A Christmas Program and a Party

C. had his first Christmas program at preschool on Dec.10th. As you will see in this video he sang his little heart out. Listen carefully, he is the one who is singing the loudest and a little slower than the others too! ;o)

In the picture below he is with his teacher. We feel so blessed that we found his little school, he is learning so much and he loves his teacher.

M. had his 3rd grade Christmas party on December 19th. Here are some pictures from the party.

Making ornaments (that's his teacher in the background).

This was fun to watch - penguin relay races! They walked like penguins and then without using their hands put a nose on that was on the ground. How did the nose stay on - frosting. Frosting Noses!

He and his classmates were excited because they had nachos. In the past they always had just sweets. They were talking about how cool it was to have real food at the party. Ah - the simple pleasures in life.

I hope everyone is enjoying your Christmas break with your family!

A Serenade and a Question...

Today was a monumental day! I paid only $2.49 a gallon for gas. Isn't it sad that this price gets me so excited? Just curious - what are y'all paying in other parts of the country?

On another note (no pun intended)...

Here is a little diddy for your listening pleasure. First, I feel I must ask you to excuse his lack of attire in the video. He was on the way to the shower when he pulled out the guitar. If you can not understand 2 year old language, he is singing "Jesus Loves Me" - "the Bible tells me so" part. :o)

14 Days...

is how long it has been since my last post. Here is what we have been up to...


~We came home on Tuesday the 5th from our dreamy getaway in Savannah. The next few days were filled with laundry, house cleaning and yard work. Fun, Fun. :o)

~Then 08/08/08 arrived and since that point we have been obsessed with the Olympics!! Our Tivo has been on overdrive since that day just taping up a storm. We love Michael Phelps, Shawn Johnson, Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres and our hometown girl Nastia Liukin - just to name a few. We are full of American pride and we have been rooting each night as though we are watching the Super Bowl. We have had a lot of great family time around here - we are kind of sad that swimming and gymnastics are over - now we will focus on basketball, platform diving and whatever else we can soak in before the closing ceremonies on the 24th.

~The 9th was our church's first service on Saturday night. We have switched to Saturdays and love it! At our previous church we went on Friday nights for years and it worked perfectly for our family - so we are thankful for the new Saturday night service.

~11th - 15th was a busy week. Our three year old was in swimming lessons all week and LOVED it! He has always been fearless in the water so we are so thankful that he now has the skills to swim and be safe in the water. My boys have Phelps' fever so our oldest is wanting to begin taking advanced swimming lessons to begin learning swimming strokes. He says he wants to be in the Olympics one day so we are going to enroll him this Fall to get him started toward that dream (remember, this is the son who was terrified of water until earlier this summer - my how far we have come in such a short time). Here is a little video of our three year old at swimming lessons. Day one he was asking to jump off the diving board and on the third day she let him - he was so proud of himself and we were too!



Our oldest spent two days and one night at Blaine and Lesli's swimming and playing with his cousins. He had a great time swimming - he loves bragging that they stayed in the pool one day for 6 hours - he thought that was really cool! I hate that we do not get together with them more often. We only live about an hour away but life just gets in the way.

The 13th was my one year Blogaversary! Wow - a year. I started this blog as a scrapbook for my boys and a way to keep up with friends and family. If you would have told me that I would have formed relationships with people I had never met in person or that I would have arranged to meet one of those people (more on this later) - I would have thought you were crazy! But over this last year I have met several people through blogging and I am thankful for these relationships. People who do not blog do not get it and probably think it is strange to have friends that you have not met in person but I thank God for this year and these new relationships. I hope to meet you all in person someday.

Friday (15th) and Saturday (16th) was our church's Women's retreat. I, along with another lady in our church, are helping get a new ministry off the ground for moms with kids 0-5. At the retreat we shared about this new ministry at two break out sessions so I spent last week doing last minute things for my part of the presentation. I am so excited about this new ministry as I have a heart for moms of toddlers and preschoolers. Moms ministries have played such an important roll in my life so I am happy to be apart of starting this as I know it will be awesome for ladies in our church and in our community.

