Cold weather = no school?

I recently read Mary Beth Chapman's Christmas letter that she posted on her blog. Here is a part that really touched me:

As I anticipate Christmas 2008, I have many thoughts flying through my heart and head. The last several days, my mind has not been able to stop thinking about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Pregnant and scared, knowing that the baby she was carrying eventually would pay the ultimate price of His life. How would I have lived differently if I knew that my time with Maria was going to be this short? Regretfully, I would have lived much differently. I would have purposely hugged and kissed more. I would have tried to memorize and lock away in my heart certain smells and smiles. I would have colored more and worked less. I would have laughed more and fussed less. Bedtime wouldn’t have become a chore to check off the list of things to get done. Instead it would have been more of an opportunity to listen about the day and offer whatever words were needed. The swimming pool wouldn’t have been too cold to swim in. The flowers in the garden would have all been picked, and definitely more ice cream would have been consumed!

Umm - Jesus keep this hurting mother's words close to my heart. Help me remember that each day is a gift with my family. Please continue to keep this precious family on my heart as they continue this journey of healing.

The same day that I read this beautiful letter was also our first bad weather day at school (Dec. 17th). I do not think it was a coincidence that I was reminded of cherishing each moment with my boys. Since it was just cold (high was 25 - cold for us!) and there was no snow to play in (maybe an over cautious Superintendent? But in his defense we did wake up to ice yet it was gone by 10 am.) we enjoyed our day inside. It was a PJ kind of day, where we spent the morning cuddling on the couch watching Christmas movies and in the afternoon made Tiger Butter for teachers and neighbors. We ended the day with a pot of stick to your ribs Texas chili for dinner. Fun, fun day!

Thanksgiving 2008

We spent Thanksgiving with Jeremy's parents and his brother's family. It was such a relaxing time and it was nice to just hang out with everyone at Jeremy's parents land in Oklahoma. Here are pictures from our first day.

Our sweet nieces decorated the gate for our arrival! What a fun greeting.

Playing a little horse shoes while waiting for lunch.

Getting ready for our delicious lunch!

R. hanging out with his oldest cousins.

Cameron helping C. pet a neighbor's horse.

A fun activity at Mimi and Papa's land. Papa drives the kids around the land - they loved it!

A lot of what we did - visit and relax. It was wonderful!

R.'s favorite thing while we were there - playing in Papa's truck. C. getting ready to fish with his daddy.

Our family's sleeping quarters for the evening. Thank you Mom and dad for letting us borrow your SUV and Camper! It was nice to have a little extra room and the little kitchen also came in handy. Thanks!!

After a good night sleep, we had a yummy breakfast that Mimi made for us. A Belgium waffle bar with lots of toppings to choose from - so good. Then we began to pack up for our drive home. Before we left we met Randy and Vicki's neighbors, who they have become great friends to them over the last year. They were nice enough to let us ride their horses. It was great ending to our fabulous Thanksgiving in the country.

R.'s first ride on a horse.

Having a little talk with his new friend.

Everyone had a turn - even the adults!

Red - he is the neighbor's dog who comes to visit Randy and Vicki. Most of the kids loved him - he was so sweet and never barked.

Making friends over a little Texas/ OU rematch.

The short 2 hour ride home - perfect for a nap.

What a wonderful service

Our 8 year old was baptized tonight at very special service at our church called Deeper. It was an hour and a half of baptism, praise and worship, communion, prayer and reflection. It was the first time our church has ever done a service like this and I am really looking forward to the next one.

This is one of our senior pastors, he and his wife are also in our life group, so it was special to have Paul baptize our son.
We are so proud of him! He asked Jesus into his heart on March 21, 2008, but due to his fear of water he waited to be baptized. Once God helped him conquer his fear, he could not wait to be baptized and let everyone know he is following Jesus with his life.
After a time of baptism and worship we were given about half an hour to go around and do some things on our own. What an amazing experience to share the Lord's Supper with our son for his very first time. It was so special to hear him tell us what the bread and juice represent. Jeremy and I took him back to sit with his grandparents so we could spend some time individually at the different areas. Once I came back to my seat our 8 year old asked if he could participate - he knew exactly what he wanted to pray for, what he wanted to write on the praise wall and a sin that he wanted to nail to the cross. It is such a blessing to see God working in his heart. What memories I will cherish of this evening.

Pumpkin Patch Photos

This year I wanted to try a new pumpkin patch so we drove to Flower Mound today. It was a nice patch, but I think we will go back to the pumpkin farm next year. What a beautiful spring day (yes, I did say Spring)!

He was so excited to see his friend Mickey. I thought it was cute that he wanted to hold his hand.
Climbing the hay pyramid.
Giving it his all but it was just too little to make it to the top.
They made it!
He kept saying "I'm King of the World"
Taking the small leap down
Finishing the hay maize

I think Jeremy's favorite part was the area called Punkin Chunkin.
This was so adorable - he saw Tigger and ran as fast as he could to give him a hug.
So proud to have his picture made with his friend!
Taking a break
They were not stingy - I think the boys rode the ferris wheel for at least five minutes.