Peace on Earth

Christmas Eve has been such a lovely day.  It has been filled with peace and love.  There should be a frangrance named after it.  Chrsitmas Eve.  I would spray it often in order to bring back the memories of the beauty of this day.  Sweet family time, beautiful worship at church, yummy food and God's spirit of joy filling our home.  The stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped, "Santa" still has some work to do, but other than that we are all ready for a great Christmas day ahead.  I love being a mom anticipating the fun that the kids will have tomorrow.  Merry Christmas and May God bless us, everyone.

We have been haulin' out the holly over the past few days.  With Christmas songs playing on the radio, and the lights on the Christmas tree glowing we are making memories and filling the house with joy.  We started out the week with a shopping trip to the dollar store.  The mission was to spend $3 on a sibling,$1 on mommy and $1 on daddy.  Prior to the trip, we threw the kiddos names in a hat (Meredith offered her's up since she was wearing one) and the kids each picked a name to buy for.  They decided to keep their pick a secret which made the mission even more fun. I loved seeing their excitement while they picked out their treasures.  I could hear them giggling and whispering to each other, exclaiming "don't let mommy see!" if they thought I was getting too close. 

Once we got home, they couldn't wait to wrap their gifts.  Their spirit of generosity towards one another was beautiful for this mommy's heart.  I knew it would disappear soon and they would be back to fighting over who's turn it was to play the Wii so I soaked in every minute of it.  Their packages tripled the number of gifts that were under the tree.  It's REALLY beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Later on that night, I made some cut out cookies for us to frost.  I baked.  Yes... it was a true labor of love because I do not like to bake.  AT ALL.  But King Soopers was all out of the already baked and cut out sugar cookies, because don't you think for a second that baking them myself was the first option.  I was so happy to find out that such a thing (pre-baked, pre-cut out cookies) even exsisted.  Thrilled was how I felt.  Then my high went to low standing in the store listening to the mean lady at the bakery tell me that they sold out of those last week.  I wanted to ask her if she would make me some more.  I didn't.  Instead I made my way around the store gathering all of the ingredients that I thought went into cookies.  I googled "EASY sugar cookie recipe" and then heated up the oven, got out my mixer from storage and then baked and cut out 8 dozen cookies.  I was cutting out gingerbread men, Christmas trees and stars when Michael came into the kitchen and asked "Can we make dinosaurs too?" Of course we can, my little man, because nothing says Christmas like a frosted longneck!.  So I made a few of those too.  The next day, we had some friends over to play and we decorated the cookies.  They were so pretty when we were finished, AND they were SUPER yummy. 

We finished off our day by watching the Christmas Charlie Brown movie.  Mommy was a tad cranky by that time, but other than that it was the sprinkles on top of very Christmassy day.  There is quite a lot of Christmas spirit around this place!  Now, in the words of Marky... "if it would just SNOW!!!"

What I know tonight...

• 3 of my kids went to bed way to late - I can always count on #3 to be sound asleep before I make "the rounds" (you know what I'm talking about, moms!).  Thank goodness for that!!  #s 1, 2 and 4... not so much...
• I'm so happy that Patrick came home tonight.  I need another driver in the house... I mean... I'm thrilled to hold his hand over dinner (delivered pizza) ... yeah, that's what I meant. 
• it's Wednesday and 3 of my kiddos still have big things going on this week
• if I could work full time doing hair, I would - really.
• I am suffering from "I didn't get enough for Christmas for the kids" syndrome.  It always hits me on the 15th, the day I try to be done with shopping. 
• I would like to make a prime rib for Christmas dinner.  Some friends of mine swear it's a cinch.  Should I try it?
•  As a Colorado girl, I think that I SHOULD say that I'm sad it hasn't REALLY snowed yet this winter... BUT - truth is I AM THRILLED!!!  I hate snow. 
• troulble-making-people are so tiresome.  SO. VERY. TIRESOME.
• I want to remember that Jesus is really the reason for all of our celebrating.
• I have a lot of wrapping to do
• I loved rocking my baby boy tonight
• I loved snuggling with one of my daughters
• the laundry is never done around here
• I have a furniture rearrange going on in my mind once I take the tree down.  Can't wait!!  
• I really need to go see "Woodwards" Christmas vingnettes in order for it to really feel like Christmas... this weekend it will happen.
• I can't forget that I have 2 birthday's to get ready for before January 1.  Oh boy... 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

It's my blog and I'll brag if I want to!

