Merry Christmas!

We hope it's been a very merry Christmas season for your family!  I just thought I'd share a few glimpses of our season as we close out another year together.  As you see, little santa here is still a fun fixture at our house.  Adorable huh?

Making cookies, decorating gingerbread houses, and cultivating friendships.  There has been plenty of time for that over the holidays. Where has the month of December gone?

Even without the beauty of a white Christmas we enjoyed the magic of Christmas morning blended with the joy of children.  Though we are filled with laughter and fun at our house, I can see these years melting away as my children are growing up so fast.  May we never forget to be present in today and make it count toward a better tomorrow.  We have been so blessed. 

In just 3 more days I'll celebrate 16 years as one flesh with my Man.  I never could have imagined the life we'd have together and I wouldn't trade a day of it for anything.  This wild and crazy family is a blessing from God and I pray I never lose sight of what I have to be grateful for.  May that be true for you as well in the coming year.  God is good, all the time.  Happy New Year!

Christmas Plays

It's the most wonderful time of the year....... (cue music)

We were blessed with 2 tickets to see a professional production of A Christmas Carol.  I almost turned them down as I figured there was no fair way to decide who would get to come with me.  Well, I was very pleased to watch as three of my kids bowed out gracefully so that their sister (who fancies herself an actor) could go.  Goose and I had a great time and made some fun Christmas memories with Ebanezer Scrooge.  Thanks for the tickets Lori!

The following week I enjoyed watching the kids in their annual Christmas Pageant at church.  This beautiful angel even sang a few lines with only 2 friends (that's HUGE for a shy girl who used to cry standing up with a group).  Precious.  Goose and Spiderman had some speaking parts (which they handled wonderfully) and sang with the entire group.  Jabird was a bit too old (and very relieved) to be in the performance this year.  It was a sweet play and we were all reminded that there would be no Christmas without Jesus.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!!!

More important firsts.

Not to be outdone by their little sister, the boys recently had their own big "wildlife firsts".  Spiderman shot his first deer, this beautiful buck.  Of course it came with it's own drama.  He took the shot without much light left in the evening and they didn't see where it ran.  They searched the area with lanterns but had no luck and began to question if he even hit the deer.  Spiderman was in tears to think he either missed the buck or hit it and lost it, what a rough evening.  The next morning, my man went looking again in the daylight and found it laying in some long grass.  When he came  home with the good news, Spiderman was overjoyed (and he got out of school while he helped Dad haul it home and hang it up).  What a RELIEF!

Just a couple days later, Jaybird came home ecstatic to report that he had caught 2 racoons in his live traps, more firsts!   This photo is of a particularly large male (that earned him $9 from the buyer).  He has since caught even more, bringing his total to 6 racoons.  Now if we could only trap the pesky coyotes that like to hang out at our place. 

Now, I don't post many photos of my man's deer harvests because there are always so many (he's shot 6 so far this year) but this particular buck is special.  With 15 points, it's almost the biggest deer he's ever killed (technically he has a 10 point on the wall that measures slightly bigger) but this one is visually more impressive to me.  The only thing that would have made him more proud would be if he'd taken it with his bow instead of a rifle, archery is his true passion.

So - way to go men!  I'm proud of all of you!  

Boo's Birthday

Believe it or not, my "baby" is 8!  (This is particularly momentous to her because she no longer has to ride in a booster seat)  We recently celebrated with a party of friends.  It's so fun to watch her with her peers.  Boo's always been my more independent child, willing to play on her own.  She has begun to branch out and find some friends of her own and yes, to navigate the complex friendships of girls.  Here is the party crew down below.
 

Boo still loves her imagination and the limitless possibilities it will provide.  It's not uncommon to see her outside making pud pies for her doll or practicing her ninja skills on the trampoline.  She always has a song in her heart and on her tongue, whether or not she thinks anyone is listening.  Delightful!  Above she is pictured with her doll, Kara, who is modeling the new clothes that Grandma made for her.  Boo also loves to do her hair.

And finally, Boo wanted to get her ears pierced for her birthday.  She'd had them years ago but eventually let them close up.  Now she feels "big enough" to enjoy them and take care of them on her own.  We made the trip to the store and she nervously sat to have them done.  As soon as the first one was in, she emphatically declared that it didn't hurt at all.  About five minutes after they were finished, she started to change her mind. :)  I love the earrings she chose, little hearts with crystals in the middle.  They are just like her - sweet on the outside and twinkly in the middle.  I love you Boo!

