At least a dozen reasons why...

... you should never leave a 3 year old alone in the kitchen.

Who's supposed to be watching this kid?

Thankfulness

Thankfulness doesn't even begin to cover it this year.  As Ken and I have said so many times lately, we really do have so much to be thankful for!  And this week was a time to celebrate that.  As part of the girls' curriculum this year, they have a whole week of activities set aside for Thanksgiving.  Since it is a Bible based study, it really focuses on the true meaning of Thanksgiving and why we give thanks.  We did some of the activities (like the woven placemats and such) and made up a few of our own.

This year we did a Thanksgiving tree.  The kids all traced and hands and cut them out and wrote (or drew) things they were thankful for this year.  Gracie particularly loved this activity.  And Ken led the kids in decorating the tree... have I mentioned that he is the crafty one?  Anyway, when we're done with the Thanksgiving tree, we will just remove the handprints (and keep them, of course) and the branch will become our Jesse tree for Advent.  But more on that later... on to Thanksgiving.

We had a fun morning lounging and playing and enjoying being together.  The kids played outside and we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  I must say that it wasn't as great as I remember it as a kid.  First of all, it's like watching the Tony Awards with all the Broadway musical stops.  Which is fine, unless you're 3 years old and just want to see the Spiderman balloon.  I also came to the realization that it is really just a 2 hour, 2 1/2 mile long commercial.  Why did I not realize this before?

But back to the important stuff.  The food.  It was yummy and we made lots.  We had turkey and dressing and green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole with pecans and yeast rolls.  Then of course we had to top is off with pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  I even made sweet tea for the occasion, which my kids just love.  Maybe they've got a little bit of southern in 'em after all.

The food was good, but the best part was having all my little people sitting around the table.


Eating together and sharing the day and just being thankful.


Since we've moved so much we've gotten used to spending holidays with our little family.  Right now, we're just too far away from "home" to go there for the holidays.  It was nice and quiet and simple and we loved the day.  But there was something missing too.  You just can't replace having more than one cook in the kitchen and cousins running around playing.  It's nice to see a room full of men watching football and lots of mama's helpin plates for the little ones and a table full of food prepared by lots of people that love you.  I wish my kids had that, but maybe they will one day.

In the mean time, we'll just enjoy holidays like this.  Looking in from the kitchen and seeing these faces looking at me...

Wow.  I am thankful.  So very, very, very thankful.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;  for His steadfast love endures forever."

Psalm 118:1

The Very Hungry Chill-a-pillar

Jakey just loves reading books and we love listening to him "read".  Here he is reading one of his favorites... The Very Hungry Caterpillar.   This is primarily for the grandparents, so it's a bit lengthy but oh so very cute....

(don't forget to turn down the music player at the bottom first so you can hear it... give it a minute to buffer too.... I know, alot of work, but worth it.)

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas!  What?  Thanksgiving isn't even here yet, but still, at our house, it's beginning to look alot like Christmas.  And we're all just tickled about it.

At the community center here in our neighborhood this weekend, the housing office hosted a craft day for the kids.  There were ornaments to make, cards to decorate and hot chocolate and Christmas cookies galore.

Ken occupied the boys, and the girls and I went over to check it out.  They made calendars to count down the days until Christmas, while they sipped hot cocoa and nibbled cookies.

They decorated little baked ornaments for the tree with glitter glue and other shiny things.

There were tables set up to make your own Christmas cards.  And, of course, all their friends were there too.

It was a perfect way to start off the Christmas season.  Even if it's not really the Christmas season yet.

And, speaking of the Christmas season, may I mention that I am already done with all my Christmas cards? Yep, done!  D-U-N!   

But before I go tootin my own horn too much, I must say that I haven't made it to the post office to actually mail them yet.  And that'll be a whole 'nother story.  Could take weeks.  Really.

But, it's a start, right?  Yep, it's beginning to look alot like Christmas!

And we're just tickled about it!

can I pray this?

