November and December so far

It's been a full couple months, OK a full year :) Back in September Isaac started his first season of soccer, which he just loved. It wasn't a team with games, just learning basic skills in a fun way once a week. He wasn't very thrilled with the idea when we told him about it, but after the first practice he could hardly wait for the next Monday. The season wrapped up in the beginning of November. Another wonderful means of expending the kids energy is the 13-foot trampoline I got off freecycle! It's in great condition, we just need to fix the net, but so far no one has fallen off :) Don't worry, they aren't allowed to jump without us there! I love freecycle :) My parents came up in November in the middle of the pastors' conference at our church so they could watch the kids for part of it anyway. We had a great time together, as always! Never a shortage of house projects to work on either :) We spent Thanksgiving with some friends here in town since all our families live far away. Plenty of kids to play with and lots of food to eat. We all had a great time, but it's just not the same as being home with all the family! No Black Friday shopping for me this year! All I heard was how crazy it is up here. Well, we did stop at Wal-Mart in the small town near us to buy a Christmas tree stand, but it was just about like normal there. Gotta love small towns :) Then it was on to get our very first live tree! Some friends had told us about a nursery about 30 minutes away that gives you a free tree when you buy a gift card of equal value. So we'll go back in the spring to get grass seed and our garden veggies. We were super glad not to have to pull out every little branch of our artificial tree, plus it makes me sneeze and itch from the dust! The tree is so pretty and smells so good! Another first was having an actual tree topper and not a bare branch! That was an after Christmas deal last year :) Since Luke is into everything we put the tree in the foyer to minimize temptation for him. So far he's only gotten to it once :) And the latest big event was the kids being in our babysitter's wedding yesterday! Sarah has been watching the kids for at least two years, and she's just so dear to us all! She and her now husband came over a few months ago to talk with us and ask about our courtship and such. When we had shared how we so quickly felt sure we wanted to marry the other, and both shared such similar visions and desires for life (including seminary), they looked at each other and said "that sounds like us!" They got engaged the next week I think :) I think Sarah must have told the kids something when she was here b/c they weren't very surprised when i told them they were engaged! So Samy has been counting down the days until she got to be a flower girl, while Isaac, on the other hand, would say, "It's so girlish!" They both made it down the aisle, no stage fright at all! Isaac forgot who he was supposed to take the rings to when he got down front though, causing one of those classic AFV moments when he calls out "What??" as i tried to tell him where to go :) oh well! We were so happy to be part of their big day, but I was totally exhausted at the end of it. Luke was cheery for all but a few minutes of the 5 hours we were there! Thank you kind God!!

October around here

Ah, the first snow of the season. Wait, there are still green leaves on the trees! This just ain't right my friends.  The kids were out having a snow ball fight with a neighbor yesterday.  I slipped on the icy driveway this morning (when I locked the kids and I out of the house leaving for church).  This is just craziness!  But it really is still pretty, though a bit weird to see green leaves with snow on them!

Last night was the Harvest Party at our church.  It was pouring snow all day yesterday and Keith was rather concerned about the roads b/c they were saying it was going to freeze, but we knew the kids would be so disappointed if we didn't go.  So we set out and by the time we were out of our little town there was almost no snow on the ground!  Crazy how different the weather can be just a few miles away.
Samy was Rapunzel and I made her a long braid out of yarn.  (if you look close at the pictures you can see her cast!)  Isaac was Anakin Skywalker, wearing the Jedi cape I made for him and armed with his lightsaber!  Our neighbor was dressed up as Rapunzel too and had her own yarn braid :)

Time to get to church, but hoping to update on the kids later!

