"Friends are Friends Forever"

Christmas would not be complete without a visit with two of my best friends from Seminary and their kids. So one night just before we left for Florida, we all met at IHOP and exchanged gifts. Tammy on the left, and her son, Joseph, next to Madeline, and Christy on the right, and her son Gage, far right. I am continuing to add to our brood and the chaos- imagine one 6 yr. old, two 5 yr. olds, and one 3 yr. old all at the same table in a restaraunt. And pretty soon an infant. Yikes!! But oftentimes, this is how we must meet because we all live in different towns. But even though we are always busy, and have hectic schedules that almost never match up, we remain the closest of friends and confidantes. I am so thankful for them in my life- they keep me sane. God has blessed me so much with friendships like these.

But this area of my life is not complete, due to the absence of our fourth friend, Crystal. She is a missionary in Africa with her family and we miss her greatly. Check out her blog :http://www.thereynoldsrap.blogspot.com/ She is an amazing woman of God and she has a husband and two little boys. They are doing the Lord's work in Africa and I am constantly blown away by their courage and strength to be away from their families for so long at a time. You will be inspired by her also.

Merry Christmas!

So this is our official Christmas Card picture this year. I was so excited about this picture- a way to include the baby with the kids. And since it's my last Christmas to be pregnant (God-Willing), I really wanted something special. And then I got some negative feedback. Some people may think this is inappropriate. Well, I am past that. I think the pregnanat belly is beautiful, and it's mostly covered anyway. So I hope you enjoy!! The insciption read, "God has blessed us with the greatest of gifts. We pray His gifts of mercy and grace for you this year."

And here are the kids in their Christmas best. I am again amazed at how grown up they are!

Prima Ballerina

I am posting all about our Christmas and I know it is a little late, but we just returned from our trip Saturday night. I'll give it to you in a nutshell.

I must show you Madeline in her costumes. She not only performed at the Gazebo, but she was also in her school program as an angel. There were nine of them!! I about pulled my hair out, but the end result was so worth it. They were adorable!!

So then she also performed in her dance class that I teach outside of her school. For that one, she did the same Christmas dance from the night at the Gazebo, as well as a traditional ballet number. There were only six girls this time, so not so chaotic, although Madeline was the youngest. She is definitely only beginning, and got the movements most of the time, but also chose to stand there and watch part of the time. But nevertheless, she is my little Prima Ballerina!!

Christmas with Ms. Claus

Well, the kids were a part of the Christmas parade in Nocona. Madeline's preschool decorated wagons and Charlie went along, too. Then they sang in the gazebo downtown, and Madeline's ballet class performed. Her first performance!! I was so proud! I still can't believe I am teaching my own daughter to dance! And soon, I'll have two! Afterwards, they were able to sit on Santa's lap. Our friend Debbie dresses as Ms. Claus every year and this year was very special as she has been pretty sick the past couple of months. In fact, we had not even seen her for about 8 weeks. So it was wonderful that she felt well enough to do something that she loves so much. And the kids were so excited to see her! As was I!! Please continue to pray for her that she will gain strength and get well enough to continue to live her life the way she wants.

Thanksgiving Fun and....Shopping!!

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time for our family this year. Grandpa is here from Florida and we all went to my parent's house for a few days. Charlie and Madeline loved seeing their cousins, Jordan and Jared, and Charlie and Aunt Sharon seemed to hit it off especially well. The kids spent time in the Gameroom, the three dogs spent time fighting for attention, the guys watched football, and the ladies watched the sales. We had turkey and all the trimmings, including homemade Cranberry Sauce by Mom, and my late grandmother's Pumpkin Pie which Sharon made. The only thing missed was time with out of town families.

Then, Friday came. Mom and I had been looking forward to this day for over a week and made all our plans the day before. We got up at 4AM, left the house at 4:30, and proceded to Christmas shop for 11 hours!! It was tiring but oh, so much fun!! We started at Toys R Us at 5AM and went from there to Kohl's, Target, Wal-Mart, Sam's, Family Bookstore, Lowe's, Best Buy, the Mall, and Kirkland's Home. I cannot believe how much we accomplished even though we stood in line A LOT! (The longest was 2 hours at Kohl's.) But you know, it's worth it. I wish I knew exactly how much we saved by doing this because the deals were incredible. And the best part of it is the excitement of Christmas. I love buying gifts, hearing Christmas music playing on the speakers, smelling cinamon and pine scented potpourri, looking at all the decorations, watching other people get excited about Christmas, and even the rush and the crowds. But it is so easy to get caught up in this excitement that we forget the real excitement of Christmas. As fun as it is to give and receive gifts, we must remember the true Gift of Christmas. I only hope that among all the joy and fun of preparation and presents, we can instill in our kids that those things don't matter one bit. That the only real reason we celebrate Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ, our Savior. He is the true Gift.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

It's A Girl!

We finally found out that we are indeed having a girl! We are all so happy! Charlie actually wanted two sisters, and of course, Madeline wanted a girl. I was okay either way, already having one of each, but I must now admit that I really wanted another girl. I never had a sister and always wanted one. So I cannot wait to watch Madeline and her little sister grow up together. And Charlie will be the older, protective big brother.

I am still trying to iron out my difficulties with posting pictures, but I will at least keep updating anyway.

The Big Kindergartner!!

Well, my "Sweetest Boy" is now officially all grown up! Or so it seems anyway. He started Kindergarten on Monday with his lunch box and backpack, a new school, new teacher, and new friends. We took lots of pictures which I will post soon, and he loved all of it. He had no problem being left there and I had to actually get his attention to tell him I was leaving. I blew him a kiss at his big-boy desk and left with a small feeling of emptiness. I have to go home without him? All day? How will I know what he's doing? How he's doing? What will Madeline and I do alone? (And sure enough I keep hearing, "There's no one to play with me." Bless her heart.) So when Charlie got in the van after school, I asked him how it was. "Mmm, not good." Oh no, I thought, he must have cried for me or something. But I asked why and he said, "Because I was silly." Yikes! Did my child get in trouble the first day?? After further questioning, we figured maybe he got a warning or just told to calm down. But we are working on this. He said he had fun in the Centers- coloring, blocks, play-dough, and art. He enjoyed lunch and rest time, had music class and PE, and played on the playground with his friend, Jase. So I guess all in all, it was a good experience for him. Can you believe all they fit into one day?? And so next week, we begin again with Madeline and Preschool. Ugh! They grow up too fast! The only consolation I have is that we have #3 on the way and we get to do it all over again. But these are still my babies and the sadness remains.