Oh the things their little minds imagine!

Since Mason was a baby, we have explained to the boys that Santa brings three gifts to them because baby Jesus received three gifts from the wise men when they visited him.  This year Andrew has asked for collectible Lego Star Wars models that are no longer in production and are VERY EXPENSIVE.  We have explained to him that Santa cannot bring these kinds of things and it is too much to ask.  He remembers that Santa gives gifts to many children and to ask him for such extravagant things is a bit selfish.  I was telling him this yet again reinforcing this lesson on Saturday afternoon when Andrew said, "I'm gonna be happy with whatever Santa brings me, you know, Jesus was happy with what he got even when one of his gifts was deodorant."  I was a bit confused and said...."What?"  He said, "You know, the stuff that smelled good."  I remembered a conversation we had, probably last year, when I explained what frankincense and myrrh were.  He must have put together that frankincense, meant to make things smell good, was ancient deodorant.  I have laughed and laughed about this ever since.  I love seeing where there minds take things we try to explain to them from so long ago.  Now I think Santa should put deodorant in his stocking every year just so I can giggle ;-)

Check out more cute stories on Mary's Tiny Tot Tuesday fun!

Getting Ready...

We are getting ready for Christmas around here.  We are excited about having lots of family come and enjoy the holidays with us.  We will have 13 people coming to spend the holidays with us over the next several weeks.  That number might grow and I say, the more the merrier!

Here is a shot of the 9 foot tree we put up in the front of the house.  It turned out beautiful with all white, silver and crystal ornaments.  Granny put a lot of her favorite glass ornaments on this tree.  We have enjoyed it so much already.  We also put up our fun family tree in the den with colored lights and all the boys ornaments they have collected over the years.  I'll do another post about that later.

I've gotten nearly all of the Christmas shopping done!  I only need to order a few more things online.  It is such a relief.  My hope is to just ENJOY our time together in the evenings wrapping presents, baking goodies and just being together now that the shopping is done.

With these two together we might have a wild holiday celebration!

Stay tuned ;-)

A GRATEFUL HEART

OUR THANKSGIVING DAY STARTED JUST THE WAY I LIKE IT.  I WOKE TO THE SMELL OF A WELL COOKED TURKEY AT 6:00AM.  I CRAWLED BACK IN MY BED A SLEPT A LITTLE LONGER.  I BREWED SOME PUMPKIN SPICE COFFEE AND WENT TO PICK UP A NEWSPAPER.  I CAME HOME AND DRANK MY DELICIOUS COFFEE AND WATCHED THE THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.  I REMEMBER DOING THAT EVERY MORNING WITH MY SISTERS.  GRANNY AND I THEN GOT TO WORK MAKING PIES AND CORNBREAD DRESSING.  THE HOUSE SMELLED WONDERFUL.

PREPARING THE FEAST!

 SOMEONE IS WAITING TO EAT THAT TURKEY!

 NOW THAT IS A HANDSOME LITTLE SMILE, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF!

 THANKFUL FOR ALL OF THESE SMILING FACES!

MY SWEET HUBBY WAS A WILLING CLEAN UP CREW. 

HE EVEN LET ME PUT MY APRON ON HIM AND TAKE HIS PICTURE. 

NOW WE SIT THIS EVENING, FAT AND HAPPY AFTER EATING PIE.  THANKSGIVING DAY IS A GOOD REMINDER OF THE ATTITUDE WE SHOULD CARRY WITH US EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY.  WE ARE SO TRULY BLESSED!  I THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE A COUPLE OF QUOTES THAT STRUCK ME TODAY IN MY READING.