Colonial us

It has been a very colonial beginning to our school year! A few others ladies and I decided to make our own little Classical Conversations (CC) co-op at my house rather than shell out the big bucks to do it with the official one. We meet every other week and the kids (five actually doing school and two babies) have a blast! This year CC is focusing on American history, which worked out well with our family vacation to Williamsburg. I made Samy a very simple colonial dress to help her get into it a little more. We read some books about the time period too, but they still preferred climbing trees and playing in the dirt to seeing all the cool historic buildings :) Oh well! We also spent some time at the pool, mini golfing, ice cream eating, and (the kids favorite part) watching Episodes 1 and 2 of Star Wars that we borrowed from friends :) I, on the other hand, LOVED Williamsburg and would love to go every year! They had this fun game called RevQuest where they give you a set of instructions when you check in and special bandannas to wear. You meet your secret informant who starts you off on your secret mission and tells you to beware of spies (anyone not wearing the same color blue as the bandanna). Isaac and Samy liked the secret spy part and kept Daddy from getting us thrown in jail when someone started asking him questions related to our secret mission. Isaac said, "He's a spy, Dad! Stop talking to him!" You are given clues and have to find answers around Williamsburg and then text answers to get the next clue and if you are successful in saving the person from danger by figuring out the whole message then you get a little coin with the year and Colonial Williamsburg on it. It was so much fun, though the clues were way over our kids' heads. I sure enjoyed it :) Well, we completed our mission a little after the time of the ceremony where you receive your coin (you find out the secret time and place when you finish the game), and we were leaving the next morning, which was a big bummer! But God was so kind to allow us to see our "secret informant" we had met that morning and I asked her if it was possible to get the little prize for the kids. She was so kind and met us behind a building and went through the whole thing with us about the mission and giving us all our coins. It was great!

And then we also took a field trip with lots of friends to a colonial farm nearby in late September. We got to card and spin wool, crush grain, make candles by dipping wicks into beeswax, play some games from the time period, and then explore the farm while talking with a farmer's wife (very in character!). We even pulled weeds in the garden :)

For the dads in my life

I wanted to wish my Daddy and my Keith a happy father's day on here so I could tell you all how grateful I am for them!

Daddy, I am grateful for your example of hard work (even in "retirement"!) and providing for your family.  You have always been faithful to help all us kids with any and every house project we could throw at you, patiently teaching your sons and sons-in-law as you did (but thank  you to Matthew for breaking him in for Keith!). 
I am grateful that you are so committed to your family that you would drive hours and hours to be with us in our various states, toting along truck-fulls of generosity. 
I am grateful that you care enough to remember things that I don't even remember that need to be fixed in our house and then bring the stuff to fix them.
I am grateful that you are willing to sit down and play with your grand kids, to take them camping, to build special things for them and with them.
I am grateful that you would release (and encourage) Mom to come BACK up here to take care of me and the kids after Luke was born.
I am grateful that you took care of me for 24 years and then lovingly gave me away to Keith. 
I am grateful that you are my Dad and always will be!

Now to my precious husband!
Keith, I am so grateful that you love the Savior more than you love me and the kids!  That you pursue Him first and with passion. 
I am grateful for your leadership in our home--for taking initiative to lead us in God's Word in principle and practice, for being a good steward of our finances and time, for planning family time and making memories, for making decisions and carrying the weight of responsibility.
I am grateful for your humility and how much you've grown over the last couple years--confessing sin, patiently bearing with your sinful wife and children, not seeking to draw attention to yourself, seeking others' input.
I am grateful that you take care of us--you provide for us without grumbling, working hard as unto the Lord both at work and at home.
I am grateful that you are so eager to bless us with things that we love--camping, flowers, bagels to name a few :)
I am so grateful that you married me and are the father of my children!!  I couldn't ask for a better dad for Isaac, Samy and Luke!
We love you so very much!!!!! 
Happy Father's Day!!!

Sundays and such

Most of you probably know that we love spending our Sunday evenings eating popcorn, drinking lemonade and watching America's Funniest Videos.  While since the NBA playoffs were on last Sunday evening, we had our popcorn on the front porch, followed by football and tag.  Isaac and Samy were too cute sitting together on the swing talking about Star Wars and princesses I'm sure :) 

Luke is growing like an adorable little weed!  He's grown 3 inches!!!  I haven't weighed him, but I guarantee he's still at the top of the chart.  I caught a few smiles on camera this week and had to share those.

While Daddy was away

Keith got to go to the NEXT conference in Orlando over Memorial Day weekend, which meant me alone with three kids for four days.  So I purposed to do lots of fun things we don't normally do, knowing that my temptation toward anger would be that much greater without Keith here to help.
As soon as Keith left Saturday morning we headed out to pick strawberries!  They weren't nearly as sweet as last year, but maybe it's because it's the very beginning of the season.  Samy had only one strawberry in her bucket at the end of it all because they all went straight to her mouth!  No wonder she had a tummy ache :)  When she had had her fill she started picking flowers instead.  Isaac lasted a little longer, and Luke slept the whole time.  We'll have to go with friends later in the season so they'll be more distracted and I can get more berries!
That afternoon Isaac's best little buddy from school came over along with him mom, and little brother and sister since his daddy had gone with our daddy to the conference.  The kids  had a super time running around and I got some time talking with my friend.  Then mac-n-cheese for dinner (their fav!) and ice cream for dessert.
Sunday after church we went to a little deli for lunch and ran into a couple Keith met through his evangelistic bible study last month.  They were so happy to meet the kids as they had already dubbed themselves Aunt Gloria and Uncle Peter :)
Oh, I should also mention that I woke up Sunday morning with no voice!  It was almost gone Saturday night, but I could scarcely speak by Sunday morning!  Allergies are in full bloom here ya know!  And then I must have pulled something in my back putting Luke in the car after lunch b/c I couldn't get the car seat out when we got home.  I could barely move without shooting pain!  I was finding all this somewhat humorous since Keith was gone when I lost my voice and could barely move :)  God's grace was quite evident that I was reacting in laughter instead of anxiety or anger!