Doe, a deer, a female deer

Yep, that's my Goose with her first ever deer.  She was so excited to harvest this deer on her own (sitting by Dad) and her first words after the shot were "Thank you Jesus!"  My man couldn't have been more proud of his daughter.  It was a perfect shot, a quick kill, a major accomplishment and a memory that neither one of them will ever forget. 

Friends like family

What a fun week we shared with our friends the Jeffries.  Friends since WAY back in college, is was great to reconnect.  We've actually been able to do this a few times over the years so they are certainly not strangers to the kids.  We took the week off of school so the kids could play, the men could hunt and the women could scrapbook a few pages while trying to keep our sanity!  It was a FULL house with all these people squeezed in but it was full of laughs, love, stories and food as well.

The boys got along famously and spent  many, many hours locked in their room with the Legos.  Most shocking was that there were no requests to play video games ALL WEEK!!  Unheard of!  Just don't expect to see the carpet on their bedroom floor - it was replaced with the Legos.

These two girls were the biggest surprise.  Boo is usually tagging along with the older kids and their friends but doesn't have many close playmates.  All week these two were off playing pretend happily and expanding their adorable imaginations.  Goose got into the mix as well but she really bounced between the girls, boys and even the adults (going hunting once with "Grandpa Skip" to keep him company).

Everyone is already scheming to see if we can make another reunion next fall.

Spiderman is 11

Can you believe it?  Time still marches on.  My Spiderman keeps growing up no matter what I think about it. :)  He celebrated his birthday a couple weeks ago with the family but he's waiting another 2 to celebrate with his buddies so he can have a sleepover - uninterrupted by early morning soccer games.  He's practical, just like his momma.

This photo cracks me up because it was taken after a sleepover the night before.  He kept insisting all day, "I'm not tired.  I'm not at all."  The next thing we knew, the sugar wore off and he was curled in this rocking chair in the most uncomfortable position possible, SOUND ASLEEP! 

Here I am with my boys at the annual "Mother & Son Stampede".  They had a good time roasting marshmellows, running obstacle courses, playing soccer and decorating pumpkins all while I cheered them on.  They were thrilled to connect with their friends but realized they are getting a little old for the activities. They really are becoming young men and I am proud to be called their mom.

I see this guy growing up in many ways.  I marvel when I look back and see all the adjustments and changes he's made over the past 4 years.  He's still as sweet as ever and I catch him calling me "Mommy" pretty often when others have graduated to "Mom".  Those days are numbered I'm sure.  As you can see, we have not tired of Legos yet.  If you ask him, he plans to be a Lego designer in Denmark when he grows up.   

Choose life

Sunday was the annual Life Chain and the girls and I were glad to participate.  The goal of Life Chain is to have believers pray for an hour while standing along a busy sidewalk with approved signs that support the sanctity of human life.  I've been blessed to participate for maybe 10 years now but the last 2 my daughters have joined in on the opportunity.  It really moved me to watch these two precious ones who adore babies and who want to do "something" to end the tragedy of abortion. 

I believe there is power in prayer and each year as I stand there and pray for our nation and our leaders, I pray for the people who drive by and see the hundreds of signs along the road.  I pray that those who may have experienced an abortion would find healing in Jesus' forgiveness.  I pray that those who may be facing a tough decision (or will soon be in that situation) will remember that EVERY child (even preborn) has a purpose for their life and IS a wanted child - by their Heavenly Father and by the many adoptive families waiting for a baby to love.  I pray for the people in those cars to see the signs and be moved to see that men, women & children from various walks of life find LIFE something worth protecting and defending.  I pray for the next generation to see the lies of the abortion industry and to work to end this tragic, evil  and immoral practice.  I pray for God's mercy on our nation as I know we deserve His judgement for legalizing murder in this way.  I pray for change.

I hope you may have seen a similar demonstration in your own cities and towns.  I know this is a National Event and maybe you can look into organizing the Life Chain in your area next year.  One thing I'm certain of is that YOU CAN make a difference in some way to choose life.  Over 45 million Americans have had their lives ended this way and that number continues to grow.  Take a stand, vote pro-life and pray to God that history will show that this generation would not stand by and watch a holocaust of our most vulnerable citizens but fought back and with God's power, undid this horrible tragedy.

our harvest

Our garden this year has been just so-so and yet, we have been able to put up a lot of different things for the winter.  Above our some of our grapes that turned into jelly this past weekend.  Below are the green beans that we picked from a friend.  They are sitting in our freezer right now. 

