Merry Christmas!!

The Christmas season has come and gone.  With Thanksgiving being so late this year it seemed that Christmas just flew right by us!  So here are a few pictures:

Done decorating the tree

 Decorating Christmas cookies is always a good time!

 Samuel was the first one to get up Christmas morning.  I knew it was Sam I heard go downstairs because I heard him pour himself a bowl of cereal.  Most of the other kids go right to the TV when they get up, but not Sam...he's ready for breakfast first thing in the morning.  Later in the morning I asked Sam what he did from 5:00 (when he ate his cereal) to 6:30 when the rest of us made it downstairs.  He said he just sat on the couch looking at all the gifts!  I could just imagine him sitting there!!  Oh, the fun of Christmas when you're 7!!

 Jack wasn't feeling too well this morning but still managed a smile

 Max's favorite gift was a tape measure and he uses it most everyday!

 This year Emily has shown that she is growing up because she didn't ask for any toy type gifts, but mainly clothes!

 Abby loved her princess backpack! I love her crooked smile:)

 And poor Drew got one gift this year...a toothbrush!

At Bob's parents, the kids made popcorn ball snowmen...here is Abby showing off her artwork (although Pappy did most of the work).

These are all the Garvin cousins.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE GARVINS!!!

Max's 5th Birthday

This December Max is turning 5!  This year he was excited that the Gardner family was here to help him celebrate.  He also invited his buddy Steve.  There was quite a snowstorm out, but Steve managed to make it and it meant the world to little Max!

Loved having the Gardners here!  

His favorite gift from Steve.

Well, what can I say about Max?  I guess I'll share with you just one story.  Max loves Steve.  He sits next to him every week in church and is right by his side whenever Steve is here.  Here is a picture of them after a hunt this fall.  

Everyday while we drive to pick up the older kids from school we do a bit of school things ourselves to help Max get ready for Kindergarten next year.  We count, sing, sound out words, etc.  So this is how it went:

Me: OK Max are you ready to sound out a word? 
Me: D
Max: (says the D sound)
Me: A
Max: (says the A sound)
Me: D
Max: says the D sound
Me: OK, now I'm not going to help you.  Put it all together now...D...A...D
Max: (long silence)
Me: OK, I'll give you a hint.  He's one of your favorite people.
Max without any hesitation:  STEVE!!!

We love you Max!!  You keep us smiling!

A Walk in our Woods

It was one of those Indian Summer days so the three little ones and I took a walk back into our woods.  Here are just a few pictures from the day:

 Max named this the "Hall of Trees"

8 People + 3 Bedrooms = 1 Addition

 

When we looked at this house for the first time, Bob fell in love with the land. So I told him that if we got the land we would have to be willing to make the house work for 8 people.  He agreed and has held to his word.  So 3 days after we closed the addition was underway!  YAY!!

 

 

The excavating provided hours of entertainment for the kids, so I was able to get a bunch of unpacking done during those first days.

 

 

The excavating is done and the block is ready to be laid for the basement level.

 

The block is laid.

 



The framing is started and ready for the trusses.

 

 

Stay tuned for more progress...



We Moved!!

Moving day went as smoothly as it possibly could.  We had 18 friends come help.  By the end of the day all 7 of our beds were assembled and made, shower curtains were hung, bath towels put away, kitchen put away, and the list goes on.  We are so grateful to all of you who came to help...even Tim and Amy drove all the way from Quakertown, PA to help and Amy's organizational fetish was very much appreciated:)

Leaving our house on Overlook Drive came with mixed emotions.  We made many memories in that house, made great friends in the neighborhood, and had so much sweat equity that perspective buyers wouldn't appreciate as much as we do!!

But at the same time we look forward to making new memories here at Camp Road. 

We look forward to having space to have our own little homestead.  In addition to the garden and chickens that we had on Overlook (our neighbors are probably glad not to have to listen to the roosters crowing each morning anymore!), we would love to have pigs or goats, some fruit trees, a bee hive, and the dreams go on.  Who knows how much of that will actually be carried out, but its fun to know that we aren't bound by the neighbors on each side of us.

Another thing that Bob has dreamed of for many years is being able to live on his own hunting land.  Last week he and Jack walked out our back door into the woods, climbed the two-man tree stand and had a great afternoon hunt.  They ended up dragging back this 6 point.  It was the first time that Jack had been with Bob to witness the kill...a definite father-son bonding moment.

Halloween 2013

Happy Halloween from the Garvins!!