Since it was blisteringly hot Monday I got out the Slip-n-Slide for the kids and they had a blast, though Samy was to afraid to actually slide, she just scooted herself down :)  Before he left Keith had gotten the A/C unit in the kids' room but forgot about the one in our room.  It was an adventure getting that heavy unit to our window, especially with my back out of whack :)  but Luke and I needed to sleep in the cool, it had to be close to 90 in our room!  Again, laughing that we were having a heat wave while my hubby was away, as well as our neighbors, so no help there.
Tuesday Isaac was back to school, which means out the door by 7:30 to pick up our friends' kiddos and make it on time.  Well, getting three kids out the door that early after a rough night (because Luke was in the room with me) was hard enough, and we were already a few minutes late, but then I went and locked my keys in the house after getting everyone in the car!  I called Helen and said I was so late and she took her boys to school.  And I was just grateful that it was so hot that day because I had already opened all the windows downstairs, so I pried off a screen and climbed in :)

Let me just tell you, I was so happy to see my dear hubby that evening :)  But truly, there was so much grace in the midst of all the hiccups in my plans!  I know how I have reacted to such things in the past, with anger and harsh words toward my children (whether it be their fault or not), but the Holy Spirit was working miracles in my sinful heart this weekend!  I truly was finding humor in the myriad of difficulties and seeing all the good gifts of friends and fun and not setting my expectations too high.  It was only by the grace of God! 

Here's some pics of the weekend and lots of little Lukey :)

May showers

Isn't it supposed to be April showers??  Well, we've had rain everyday for 2 weeks I think!  The ground is always muddy, which means so are my children :)  Last Sunday they couldn't resist going out to jump in the puddles (more like ponds!).

And a little catch up since I finally downloaded the pictures from my camera...
Just before Mom left we took her to the local paint-your-own pottery place to make her gifts to say thank you for taking care of us for two weeks/Mothers Day.  The kids each painted a coaster for her and I painted a vase for her new sun room.

Since the sun came out for a while on Monday we all headed to the park to enjoy it.

little tough guy!

beautiful girl :)

precious (and getting so big!) Isaac

he loves his paci, just like big brother did!

Tuesday I began my cloth diaper adventure!  I did it Tuesday and Wednesday with no leaks, but quickly discovered I need more diapers :)  So they are on their way and the other ones are washed and ready to go again.  It really wasn't that much more work than disposable, and a heck of a lot cheaper in the long run!  I even made my own cloth wipes out of an old flannel sheet.  I feel so Martha Stewart, though I'm sure her stitches would be considerably straighter than mine :)

For those who like to hear birth stories :)

Oh what a delight to have our little guy in our arms!  Especially after all the waiting :)  A few ladies  have asked about my birth story so I thought I'd share...
We went in early on the 22nd to be induced.  We were only at the hospital a few minutes when we saw (Keith says we were tackled) Cheryl, a nurse in the mother/baby unit who we know from our church.  She was just getting off her shift but said she'd be back at 7 that night.  A wonderful greeting to begin our day :)
We chose Friday the 22nd for a few reasons, one being my favorite doctor (Dr. Jones) in the practice I go to would be on call that day.  She thought I would just need to have my water broken to get things going.  So after my round of antibiotics (I was positive for strep B) she broke it at 9:30.  Things got going but I was making no progress after a few hours (stuck at 2 cm just like the past almost two weeks), so pitocin was started and the contractions quickly got stronger.
Keith was just wonderful through the whole thing, and I remembering commenting that I'm glad I don't have to watch him do this :)  God is certainly wise in assigning our roles!  Before I started pitocin we had alternated walking 40 minutes and monitoring 20 minutes, so at least we weren't stuck in the room, but after pitocin began I was stuck.  Keith read aloud from a book on Jonathan Edwards, and though I have no idea what he was reading, it was soothing to hear his voice.  And he kept me laughing when I wasn't in pain.  As he shared on facebook, the funniest moment was when he pretended to read the ingredients on my IV bag and said high fructose corn syrup was the first ingredient :)  This after we laughed about the nutritional value of all the Popsicles I'd been downing!

