Light Looking

I looked back at the pictures in my phone and was glad I had taken this one. It was taken the week before Christmas. The kids and I had stopped by the Kawanaka's for a little visit and play. Then we walked around our neighborhood at sunset looking at all the Christmas lights. Jonathan was out of town so we just had sandwiches for supper and everybody went to bed early and easily... And then it happened... Things got crazy.

We had a bad storm in the night and when I went to move Grace into my room she threw up everywhere. So I gave her a bath and let her sleep on the couch and me on the floor. Then we went to the doc the next day and got an all clear. Whew! She still seemed weak all day, but I just figured it was from the lack of sleep and food. So we had friends over and went Christmas caroling which was SO fun and had hot chocolate afterwards.

The next day she woke up and had pooped in her bed. Diarrhea. For. 3. Days.

And then Jack started throwing up. And then the diarrhea. And then diaper rash. Horrid horrid diaper rash. There was screaming and nashing of teeth around here, y'all.

And then my grandmother died.

And then there was a snow storm coming towards my parents house, so they packed up and raced down to Louisiana.

And my sister drove in. And got the second half of that sickness. On Christmas Eve.

No Nida Christmas Eve service for this puney family. :(

And then it rained and rained and rained. And we all started feeling a little better and celebrated Christmas.

Then my parents went to plan the funeral for my grandmother and Jonathan kept the kids and MA and I went to brunch and it was wonderful.

And then we travelled to Haynesville and had my grandmothers funeral. It was hard, but actually very nice. It was wonderful to see some of our favorite Haynesville people. The Bourne's, the Ms. Garrett's, Mrs. Knox, Ms. Dana, The Killgore's, Mrs. Marie Bailey. Jonathan even got to meet Red Franklin. ;-) after the graveside service we were able to visit at the church for a long time and then go back to the cemetery alone to visit the graves of so many family members. It was surprisingly (to me) the best part of the whole funeral thing... Talking about our family history, Grandmother and her sisters and my grandfather. It was a beautiful clear day and it was a very good way to say goodbye. We ended with a comfort food meal at Strawns and more stories and laughs.

Then we packed up the next morning and headed to Alma.
It was cold and rainy. We had a flat tire. We drove through the snowy hills. We got in super late.

Then Jonathan and I got up super early and drove to Kansas City for a wedding. It was a BEAUTIFUL drive through the snowy mountains and plains. And it was freezing cold. We got to see some Georgia folks and spend a night away just the two of us. Wonderful.

Then we slept super late (8am... And I did NOT have to wake up with jack during the night) went into old town, had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory and drove back to Alma.

Whew. I think tomorrow we are going to try to do nothing before we head home to the real world.

So there are lots of little posts and pictures to come of Christmas 2012, but as i said in the beginning, here is the first one...

A nice leisurely evening stroll at sunset and a little light looking.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)

Today Grace Said:

G: My teacher said Jesus is our rock.

Me: well, what do you think she meant by that?

G: I have no idea.

Me: What are some things you know about rocks? (Looking for answers like strong, not easily broken... Was gonna work it into a good foundation lesson of some sorts)

G: well, they are usually outside in the ground... And they are about this big (holding up her fingers in a small circle)... And they are dirty... And you can find worms and ants and stuff under them... Yeah, there are usually lots of slimy worms under there... And if you hit them real hard with a sharp hammer or something you can crack them open sometimes.

!Quiet!

We talked about Zechariah and Elizabeth last night at advent with the kids. Graces take on that story:

"Mom I'm just not going to be able to talk until after I get a baby sister... NOT another brother... a sister... A sister, mom."

Today Grace Said:

G: what's tomorrow?

Me: Friday.

G: oh, that's a special day! Daddy gets to come home!

Me: yeah, and we get to go caroling.

G: what's caroling?

Me: well, we will walk around our neighborhood and sing Christmas carols to people at their houses.

G: oh....

G: well, I know what I want to be for Christmas... Pippi Longstocking

Me: you don't really dress up for Christmas like Halloween.

G: but, mom, we have to dress up! We can't go caroling NAKED!

Me (laughing so hard by this point): we wouldn't go anywhere naked!

G: well, what will we wear?!?

Me: warm sweaters and Christmas clothes and coats and scarfs and hats and stuff.