 

 

Max the Firefighter, Abby the Princess, Emily the gymnast, Drew the Pumpkin, Herobrine Jack, and Luke "Sam" Skywalker

 



 

Each of the kids has worn this pumpkin costume that a friend had made and used for her own kids then passed down to me.  Of course they all were the world's cutest little pumpkins, but this year Drew was the cutest little pumpkin...even without the little green stem hat that he refused to keep on!\



Moving!

As Max saw Drew climb into the box he said, "Mom, how are we going to get Drew to fit in the box so we can tape him in?"

 

 

 

 



Spirit Week

I love Spirit Week and I hate it at the same time.  I love to see the kids get so excited to dress up and be festive, but I dread the mornings of getting 6 kids out the door, 3 of them in specific costumes, by 7:30.  AHHH!!  They are able to win prizes for the best costumes, so pressure's on!! 

 

Day 1: Duck Dynasty Day

 

I'm not sure what happened to Jack, but he too was head to toe camo.

 

Day 2: Crazy Hair/Tye Dye/Crazy Hat Day (3 things on one day...seriously??)

 

 

If you can't tell, Jack's hair is spray painted in multiple tye dye colors.  Samuel won the prize in his class for his wig hat combo.
 

Emily thought for sure her bunhawk was a shoe in for the prize, but it came up empty:(

 

Day 3: Super Hero/Villian day

 

 

Super Sam, Emily the Thief, and Jack is Herobrine from MineCraft ( I had never heard of such a thing, but he was determined.  Our moving boxes came in handy in making his own costume).  Both Emily and Jack won their class prizes, so pressure was off...whew!!

 

Day 4:  Disney Day

 

Sam was Woody from Toy Story, Jack was a pirate from Captain Hook, and Emily was Merida from Brave. 

 

 

Thanks to the Cute Girls Hairstyles website we were able to pull off some Merida hair.

 

 

Day 5:  Blue and White Day (their school colors)

 

I think we were pretty exhausted from the other days that I totally forgot to pull out the camera, but rest assured they all had blue hair and painted faces.

 

Thanks to Grandma who has purchased costumes for the kids over the years, I only had to buy some hair spray paint for the whole week!!

 

Glad its over!!!!



Eden & Charlie's Wedding

My sisters and I have been trying to plan a Sister Weekend Away for some time now.  Eden's wedding proved to be a great time to get away and the Chesapeake provided a beautiful setting for relaxation and celebration.

 

 

This was the first time my sisters and I have gone away together without any kids!  It was glorious!!  I forget how pleasant it is to sit down to eat a meal at a normal pace or have a lengthy conversation with another adult.

 

 

Charlie and Eden both have fond memories of the Chesapeake.  Charlie's farm has been in his family for more than 200 years and Eden's family vacationed at a place nearby all through her childhood years.  So to have a wedding right there was so fitting. 

 

What a beautiful couple!



Embracing their Scottish heritage with the bagpiper! 

Me and the Beautiful Bride:)

Mr. & Mrs. Henderson

After they left we stayed to enjoy the views.

Jessica and Lena

A perfect end to a beautiful celebration

 

 

 

 



Drew's First Birthday

Drew's birthday fell on one of the busiest weeks of this fall.  I was going to be leaving the next day to go to Eden's wedding and every evening we were supposed to be at baseball or soccer games.  Thankfully it rained the night of his birthday so our games got cancelled and we were all home to celebrate Drew's first birthday!

 

 

Jack especially thought Drew would really like a baseball cake.  I was very thankful for his idea because I knew I wouldn't have a lot of time to devote to making a cake and a baseball seemed to be about the easiest cake to make!

 

 

No matter how much Emily tried to convince him that he would like it...

 

...he just didn't want any part of it.

After he was left on his own for a bit, he did manage to enjoy a little bit of the icing:)

Being Garvin baby #6, there isn't really a whole lot that we don't already have (plus Daddy doesn't really think that a one year old should get anything at all), so he just had one present to open.

 

 

A book!!  You can never have too many books, right??


It's hard to remember what life was like before Drew came along.  In a way his first year has flown by, but in another it seems he has always been a part of our family.

It has been fun watching his own little personality come through!  He loves his blankey, loves to climb (although he hasn't tried to climb out of his crib yet...just into the tub), loves to be outside, loves to be upside down, is always on the go, is easy to make laugh, and will bite you if he thinks you are in his space!!

As Abby says for all of us, "I wuv my baby Dwoowie."