Dr. Jones was such an encouragement, even as I made no progress and the hours dragged on.  She was certain I would just progress all at once, which was exactly what happened.  I got an epidural around 5, when I couldn't take the pain anymore and I was still only 2 cm.  The nurse checked me again around 6:15 and I was still 2 cm.  Dr. Jones came in shortly after that, just before her shift ended, and was stunned to hear I still hadn't progressed.  At this point I'm beginning to think I'm going to end up having a c-section because this kid just doesn't want to come out :) but she encouraged me again that she really thought I would go all at once. 
Around 6:45 the nurse checked me again--8 cm!!  Oh, I was so happy!  And within another 15 minutes the nurse had called  the doctor and he was on his way because I was 10 cm.  The doctor now on call was one I had never met and was completely opposite of Dr. Jones. She's very animated and talkative.  He is a much older, quiet, stoic Jewish man.  But he got the job done well!  After about 10 minutes of pushing, there was our precious little BOY!  It really was fun to not know what they would announce.  Since it was after 8, our friend Cheryl was back on duty and she came in to ask if she could take care of us--I was so glad to have her as our nurse! 
We called the grandparents and then I was able to let him nurse.  Then Keith was off to get me some food!!  A huge burrito from Chipotle wouldn't fit in my stomach when I was pregnant, but it was no match for my hunger at the end of that day!   And a Krispy Kreme doughnut too :)  We won't talk about the nutritional value of that :)
Sometime the next day we were about settled on the name Luke.  When Keith brought the kids up just before dinner and Samy says out of the blue "I love Luke!" in her sweet voice, it sealed the deal!
We were discharged Easter Sunday.  Made it home before 1 pm!

Here we are a week later, and I'm feeling good.  Luke is sleeping well, though we had a few really tough nights.  The kids frequently just stop what they're doing and come give him hugs and kisses.  They love when his eyes are open and they talk to him and wave at him.  My mom arrived Monday night and has been a HUGE help!  Don't know what I'd do without her :)

Pictures of Luke

Sorry for the long wait for pictures, been a little busy. I was afraid all those grandparents would be calling to yell at me if I didn't get some up today :) Without further ado...

Home again

A very disappointing night for Keith and I as we rushed to the hospital around 7, but got sent home at midnight.  I started having contractions appearing to me to be real labor on Monday evening.  I was certain that night we would be going in the next day.  My parents drove up Tuesday.  I continued to go in spurts of contractions, some really painful, but in the morning they would always subside.  Yesterday they were getting super strong and had been 8-10 minutes apart for an hour, then 3-5 minutes apart for another hour and it was getting really intense.  I was so certain "this is it!"  I shouldn't have said that :)  So after dinner we headed down to the hospital, got checked in and put on the monitors.  By then the contractions were already a little less intense, but continued to be close together.  The monitor was picking them up every 2-3 minutes, but I was only 2 cm and 50% effaced (which is what I had been the day before when I got checked by the doctor at the office).  So the doc had us walk around for an hour and come back to the monitors.  I was up to 75% effaced, but still no more dilated.  My contractions were further apart, but more intense.  After about 20 minutes (just when the nurse was coming to tell us we could go home), the baby's heart rate dropped below 100 (normally 120-160) for about 30 seconds or so.  So the doctor wanted me to get an ultrasound just to make sure everything was OK.  So we got to see little baby's face and tiny hands and wiggly body :)  we made sure we didn't see the sex!  Everything was fine, they figure baby just grabbed the cord and then let go.  Back to the monitor, then got checked again...no progress, so home we came at midnight. 
I was definitely disappointed not to be holding my baby, struggling with pride too after four days of false alarms.  The contractions continued as we drove home and went to bed, but have subsided this morning. 
No matter how you slice it, it can't be long now with my due date this Wednesday!  We will keep ya posted.

Blogging before baby

Hard to believe the time has almost come to welcome baby number 3!  I'm fairly certain this baby is going to come early, just that motherly instinct :)  And Keith and I both think it will be a boy...we'll see!