Okay, I've already posted today, but it's Saturday and I have free time.  Well, not exactly free time if you count the pile of laundry that needs washing or the bathroom that needs cleaning  or the mountain of dishes behind me waiting to be washed.  But I'm not counting those.  So, this is free time.  The kids are in bed, Ken is studying and I'm thinking/wondering/pondering/praying and, consequently, writing.  I digress...

In some of Ken's classes right now he is studying the process and idea of goal setting; such as, strategic goals vs. operational or tactical goals.  Given, all this he is learning is being applied militarily, but he has also raised the question of applying these principles within our home.  Hang with me here.  I'm going somewhere.  I promise.

As we were talking through our plans/goals as a family, we began to really discuss where we wanted to see 10-20 years from now with our children.  Now, only God knows tomorrow, but if He grants us that time to raise and disciple our children, what do we want to impart to them?  What convictions/truths/wisdom to want to equip them with before they leave our home?

So much around us is the status quo. Even among Christians there is a complacency and acceptance of worldliness that is simply unbelievable.  We accept sin as a necessary part of our culture and continue to pursue the "American dream".  We have bought into the lies of materialism, and though we don't see it, we are the rich man who sadly walked away from Christ because he just could not give up the things of the world.

As we are bombarded with that, how do we raise children not to love those things but to love Jesus?  To be willing to depend solely on Him even if that means walking away from everything that the world has to offer?  We must do it ourselves.  We must pray for deliverance from the things of this world and run fully to the arms of Jesus.  We must, with our children by our side, trust in Him for our daily bread.  

How is that supposed to look in our family?  I don't know yet.  Obviously, all that I am thinking through at this point is a jumbled mess.  The bottom line is that I know God wants more ... more of me, more of my family.  He wants to show me more of Himself and bless us in ways unimaginable.  I just have to trust Him.  I know that God will reveal His will to me in His time.  Right now, I just wanted to get this all out there to pray through and process. 

We watched this clip tonight and I was encouraged.  I pray that we can pray this prayer.

(turn off the music player at the bottom of the page before you play this so you can hear it.)

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goodbye fall

I think that Fall is almost over.  It has been much warmer here this month than I expected.  Last year in Indy we had our first snow in November.  This year we're still running around outside playing.  Today is a beautifully sunny day, and I'm loving it.  Winter can be so cold and dark up here, so everyday of sunshine now means less time we're trapped indoors.  This weekend, we're just soaking it all in.

The kids (ours and the rest of the community posse) raked most of the leaves from our yard into our neighbors yard so they could make a big pile of leaves to play in.  I'm sure they appreciated that.  But the kids had fun.  Jumping in piles and such.

Just taking in every little piece of color and sunshine before it's gone.

But, winter is  just a season.  It, too, will pass and spring will come again.  In the mean time, we're planning on enjoying Thanksgiving and Christmas and sledding and skating.  Hot chocolate and apple cider and candy canes and gingerbread.   Come to think of it, winter doesn't sound that bad after all, now does it?

on the move

Little man is on the move!!!  He's been crawling for a while now, but is now kicking it up to a whole new level of mobility.  Funny how you forget how busy they keep you at this age.

 

He now spends his days crawling all over the house and eating everything in his path.  (And unfortunately at this house, there are alot of things in his path!)  So far, he is letting nothing slow him down.  I have no doubt he is going to have no trouble keeping up with his brother and sisters.  

I so enjoy this age.  Watching him become more and more independent.  Yes, he still has a ways to go, but it happens so fast.  So I think I'll just have to love on him... and all by babies... every chance I get.

Wouldn't you?

You're gonna like this

For a while, I've been meaning to share about this fabulous website that my sweet husband told me about.  It was listed in Newsweek among their top 50 websites of the year, or something like that.  I started using it occasionally, and it's pretty awesome.

The website is www.supercook.com, and here's how it works.  You go to this website and type in a list of ingredients you have on hand and it gives you recipes based on what you already have in your kitchen!  It has a database of over 30,000 recipes, so no matter what recipes you list, you are bound to get at least a few (or a hundred) ideas!

