She might love this too much

Julia received her official cheerleading bow at her game on Saturday.  Because we had an adults only party to attend on Saturday night, Julia headed to Grandpa's house.  Her uniform went with her so that she could show it off.  Her hair remained in the bow until she went to bed.  The best part, however, is that she removed Savannah's clothes from their hangers so that she could hang her uniform in the closet.  This careful attention to any possession is totally not the Julia I know.  If you've followed the blog very long, you are well aware that Julia has a special gift for losing things.  Who is this child?

He still believes:)

He asked for a rock.  What career lies ahead for this rock loving boy?

Tis the Season for Gold, Circumstances, and Mud?

I had the privilege of hearing Esther Burroughs speak recently.  Ms Burroughs talked of leaving a legacy for our children and was delightful.   Esther spoke of tradition and its importance in family.  If you've followed my blog very long, you know that I am intentional about family traditions, and she shared some really fun ideas.  While she claims that if she could do parenting over again, she would have more laughter in her home, I think she probably had some good laughs over the years.  Ms. Burroughs said her own childhood home was stern, and she raised her children in a stern home.  However, she also shared that her dad would put a dollar bill on the fridge each week, and each week the person who shared the funniest story at the dinner table over the course of the week got to claim that dollar.  I like the way he thinks!


Ms. Burroughs talked of how family memories are born out of traditions, and traditions are repeated in subsequent generations.  She told the story of a family that had the children act out the story of the nativity every year.  They would show up in their parents' robes and their mother's high heels (the heels represented the camels) to the living room to act out this story.  One year a child announced, "we bring gifts of gold, circumstance, and mud!"  "Isn't that the way it goes?"  Ms. Burroughs asked, "there is always gold, circumstances, and mud!"


After thinking about it, I realized, that we have indeed had gold, circumstances, and mud this year.

• mud -We have quite literally had mud.  For the last two Sundays, we have faced abundant rain.  I know this because Sunday is the only day of the week that we can tackle yard work.  We probably have 15 bags of leaves still on the ground that have yet to be bagged and picked up.  Time is running out on us as the last pick up of the season quickly approaches.  We also have an unsightly mud track up the side of our driveway where the van tires did not meet the pavement.
• circumstances- We also had to replace our dishwasher within the last few weeks.  I was thankful to spend thanksgiving away from home so that hand washing all the dishes from a thanksgiving meal would not be necessary.  One of us was tied to the house for two and a half days as we awaited the installation that kept getting postponed (I need to draft a letter to Sears about this situation as this is our second bad dishwasher service experience with them in just a couple of years).  
• gold -In addition to our dishwasher woes, we have mounting medical and dental bills.  Zach and Savannah both have balances on school trips that must be paid by February.  In a moment of being overwhelmed by these expenses, I simply asked God where we would get the funds for this stuff.  He answered with an unexpected check from my dad.  

A Dream Come True

Julia, Libby, Sidney, and Kaelin

For as long as she has known they exist, Julia has wanted to be a cheerleader.  She debuted today and loved it.

Inheritance

the red hair from my Dad (skipping an entire generation of 7 kids), and the dimples from Andy's sister Pam

My parents. I don't have a picture of Pam.

but those never ending eyelashes?

definitely from my mom

Hark, the 1st through 3rd grade sings!

We kicked off the Christmas season with our first Christmas concert on Thursday night.  The performers were fabulous, and the house was packed.  I love that Christ was central, and per school tradition, the third grade class recited Luke 2:1-20 from memory.  

Our own second grader looked completely at ease and full of delight as she played the hand chimes, glockenspiel (isn't that the coolest word?) and sang.  Oh what joy!

Slowly, but surely our house is becoming festive.  The tree has been decorated since Sunday, the mantle got the final touches tonight, and we will work on the nativity and outdoor wreaths this weekend. The journey of Mary and Joseph through our house will start shortly.

Today would have been 16 years....

The link below is to my post on the day my brother-in-law died.  His 16th anniversary of marriage to my sister would have occurred today.  This hard journey that she faces is far from over.  Please pray for Tiffany and for my nephews, Austin and Logan, today.

Blindsided