Thought I'd better do a quick blog before the time does come and then I never get the adorable pictures of Samy's ballet "show" (as she called it) up.  Also a few other pictures...some from our trip to Cold Stone Creamery to celebrate the lifting of the plague in our house :) 



My parents are in DC this week seeing the sights with my aunt and uncle. Keith, the kids and I went down Saturday afternoon with them and stayed until Monday night--a wonderful little rest before baby arrives! We hung out at the resort and played Wii (Isaac is addicted), and let the kids swim in the indoor pool, watched Toy Story 3 all together, ate way too much, and just got to enjoy being warm for a change in the super hot hotel room! (we actually turned the A/C on!!) I did remember the camera but never took any pictures :)

Now it's back to preparing for baby--making sure bags are packed and laundry is done. Went to the doc on Tuesday and she said I'm 1.5 cm dilated--a lot more progress than I had with first two! With them I was in labor for hours before I made it to 1.5 cm, but it could still be a while before anything happens...or maybe not :) I'm just glad to be a little ahead of our usual game!
I would bet the next time I blog it will be with a birth announcement! Until then...

Did you think I gave up on blogging?

So it's been almost 2 months, I think, since I blogged :)  In that time we had a visit from what we call "the Plague" that lasted for almost 4 weeks.  We've been busy putting up cribs and pulling out baby gear and clothes.  We painted the living room and got new couches.  We finally moved Isaac's dresser into his room and the train table out of baby's room.  And of course a few snows.  I can hardly wait for spring!!  The kids are actually sick again with runny noses and coughs.
I've been researching home school curriculum, cloth diapers, gardening stuff.  Samy has her last ballet lesson today (including a little "show" of what they've done!).  Isaac has been working hard at school.  He had a "gym show" as part of grandparents' day that we all went to.  Keith just got back from a couple days at the pastoral retreat.  And of course he's been hard at work around the house here too with the endless list of house projects and yard work.  Isaac is the cutest little helper out there!  I love looking out the kitchen window to see Isaac carrying wood, picking up leaves with his daddy or carrying food waste to the compost pile.  It's wonderful to see him learning to work hard even when it's cold outside!
I picked up a FREE Power Wheels Jeep last weekend that the kids have been driving around and around the yard.  Samy is a pretty bad driver, but is content to let Isaac drive as she rides with him :)
We're down to six weeks (actually a little less) before baby's due date and still without a boy name.  Keith and I just can't agree on a first name, though the middle name is decided.  I spent an entire day at the hospital to get my Rhogam shot (because of my blood type I have to get this shot each pregnancy so my body doesn't attack the baby as a foreign object if his/her blood type is different).  In Florida i was able to get this shot at one of my regular doctor's visits, but here in red tape Maryland, I spent an entire day registering at the hospital, getting extra blood work done, and then a wild goose chase to have a nurse give me a shot.  I'm a little scared what labor and delivery will be like :)
I've also been leading a book study of "When People are Big and God is Small" which is about fear of man.  It's been great to interact with ladies in totally different seasons of life and many of them who struggle significantly in this area.  I'm glad to be able to share what little wisdom God has given me in this area and point them to the gospel as our source of hope no matter what the sin!!
Keith is going to begin an evangelistic bible study in just a week or two with a bunch of folks who aren't sure what they believe.  We're both so excited about this opportunity for him to open up Scripture and tell them the truth about Jesus. 
Keith and our neighbor will be tilling up their large garden plot today in preparation for our joint gardening venture!  None of us know what we're doing but we're gonna give it a shot and I'll put chickens on hold for another year :)  Though the fact that they eat stink bugs sure makes me just want to throw some in our back yard!!

Hmm, I think that's most of what has happened over the last couple months.  A few pictures for your enjoyment...

The kids baking graham crackers with Samy's Christmas present

My first attempt at sourdough English muffins



One of the big snows of the year



Isaac not real happy about shoveling the driveway

Samy after her first ballet class



Freshly painted living room

New couch

Isaac's gym show (my pictures didn't turn out very good since i was far away and it was a gym)



Christmas, Christmas time is here!