Sometimes I wonder if all the work is worth it, it would be easier to buy everything from the store.  I must admit though that there is a sense of satisfaction when I see the shelves filled with pickles and salsa and jelly.  When I remember the chats I shared with the kids while planting the garden, weeding the garden, picking the food, snapping the beans, squishing the grapes, shucking the corn, chopping the cucumbers, processing the pesto, (you get the idea), I realize we have built some good memories.  My kids have seen the work that goes into their food, they know what it takes to make it grow (our failed crops have taught us as well), and they can appreciate that fresh garden salsa tastes better than what comes from the store.

As is the case in many things in life, it's the process that teaches you.  It's not just about the end result.  I hope they will be able to look back on these "simpler times" in our family and see that it's not just about vacations or outings but about the time spent together, laughing and working toward a common goal. 

Now the shelves are stocked and the canning supplies are put away.  We transitioned this week to full-time home schooling.  A different type of lessons lie ahead and I hope I can see the forest for the trees.  That the process of learning is just as important (dare I say, more imporrtant?) as the information we store away.  That dates in history and names of scientific processes are not as important as the joy of discovery and the warmth of learning things together.  My prayer is that I will have more patience and give more grace this year than I have in the past.  That I will have a sparkle in my eye for my children and not a scowl.  Feel free to pray that for us as well. :)

baby time

This is our new adventure this year.  Nope, we haven't adopted again.  Not foster care either.  We've taken on a babysitting job for the school year and are treating it as a favorite school subject - child care training.  The kids love Baby L.  (who's only 2 months old right now) and only 2 weeks into this adventure, they are catching on real quick.  "He's our pretend baby brother".  Obviously, this isn't work for them, it's love and fun. :)

These are the best moments - SNUGGLES!  This particular sweetie is great at cuddling.  It's so tempting to spoil him with lots of cuddles and kisses.... so we do. :)  This is the best way to have babies, 9 hours a day with no night time feedings. 

Even the boys are getting in on this adventure.  They all understand that ALL will learn diaper changing and feeding, not a problem (as long as they are only wet and not DIRTY!).  The kids already miss him on the weekends and I have a feeling this will be strange when our "duties" are over next Summer.

Cheaper by the Dozen

It's been a busy summer - as always - but this summer Goose talked me into doing some community theater.  She loves acting and I figured that since she would be going to practice and need a ride, why not stay and act right along with her?  Well, we did accomplish some fun memories and sweet mother/daughter time BUT it was a much bigger time commitment than I bargained for. 

As you can see, Goose was one of the Gilbreth dozen named Lillian.  I was Mrs. Fitzgerald, the cook.  Both were small roles and yet still took as much time at practice as everyone else.  Our only break was in memorizing fewer lines.  Now Goose is asking to be in all kinds of plays and I'm now wiser and much slower to commit. 

be fruitful

This summer the weather has cooperated with our attempts at gardening.  This photo is a couple of weeks old so imagine it a bit more fruitful now but we have truly enjoyed God's bounty.  It's been a family affair to plow, plant and weed the garden and we get excited at the prospects of LOTS of canned salsa and pickles.  So far we've only harvested lettuce, cucumbers, jalapenos and green beans but other things are just about ready.  We even have a huge bounty of grapes waiting to ripen and we can almost taste the grape jelly (Lord willing).

We've also had other fruitfulness to be thankful for.  One of our hens decided she wanted to be a momma and gave us hints for a few weeks about it before we caught on.  Well, as we have no roosters, we had to get some fertilized eggs from a friend.  After slipping 8 little bundles of liquid chicken under the hopeful hen and waiting the standard 21 days, God has given us 7 fluffy, baby chicks.  It's so much fun to watch them together and so much easier than raising chicks under a heat lamp in our basement.  Momma hen does all the work training and protecting her clutch.

As an added blessing, these little ones helped soften the blow as a stray dog found our flock and wrecked havoc with our hens.  Weighing the amount of feathers scattered throughout the yard, we were stunned to have most of our hens survive the ordeal.  Only two of our grown hens were killed and our matriarch (that we've had since the beginning of this adventure) is sporting a bare bottom.  Poor Grandma Cluck has only 1 tail feather left and looks like someone stuck a paintbrush into her bottom like a pin cushion.   "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the Name of the Lord."    Job 1:21

*Note on 7/14/11

This morning we woke up to find that momma hen and 6 of her chicks were killed by a racoon.  Somehow one lonely chick survived the massacre and it's now cheeping in our basement.  The kids had to grieve again and we had to look for things to praise God for.  Remembering Job and all that he lost, this seems small.  

always welcome

Guests are always welcome at our place and the Davidsons often take us up on that.  We used to live near each other in Bethany, MO and watch our kids grow from babies to pre-schoolers.  That ended over 6 years ago when we both moved away.  Thankfully, God has allowed us the chance to reconnect whenever they travel North through our territory.  I love that our kids still adore each other despite the time and distance and that I can get caught up chatting late into the night.  Now I know I'm WAY overdo to travel their direction.