At first, I thought it would be a pain to type in every ingredient I have, but it is so not.  You don't really have to type anything...it's more like just clicking on most of what you have from a word bank.  As you start to list ingredients,  it immediately starts showing you recipes that require only those ingredients.  It will also give you a list of recipes that you have most of the ingredients for and maybe only need 1 more thing.  Does that make sense?

Here's a couple of ways I've used it.  I was making banana bread and half way through I realized I didn't have baking powder.  Well, not one to throw out perfectly mushed bananas, I just clicked on supercook.com and listed the ingredients I did have.  Of course, it popped up a whole page of recipes for banana bread and the like that didn't require baking powder!  Score!

Another time, I had chicken in the fridge that needed to be used that day.  Tired of the same ol' recipes, I popped over to supercook and viola... new recipes with ingredients that I already had!  Each time you log on it saves the ingredients you list, so you don't start from scratch each time.  If you've run out of something, just remove it.  Pretty cool, huh?  My favorite feature, however, is that you can mark the ingredients that you specifically want to use.  Like, I can list everything in my kitchen and get hundreds of recipes.  But, if I really want to use that zucchini in the back of my fridge before it goes bad, I just mark it and it will give me only recipes calling for ....you guessed it, zucchini!

This website could also make it very easy to shop sales.  Just buy what's on sale rather than menu shopping.  Punch in what you bought.  And presto... a creative and thrifty menu for the week!

I know, I know.   This post was waaay too long for promoting a cooking website.  But, trust me.  You're gonna like it.  ;)  Happy cooking!

He's baaaaaack...

We're still here.  It's just that we've been a little busy this week.  Actually, it's that we've really not been busy this week.

Ken is between trimesters in school and had a 5 day weekend!  So we went from papers and tests and papers and missing Daddy and did I mention papers?

To having Daddy home and resting and playing...

And catching up and sleeping and playing some more...

So I will be blogging soon.  

But right now I'm just enjoyin' my people.

 

And being a family.  And being so very thankful.

What a mighty God we serve!

Thank you so much for praying for Stellan.  God has made a way where there was no way!

After fighting to live for the past few days and even flatlining on the table this morning, Stellan has come through a surgery that has healed his heart.  It is an amazing story that is only possible by God's grace.  Please read his story and continue to offer them up in prayer as he recovers.

Sharing this journey of faith with them has built my faith in amazing ways.  What a mighty God we serve.  How good He is... to let us see glimpes like this of His amazing glory!

family photos and prayers

Today we spent the afternoon here....

The kids ran and played in the sand and surf with each other and their friends.  We met some friends down at the beach to take each others' family photos.   We got some pretty good pictures and everyone had a good time.  I would post all the pictures, but some I'll be saving for our Christmas card.  So it'll just have to be a surprise.  :)

Speaking of family, there is another family who could use your prayers right now.  You may have noticed the Pray for Stellan button in the top corner of my blog.  You can click on that link to read the entire story, but tonight, Stellan is in Children's Hospital in Boston, truly fighting for his life.  He will undergo a very, very risky heart procedure in the morning in order to correct a heart problem that is right now threatening his life.  Will you pray for him and for the entire McKinney family?  They have 3 other small children who could also use your prayers, as this is a hard time for them as well.  Whatever the outcome is, we know that God has been and will be glorified.  But I do ask that you pray for them now, for healing and for comfort.  For Stellan's heart and for the doctors.  And, please pray too for the Mom who is sitting alone beside her sick baby tonight.  Sweet Jesus, be near them.

past peak

I may have mentioned this... but it really has been a beautiful Fall here.  I say "has been" because even though it is still technically Fall for another month or so, we are now officially "past peak" foliage.  In these parts, that mean that all the breathtakingly gorgeous leaves that have colored the landscapes for the past few weeks are now on the ground.  The trees are beginning to look rather bare and it's getting downright chilly outside.

As winter weather sets in, I do have to say that I'm glad we got to experience New England this time of year.  We won't be here for it next year so I snapped a few pictures to remember it by.  The kids enjoyed jumping in a few leaf piles on the crisp sunny days.  I enjoyed looking at Maple leaves through my camera lens.  Just thankful today.  And enjoying beauty.  

my addiction

The fact that the full effect of caffeine isn't felt until 4 hours later would have been a helpful piece of information to have remembered about 4 hours ago. That is when I drank a cup of coffee to keep me going a bit longer so I could stay up and get a few more things done. However, it is now well after midnight and my mind is racing and sleep is no where to be found.