You don't know how many times I've heard the kids singing the Chipmunks' Christmas song this year! :)

Our first Christmas at home and it was so much fun! We awoke Christmas morning to snow falling, but not a blizzard :) We started the day with bacon, eggs and star-shaped biscuits while we read the Christmas story in Luke. The kids were so patient waiting to open presents! We went to the living room to get started and Isaac graciously gave his presents to Samy and I, waiting to open one himself. I love seeing him grow and mature! This year we let the kids pick out presents for each other: Isaac got Samy Silly Putty, and Samy got Isaac a Beanie Baby skunk. They both loved their gifts! And Isaac had made two things for me at school: a little tea light candle holder and a sweet framed picture of him and his hand prints! He was so excited to give them to me :)
We adopted a new tradition this year (taken from the Girl Talk blog) of telling the person why we chose that gift for them to take some of the "my turn, me next" out of the morning. And also performing "Christmas services" for each other (something my dear friend Melissa had told me they've always done).
So we had a fun morning opening gifts and then Isaac and Daddy went out to play with the new remote control truck in the snow. Isaac's favorite part was letting Keith drive it while he threw snowballs at it :)

We headed out for Knoxville after church Sunday, only to drive right into another snow storm. It was way to reminiscent of last year, but thankfully it never got so bad we had to pull over and we amazingly made it in 8 hours!
It was a strange Christmas in Tennessee as my older brother didn't come in and my little brother and brother-in-law had to work, so it just felt a little disjointed or something, but a joy nonetheless! My mom and I went out shopping two mornings in a row and the afternoons were spent talking, playing games and of course lots of eating. Michelle and her girls got a seriously rockin' curling iron so almost all us girls got our hair all curled and pretty :) My hair that normally holds curl for about 10 minutes, held this one until I washed my hair two days later! And Samy was just adorable with her little curls!! Wish I'd taken a picture :)

We opened presents there the evening after we arrived. Samy was pretty tired and showed very little emotion during the whole process, but it was obvious that the stuffed Chipmunks and Chipettes were her favorites! She immediately had them around the manger so they could see Jesus :)

Onto to Grandan and Bubbe's where the weather was in the 60s! What a reprieve for us :) It was nice to get outside without shivering! Grandan had planned to set up a bed in the play room for he and Isaac, which of course Isaac was thrilled about! Jack and Sharon arrived the next evening while we were having dinner with Keith's grandparents. So afterwards we opened presents again. Linda restocked Keith's supply of Johnny Harris BBQ sauce, and Sharon and Jack selflessly gave Keith a UT hat that Keith had gotten signed by all the players his first year there (including Peyton Manning and some other big names) and gave to Sharon.  Then Aunt Sharon played some Polly Pockets with Samy while I put together Isaac's Lego helicopter and he played with Buzz Lightyear. After the kids went to bed we played a few rounds of Monopoly Deal and just laughed ourselves silly :)

We set off before lunch the next day and made a quick stop at Rock City to have some family time. Keith and I had both been when we were little, so it was fun reminiscing and seeing the kids excitement. And then onto Grammy and Papaw's for one more night. The kids didn't know we were going back until after Rock City, and boy were they excited :)
The worst part of the trip was not getting to see Keith's mom (she had to work). But she is planning to fly up soon and she left her gifts with Sharon and Jack. So we brought them home with us and videotaped as we opened (yet again!). It was so funny that after each time we opened presents the kids had a new favorite :)

What a joyous holiday indeed!  Now I'm still trying to get things put away in the midst of a cold.  Christmas tree is still up, as Isaac reminds me everyday.  Oh well, it'll be a whole year before we see it again :)

What number am I on?

It's amazing how quickly my memories flee while I'm pregnant :)  That's what I get for waiting a few days between posting my joys!  There are certainly way more than I can list here, especially when I'm looking for them.  Last night there were so many as we went to our very first Christmas Eve service together!  (There is a second service tonight, but we'll be serving at it :)  We've always been traveling for Christmas (actually I don't think I've ever been home on Christmas).
But I'll back up a minute to the rest of our week...Keith came down with a yucky cold Tuesday and I started shortly after.  Samy was the culprit for bringing it into the house :)  She's all better, not even much of a runny nose, and Isaac just has a little bit of one.  I'm grateful the kids aren't miserable this week as we've just been home playing and getting ready for Christmas!  Though Samy did accidentally whack Isaac in the head with a doll house bed and cause him to bleed profusely the other day :)  He's fine, head injuries just bleed alot.
So yesterday Keith was going to work but had to take a sick day and we ended up watching a movie all afternoon (The Manchurian Candidate with Frank Sinatra, it was really good, though not at all Christmasy).  The kids and I made some cupcakes as our birthday cake for Jesus to share with the neighbors later today.  Isaac pulled the last straw off and put it in the manger on the fridge we've been using as our Christmas countdown.  Lazy, long mornings all week with no school and a bunch of sickies!  The kids have been up late every night talking and laughing in their bunk beds.  Keith and I got to have a date out Wednesday thanks to our wonderful sitter!

