Christmas 2012

Merry Christmas!  Much to the delight of the kids (big and small...) we actually had a white Christmas.  It started snowing yesterday afternoon and continued into the evening.  We didn't get much, but enough to bundle everyone up and head outside.  The picture of Callie and I is not great, but it's proof that there were 6 of us out there. :) Thank you Jeremy for letting me borrow your coat.

We all slept on the living room floor last night.   Jeremy drug our mattress out of our room so that I could sleep in comfort (thank you again!)

Our Christmas morning was spent listening to Isaiah and Jeremy take turns reading the Christmas story, opening gifts, skyping with my mom and dad and Jeremy's brother and sister-in-law in S. Korea (Brandon and Cindy are scheduled for later today) and eating French Toast casserole.   I had good intentions of adding fruit to make it somewhat of a healthier breakfast, but hey, it's Christmas after all. The rest of the morning was spent building Lego sets and playing with new toys.  

Jeremy made this doll crib for Callie.   She loves it!

Merry Christmas to all.  We have so much to be thankful for each Christmas.   I feel especially blessed this Christmas.  

Birthdays

I refuse to post anything about Christmas until I post pictures from Isaiah and Callie's 7th and 3rd birthdays.  And one random picture just for the fun of it. :)

Family time -Nov. '12

 Here are some pictures from when my whole family was together in November.   I apologize for the lack of explanation for these pictures.  Lots of good memories.

December 11, 2012

My friend Rhonda used this blogging format on her blog.  She found the idea here: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/  I have to admit I don't know much about The Simple Woman's Day Book, but I loved this idea.


TODAY

Outside my window... Dark with the exception of Christmas lights.  Isaiah and Nathan think we are the only house on the street that doesn't hang lights.  I love the idea, but the work...

I am thinking... this baby is running out of room in there, but I love all the kicks and movement.

I am thankful... for a quiet house.  Sleep is not a favorite thing around here lately.  I can't figure it out.  We're trying some new things.

In the kitchen... is a stack of recipe cards for Christmas cookies.  How many should I make?  What kind?

I am wearing... anything that fits.  I'll be 33 weeks tomorrow!

I am creating... oh this one makes me sad.  I long to create something, anything.  I'm a pinterest addict, but rarely find the time (may or may not have something to do with pinterest addiction) or energy or money to put things together.  I did sew a dress for Callie for her birthday.  I have to say I was pretty proud of myself for starting it and finishing it all before her party.

I am going...to have a baby someday.  I won't be pregnant forever.

I am wondering... how to keep priorities straight.  how to say no to things that suck life and energy and how to gain vision and insight for what I am called to do.  Daily.

I am reading... "Boundaries" by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend.  I need it.  Also read about the first ice boxes and steam engines today.

I am hoping... for a relaxing, peaceful, joy filled Christmas.

I am looking forward to... holding this baby, starting a New Year

I am learning...that I can't control very much. Also, learning that if I really want my kids to know how to fold laundry and clean the bathroom I'm going to have to take the time to show them, with patience.

Around the house...there's laundry that's folded but not put away, piano music, Christmas CD's, Legos, books, so many books.

I am pondering... what I don't know.  As I look back on this year I can't help but remember days when we thought life was so hard only to be hit later with something harder and deeper to tread through.  And yet those low times have made the simpler times sweeter; kids birthdays, decorating a Christmas tree, family times. I'm mourning loss, celebrating life, reaching for something deeper, but scared of what it might take to reach it.

A favorite quote for today..."OK Mommy".

One of my favorite things...our nativity set, hope, quiet evening

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Hopefully make some Christmas cookies, wrap some gifts, slow down

A peek into my day... I'm on the wrong computer to post pictures, but if you have an imagination:  Callie leading Nate around like a dog, piano lessons, two kids in pj's at the supper table (no they weren't in them all day and no I didn't ask why), strawberry lotion squeezed into several different play bowls and pans, sad little girl because her birthday lotion is almost gone, a frustrated mother, a quiet evening, the second in a row.  So needed and so enjoyed.

Catch Up

I knew it had been awhile since I updated this thing, but I didn't realize how long!

Here's to catching up, because I'm too lazy to do it moment by moment.  In the last months we've..

celebrated Nate's 5th birthday.  I don't think I blogged about it, but it did happen. As you'll see, this cake did me in.  Isaiah and Callie did not get anything this fun.    

did a lot of dreaming

 

we even dreamed in style 

we took some risks

 and we took some pictures

We've done lot of living, laughing and crying, a lot of school, and a lot of talking about the new baby boy on the way -only  about 7 weeks to go! 

More from Thunder Bay

When you live in a place as long as I lived in Thunder Bay you would think there wouldn't be much you haven't seen.  One of the neat things about Thunder Bay is that there are lots of different parks and cool places to see and some of them I did not visit while living there.  One of them was the Amethyst mine.  The boys especially enjoyed it.

We even got to dig for our very own amethyst! 

Cleaning our finds

One of the places I never get tired of seeing in Thunder Bay -The Sunken Gardens

What does a little girl do when she finds a field of flowers?  Dance of course.  

We just missed celebrating Nathan's 5th birthday in Thunder Bay.  Mom gave him his gift early, a very cool outfit she made for him.  You can't see it well here, but the shirt has fishing rods on it.
Thanks for a great visit Mom and Dad!