Merry Christmas!!

Poem From "A"

"A" bought me a cute $3 bracelet for me to wear at my brother's wedding on New Year's day and it really is beautiful and great for my dress. She bought Daddy some warmers for his gloves for when he is in Germany. She also wrote a cute poem for Daddy and Mommy.

Here is her poem:

Up have we our Christmas tree

and a star on top.

But get not caught completely up in the 

Christmas flow and pop.

For long ago a Saviour was born 

for all the world to see.

He lay in a manger and died on a cross 

for you and for me.

Now think this Christmas season 

about what the Lord has done,

For this world we live in was no better than dung!

-By My Biggest Girl:-)

Gross Them Out

"Be Great Parents. Gross Your Kids Out."

-Sheila Gregoire

My kids know Daddy and Mommy are in love. The other day my 2 year old said to Daddy as he was kissing me "stop kissing her" and then "stop hugging her". My 8 year old really hates the whole seeing us kiss thing but has gotten better since we started teasing him with it and now he plays it more cool. 

At Thanksgiving time when we were going to go around the room and saying what we are thankful for when it came time for my hubby my oldest daughter started pointing at me like "I know what he is thankful for!" Our kids know that their Mommy and Daddy are in love and that we highly value our time together. I loved it that G made our Christmas ornament with a couple holding hands. 

There are a lot of things as parents we mess up on but one thing we are thankful we can show our kids is what it is like to be in love with the one we're married to. 
So glad to be married to my best friend.

G's Woodburning Spree

He has been wood burning for weeks getting ready for Christmas.

 This is G's gift for his Uncle B and soon to be Aunt J for their wedding.

He wood burned on a wood cutting board that is made in the shape of the state of 

Minnesota where they live.

The idea of the state shaped cutting board came off Pinterest but not the words.

 The ornament above and to left was for his colloquey overseer. G carries around a bunch of BIG 3 ring binders so that picture kind of looks like him. Above right he made for his swim coach.

Above left he made about 6x of the birds and verses for teachers and school headmaster. The ornament on the right he made for his Daddy and Mommy for Christmas!! We got a good laugh out of it because we though it looked like a unisex bathroom sign:-) Very sweet of him to make and notice they are holding hands. :-) I will treasure this.

Dashing through the Kitchen, In a one brother open sleigh . . . laughing all the way!!!

The top video is especially hilarious! I LOVE listening to J just laughing and laughing!!! In the bottom video J is being the big brother of fun!

My mom gave me a print for the wall that states "I can imagine a life without children but it doesn't have the same laughter or noise." I am so grateful for my family!! It does get crazy but it is all a beautiful blessing.

Winter Wedding Gifts

 Working on a snow globe for Uncle B's wedding on January 1st!

Mistakes were made and lessons learned on what order to do things!

We learned how much glycerin to use after experimenting some!

It doesn't take much.

 I really helped a lot with C and R as trying to get hot glue on and move quickly

is hard but glitter time is fun!!

 "A" found this wedding couple at Walmart for about $2!

And the the bride is wearing white boots just like Aunt J is going to do!!

 Here is all three snow globes. R's is the one on the left, A the center, and C the right which is kids playing in the snow and one making a snow angel.

 R was quite pleased with the wedding gift outcome!

A's Piano Recital

 This picture shows the difference in the twins personalities. 

Baby C is serious and Baby B 

about fun.

It was fun going to "A"'s Christmas piano recital. "A" did a great job and we enjoyed hearing the pieces of the other students. The girls made it for a little bit and then G ended up in the back with them and then eventually Daddy came back to reinforce.

The duet above she played with her teacher who is an absolutely lovely, kind, Christian lady. She has been a blessing to us.

Only One Answer . . . THE SON

 Questions

with No Answers but One . . .

THE SON.

People can ask me all sorts of questions.

People can ask me how it will get done.

But I do not have all the answers

Except, a sigh, and that I abide in the Son?

God's calling can sometimes seem crazy 

To those who are standing by

But those He calls feel compelled to move

And in faith to give crazy a try.

God promises to be faithful

To those who abide in the Son.

He promises beautiful, unearthly fruit

If in faith we take his calling, promises, and run.

Let me set aside the weights that beset me

Let me press toward the mark of the high calling of God

Let me run the race looking full in his face 

Knowing He will guide me with His eye and a nod.