So last night's Christmas Eve service...We decided to try keeping the kids in with us since the message was short and just lots of singing.  We weren't sure how it would go :)  Well, they both surprised us and did such a great job!  We love seeing how they are maturing!!  The night started with several Christmas carols.  Isaac sang a couple, but was more concerned with knowing where we were in the program.  Samy was singing what she knew and dancing around--it was adorable!  Amazing the differences in these two :)  During the message Samy sat on my lap and drew on some paper, but was obviously listening to the message.  Josh spoke on an admittedly unexpected passage from Luke 11 and the sign of Jonah and the queen of the South (the queen of Sheba).  The first time Josh said Jonah, Samy said to me, "Jonah was a prophet!"  Yes, he was Samy :)  A few minutes later Josh said, "Jonah was a prophet."  And Samy turns around to me and said, "See, I told ya!"  I couldn't contain my laughter!  I was crying from trying not to laugh out loud!  Then every time Josh would say "the queen of Sheba" Samy would say "I love her!"  Oh, this girl :)
They did such a great job we let them have a cupcake when we got home (after bedtime already!), but hey it's Christmas!

So today there are many preparations to be done before we head on holiday travels to see family.  And right now they are calling for snow on Christmas and the day after!  Another white Christmas perhaps, just glad we'll be in our house and not Verona, VA :)

Monday happenings

Been a fun day already and it's only 2 o'clock :)  I had my usual time out by myself while Isaac was at school and Samy was with Keith.  Enjoyed my time at Panera going over yesterday's message on Isaiah 55 and also seeing some friends from church there.  When I picked Isaac up he could hardly contain himself and told me he had a surprise!  Each student in his class has a little money box that the teacher occasionally gives them pennies to put in when they do a good job on something, and then she holds a "school store" where she lays out little toys they can buy with their pennies.  Well, today was the first "store" and he was so excited to get a little plastic Theodore (from Alvin and the Chipmunks)!  It's like a toy from a Happy Meal, but he thinks it's the greatest!  You push a button and it says, "My name is Theodore." and then laughs.  He would push it and laugh hysterically and then started saying, "Whose your name?" (His version of what's your name) and push the button and laugh again in that great, genuine Isaac laugh of his :)  All this is happening in the back seat while I'm driving and just smiling from ear to ear.
Then we got to go on our date together.  He wanted a ham sandwich (yeah, he doesn't get those at our house) so we went to Jersey Mike's Subs (one of my favorites anyway!).  After we had sat down to eat the man who had helped us brought over two cookies for us :)  The best part was getting to talk with my little guy.  Hearing about school and friends in class, getting actual answers to my questions!  I can't believe how much he's grown up.  Wasn't I just seeing him for the first time on an ultrasound screen??  Can this really be my baby boy?  Now I'm crying :)
We got home and he was so excited about showing Samy Theodore and they immediately set up their own "store" to buy things from.  Keith and I started talking about moving Isaac in with Samy since the baby will be taking over his room, and decided to do it this weekend since Isaac will be off school the next two weeks.  I told the kids and Isaac asked if we could do it today :)  It's precious what sweet friends they are!  At least most of the time :)
Oh, and our ultrasound will be this Thursday!  We're going to enjoy the extra anticipation of not finding out if it's a boy or a girl this time around!!  Keith still isn't convinced that I'm not going to cave in when we get there, but I really think I can this time :)  Only 19 more weeks to wait, no problem :)

So there were a few of my joys in there, though they aren't numbered.  There are so many more than I can remember when I sit down to the computer!  My memory was bad enough before getting pregnant again!

# 14

Daddy's little helpers.



Joy to the World, the Lord is come!!!

When I'm singing of my Savior's incarnation--the creator of the universe clothing himself in flesh--it's hard for me not to be filled with joy.  Maybe I just need to sing more :)  But there are so many moments in the day that my heart is filled with discontent or anger at my lot in life at that moment.  Be it a whiny child, a messy room that was supposed to be clean, a sink full of dirty dishes, a sleepless night and early morning, or the bitter cold of a Maryland winter, my heart tends toward complaining, grumbling against God.  My friend Meghann has inspired me (as she so often does!) to look for 100 joys this month as we celebrate the coming of our Savior to earth.  So here it goes!  (OK, I started this post a few days ago, so I'm just going to add some to the end from the days since and I'll be putting them in the side bar.)

