Merry Christmas Eve!!

I found this great card for Ben and I inserted a picture of him at that age in the same state of undress! He got a real kick out of it!!

Here's my birthday boys!

Merry Christmas! The excitement is building at the Boardman house and the countdown has begun! This Christmas is a little different for us this year in that none of our relatives are here. I thought I would be really blue, but so far, we are having a blast! Like Dave said, "What's there to be blue about?" We are so blessed!! I just want to say that I am so very grateful to all of our friends out there. The heart-ties that we have with you have carried us through every phase of our lives. You are all so special and we love you lots!
Last week, we celebrated Ben and Dave's birthdays. Friday night, we took the kids and a couple of Ben's friends out to Outback for dinner. Ben had a big sleepover that night. I can't believe he is twelve! Dave turned forty-two. Wow!!!!
Merry Christmas!!!!!!

What a precious boy!

My Sri Lankan friend, Prahtiba and her son, Dulina. Don't you love the eyes?

Truitt's new wheels!

Church Christmas Dinner

We had our annual church dinner last Saturday night. It is always a night filled with delicious food, fellowship, hilarious skits, and presenting a nice gift to our Pastor's family. Emily was really excited because Andrea was well enough to attend. They bounced around together all evening! The highlight of the night was seeing the Truitt kid's faces when Josh drove in on their new Kawasaki 90 four-wheeler. They were literally speechless! Usually, their gift from the church is a $25 Target gift card. It was a dream-come-true for them!
We're on the countdown for Christmas around here. The closets are bulging with unwrapped gifts and the kids are under close surveillance. Our Christmas Pageant is this weekend. I'm sure many of you can feel the stress just by reading these words. Smile!!! Do you remember what happened to me last year at Pageant time? Yep! I got lice from some of my precious Sunday School kids. I'm trying to be more careful this year!
Have a blessed day!

The Finished Product!

Here it is! After two trips to Target for lights and maneuvering around my posse of miniature decorators, the tree is finally up! It is sooo pretty and festive! I'm really getting excited for Christmas now. Stop by anytime for a cup of coffee......

Too Busy for Blogging!

Well June, here I am at last! I've been lying on the couch eating bon-bons and I can't reach my computer. I'm sure you understand!!!
Our Thanksgiving reunion was a highlight for me. My cousin, Monica, and her husband, Rob, came all the way from Germany for the occasion. Aunt Karen flew in from Florida, Uncle Richard and Bobbe from Alaska, Grandma's "special friend", Joe Hollingsworth, and all my immediate family. Wow! What a crowd! Everyone pitched in on the cooking and the cleaning. It made it really easy on me! Thanks guys.
This week, I have been in recovery mode. Since we are going to be by ourselves for Christmas this year( 1st time since 1995), I am struggling to get in the mood to decorate. Usually, I host the Boardman Family and this year we're going to Dan and Kandi's. I did put a wreath on the door and addressed all my cards. I'll keep you posted on the progress.......if any of you feel a burden for the decorating ministry, let me know.

Boardman Follies

Well leave it to Ben to keep our household interesting. He decided to make his own variation of a Dagwood sandwich. After pleading for permission to try out his culinary creativity, I conceded. The conditions being that whatever he created, he had to eat. Here's a list of ingredients: bread, mayo, mustard, grape jam, bologna, cheese, corn flakes, saltines, pretzels, ranch dressing, and topped off with a little salsa. He managed about four bites and the dogs handled the rest. It was quite the entertaining lunch hour, let me tell you! I'm trying to learn the great parenting lesson that it's not just trying to get to the destination, it's all about enjoying the ride. Now I need to go and clean up the kitchen!!!!

It's a wonderful day to be alive!

It's a gorgeous fall day with a nip in the air! I start thinking about pumpkin pies, pulling out my long-awaited Christmas CD's(I try to hold off until Nov.), holiday visits from family, losing weight so that I can enjoy holiday feasts with a little growing room-smile-, Apple scented Glade Plug-ins, and all-around thankfulness for the goodness of a merciful Heavenly Father. It truly is a great day to be alive!
Yesterday, we were able to have Andrea Truitt over for a play-day with Emily. She has been so secluded with her blood counts being too low for much interaction with the outside world. The girls have missed each other dreadfully! They played outside for hours and then came in to play house. It is so much fun to listen to their conversations. They are truly "heart sisters". I have to say, Emily is a little jealous that Andrea is getting a new baby at her house. There is the promise that Andrea will bring the baby over and share with Em. Thanks Jenn, you got me off the hook!

