alex is growing up

Today was a great day in the Rendla household; Alex got promoted from a toddler bed to a twin sized bed! He also got Star Wars sheets to go with it. For Christmas he’ll get the comforter and stuffed Yoda. Alex and Sabrina are having a party on the bed. He was so excited.

Marie-Anne

Bass Pro Shop

My dad has been telling me I needed to take Alex to the Bass Pro Shop for a while now. We finally made it. What made it an even better field trip for Alex is that London was with us. This was the perfect trip for both of them, (Alex is already asking to go back). If you have boys take them.





There are real stuffed animals all over the place. The boys were particularly impressed by the pride of lions. There was a Santa’s Winterland area set up for the kids where they could play games and just have fun. The boys tried shooting targets with toy crossbows and guns. Sabrina loved playing in the tent and the truck. Both boys agreed that their favorite part was getting in the real boats in the showroom.

We also had an important lesson on what to do if you get lost when Alex ran off. I talked to him about it before, but he didn’t remember, hopefully now he will.

It was a great field trip and a great day. The boys got along beautifully with absolutely no fighting or teasing. Alex said, “I never knew London could be so much fun!”

Marie-Anne

Brain Quest

I have several of the Brain Quest decks and Alex has enjoyed using the preschool and kindergarten ones. Then for his b-day he got the Brain Quest Kindergarten Workbook. It is great and covers a wide range of material. Alex is already about ¾ ‘s of the way done and he’s only had the workbook for less than a month! He will be getting the first grade workbook for Christmas. I also plan on using Brain Quest with Sabrina.

Marie-Anne

Rocket Readers

Several years ago I bought a whole bunch of Rocket Reader Bible stories at a discount at a dollar store. (Great deal!) I have a shoebox-sized container full of these books. Alex is now reading the beginner level ones to me. I really like these Bible stories told in simple words. Not only that, but many of the stories are not the common stories every kid knows and they have cute pictures.

Marie-Anne

Hooked on Phonics Update

Alex has been using Hooked on Phonics for a while now. We haven’t done it everyday, but he just turned 5 and is reading at a first grade level. He has been reading beginning readers to me and to Sabrina. I am quite pleased with his progress.

Marie-Anne

Red Rock Meadow

Instead of participating in Covetous Friday we went on a picnic at Red Rock. We weren’t the only ones who had that idea. In fact, the line was so long that we went to a meadow outside the park. We walked the boardwalk above the meadow and took lots of pictures. Alex was telling us how hungry he was while he was munching on an apple! Later Alex set the apple down on the stroller’s tray while taking a picture and Sabrina took his apple. After our walk we had a picnic at one of the tables and just enjoyed the wonderful day.

We will definitely be going back.

Marie-Anne

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was nice. We had Cornish Game hens and really enjoyed the time together as a family. It was a good day of rest and family. In the evening, we had a Thanksgiving Service and more people came than I expected. It was a lovely service. We sang songs of thanksgiving and then, we all shared what we are thankful for and more than one person got a little misty eyed as we told of God’s goodness.
I have so much to be thankful for, but the thing I am most thankful for is that when I didn’t even love myself, God loved me. When I didn’t think of myself as someone who was loveable God sent His Son to die on a cross to take my sins away and make me His child. – Marie
I am thankful to God because he counted me faithful calling into the ministry. I am glad HE didn’t give me an IQ test or a physical endurance exam but simply counted me faithful. He has provided for our little family and me and I can rest in confidence that all is and will be well. -- Frank

My Parents' Visit -- Frank

What a wonderful visit we had with my parents! We enjoyed every moment of their visit. Alex and Sabrina were both thrilled by all the attention they got. The kids enjoyed their time at Chuck E Cheese. It was Sabrina’s first time and Alex’s second time. They also enjoyed playing at the library’s children’s section.
It was great that, although we all have very full schedules my parents were able to make time to see us.