# 1
That the Holy God of all would send his Son to become man and die for the sins of the world.

# 2
That He would call me to be His own forever!

# 3
My precious husband's laugh :)

# 4
When Samy talks with her hands.

# 5
When Keith is silly with me!

# 6
Isaac's smile (this is his school picture)

# 7
When Isaac brings home pictures from school that he colored just for Samy!

# 8
Singing Christmas carols in the car with Keith (even if he's way out of tune :) while we get lost in Westminster.

# 9
A French press while I read my Bible in front of the fire.

# 10
When Keith is patient with my pregnant irrationality and emotions--putting on full display the grace of God at work in him!

# 11
Wrapping Christmas presents while watching a cheesy Hallmark movie and thinking of the look on the kids faces when they open them Christmas morning.

# 12
Feeling little baby W break dancing in my belly :)

# 13
When the check-out lady at Wal-Mart remembered Samy and I and cheerfully talked with us.

Fires, stories, races, field trips, oh my!

Some other random October happenings around here to get caught up on...
We got our wood stove installed last month and fired it up on a rather blustery day a couple weeks ago. SO WARM!! Love it :) I might actually survive this winter if we don't run out of wood! So there's a picture in there of that--plus you can see how mom and I arranged the mantle :)

Then there was story book night at Isaac's school. So cute, everyone comes in their PJs and goes to three different classes for stories and then everyone comes together and has milk and cookies while the principle reads one last story. That was fun :)

We made our first small pile of leaves in the yard, though by the time it's all over you could probably make a pile as tall as our house! Isaac ran in to grab his goggles before jumping in! So silly!

And then the big race! Isaac's school does this each year to raise money for those who can't afford tuition. They have a Tot Trot, 2K and 5K. Isaac did the Tot Trot, but we really should have let him do the 2K as well--the boy has plenty of energy! They gave all the little kids ribbons, but Isaac is convinced he won the race :) Keith ran the 5K without collapsing :) As he was coming into the finish line there were a few teenage boys right on his tail trying to beat him, but my buff hubby kicked it into gear and beat them all! I was proud :)

Last, but not least, Isaac had a field trip to a farm and Samy and I got to join him. We met lots of farm animals and the kids fed several. Then we took a hay ride to the pumpkin patch where everyone picked out a pumpkin. Glad we got to share that with him :)

Beach trip 2010

Almost a month ago now (yikes!) we set off for South Carolina for 5 days of glorious beach weather with my whole family!  It was truly beautiful and sunny the entire time, could have been a little warmer, but what do you expect in October :)  I, myself, didn't go past my ankles in the water with the chilly wind blowing, but all the kids and big boys and my brave sister enjoyed the waves.  Isaac would be shivering with blue lips but refuse to leave the water. 
This beach house is such a gift from God!!  My dad and his siblings own a time-share of it, and we have been the blessed recipients of a few weeks over the years :)  It is just wonderful to sit on the back porch eating breakfast as the sun rises and the dolphins play in the water.  It is so peaceful to swing on one of the hammocks and read or take a nap with the ocean waves in the background.  It is so much fun to have the whole family under one roof and be able to share all the laughter that we do.  And I think a highlight for me was the night we played the "name game" all together.  Oh my, we were all laughing so hard we were crying.  It was hilarious!!  So many memories for Keith and I, and we hope for the kids as well.  They certainly talk about it enough we think they remember :)
So, we played on the beach, relaxed on the porch, played some shuffle board (Keith and I beat my parents, by the way!), guys went golfing, ladies went shopping, ate way too much, laughed plenty.  It was great :)  Enjoy the pics...

You might be a redneck if...

you are seriously considering raising a pig so you can have bacon :) 
And to go with that bacon, Keith is researching how to tap our sugar maple to make maple syrup!  These are truly both his ideas (well, I jokingly mentioned the pig, but he really likes the idea).
Neither of us have ever really liked the idea of pets, but a pig is short term commitment that the kids could learn some responsibility from and see that our food doesn't grow at Trader Joe's :)  And who doesn't like the idea of a pet that ends with bacon and barbecue!?
I honestly have more faith for a pig than a garden.  I don't think I'd forget about a pig like I do our tiny garden :) 
Just another installment in our transition to country life!