we’re moving…

…okay don’t panic!  The only thing that’s moving is this blog.  With the help of my technology loving husband, we’ve moved Li’l” Shoes blog to a different site.  This doesn’t mean a lot except you’ll need to “follow” the new blog or you will not receive emails any longer.  So, go to www.lilshoemaker.com and click “follow” and simply input your email address (if you need help with this, please just reply to the email like usual, and I’ll coach you).  Of course, if you’re tired of hearing about our crazy antics, then now is a great time to simply do nothing, ha!  Happy New Year!

battle day

When we bought the boys nerf guns for Christmas, we also bought them way too many extra bullets.  Lucky for the cabin owners in Kentucky, we chose not to let the boys unwrap the extra ammo while we were there.  When we got home, the boys found a few unopened gifts and of course couldn’t contain their curiosity.  So, Nate told them they’d have to wait for “Battle Day.”  It’s funny how as soon as you give something hype, little boys are psyched.  They had no idea what Battle Day even was.

When the day arrived, we all drew and named as many monsters as we could imagine.  Then, we let the boys open up the remaining gifts of extra nerf bullets.  We chose teams (spoons vs forks) and hid the monsters around the house.  All monsters upstairs were worth five points, main level ones were one point each, and the basement monsters were worth ten a piece (flashlights were necessary).  We counted down from three and had five minutes to shoot as many monsters as we could.  We played a few rounds, switched teams, and even let the boys hide the monsters for us to find.  So much fun was had by all.  Battle Day may become a new holiday in the Shoemaker house.

2014 in review

I always love looking back over the stories, pictures, and memories we’ve documented on this blog.  Here are a few of my favorites from 2014:

January was full of snow and frigid temperatures; here’s hoping for round two next month!

Courben turned five and was well on his way to becoming the fluent reader that he is today.

Judah turned three and continued with his skill of charm by snuggling with his new baby cousin, James.

April was the “stitch” month with our first trip to the ER.

Remember this adventure?  We nursed a newborn kitten for three days in May!

June was full of fun events like bonfires, Columbus Commons, Scioto Mile fountains, outdoor movies, and the boys’ first fishing trip.

Kiddie pool and gardening marked July, along with our first Red, White, and Boom fireworks show.

In August, we started homeschooling (Courben in Kindergarten and Judah in preschool)—Wednesdays are our Nature days each week.

Judah, Serena, and I did the Color Run in South Bend in September.  We might have convinced Courben to join us next year.

October was pretty full—lots of school lessons, apple picking, pumpkin carving, Halloween bonfire, and let’s not forget acquiring a new Auntie!

Our first and only snow so far this winter was a good one.  Enough November snow for a sledding trip.

And in December, we headed to Kentucky for a cabin Christmas and celebrated Christ coming to be with us as we enjoyed hot-tubbing, hiking, and checking out the Natural Bridge.

We’re full of thanks for what God has done in 2014 and looking forward with anticipation and hope for what He has in store for 2015.

another year of zoo lights

We enjoyed the zoo lights with some neighbors this year.  It’s always fun to see the new display and check out which animals are braving the cold.  Judah had his heart set on seeing the arctic foxes, who are normally quite active in the winter, but they were no where to be found.  After our outing, we headed back to our place and shared McDonald’s with everyone thanks to a gift card from Great Grandma!  A great evening with some great friends.  We’re thankful for our neighborhood and looking forward to where God leads us in the next year.

cookie making

Nate had been asking for soft molasses cookies since the holidays began, so the boys and I decided to surprise him one day this month.

Judah did lots of measuring.  Courben used the hand mixer and then rolled the cookie dough into balls.  Then, Judah dipped the balls in sugar.  They turned out great and were a big hit!

a kentucky christmas

Usually when winter hits, our family needs a little getaway.  One of the things another missionary family told us was, “you’ll need to retreat to stay.”  Because our missionary context can be hard, but rewarding, we figured this was amazing wisdom.  So, Nate took the week of Christmas off and we decided to head to a cabin in the woods.  Little did we know, we’d hit a gold mine of God’s creation.

The trip started like all good car rides start…with a nap!

Glimpses of our Kentucky Christmas cabin—the weather was warm enough that we could enjoy the front porch and the outdoor hot tub daily!

We spent Christmas morning building Legos, engaging in an epic nerf war, and watching Christmas movies.

On the next day, we ventured out to find out what the “Natural Bridge” was, which was in a state park right by our cabin.

We thought maybe this was what all the hype was about…a natural bridge?

We quickly figured out, we still had a ways to hike before we found the true Natural Bridge. So, we stopped along the way to climb rocks and make silly faces.

Here it is from underneath!  Would we actually get to walk across it?  Or would we get to ride go-carts across it like Nate kept trying to convince the boys?

No go-carts, but we definitely got to make our way across this awesome creation.

And a shot from lookout point!  So amazing!

Along the way, we did have an almost casualty-Courben got stuck in the mud.  Thankfully, we recovered him and his sunken, muddy shoe.

More silliness on the way back down the mountain.

And we didn’t leave without leaving our marks.

When all was said and done, we hiked over three miles, including both  the original, easiest trail and the steepest trail.  We were wiped out!

The rest of our trip included a visit to the Reptile Zoo, listening to mice and squirrels scurry through the cabin when it was dark, cleaning up throw up in the middle of the night (it wouldn’t be a Shoemaker holiday without it), and peeing in the lake (why??).  Merry Christmas from our family to yours.  Hope yours was restful and joyful.

and oh! what a glorious day!

Yesterday was a great day, start to finish!  We began by building our manger.  The boys did a great job helping.

They helped with measuring, sawing, sanding, and hammering. 

Once we got it built, we had to find baby Jesus and put him in his place of honor—both boys learned how to swaddle. 

Let the acting begin!  Grab a flashlight for the star and a chair arm rest cover for your head covering, and you should be all set! 

Baby Jesus was all tired out from his grand entrance and being toted around all day, so he took a nap with Judah. 

We finished the day with cookie baking…

…playing with friends…       

…and a huge Christmas mess.  Such a fabulous day!