Joanna likes to shake it

 

While at the festival Joanna made a tambourine out of paper plates and mardi gras beads.  Later in the afternoon she put it to good use while listening to a band from Morocco.  The girl sure likes to move it, move it.

Yard Work

A few weeks ago Normand finished raking up the oak leaves in front of the house and he had a little help from Joanna. Joanna had a lots of fun getting wheel barrel rides to and from the compost pile.

Joanna's new Trike

Joanna's Present

This Christmas Joanna got an American Girl doll and as you can see she was very excited. Maw Maw and Paw Paw made her a canopy bed for her doll. It's beautiful. Thanks Maw Maw and Paw Paw.

Dancin To Her Own Beat

Joanna was havin a blast singing and dancin' to the sound of the waves.

One Tired Little Girl

The other night while having a little before bedtime snack Jo was so tired she fell asleep on her pretzels. Normand says that just seconds before she fell asleep she what chattering away. With the beautiful weather we've been having she plays all day outside and gets plumb tuckered out.




Looks comfy to me.

Mid Morning Snack

Jake and Joanna had strawberries and granny smith apples for their mid-morning stack today.

Mommy had birthday cake with extra strawberry filling.

Yummy Yummy Yummy

 

Navel Oranges

While at Aunt Inky’s on Sunday we helped ourselves to some of her juicy and delicious and ginormous navel oranges.

 

Thanks Aunt Inky!

Jesse Tree

 

One of our family traditions for advent is to find, bring home and decorate a Jesse Tree.  This year we went out to Normand’s Aunt Inky’s property in the Carenro to find our tree and evergreen boughs for our Advent wreath.  We always enjoy walking around her property making memories with our kids.  We took the three little kids this year.

 

 

 

 

There shall come forth a shoot
from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

Isaiah 11:1

The Jesse Tree is a beautiful anticipatory tradition for the great feast of Our Lord's Nativity.  A visual representation of the family tree of Jesus, the Jesse Tree offers the family a yearly opportunity to spend time with the great cloud of witnesses that St. Paul spoke of in his epistle to the Hebrews.   And since the Old Testament should never be read in isolation, but always in light of the New, the tradition of the Jesse Tree offers that view into the Old, always illuminated by the Light of Bethlehem. 

You can download images for your Jesse Tree here.  I found the scripture list here.

JESSE TREE SCRIPTURES (The symbols are only suggestions)

December 1 Creation: Gen. 1:1-31; 2:1-4 Symbols: sun, moon, stars, animals, earth

December 2 Adam and Eve: Gen. 2:7-9, 18-24 Symbols: tree, man, woman

December 3 Fall of Man: Gen. 3:1-7 and 23-24 Symbols: tree, serpent, apple with bite

December 4 Noah: Gen. 6:5-8, 13-22; 7:17, 23, 24; 8:1, 6-22 Symbols: ark, animals, dove, rainbow

December 5 Abraham: Gen. 12:1-3 Symbols: torch, sword, mountain

December 6 Isaac: Gen. 22:1-14 Symbols: bundle of wood, altar, ram in bush

December 7 Jacob: Gen. 25:1-34; 28:10-15 Symbols: kettle, ladder

December 8 Joseph: Gen. 37:23-28; 45:3-15 Symbols: bucket, well, silver coins, tunic

December 9 Moses: Ex. 2:1-10 Symbols: baby in basket, river and rushes

December 10 Samuel: 1 Sam. 3:1-18 Symbols: lamp, temple

December 11 Jesse: 1 Sam. 16:1-13 Symbols: crimson robe, shepherd's staff

December 12 David: 1 Sam. 17:12-51 Symbols: slingshot, 6-pointed star

December 13 Solomon: 1 Kings 3:5-14, 16-28 Symbols: scales of justice, temple, two babies and sword

December 14 Joseph: Matt. 1:18-25 Symbols: hammer, saw, chisel, angle

December 15 Mary: Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38 Symbols: lily, crown of stars, pierced heart

December 16 John the Baptist: Mark 1:1-8 Symbols: shell with water, river

On December 17, the Church begins to intensify the preparation for Christmas with the use of the "O" Antiphons during the Liturgy of the Hours. The symbols for the Jesse Tree from December 17 to 23 are based on the "O" Antiphons.  Click on the link to find them.

December 17 Jesus is Wisdom: Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus in old Bibles) 24:2; Wisdom 8:1 Symbols: oil lamp, open book

December 18 Jesus is Lord: Ex. 3:2; 20:1 Symbols: burning bush, stone tablets

December 19 Jesus is Flower of Jesse: Isaiah 11:1-3 Symbols: flower, plant with flower

December 20 Jesus is Key of David: Isaiah 22:22 Symbols: key, broken chains

December 21 Jesus is the Radiant Dawn: Psalm 19:6-7 (in older Bibles this will be Psalm 18) Symbols: sun rising or high in sky

December 22 Jesus is King of the Gentiles: Psalm 2:7-8; Ephesians 2:14-20 Symbols: crown, scepter

December 23 Jesus is Emmanuel: Isaiah 7:14; 33:22 Symbols: tablets of stone, chalice and host

December 24 Jesus is Light of the World: John 1:1-14 Symbols: candle, flame, sun

Trick or Treating with the Billeauds

We went Trick or Treating with Bruce and Jeanine’s kids this year.  We went to the Lexington Heights subdivision. It’s a beatuiful subdivsion built in an old pecan grove.  I think everyone had a great time.  Mark sorry you were sick. 

 

Michelle is a  ………. Well I really don’t know what she was besides fun.

 

Piled into the MillerMobile

Fun Cousins

I think they had more fun than the little kids.

Scariest thing ever!!!!!

Wardrobe Malfunction

Who knows

Jo Jo and her daddy the speed walker.

At Mr. Pumpkins house.

The couple at this house do it up right.  They have a talking Mr. Pumpkin who talks to the kids and tells really corny Halloween jokes.  They serve hotdogs, chili, punch and sweets.  What a great way to end our trick or treat adventure.