G: oh, well, I guess I'll have to get some mittens... And wait till next Halloween to dress like pippi.

Jack Sings and Plays

And I can't leave Jack out in my video posting! Here he is pretending to play the violin (give him two sick like things and he's got a violin... all day, every day) like Charlie Chaplin does in a little movie clip my dad always plays for him. Jack LOVES "Charwie Chapwim". He is ALWAYS pretending to be Charlie or Buster and playing the piano or violin. The other day he was eating a tortilla and started pretending he was eating a shoe like in Modern Times. Anyway, here he is playing the "violin" and happy and sad songs... and forgive the end... it was before bathroom talk was banished to the bathroom... a rule that seems to have really helped conversation around this place. ;)

And here he is singing the ABC's in the car one night. (Hence the black picture.) He sings everywhere we go. All. The. Time. I. Love. It.

Grace Learns the Ballet Basics

Here are a few more videos (for the grandparents) of Grace's little dance class we got to watch. I LOVE the songs they dance to. And we have like 20 of these little videos, so I'm doing good to only post 4 more on here for you!

The first video is of the infamous Tap Tap Tap dance that is done around our house by both the kids. It was the first thing Grace came home and would perform for us. She also taught Jack so he could dance along. :)

With My Toe I Tap Tap Tap

This is one of my favorite little songs. I caught G doing this while holding onto the end of her bed like a bar one day. Melt. My. Heart. She was singing the little song and bending her little knees and trying so hard. Bless her little heart.

Plie Plie

This is one of Grace's favorite little dances to do. She always talks about getting to pretend to be a pony on her way home from dance class.
Ponies Dance

And this may be my favorite. :)
Portabra Dance

Grace Dances The Nutcracker

We got to observe Graces ballet class on Monday. At the end of her class they performed a 4 year old version of some of The Nutcracker dances. It was a lot of fun to watch her and we were so proud of how hard she was trying! I'm going to try to share some little video clips, so we shall see how this turns out. :)

Tuesday

We have had the most wonderful day today. It seems like the past couple of weeks were really hectic... Changing schedules, Christmas stuff, I don't really know what all, but it felt busy. Sunday night was one of those nights when the kids misbehave for the umpteenth time in a 2 hour span. They end up in tears and you get them in bed, sit down and wonder what in the world you are doing and are pretty sure you have no idea but are doing the worst job of parenting that could ever be done.

Thank goodness The Lord is in control and there is grace and there are days like today when I can just enjoy my kids and invest in them without running the roads or being super busy at home. I can always tell a difference in their behavior after we slow down and take some good old quality time together!

This morning we made pancakes, did chores, played in the tent, played with balloons, made static electricity...

Which made our balloons stick to the ceiling...


Made Christmas cupcakes...








Played with play dough, read books, sang songs, gave "sleigh rides" on a blanket, had a movie picnic...


Played some more and had semi-successful nap times.

It was great! I love mornings like this morning and am so thankful for them!

Happy Birthday, Jonathan!

We celebrated Jonathan's birthday yesterday, and I think it was one of the best days ever! It seems like in the past we have always been traveling cross country on his birthday. This year we celebrated jonathan all day long and the fact that we didn't have to travel this year!

The kids and I decorated the house and got his cake etc while he was at work in the morning. Then we all met up for yummy Mexican food for lunch. Then everybody came back to the house for cake and presents. Then he went back to work for a while, but was able to get off early because we all went to Graces Christmas dance "recital" (really just observation day at class). After that Granny and Papa kept our kids and fed them dinner and Jonathan and I went on a fantastic date! We ate, stopped by Barnes and noble and then saw the Hobbit. We stayed out till after 11pm! It was wonderful to talk and talk with each other. I am SO blessed to have such a wonderful husband who always listens and encourages me and works so hard for us. He is a great father and son and friend and sibling. We had a wonderful day celebrating Jonathan!

And Grace blew up a whole bag of balloons. :)

Crying Like the Rain

Sunday it rained. It was great!

Jack looked out the window and said, "the rain is crying". Then he put his head down, said "I crying like the rain", and started to fake cry. Funny boy!

A Lovely Day for a Walk

Thursday I took the kids to norton's to look at the little exhibit inside and walk through the gardens.

It was a lovely day for a walk and we had a lovely time. I am thankful for my time with these two wonderful kids.