Now when the questions flood in about how & why

No more will the answer come with a human shrug and sigh,

I will answer the questions with His boldness, not being a waif

 Speaking "I will daily look to Jesus my future, 

the author and finisher of my faith."

-A.L. 

December 19th, 2014

After I finished writing this I read this to my oldest daughter and she thought of Noah.

Great example of this!

^{John 15:5
4} Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Philippians 3:13-15

¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, ¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

Hebrews 12:1-2
12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Psalm 32:8

 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 

God is SOO Good. He is SOOO Good to Baby B.

Baby B will be 17 months tomorrow and she is just starting to take steps. She had hip dysplasia as an infant and after complications she ended up in a SPICA cast. She is now doing tremendously well. What a feeling in this mom's heart to see her at this point. God has strengthened her hips and given her drive and ability. She will be followed for the rest of her growth for her hip and it is not 100% that it will stay just right but we can rejoice that now all is well. Brother R is such an encourager and teacher! He has worked with her. So grateful for where B is at today in her development!!

This is Me and My Love

Just for Fun

Here is one of my FAVORITE Calvin and Hobbes comic strips!
My family are HUGE fans of Calvin and Hobbes. My hubby and I bought the complete 3 volume set for our anniversary years back and my kids love pouring over them:-)

 
Calvin & Hobbes (c) 2013 Bill Waterson

This particular comic reminds me of my older brother.:-)

Timed Trials and a Family Afternoon/Evening Out

 This was actually not a meet but a timed trials that was at a Wesylan College in Norfolk. It was nice and close and was a great time out for our whole family and we got to cheer for G!!!! The kids did well but by the end the baby girls were done which is understandable.

When we got back to the van "J" (2 years old) asked "G" "Are you done jumping into the bathtub?" We thought that was SOOOO FUNNY!!! Gotta love toddlers and their way of looking at the world!:-) He must have thought we were all crazy cheering and cheering for G just for jumping in the bathtub!! Who knows!

So nice to have family time out and about. R is such a great big brother.

Daddy with Baby C. He gets a kick out of the girls and the twins LOVE to spend time with him. When he is over seas Baby B kisses the Iphone when we are face timing Daddy and Baby C does it sometimes too. Too CUTE!

"A" with Baby B. These two are pals and adore each other.

Ready to Start on New Testament Books . . .

I look like a dork on this video. I am not one to take great joy of being video'd. Anyway, Big C however does a great job doing his books of the Old Testament along with what that book is about. We recently finished memorizing the Old Testament and now he is working on the New Testament.  He had memorized some of these when R did these in school but now he has gone past what he had done before. What I great skill to know the books of the Bible along with an idea of what that book is about! Big C is a GREAT kindergarten student and he works so hard.

He's Growing Up Sooo Quickly . . .

G dressed for his school Christmas Dinner/Colonial Dance. How come kids don't stay little?

G went tonight with his Daddy and Yes he does still call him that! to his schools annual Colonial Christmas Dinner and Colonial Dance. He was adamant he did NOT want to dance or dress up BUT he did want to go and eat the food which was a 5 course colonial meal.  His school provides a colonial dance teacher at a certain point in the fall for those who want to learn. We know his sister "A" would LOVE this so maybe next year she can go too. Who knows maybe she'll get him out there but I really doubt it:-)

 G did, in fact, enjoy the food and the 2 minute early American quiz each table took and would go back next year just for those 2 things!:-) That's my G.

Life Experiences for G

 Well, today was another life experience for G. He had his first school swim meet at a private boarding school here in VA about 3 hours away. Daddy said it is quite the place and that it was packed with people. I could hear the cheering. I think that is so fun. G was quite nervous but he is with a great group of people and he really enjoys his coach. When he and his coach see each other they salute:-)

Anyway, someone got a Sharpie marker out and showed G about making 3 columns on the inside of his fore arm and keeping track of his lane #'s, heats, etc. Daddy said he seemed to be catching on. This is all good for G because he is our "head in the clouds" kiddo:-) Exercises in attention are great! Daddy was so proud of him for coming in 2nd to last in his heat in the fly (picture above) and beating a sophomore that was bigger than him. I am sure that was somewhat encouraging as the first race he came in last!