Zach's First Deer!

I guess the Boardman's have entered a new phase of existence. Hunting!!!! Dave took Ben and Zach out Saturday for youth hunt. Around 10:30, a six-point buck("non-typical"I'm learning the lingo) walked out about 50 yards from the stand. Zach dropped him with a single shot! You talk about excitement! My very laid-back husband called me and he was almost yelling into the phone!
Last night, our very committed friends, the McLeans came and showed us how to put up deer meat. I never dreamed I'd ever be doing this. If anyone out there in cyberspace has some tried and true venison recipes, please share.
Last week, I took Josh and Lauren Truitt to Youth Challenge in Indiana. They had a wonderful time. I went with my sister-in-law, Sarah Holden, to hang out at her house for a few days. I took Emily with me and she enjoyed playing with Uncle Paul and the pug, Lucy. She wasn't real sure about Uncle Paul at first. She told us she only liked Doctor dads, not computer guys. By the time we left, she and Paul were fast friends.

The Mighty Hunter!

Saturday was a great day for Mr. Ben. He bagged his first turkey! Actually, he is the first one in our house to shoot one. The guys were so inspired that they hunted for most of the afternoon as well. I've decided that this turkey probably cost us at least a hundred dollars a pound. Smile!
Dave says its quality bonding time with the young men in our family. I tend to agree with him.(It was also nice to have a quiet house to clean on Saturday.)
We start revival with Penn View quartet in a couple days. Our church is really excited for them to come. Their enthusiasm is always contagious. Bro. Truitt started a contest for the kids at church to see who can invite the most friends on Sunday. It could be standing room only!
We are winding up the first quarter in school this week, so that means lots of exams to study for and grade. Oh, when are the holidays?????

Birthdays and more birthdays!

Last weekend was a busy one! We celebrated Zach's 9th birthday Friday with a big pizza party and around 30 people. He had three boys stay over for a sleepover, so I was the mother of 8 for one night!(Seven of which were boys!!!) They had a blast creating piles of laundry, eating constantly, running in and out the front door, and acting like normal boys. You gotta love em!
It seems like I've had a constant stream of B-days and parties: Josh in June, Caleb and Emmy in September, and Zach in October. Whew! Ben's isn't until December!!!! I just wish they wouldn't grow up so fast. I can't imagine this house without the constant noise and activity.
I'm posting some birthday pics.

Branson Trip

We just returned from a very relaxing 4 days in Branson! We were able to rent a two bedroom condo on the lake for their off-season prices. What a deal! We spent a couple days at Silver Dollar City. We even convinced Caleb to ride the roller-coaster. It took a $20 bribe to get him on, but he finally did it! I even squelched my fears and rode Wildfire(a coaster that actually goes upside down-TWICE). I did ok the first ride, but the second one did me in. I was on the bench for a half-an-hour waiting for my Dramamine to kick in!
The Truitt's(our pastor's family) and the McCarthy's(my sister's family) were also in Branson last week. It was great to be together. We took the kids to see the Duttons. They are a performing family of six brothers and sisters plus the parents. They play all kinds of instruments and they sing. It has become our tradition to go see them every time we're in town. I posted a pic of Ben Boardman with Ben Dutton. (Both are very Hyper!!!)
We are back to the grind of school this week. In some ways, the routine is very calming for us. In other ways, I would like to try the perpetual vacation for a while!

Branson Trip

What an eventful night! The boys loaded up their camping gear(several four-wheeler trips) and headed for the creek. Even Emily decided she was joining in on the adventure! I was okay with the arrangement until Dave came home from work and realized that they had camped up an embankment on the other side of the creek. About midnight, I started having visions of Emily sleep-walking and falling down the hill. So good old Dad drove me down to get her. Needless to say, she was not impressed with being awakened and taken back to safety. Smile! The boys did come back to get her for the campfire breakfast this morning!

This is fun

We are the Boardmans. Dave and I have been married for 16 years. We have five wonderful kids--Josh, Ben, Zach, Caleb, and Emily. Dave is a primary care physician here in Cape Girardeau, MO, and I am a stay-at-home mom. We have been homeschooling for 10 years and it has truly been an adventure! Our house is located out in the country on about eight acres full of rabbits, deer, coyotes, and SNAKES. God has been so good to our family and we're loving life!