We have had such a laid back summer with absolutely no schedule and it has been w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l! Since the boys have gone to bed late each night and were able to sleep as late as they wanted most mornings we decided this week should be a trial for the school routine that starts next week. So far so good - there has been no fighting at bedtime.

Friday (22nd) is Meet The Teacher Night - prayers have been lifted up all summer that God will place our 3rd grader with the teacher that is best for him. I have to be honest, third grade scares me ALOT as I have heard it is such a big change from 2nd grade. Ready or not let the 3rd grade adventure begin.

So that is our past 14 days. As Jeremy puts it we have been in a "vacation hangover" and it has been hard getting back into the swing of the routine of life. But I think I am finally back so starting tomorrow I will begin sharing the recap of our vacation. I also plan on reading blogs again. :o)

Swimming - Conquering Fear

First I want to say thank you to all of you who were praying! The video you are about to watch is such a miracle to us. What you do not understand is that this boy would never put his head under the water in a pool and would never venture out of the shallow end for any reason. As a matter of fact he would not even get in a pool without a noodle. I mentioned before that he was not going to ask Jesus into his heart back in April because he knew the next step was baptism and he was scared of the water.

On the way to his first swimming lesson (first of this summer - he has tried lessons 3 previous times) on Monday I told him that many people were praying for him. He had a hard time grasping why people outside of his family would pray for him. After his first lesson where he made amazing progress I asked what changed inside him. He is such a wise soul at this young age - he said "I decided if I did not make a change now I would be afraid for the rest of my life"then he said "Plus all those people took the time to pray for me."

After only 5 lessons here is the answer to all the prayers that were lifted up on his behalf. Thank you Lord for helping him conquer his fear!

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9

Easter 2008

Easter - it is my favorite holiday. From Palm Sunday through Easter, I love to just meditate on God's plan and the amazing love He had for us in having Jesus do the unfathomable - give His life for us. Do you ever think it is strange that the holiday that our whole faith (as Christians) is based around gets so little attention? Jesus' birth gets a whole month of celebration, shouldn't the whole reason He came to Earth get at least equal time? This morning when I was checking the weather on the web, there was not any mention that this was anything but a typical Sunday. I checked Fox and CNN - the only info about Easter was that the Pope lead Mass at the Vatican. I would love to see Jesus' sacrifice of his life and the miracle of his resurrection get at least a week of reflection and celebration. Should we form a committee to see how to get this done? (Sorry, just a little church humor)

Being at church this morning gave me such a rush! I helped with checking in the preschool kiddos for their classes. It was so exciting to see all the new families who were visiting for the first time. All three of our services were packed and Paul (one of our senior pastors) based his sermon on Hebrews 2: 9-15. He talked about how Jesus redefined death and how through God's grace we all have a choice to choose whether our time on this Earth ends with Life or death. We had lots of great songs to worship with and the last song was "Marvelous Light" by Charlie Hall (one of my faves!!!). It was all I could do not to jump up and down when it gets to this part -

Sin has lost it's power,

Death has lost it's sting.

From the grave you've risen

VICTORIOUSLY!

If you have not heard this song, click on the video below. Awesome song!


Due to Easter being so early and it being at the end of Spring Break, we did not get a family gathering planned for today. This was the first Easter in my life where I did not get together with family. It was rather strange to have soup for lunch instead of ham, asparagus and the other normal Easter foods I am used to. We took the boys to our former church's old building (they have a new one that just opened) and had an Easter egg hunt, then we had a good time playing on the playground equipment. We had a relaxing afternoon even if it was a little non-traditional.

I hope that you and your family had a very special day!

Hosanna!

Mark 11:1-10

1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.' "

4They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

"Hosanna!"
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"
10"Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!"
"Hosanna in the highest!"

Worship

Enjoy your Sunday!

Chatting

Our 16 month old is using so many words and talks so much more than his brothers did at this age. But when he jabbers and talks with his hands it cracks us up! I thought I would share a video of a little conversation we had recently. Have a great weekend!

Steps

Over the holidays he started taking steps. This is from today - he's becoming a pro! Oh- please ignore my high pitch tone - I was trying to be encouraging and boy is it annoying (sorry).