In his heat for the back stroke he got 2nd out of 6 swimmers beating out a sophomore and senior!! Babe said he was BY FAR the smallest swimmer in that race! No winning a race or even coming close today but a GREAT experience and I think he did well for a little Jr. High kid. It definitely was an encouraging day for him. He had so much fun and was excited at the end of the day.
____________________________________________________________________________________

Those that are just reading this blog may wonder why I post some things I do. This blog is for memory keeping for me primarily and if I don't put down some of these things they will be forever lost in my head. I have a lot to think about:-)

G told me a short time ago he was getting the reputation he set out to get in school .  . . that he liked to joke and have fun but he was serious about his studies. He has a great relationship with the kids in his class. A few weeks back he was by a door and his belt loop somehow got caught up on the handle of the door and it took 3 tenth graders and 2 teachers to get him unhooked:-) He still gets ribbed about that . . . like getting congratulated for making it through the door:-)

Another thing that happened lately is that the students were asked to check into what appeared to be a discrepancy in Scriptures and report on why it really isn't. G found the answer on a web sight and so the teacher asked him to give a report to the class on it. G is telling me the story and he said "I don't know if I should have done this. . ." I didn't know what he said/did and then he said at one point "The good old King James says . . . " he said he has his grandpa's blood:-) He had to give a plug for the King James Version:-) One of the kids in his class said "Now he is talking about King James!"

A lady that works at the school came up to Babe this past week and said how much G is enjoyed and that the spirit he brings to the school is enjoyed. I pray for him that he will have wisdom in what he encounters in a day and an "excellent spirit".

Baby C's First Hair Cut!

Me giving Christiana her first hair cut!:-)

Baby C's hair kept getting in her eyes which was getting frustrating to see her trying to see through her hair! I decided to give her her first hair cut. It might have ended up a bit shorter than I should have cut it but it worked and I think she looks adorable. I had to do quick work because she is not a long sitter! No more looking through hair to see!!!

Out with the Old and in with the New!

  

Well, the van that we purchased last year bit the dust but we have so much to thank the Lord for. We had found out that it would cost $1,700 to repair the air conditioning in September and we decided to hold off until the spring to repair it.:-))))) Praise the Lord, we did not sink that much money into a dyeing van. Also, it was having issues for quite awhile and then in got worse and Babe took it in before he left to go to Germany to make sure we didn't have any problems while he was gone. The day after he left it completely quit and the auto guys were amazed they got it running again at all. So another praise is that we got a heads up that the end was near. We were able to think and talk about it before it died. It then worked until the morning of the day Babe returned!! Praise the Lord. The picture of the towing was actually when it was getting pulled away to get repaired . . . another praise was that it died when I was home and not stranded somewhere.

We now purchased a Chevy instead of a Ford. Our new van handles A LOT better and has WAY better gas mileage. Ahh, life's lessons:-) We have a good God that always provides our needs. At first I was sentimental about the brown van as it symbolized a big change in our family's life but the" new to us van" is definitely a better van. Thank you Lord for providing for our needs.

Revelation 4:11

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

We are created for His pleasure and His purposes. He is worthy to receive glory and honour in all circumstances. We are studying God's will in Sunday school and it has been such a blessing.

He is in control! May I rest in His plans.

Baby C's New Thing

Baby C has found that she REALLY enjoys helping Big C or R unload the dishwasher! She loves it and does a great job:-) Hopefully the enthusiasm will continue but I have been at this long enough to know if probably won't:-) There is a developmental switch from learning how to do things to how to do things without being told and when asked to do something doing it cheerfully. It is fun to watch her early desire to help and be a big kid.

Colossians 2:6-7

Colossians 2:6-7

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

 The kids ready to go deliver the Pilgrim hat cookies to the neighbors.

They had a great time this year. The kids said "J" even talked :-)

 The twins are so hard to get pictures of:-) They do NOT want to be still so below Sissy held them

so we could get some pictures without them moving so much!

All my beautiful girls.

SOOOOOOO much to be thankful for!!! Babe had a family devotional this morning on faith and tying it in with the faith that the Pilgrims had even through rough times.

Essay for Posterity

In school, G was assigned to write a composition about an interesting topic. He was supposed to talk to an elderly person about something they did as a child and then they were to repeat whatever it was themselves and write about the whole experience! What a neat idea! Great way to connect the past with the present and connect generations! Here is G's essay . . . 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G.L.