The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God. ~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

BUT MY FAVORITE QUOTE BY FAR IS THIS ONE,

A GRATEFUL HEART IS A HAPPY HEART.  ~JUNIOR ASPARAGUS, VEGGIE TALES. ;-)
 
BEING GRATEFUL IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES CAN BE DIFFICULT BUT IT IS SOMETHING GOD TELLS US TO DO, AND LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE HE COMMANDS US TO DO, IT IS FOR OUR OWN GOOD.  GRATITUDE DOES BREED OPTIMISM AND IN TURN, HAPPINESS.  MAY EVERYONE ENJOY THIS DAY AND FIND HAPPINESS.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

MY GUYS ARE ALL ABOUT FOOTBALL AND THIS FAMILY IS ALL ABOUT THE STEELERS.  MASON DID NOT REALLY WANT TO DRESS UP THIS YEAR SO HE DECIDED HE WOULD DRESS IN HIS FOOTBALL JERSEY AND GO ALONG WITH HIS BROTHER.  I'M SO GLAD HE DID.  SOME OF THE BOYS' FRIENDS WENT TRICK OR TREATING WITH US THEN WE ALL WENT TO DAIRY QUEEN TOGETHER FOR DINNER.  WE LOVE HAVING THEIR FRIENDS ALONG WITH US.  WE WANT THEIR FRIENDS TO ENJOY OUR HOME AND HANGING OUT WITH US.  IT WAS A FUN NIGHT.  I THINK MARK AND I ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS THE BOYS.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROO!!

 years ago my little guy came into this world FAST AND FURIOUS!    I woke up that Saturday morning at around 7:30 with consistent contractions.  I woke Mark up, who had been up until 5:00am working on the office we added on to our previous home, and told him we needed to head to the hospital.  I called my buddy Kim so she could come get Mason and hopped in the shower.  Who wants to go have a baby without shaving their legs first?  I put on makeup and got dressed.  Kim & Paul made it to our house around 8:30.  We visited for a bit and the contractions became more intense.  I couldn't really talk through them.  I had to stop and wait for it to end.  It wasn't unbearable, just more than the crampy feeling it had been.  At about 9:00am Mark and I headed to the neighboring town about 25 miles away to the Hospital.  When we arrived, the nurse told me they did not have an open L&D room, they were cleaning one that someone was just discharged from and it would take about 15 minutes.  She said if I was real uncomfortable she could put me in a triage room and move me once it was ready.  I assured her I could wait 15 minutes and Mark and I sat and waited.  As we waited I told Mark that the contractions were really starting to hurt.  My back was really hurting.  At about 9:45am, the nurse came in and said the room was ready.  She asked me to put on a gown and she would be back to check my dilation to decide if they would admit me.  I put on the gown and she came in to check me.  I thought her eyes were gonna pop out of her head.  She said, "YOUR 10 CENTIMETERS...I'VE GOTTA CALL THE DOCTOR IN NOW"  After that my water broke and the contractions went into OVERDRIVE.  I was ready to push but they would not let me push until the doctor got there.  I had to go through 2 contractions without pushing and that was the most painful thing I have ever experienced.  Once the doctor got there (he was at his kid's soccer game), I pushed twice and there he was.  It was 10:18am. 

We should have known he was gonna be full of energy from the way he entered this world.  Just like his birth, he can't wait to do exciting things and enters a room like a ball of fire!  I love that kid so much.  He keeps things exciting around here.  So as tradition holds, I'm gonna list 7 special things about Andrew

1.  He has a great witty way about him.  His timing is great, he keeps us in stitches!
2.  Andrew is so smart.  He was reading at a 1st grade level in preschool.  I hope he keeps up his love of reading.
3.  Legos are his favorite things in the world.  Star Wars Legos are his preference.  He can build so many things using his imagination.  It amazes me.
4.  He has a caring heart.  He shows his tough guy exterior but he has a sensitive little heart.  He picks up on little things that are said and comments to me if he thinks it could hurt some one's feelings.  I love that soft side of him.

5.  Cuddling is what he does best.  He creeps into my room or Mason's room at night to snuggle someone.  He reminds me of myself when I was a little girl.  Being the youngest, I always found someone to snuggle when I got spooked at night. 

6.  He rides his scooter and bike like a champ!  He just came home from his friend's house one day this summer and said, "I don't need my training wheels anymore."  He had gotten on his friend's bike and learned to ride solo.

7.  He loves God and loves to learn more about him at Sparks.  He asks some really deep questions for a little guy.  I know God is going to use him to do amazing things.  I love getting to see God unfold who Andrew is in front of me every day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MISTER ROO!  WE LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH!!!