Re-focused

Yeah, the cards are done! I breathed a sigh of relief this morning, as Jeremy took them to be mailed. But soon the sense of accomplishment was gone, as my mind began to swirl with the multiple things still left on my to do list. How to get it all done? I am sure many of you can relate.

As I began to pray about how to balance all "the to do's" with remembering the purpose of this season, one of my favorite Christmas songs came to mind - so I googled it. I found a video of Mercy Me singing a medley of "Joseph's Lullaby" and "I Can Only Imagine'. The video quality is not great and it does not start at the beginning of the song, but you will get the idea.

While I listened, the thought of my list began to fade and my mind turned to Joseph. Imagine, as he counted Jesus' fingers and toes, the thougths that must have entered his mind. The baby he was holding, the one he considered his first born, was actually - God's son - the one who was sent to save the world. The baby he had just delivered in a barn and placed in a bed where the animals ate, was God himself! Mind blowing - isn't it?!!

Sometimes I do not think Joseph gets enough credit for his part in the Christmas story. Even as I looked up his profile in my Bible this morning, he is listed as Joseph - Mary's husband. His faith was tremendous, especially in the face of the culture he lived in. In the midst of fear and confusion, Joseph rested in knowing that God had a plan. The Bible does not say much about Joseph, but you can read his story in Matthew 1:16-2:23.

I am so thankful when God brings me peace in chaotic times and helps me focus on what is important.

Go to sleep my Son
This manger for your bed
You have a long road before You
Rest Your little head

Can You feel the weight of Your glory?
Do You understand the price?
Does the Father guard Your heart for now
So You can sleep tonight?

Go to sleep my Son
Go and chase Your dreams
This world can wait for one more moment
Go and sleep in peace

I believe the glory of Heaven
Is lying in my arms tonight
Lord, I ask that He for just this moment
Simply be my child

Go to sleep my Son
Baby, close Your eyes
Soon enough You'll save the day
But for now, dear Child of mine
Oh my Jesus, Sleep tight

I Believe

In a land far away
Time stood still
Long ago
There were shepherds in fields
Or at least this is how
The story goes
The story goes
Woman withChild
And a man with no room
Born in a manger
For telling it too
This is how The story goes
But it is more than a fable
And it’s more than a fairytale
And more than my mind can conceive

I believe
The Wiseman saw
The baby born the angels called the son of God Heaven’s child
The great I am
Born to take away my sins through nailed pierced hands
Emmanuel has come

I believe
Two thousand years
Still the story lives on
God’s gift to us Sent to earth Wrapped in flesh
His only son
His only son
And the heartbeat of heaven
Confounded our wisdom
But it’s still the simple truth
That sets me free

I believe
The Wiseman saw
The baby born that the angels called the son of God Heaven’s child
The great I am
Born to take away my sins through nailed pierced hands
Emmanuel has come

And I believe
Precious child
How can it be that God’s great plan
For his story Would send you to The lonely tree
That you would come
For one like me

I believe
In a cross
I believe he came
For one, he came for all Heavens child became a plan
Gave his life for me
In spite of all I am

I believe
I believe
Oh I believe
Christmas lives in me
I believe

Blogs

I was not introduced to "blogging" until January when Karen started her blog. Most bloggers list blogs they read; so being curious I would click on the links. Before you know it you are several pages away from the original blog you started reading and now you are reading a missionary's blog in the jungles of Venezuela (which I did last night). Those of you fellow bloggers understand what I am talking about. From time to time I will share things I find-- here are couple for today.

I recently found The Pioneer Woman who Cooks blog. I love it because she shows you step by step (in pictures) the recipe making process. If you like to cook and are in need of new recipes check it out.

I saw this video (David Crowder Band "O Praise Him") a few months ago at The TCM Blog and knew if I ever started my blog I would definitely post it. Haven't you ever felt that inner turmoil when you are at church, when you are signing a worship song that TRULY moves you? You feel like you are going to "combust" if you do not stand to your feet or fall to your knees to show God "outward" praise. But no "I can't do that everyone else is sitting; what would they think of me!" To me this would be the ultimate example of that--wouldn't God smile! Oh to be this bold!