Funny things

Today, I asked Kenan how he reached up to the top shelf to get the key to the laundry room door. I asked him "did you climb to get that?" He replied, "no, I reached it with my long arms."



During play practice, the director was going over final notes with the primary cast members. Timmy has the very first line when the kids come in, and he's so supposed to say "Sure smells good in here!" as he runs off stage. It's supposed to happend pretty quickly and he's just not getting off quick enough to make that scene flow right. The director, Sherri, said to Timmy, "Timmy you need to get off stage quicker, okay?" Timmy relplied, "I will! I'll use my top speed!" Everyone busted out laughing.



As we've been listening to Christmas music, it's been fun watching Micah dance to the music. He especially loves the Grinch song.

Almost here!

This morning I heard a wonderful story that illustrates the story of Jesus' birth and why He came as a babe. It's story that was read by Paul Harvey and I thought was so good. Merry Christmas!

The Man and the Birds

Now the man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind, decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. "I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service.
Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud. At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window.
Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms. Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn.
And then, he realized, that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me. That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. "If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safety ... to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand."
At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells - Adeste Fidelis - listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

-- Author Unknown --(Shared by Paul Harvey on his radio show)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .... The Word became flesh and dwelt among us ....” (John 1:1, 14 KJV)

ahhh, Kenan

Yesterday morning as I was trying to sleep, Kenan gets up and comes over to my side of the bed. He loves to try to crawl in bed with us when he gets up early in the morning, and we usually shuffle him out to the couch in the family room, or back up to his bed. Well, he pulls up the blanket slides his cold little feet in next to me and says "momma you're so warm and toasty. You smell like a doughnut" What a sweetheart.

Simple Joys

Today, I was watching Micah as he played with a sheet of paper. He'd pick it up, let go of it, and giggle as he watched it drift down to the floor. He was so happy and content. If only I could be that content with stuff more often. My kids inspire me to be more childlike as I go through life. It was a wonderful moment to be part of with Micah. :)

cookies and laughter

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon making cookies with my family. It started out very frustratingly, because the dough wasn't working out right. Along comes Hannah, so very eager to help, and she just kinda took the dough from me, started working a little and got it to work out. Hannah and Timmy helped for a little bit, and Kenan made a couple cookies too. Jeff popped in to help too, but mostly it was Hannah and I in the kitchen laughing, talking, smiling and spending a happy afternoon together. It was wonderful to see her smiling and laughing with me. Since she's 11, she's starting to get all hormonal and moody, and I think she just feels lost. I think she is trying so hard to be a little kid, yet at the same time, she wants so badly to be more grown up. When I saw her taking cookies out of the oven and putting more in, taking them off the pan and putting them on the cooling racks, I was amazed at how big she is getting. My baby beginning to get all growed up! I was reminded again, that even in the busyness of life and kids that Hannah needs that time spent together, to give her those opportunities to spread her wings, to laugh and chat with her, and as I give her what she needs, I can give her heart to God. God will take her heart and touch it in the special ways that only he can. He will transform her, I can't. It was a good day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS :*¨¨*:·.:*¨¨*:·.

Last night Hannah gave us such a sweet Christmas card. On the front she drew a Christmas tree with presents underneath. On the back she wrote: To mom and dad, I love you both very much, merry christmas. From Hannah Dec 12, 2008. Inside she wrote an acronym for Merry Christmas.

Many friends
Eating treats
Rapping gifts
Rapping paper for the gifts
Yonder stars and streets with snow

Christ our Lord
Happy times
Ripping the paper off the gifts
Ice igloos
Snow
Taps on doors when friends come over
Merry Christmas
Actually having a good time with friends and family
Snowy fun

Mom & Dad I love U guys both

The best Christmas card ever, in my opinion! And I love the part where it says "actually having a good time with friends and family. Gotta love kids and their sweet little gifts

I'm a genius

So yesterday morning, Kenan was choosing what he wanted to eat for breakfast. He wanted Lucky Charms, but we didn't have any. He ended up choosing chocolate cereal (cocoa roos). So later that morning I was grocery shopping. I remembered what Kenan had said about wanting Lucky Charms, so I put a bag of marshmallow mateys in the cart (same difference to the kids). When it was time to pick an afternoon snack, Kenan saw that there was Lucky charms in the pantry. He excitedly said, "mommy! There's lucky charms in here!!" I said, "I know, I bought them today at the store." Kenan ran to me, and hugged me as hard as he could and said, "you're a genius mommy! I love you." It feels good to be a genius. :)

Now for my question: What good does Vegetable oil do in brownies when the brownies without oil taste just as good as the brownies with oil. Hmmm...Here is why I ask: Today I was make 2 batches of brownies. The first batch was a box of turtle brownies, I forgot to add the oil and I didn't realize it until they were baking. I proceeded to make the second batch, this time with oil. I taste-tested both batches, and so did Jeff. They both tasted just as good as the other. So anyway...I don't know what oil does for the brownies, but I do know that not adding oil, doesn't change the way they taste.

Dear Mom

On Saturday, I received a very special note from our oldest son, Timmy. What a special gift for a mom to receive. Made me cry. Timmy is such a loving, caring, and giving boy.

awake sleeping

Today I was informed by Kenan that Micah was awake sleeping. He was laying down in his crib, but his eyes were opened. Actually what really happened was that Kenan, very eager to rescue nana, pink, and clifford, took no account of the very fact that Micah was still asleep, and loudly entered his room and turned on the light. So, what Kenan actually saw was Micah being woke up. At least naptime was about over anyway and no one was worse for wear because of it.

I also spent the better half of the afternoon watching Kenan get really inventive building his forts. He had one end of a pirtate sword stuck through the handle of a paper bag and the other end of the sword stuck in the cushion of the couch. Then the other handle of the paper bag was tied to a strap of a back pack. The other strap was hooked around the door handle of the laundry room door. That built a very fine wall, to which he'd stand back and proudly admire his handywork. Then later he built a mound of couch cushions and he was walking around "feeding his chickens" What a joy he is!

my first blog posting

So tonight, I started a blog. This will be an interesting and fun experience for me as I write entries. I've thought about the blog thing for awhile now, but could never really think of what I'd call it. So last night our family went to pick out our first real live Christmas tree. We've never had a real tree before so this was new and exciting for us. We brought it home, set it up in the stand of water and let it thaw out. I sat in the living room by candlelight, taking in the wonderful pine tree smell, and I began to wonder what happens to the tree stumps after the tree has been cut down? Does the tree farmer keep them in the ground, or does he dig them up in the spring?



Here is what I found on this when I googled it.



My prayer is for me to allow Christ to spring up fresh in my heart. May the joy of Christ be with you this season.