Day 1 of CCC

I do a lot of work with Brenner's Cub Scout Group and love helping them out. I got an email from one of the mothers in the troop asking for some help for her friend. It's just easier to clip and show the email I received.


Hi, This year for Christmas, I wanted to come up with a project for my children to do something for others. Two years ago, when I visited Arlington Cemetery, someone had painted rocks and placed them on the tombstones of all the soldiers in Section 60 (the area where soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are) My family was very moved and touched by this.......that someone had taken the time to honor these soldiers and let them know that they are not forgotten. (for those of you who don't know - my own brother, Mark, was killed in Iraq and is buried in Arlington) After talking with others we decided to have the children make special Leis for section 60 in Arlington and my parents will place them there for us for Christmas. Sadly, there are over 400 soldiers in this section. On December 1, we will be meeting after school at the Kalakaua Community center 2:30-??? and having the children make these leis for the soldiers. The plan is to use the shell leis and then have index cards where the children write notes or draw pictures for the soldiers - We will then laminate these cards and tie them to the shell leis. (hoping this makes something that is personal - and representative of Hawaii at the same time) If anyone is interested in participating - you are more than welcome to come that day. We are also looking for donations of shell leis, markers, crayons and laminating paper. Please let me know if you would like to participate and what you may be able to donate. We would like to know ahead of time so that we know how many leis we need to purchase. If you can only donate and not participate - you can drop the leis off at my home - ^*() %$#* in the Canby community. Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested. Thanks for your help

I loved this idea from living near there myself and so we bought some leis on Black Friday and then contacted my FRG and they donated some money for shipping costs.

Brenner got started coloring, drawing, and writing messages on the back of the cards that were to be attached to the leis.

Beckett giving it a try. I wrote one for myself and one for Bronsen too.







Here's what they said on the front. "Ahuwaie ka po'okeia I kau hana ia ha'i." It is through the way you serve others that your greatness willl be felt. Mahalo nui loa. Thank you very much. Me ke aloha pumehana, With all our love, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii





Here's what our Brenner John did for one of his. I didn't get a picture of the ones I did. Didn't really want to be competing with Brenner's . It's pretty cool. I mean hot. Lava is hot. and we do live on a volcano. That has got to be one of the coolest ... er I mean hottest things about being a kid living in Hawaii. Aside from the beach and wearing shorts all year round to school.





Then they were laminated. We know everywhere isn't like it is here. They get snow there in Arlington.

They even made a sign to help the little ones with ideas of what to put on the back. Isn't that great. Oh and you can see his cute scout activity shirt. Go pack 166!









Finally the moms worked at trimming the cards and tieing them together.

I sat in the corner with the two little ones untangling my leis I brought. This took a lot longer than I thought. But it was very nice to just sit and have this to do.








Beckett wasn't feeling too good and was also very angry about ... well my best bet is just existing. Luckily it was very noisy with loads of kids in a small room with only metal chars and tables and hard wood floor. Meaning it was loud and echoed well. Mine blended in nicely. And I held my head high with the screamer and just kept on working.



Bronsen has gotten really good at falling asleep to his screams and cries in the car and at home. It's like white noise to him. That's just so sad to me. But hey, I'll totally take it man. He was also so tired and in the seat he's semi-safe from his littlebig brothers poking aka identifying his parts.


I was telling Brenner and the boys why we did this. That the moms and dads and brothers and sisters and uncles and aunties that are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan like Mitchell's daddy, Hazel's Daddy and Papi. Some of them died and are buried there. When their families go and visit them they'll see these leis and the notes and it will make their families feel better to know that they aren't forgotten. And that some kids in Hawaii that have moms and dads in the Army are thankful for them and hope they aren't too sad.


We then headed over to Brenner's Wolf Den meeting at the park. Beckett tackled the slide and made a friend. He then loved running over to identify his brother. Bronsen enjoyed the trees with the wind and all the freedom of not being touched aka identified. whoops!

Christ Centered Christmas 2008

I've been inspired by a fellow blogger through her idea for a December scrapbook. I was trying to get it done in time but sort of did and sort of didn't. What does that exactly mean you say? Well it means it could be done for someone else but it isn't nearly as dirty as I'd like it and it doesn't have anywhere close to enough "crap" on it and it doesn't weigh enough from my excessive "scrap crap". And this way of doing both (taking my time to finish the actual book and blogging it) I'll cover the journaling part I usually miss and share it with everyone else.

I work really hard each year to have Christ centered Christmas. I do all the families shopping in one day so we won't have to waste our time at stores during this season and can do crafts and activities and volunteer together. I then set up a "store" so each person can come in and shop for all the others. This year I'm changing the game a little. I bought for myself. Yeah I know that takes away the surprise but it also gives me back two or three days of Brian shopping and being gone from us trying to buy for me for my birthday and for Christmas. That is one gift I'm giving all of us. 6 hours of me shopping and I bought a whole season of family time.

This year I'm making little Christmas Trees to add things we've done for each other or for the community. We'll write them on tags and hang them on the trees and that we'll earn Kemper Bucks that will be used to buy at our little store. The trees will be labeled hope, remember, believe, try, & give.

Brian and I really want Brenner to understand what it means to have charity and help others and generally not be spoiled. We work hard at the boys not feeling entitled to things or getting everything and sharing and helping others. This season we're really focusing on our volunteering to serve and help others. We're going to try and find something to do each day that will help someone else.

Every night before Christmas we also read from a Christmas Book my parents made us years ago. Its a collection of inspirational and fun stories and scriptures to read each night. I look forward to it each year. We also have an Aunt. GABby that gives us Christmas books each year. So the next year we have a few new books to read and old favorites to pore over each day.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope this helps all of us remember to be the instrument in the Lords hands to help our fellow man. Whether its that dollar the person in front of you needs to pay for all they have or helping at a soup kitchen or filling a neighbors pantry. Holding a door for a mother with loads of children and packages or a smile and sweet conversation with a stranger in the mall. Making paintings/pictures and taking them to an office/dr/hospital/rest home for donated decorations. I hope we can all find ways to share the love we have been blessed with. If you have any great ideas or things you do each year please send them in. I might run low.

Ta Da

Okay so we've done it and now were really feelin' it. Three kids. That's like a real family and every thing. Whoa!

Introducing you to our newest little pea we've added to our pod. Bronsen Alexander Kemper.

We also have quite the little story. Bronsen's got an identical cousin. They look and weigh and were born the same day. These "twins" are exactly 11 hours apart. He lives with his mother and she lives with her father. Sure the mother and father are brother and sister, but they each are also with their prospective mother and father. If you missed any of that my brother Richard had little Baby Ela, the first girl in our family, and I as an Auntie Em am so excited.

Enjoy all the links and all the video that everyone else has done. I'm busy with the nursing and the sleeping and shock of having all these kids. So I'm slacking. Not feeling bad about it just calling it what it is.

He sure is pretty huh? I think so too.