I will probably regret this tomorrow, but right now, in my jittery, caffeine induced haze, I am deciding to give it up. To give up the wonder drug that keeps me going. The java that fuels my days when I am running on few, if any, cylinders.

There are many reasons for my newly found resolve. First of all, I am still nursing and I know that pumping little man full of caffeine is not a good thing. Yes, I should be ashamed of myself. However, I have justified my addiction up to now by reasoning that a little caffeine is better than Mom being asleep at the wheel all day.

Secondly, it is just not healthy. There is no nutritional value to soda or coffee (the two main vices by which I feed my addiction).  My body would be much better served with water,  and I know I would feel better in the long run.  I want be deliberate in making healthy lifestyle choices for myself and more importantly, as an example for my children.

Another is that caffeine in just the quick fix that is used to survive when what my body really needs is rest.   I know that I do not get enough sleep, which is unhealthy in and of itself.  But with a quick shot of liquid energy in the mornings, I can easily survive without it.  I am treating the symptom and ignoring what my body really needs.... sleep!  

And most importantly, I want my body to be a slave to nothing but Christ.  There is a tremendous freedom in knowing that He alone is sufficient to meet all my needs in a day.  I want to, by freeing myself of any worldly addictions, no matter how small, trust Him to provide.  I don't want to have to have God plus coffee to survive my days.... just God is plenty.

I want to choose rightly for myself and for my family in so many areas.  So, this is an act of self-discipline and a start for me.  A very difficult start, mind you, but one that I am committing to for now.  I hope that this will be a lifestyle change that I can really adopt for the long term.  We shall see.  My kids will be awake in 2 hours and I am still up, so I'm thinking this will be a hard thing to start today.  But, start I will...so pray for me.  And for the protection of my children and my husband....they might need it.  :)  

The Cliff Walk

Sunday afternoon we headed out to the Cliff Walk.  Pretty much like it sounds, it's a path that goes along the rocky cliffs of the island.  It offers some beautiful views of the ocean and the rocks as well as the backsides of the mansions that line this stretch.  The kids were excited to get out and run along the Cliff Walk and enjoyed seeing the waves and rocks. 

From the walk, you could see the waves crashing into caves and chasms in the rock.  Even though the water was pretty calm while we were out there, it is a pretty awe inspiring thing to see.... from a safe distance.  I definitely see why they need so many lighthouses up here.

As we were closer to the water, Ken and I each one hand on 2 kids, plus one in the backpack.   We didn't want to have to go in the water after anybody.  The kids, however, did enjoy seeing everything, though Jakey was a little bummed that we couldn't "swim on the beach."

Little man rode perched up high on Daddy's back and had the best view of all.  He really is such a trooper.  Always just along for the ride... and usually pretty happy about it!

As the trail backed up to the backyards of the mansions (I'm not just saying mansions because they're big houses... they really are mansions.  That's what they're called. You can do tours and everything.), the kids had fun rolling in the grass and taking advantage of a few of the climbing trees.

They ran up and down the walk, darting around the other people out for a nice quiet Sunday stroll.  Needless to say, we made quite a spectacle of ourselves.  As we usually do.

As we (they) ran around, rolled and climbed, tourists were stopping to watch us.  One group that I think was from Japan was amazed that these were all our children.  While the kids climbed, these people stopped and watched us and laughed and said lots of stuff  we couldn't understand.  I would like to think that it was all very nice things about our lovely family.  I'm sure it was.

Ken sat the kids up in this beautiful old tree.  I thought that this would be a great Christmas card family picture, except for Nathan being asleep.  Oh yeah, and that I'm not in it.  But otherwise, so cute.

A fun day with lots of fresh air and pretty sights.

And at the end of our little hike, little man did quietly nod off. Safely snuggled on Daddy's back.