Advent and Christmas Cookies

We are not on the Elf bandwagon, but I wanted to do something special for the kids during the days leading up to Christmas. So I found lots of Christmas books and Christmassy things (hot chocolate, cookie mix etc) around our house and wrapped them up in brown paper and put then under our tree. I wrote on the back of each package what was inside and every night I choose an activity that would be good for the next day and tie a bow on that present. Then when the kids wake up the next morning they unwrap the gift and know what our Christmas activity is for the day. I have tried to incorporate serving others etc into our daily routine and on this particular morning it worked out well! We had plenty of free time, so we had one neighbor over to make christmas cookies and then brought our finished desserts over to our new neighbors across the street who just happened to be moving in that day! We really had a lot of fun and enjoyed getting to know some more friends in our street.

Many times the present we unwrap may be a book. If this is the case we will try to do something that was done in the book. For "The Snowy Day" we had a snowball fight with old crumpled papers. For "Spots Christmas" we sang carols. We have also gone Christmas shopping and made ginger bread men to send with dinner we made for some friends. Also, we have enjoyed some hot chocolate and special Christmas movies. I am glad we are starting this fun little tradition. It didn't take too long to arrange and it seems to be something to encourage special memories each day.

The other thing that we are doing is a special advent devotion each night. We are following the Jesse tree outline which you can find free online. We light the candles on our advent wreath and Jonathan reads (or tells if its not in the children's storybook bible) the appropriate story from the kids bible while the kids color their ornaments and pictures.


Then we pray together and the kids blow out the candles and run to the tree to hang their ornaments. Then we all sing a few songs around the piano by the tree. Then we turn out the lights and sing one final song by the tree and head to bed. By the time Christmas arrives we will have traced the lineage of Christ back to Adam and told the story of our rescuer and the good news he brings!


I am so glad to see that this has become one of the most looked forward to events of the day. It did not start off this way, but we tweaked and changed and made it something that everybody seems to enjoy now.


This has really been a very special Christmas so far. I think it's because we are trying to hard to actually make it about Christ and making memories together. I pray we get better and better at those things as the years go by!

What's Up With the Bathtub?

Apparently it's THE place to play...

And hide... And be found.

Friday!

This is the second week in a row that Jonathan has been able to be off for two whole days! He now only has 1 job! I'm not sure if we are totally happy about this since it means funds are really tight, but I've got to be honest that it is fabulous to have a husband who only has one job and doesn't have to be at work till 8:00 and gets off two days a week! I say he has off two days a week, but he has really never had a full day off (he is just getting home now on his day off from running to the office from 8-10pm). However he is much more free than he used to be and we are living his more flexible schedule and extra hours at home with us!

Today I was supposed to take a ballet class in the morning, but it got cancelled so we made the most of our Friday together and started by visiting the boardwalk and bass pro shop. We had to get some gag gifts and its about the best place to find that sort of a thing. And the kids love to ride in the boats of course.

And we always have to ride the carousel! Grace on the crawfish...

Jack and me on the bench (he is scared of the ones that move up and down ;-))


Then we went and got hamburgers and fries and cokes! How American were we today!


Grace took this picture of me and Jack and I love it.


Then we all came home and took naps while it rained. We were going to try to go to Marshall, Tx to see the Christmas lights tonight, but it was too rainy. Granny and papa came over and we played Christmas carols and sang and talked and laughed. Then we went out to eat for dinner at strawn's. We had to order Jack more food he ate so much! And we all got pie for dessert too. I'm hoping these kids with full bellies sleep late tomorrow.


Then we drove around for 45 minutes looking at Christmas lights and singing Christmas carols together. Our nightly carol singing at the piano is really paying off because they have learned most of the words to many traditional songs. Yay!


Last but not least grace, Jonathan and I played a game of super Why? Before bedtime. It was fun. And I let Grace read some out of a book tonight. She read sentences and even figured out the word princess!

It was a wonderful day. We are truly blessed beyond measure. I don't ever want to take it for granted. Thank you, Lord.

A Message For Jack

Grace wrote a note to her brother. Unassisted. Jonathan found it later and asked her about it.

I guess he was needing some instruction. Haha!

In the Christmas Spirit

Christmas tree biscuits for breakfast!