Good to see you guys!

Jerusalem Day Camp

Our church just finished a 3 day (15 hour) program to outreach the kids attending the public summer schools in the area.  I think I heard over 50 new kids signed up to come.  We all had roles to fill and it came together beautifully as the Body of Christ worked together to show these kids a glimpse of life back in Jerusalem in Jesus' time.  We focused on Jesus final days, from his arrest to his resurrection.  In between Bible character "testimonies", the kids experienced the marketplace - from the baker, potter, seamstress, scribe, shepherds, carpenter, and other areas that applied to the time.  Despite the 95 degree heat all 3 days (whew!), it was amazing!

Here is Goose in soldier training.  The first day was archery but this time they did sword fighting and training in the obstacle course.  Definitely a highlight of the day for most of the kids.

I was the coach for this group of 4th & 5th graders.   4 of them were kids from our church and the other 5 were bused in.  God gave me some neat opportunities to love on these kids and discuss why He came to die for us.  I pray these kids were changed by what they learned.

This was the potters tent.  More than just activities, kids were told how Jesus is the Potter and molds us (the clay) for His special purposes.  It doesn't always feel good as we're being squished and squeezed into the shape He has for us but it's always more fulfilling than staying a lump of dirt. 

Above is Goose using her gift.  She has a flair for the dramatic and loves to act.  She spoke from the temple steps as Mary Magdalene, testifying to how Jesus had transformed her life and how difficult it was to watch Him die on the cross.  Of course she got to deliver the good news that morning that Jesus had risen and she had seen Him at the empty tomb.  She memorized her 5 minute talk and did excellent!  Can you tell I'm a proud momma?

Here was another highlight.  My man and his buddy, Aaron, were the Roman soliders we met every day.  They witnessed Jesus arrest in the garden, his crucifixion and were guarding his tomb at the resurrection (above).   The kids were in awe of these larger than life soldiers and their skeptics testimony of Jesus' final hours was powerful.  Not to mention, I've never seen him in a skirt!  :)  A very good week.

More Susie Surprises - MA

My last full day with my sis we left early to drive to Massachusetts.  This was definitely a different kind of adventure.  Who knew about this hidden treat - ziplining?

It sounded like great fun, though I'll admit that in reading and signing the liability release,I did hesitate for a second.  Mentions of injury or death, 60 MPH and even extra fees if you chickened out and made someone escort you down the mountain on foot.  Gulp... why not?  After a ski lift to the top of the mountain, they started us off on some smaller lines.  Good to figure out what was going on.  It really was fun and not nearly as daring as repelling off a mountain is (I have my stories to tell from my "youth" on that).  There were 7 lines total that we went on, in a group of 15 people.  The last two were the most impressive - up to 50 & 60 MPH respectively.

Here we are getting ready to ride on one of the longer ones - we got to race against each other here.

These were our "guides" through the canopy.  It was obvious they enjoy their jobs and they made the day plenty of fun for all of us.  Below you can experience the 50 MPH ride on the 2,300 foot line (not the longest one of the day).  It was AMAZING!!!

  

Thanks so much to my man and my sis, Susie, for making my birthday EXTRA special this year.  I love you guys!

Susie's Surprises - NYC

To celebrate my 40th birthday this year, my man bought me a ticket to fly out East and see my big sis - Susie.  Sweet huh?  Well we finally found a time that would work and I flew to CT this month.  Susie picked up the birthday surprises by planning a full and exciting weekend for the two of us.   The very next day, she wisked me off to New York City for the day!  Now I have no desire to live in the city but visiting is another story.  We took the train and the subway and walked all over the place (mostly in Chinatown).  What an adventure....

Here I am standing next to some dragonfruit.  I have no idea what it tastes like but it was some of the coolest stuff I'd ever seen.  We went to Jing Fong Restaurant where they brought a continuous selection of dumplings and such.  Delicious!  Then we had a pedicure - my first ever.

The coolest thing about this place was the massage chairs.  We were pampered from neck to foot.  And check out those daring colors we chose....

By the end of the day, we went to see The Addams Family musical on Broadway.  Third row seats!  It was a pretty funny play and they did a great job.  I guess that's why they get paid to do this. :)

We got back to Susie's place at 2:30 am after a very full day.  That's cool though since I was able to sleep in as late as I wanted - that never happens at home!  That evening she took me to The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant that was scrumptious.  Who knew?  I really ate well that weekend.