Friday Funny

Andrew got in the car the other day after school and immediately said, "Mom, I need to sign up for cheer camp." I sat there a little dazed...and asked him why he was interested in cheer camp. He then told me his friend, Milo (a sweet little girl that has been one of his best buddies for a while) signed up and she got a shirt. If she wears that shirt to the in town high school football games she gets in free. That's my boy, always looking for a deal. He gets that frugality honestly, Mark and I love a good deal! I think Mark will be OK with me missing this discount ;-)

Healthy Eating

OK, I've done it! I am back on my healthy eating lifestyle. I never really stopped, I just indulged more frequently on the not so healthy stuff a little too often. I started the South Beach diet phase one yesterday. The first few days are a little tough because you are cutting out sugars, but you NEVER feel hungry. I highly recommend this lifestyle. It is truly the healthiest "diet" I have ever researched. It really isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle change. The weight loss does happen but I have to say it is not the biggest benefit of the diet. When I am eating this way, my energy level is amazing and the mental clarity is unbelievable. Who doesn't need those things at peak level these days?

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what foods I put in my body and what my family is putting in their bodies as well. Unfortunately, eating good healthy, whole foods cost more than eating processed junk and that discourages a lot of people from doing so. I'm here to say with meal planning, it can be done. Even if you have to start small, it is so worth it! Maybe you start with healthy snacks or one meal a week. Over time you will find you are buying less of the processed snack foods (which are expensive too) because you stop craving them. This leaves you more money in the food budget for more healthy options. This is how I have found it possible to do this for our family. Food is the one thing you buy that actually becomes a part of your body. Wow, that makes me stop and think about the choices I make a little differently. I'm not saying I will never again eat cupcakes and ice cream. I couldn't live in that world ;-). I'm simply saying moderation. I want my boys to learn to take care of their bodies by eating food that nourishes, not just fills their stomachs. Who better to be their example than Mom and Dad?

On your Mark...

Mason convinced Mark to run in our town festival 5K race. Mason has talked me into doing a couple of these with him so it was nice to just take pics this time. I would love to say that Mason gets his love for long distance running from me but that would be a lie. I have tolerated running but never loved it. Here are my two runners taking off on the far left.They both did great! Since Mark did this race with NO TRAINING! I think it was great that he finished in 32 minutes. He did tell Mason he would never do this kind of thing at the last minute with him again. I think you can pull that off when you are eleven...not so much when you are over forty! Here they are getting ready to cross the finish line.It was a beautiful morning and I am so glad they had this time together, even if Mark is paying for it today. ;-) They will both remember that time together for years to come.

THE MORE THE MERRIER!!!

My buddy Kim has headed to the other side of the world to bring home these two PRECIOUS boys. She is in China until next Saturday...just she and the boys. I am so proud of her for facing this trip alone to bring these guys home. I know I would have been a bit of a nervous Nelly if I were in her shoes. She is such a great example of being faithful to what the Lord has called you to do, even when the road seems a bit unknown and scary. The Lord equips those he has called. Follow along with her journey at www.lestertraveljournal.com and be ready to have your heart just burst with JOY. Adoption is just a wonderful reminder God's love for us!!

Back to School Boys

Mason and Andrew are back in school. Andrew is a big 1st grader this year. He has the same teacher Mason had and we are so excited about that! Mrs. McAuley is wonderful. She challenges these little guys and teaches them the self control and discipline they will need to be successful as they get older.

Mason is now in 5th grade and I am quickly seeing that this is a transitional year for sure. Academically the demands are more challenging and socially we enter a new era...girls are interested in boys! I guess I need to get ready for all of that drama but I sure don't encourage it at their age.

Here they are on their first day of school.

Oh how I love those little faces! When I picked up Andrew after school and asked him how his day was he said, GREAT! I was so glad to hear that. He has grown up so much since last year. He hasn't cried and loves first grade.

When I picked Mason up, he asked if he could go help be a water boy for the varsity football practice with his buddies...so much for hanging with mom after his first day of school. He's growing up and it is bittersweet. I am so glad he still loves to talk with me at the end of the day when he is getting ready for bed. I'm finding as he gets older I have to be creative with our time to make sure we have some one on one time to talk. The business of life can crowd out what really matters if we let it.