Another Picnic and Movie Lunch

We had another picnic and movie lunch this week. These things are fun I tell ya! This time we watched a Little House Christmas. I've been reading some of these stories with grace and so she was excited to see what Laura and all the other characters looked like. Jack was happy to see horses and the fiddle.

Of course I was crying by the end (forgot how sappy that show can be) and Grace was a little afraid of me with my tears. So she went and found one of my favorite books that I like to read to her and we all 3 read it together. Sweet girl. It was a fun way to spend lunch time!

Love This Kid

Good Help

I came into the kitchen after putting jack down for his nap and this is the conversation that followed.

Me: ummm, what happened to the garbage?
Grace: oh, I took it out for you.
Me: like... outside... To the trash... By yourself?
Grace: well, yeah.

She then informed me that she tried to find some laundry to do but couldn't, so she just put some soap in the washer.



I helped her find some. :)

NFCC 2012 Christmas Program

We made it! We practiced, got everybody there, got everybody organized, got costumes for all the kiddos, got subs for all the nursery rooms, and got through the 2012 NFCC Christmas Program.

Grace was a most excellent pig, I sang, Jonathan ran the childcare, Granny and Papa volunteered with the babies and jack watched the show with none other than the wonderful Nana and Paw Paw who came for a 24 hour stay in our lovely city to see the pig sit on the hay. It was a great weekend!

Now that the hard stuff is out of the way we can get on to some less labor intensive holiday celebrations...

Today Grace Said:

Cause that's what Christmas is all about, Mom, Jesus and candy canes and stuff like that.

A Good Quiet Place To Play

The bath tub... With no water...fully clothed.

The Spaceship and Nebraska

Grace has a map in her room.
She loves to find where Ryleigh and Morgan live now in Nebraska.

Jack likes to find the spaceship on the map at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Tis The Season

For making gingerbread men!

I have some wonderful helpers!

Mmmmm.... Good!





We will have to do this again before Christmas. :)

My Heart Is Filled With Thankfulness

I Love these lyrics. I can't think of a more accurate description of how I find myself so much of the time. Things are hard but I have a joy, true joy, that can't be described or explained by worldly measure... I find myself singing the first line randomly throughout the day and getting filled with emotion and having to stop... My heart is filled with thankfulness...


My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who bore my pain;
Who plumbed the depths of my disgrace
And gave me life again;
Who crushed my curse of sinfulness
And clothed me in His light
And wrote His law of righteousness
With pow'r upon my heart.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To Him who walks beside;
Who floods my weaknesses with strength
And causes fears to fly;
Whose ev'ry promise is enough
For ev'ry step I take,
Sustaining me with arms of love
And crowning me with grace.

My heart is filled with thankfulness
To him who reigns above,
Whose wisdom is my perfect peace,
Whose ev'ry thought is love.
For ev'ry day I have on earth
Is given by the King;
So I will give my life, my all,
To love and follow him.

"My Heart Is Filled with Thankfulness"
Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2003 Thankyou Music

Oink Oink

Watch out Mary and Joseph. There's gonna be a pretty cute pig sharing the stage...

Good Questions

These questions were listed in my evening devotion. I thought they were great and want to ask them to myself frequently.

Do I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Am I renewed in the spirit of my mind?

Am I walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit?

Am I growing in grace?

Does my conversation adorn the doctrine of God my Saviour?

Am I looking for the coming of the Lord, and watching as a servant should do who expects his master?

What more can I do for Jesus?

A Post All About Grace

It's been a while since I've documented what's going on with the kids, so I thought I would take the time to jot a few things down tonight.

My sweet Grace girl...

You are growing up on me.

You are (almost) 4 and a half.

Wow. How can that be?

I want to stop the clock and stay here forever.

You really love to draw and will draw very detailed pictures of not only things (flowers, people etc) but also actions (playing soccer, going shopping). I like that. I think it's a great skill to develop.

You really like to draw with the thick yellow pencils Nana got you and paint.

When you write with pencils sometimes you scribble out "words" like all kids do. You call these "children's words" because only children can read them. Adults read real words. I like that idea too. I think it's smart.

When you paint with watercolors you do a very neat job at first but then you always end up painting your hands and making handprints and thumbprints and "chicken pox" on your arms.