Last week got off to a rocky start, with Michael and I both under the weather.  With the help of a lot of laying around, resting and some great meds, we are finally feeling better.  Just in time for Meredith to come down with a bout of the stomach flu.  It was short, but it was nasty.  I'm happy to say that it is over, but truthfully, that is just the worst.  At least she's old enough to...well...you know...

Besides nursing myself and the little kiddos back to health, I have also gotten to rock it as a mama to my older girls.  They have both made me proud this week!! 

Marky shot out of the gate on Monday night with an awards ceremony at City Hall, acknowledging her as one of the winners of an art contest that took place in our city.  It was for a drug-free campaign that the sheriff's department heads up, and Marky plus 11 others were chosen as winners to illustrate this year's calendar.  She was confident and beautiful as she walked to the front of the room to accept her award.  She is such an incredible girl, weaving and bobbing her way through middle school; finding her niche, settling in to this new stage of life.  Music, writing and art seem to  where she is touched most tenderly, what stirs her heart the most.  It is thrilling to watch God write her story.  Every day, a different aspect of her personality is revealed, a another layer of her soul peeled back. There is a deepness to my Marky that beckons me to listen to her, to find out what she is thinking.  Being proud of her is a given, wanting to be like her is a privilege. 

Today brought Maddie to the finish of her "book-bowl" competition (basically a reading comprehension event). My sweet Maddie is the most precious 4th grader that you will ever meet.  She was one of the spokespersons for her team, and she volunteered for that postition.  It is a position where you have to speak confidently, but only after having listened to your team mates gather up their answers.  They handed their answesr to her, trusting that she would deliver it in a confident, direct manner and boy, did she ever deliver.  I could tell that she was nervous, because when she feels those butterflies flyin' her hands are messing with her hair.  The hair was-a-twirlin!  Yet a little case of the butterflies didn't get the best of her and she represented her team quite well.  It was obvious they liked her as their team leader.  Maddie's heart is so big, it barely fits into her tiny chest.  She is constantly thinking of others and is very sensitive to the needs around her.  To see Maddie wtih her friends is to view a perfect example of what God defines friendship as -to lay down your life for them - a verb, action, taking care.  Her compassion and sweetness is contagious.  She just makes the world a kinder place.

Later on in the week, we got to listen to Meredith and Maddie sing during our church Christmas program.

Meredith take this singing business quite seriously.  She is very focused on her director, and sings every note correctly.  No wrong notes here, no ma'am!   Meredith is so incredibly gifted as a musician.  It will be so much fun to see her develop as a musician; especially such a determined one.

 

This mama's heart just might burst with all of it's mama-happiness.  My kids bless me so, and since it's my blog, I won't even apologize for bragging about them.  Cuz that's what mama's are supposed to do.   

Finding my beat again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocbFFV6DlBE&feature=related

It's time!!

our Daily Bread

My favorite sound these days is hearing the voice of my sweet son say the Lord's Prayer. His daddy has been say it with him since he before he could
even talk. It is a part of Daddy's bedtime ritual. Michael is also learning it at pre-school.

Listening to Michael repeat the phrases, or sometimes just what the phrases sound like brings me great joy. Such as "lead us not into temptation" sometimes sounds more like "me and gus go to the nations". But I get what he's saying and I'm sure God does. One of the parts that makes me so happy is when he says "give us this day our daily bread." I always pray that part with him. I'm all about the daily stuff, ya know.

Today in particular, we needed God to supply our daily bread. And we didn't just need bread, we needed a feast. We needed a bread and FISH miracle. And WE GOT IT! God gave us our daily bread, in fact, we got french toast - the really yummy kind. God heard our prayers to provide for us, and He provided more than we could have ever imagined. He gave us peace, He gave us words, He gave us time, He gave us freedom. We got butter, and syrup. It tasted so good because it was prepared by the ONE to which we say -

"And the power and the glory are YOURS, now and forever. Amen"