You really want to have the chicken pox! I think this is just because you want to have an oatmeal bath. You have been vaccinated so I don't think you will get your wish. :-)

You are still a tough kid. You never show when you're sick.

When you are sick you never complain. You just want to watch Curious George.

Curious George is your favorite. You watch him every morning at 7:00 while I make breakfast. You may not watch anything else all day, but you will watch George. I am glad you like George so much because it really is a good show. I enjoy watching with you sometimes.

Your favorite movies are Madeline, Pippi Longstocking, Cinderella and Mary Poppins. You do not like Matilda because it is too scary.

You do like to go to movies. You always get a coke popcorn and candy when you go and that is a big treat!

You want desperately to sit in a booster seat, but I don't think you weigh enough yet. Maybe soon we will get you one.

You also want to drive. That probably won't be happening so soon but I will let you pretend!

You don't take a nap every day anymore. This is sad for me but not so sad for you. You do a very good job of staying (pretty) quiet in your bed during naptime, but sometimes you just get carried away with playing and pretending and singing. It can get loud! Some days you do sleep if you know there is going to be a reason to stay up late, but if you don't sleep then you have to go to bed at 7:00. This doesn't seem to bother you much though.

You love all animals. You can feed Maggie and let her out and walk her. She sleeps by your bed every night and wakes up with you every morning.

You have started to make some good friends. Leaving Georgia and your good good friends there was very hard so I am glad that you are finally making some new friends here in Shreveport. Your best friends are Marshall and Ella. You also spend a lot of time with Claire, Julianne, and JW. They are a year younger than you though, and so I think you don't enjoy playing with them quite as much. You don't seem to really care too much for the little ones like Sophie, Catherine, Caroline, Charlotte and Elizabeth. I think you are scared of the crying. You don't like it when anybody is unhappy!

Jack is by far your best friend and playmate. You are patient with him and a good big sister. You love to play in the tent together. You also play Sunday school together and Sonic and good old race and chase. I often find you two in the bathroom brushing your teeth. I don't know why you find it so fun but you do!

You really love to play by yourself. You play bunny house, Sunday school, kitchen, and baby dolls.

You do want a sister and talk about it often. Maybe some day but not today! We will have to be patient!

You also really want short hair... Like short as a boy short hair! You told me you wanted hair as short as Maggie's. when I said people might think you were a boy you just said "but nobody thinks Maggie's a boy." I think you will have to wait till you turn 18 for that.

You are super super smart. You know your letters and sounds and can read and think critically. You understand basic addition and subtraction. You can listen and comprehend and remember and debate and persist. You do need a little urging sometimes to get your schoolwork done but I think that's natural... You would just rather be playing by yourself or watching tv... And nobody ever got smart and well rounded by watching tv all day.

I think you would really enjoy school if you weren't so so very very shy. You hate being away from home... Really away from me.

We are going to test you for the magnet school just down the street. Its the best school in the state and also super hard to get into. We shall see what happens! Its kind of exciting and scary all at the same time to think about you going to kindergarden.

You are so much fun to be around, grace. You enjoy going to get milkshakes for an evening treat. You enjoy getting icees at Walmart. You love to go to the park. You still like to eat at strawns and Johnny's. but you love peanutbutter and strawberry jam sandwiches at home... Especially if you get to have Cheetos.

I could write and write all night about all the things you are doing and learning and enjoying and struggling with, but I think this is enough for now.

I do love you my sweet sweet girl! You are a joy to parent!

Fall Mantle

I love that we have a mantle now. I have always wanted one and am excited about getting to decorate it during the different seasons. I thought I would take a picture of our fall mantle decorations before I take them down. It's not much or very fancy or trendy, but I do like it and think it made our home feel "homey" over thanksgiving if that makes any sense.

The picture of the tree in autumn is definitely my favorite painting in the house. I just love it. It makes me smile to look at it and it brings back good memories. Watercolor is a very tricky medium and many times the end product doesn't have much depth. I usually don't really favor watercolors. But the color in this picture is so deep and rich and accurate, I guess, that I can't help but stopping to really admire it every so often. Like I said, it just makes me smile.

Guess the Game

Can you guess what Jack is pretending by looking at this picture???

Wrong! He's pretending pippi Longstocking... Maybe we need more bit movies around here!

Figuring Things Out.

Marker cap fingers? Ahhh, yes!

Cool Cat Jack