Miss A

Composition 1

23 November, 2014

 
    On hearing the instructions for this assignment, I was very excited to consult my Grandpa Johnson for the needed information. He is a jovial man and, though in his 70’s, almost never has too little energy for a water balloon fight, a run through the airport, or a nature walk. As a child, he was a farm boy, which makes him perfect for this assignment, as he has plenty of stories about his childhood on the farm. He was very happy to have the opportunity to tell me the games he played as a farm boy.
    My Grandpa told me that many of the things they did for fun during the 1940’s -1950’s were closely related to work. For instance, though he caught frogs for fun, there was a restaurant that gave money to boys who would bring them frog legs. Thus, this was also work because he helped earn extra money for the family as he was having fun. However, he did do things for fun that were not work, as well. He rode horses (though, one time, he narrowly escaped being trodden down by an angry running horse and has hardly ridden them since), picked berries, rode his bicycle, played soft ball with rural schools, played “Antie Antie over”, and many other things.
    The game I particularly wish to speak about in this paper is a game called “kick the can”. “Kick the can” was played by many farm families, and even people who had never played it before had most likely heard of the game. The game was better with more people playing. The game was played by farm boys and girls at night on the farmland. To play the game, a milk can was the only necessary item, besides people. A person was chosen to be “it” and the person would close their eyes, put their foot on the can, and count to 100. The other people would run as fast as they could to hide, be it in a hay stack, a barn, the fields, a tree, some bushes. The only place they could not hide was indoors. The person chosen as “it” would try to find the other players in their hiding spots. When he found someone, he would try to tag the person. The player being chased would make a bee-line for the can and if they could kick it before “it” tagged him he would be “safe”. However, one did not need to be seen to kick the can, if a hiding player saw from his hiding spot that “it” had walked away from the can to find someone, the player could bolt to the can and kick it, making himself “safe”. The first person tagged would be “it” in the next round. Also, to make sure that there were no stalemates, “it” would not simply stand next to the can the entire game, where only a general rush of players could dislodge him.
    I played this game with my two brothers Ross and Carson ages 8 and 5, and my sister Annalina age 11.  We used a tiny aluminum can and, instead of playing at night, we played during the day time.  As we played, we found out that it was very tempting to simply stand next to the can which, though not fair, ensured victory. However, we did occasionally go looking for people, and in this I found a great advantage when I was not “it”. When “it” would go in search of a player, I would slip around and run to the can. However, when I reached the can, since “it” did not know I was there, I simply stood over the can, and I did not kick it. Then, I would wait for “it” to come back from his/her search and see me calmly standing over the very can he/she was trying to defend. I would watch their heart sink into their stomach with a look of “Oh great”. Finally, with a look of triumph and defiance I would kick the little aluminum can as hard as I could and would send it sailing through the air. This was always followed by a good laugh made both by “it” and myself.
    In conclusion, I have had a good time playing a very interesting and old game that my grandpa once played. However, I have also learned something about the idea of fun 60 to 70 years ago. I learned that people did work for fun which is not seen often today. I find this very interesting as I did not know almost anything about fun at that time in America’s past.

Today Daddy Comes back home!!!!

 Today Daddy comes home! I am hoping for a fast day which it should be. Need to drop G off at school then go near his new school building location and drop off the applesauce spice cake I made for his school Thanksgiving lunch . . . get schooling done here and a little party for us at lunch. Meet up with G before swim practice to get his stuff and then pick him up at 5pm and immediately go to the airport to get DADDY!!!! Ah, a good day it will be!!!!

Family Church

Yesterday I was disappointed. I had gotten up before the kids and gotten dressed and ready for church. The night before I had gotten the younger kiddos bathed and church clothes laid out ready for the morning. But when I went to get up the twins they both had yucky runny noses:-) I knew the nursery was especially not going to want that. I was disappointed . . . our church is such a blessing to go to. But that is mommy life and since my hubby wasn't home to take the rest of the gang it meant being home. 

After the girls went down for their morning nap we had a devotional time and read out of Psalm 100 and Psalm 98. Big C quoted Psalm 100 since he had memorized it for school. We talked about "Serve the Lord with gladness:" and "come before his presence with singing", etc. Maybe in life we're not glad about our circumstances but we can be glad in them and we need to serve the Lord with gladness. We talked about one or more ways each of the big kids can serve the Lord in their daily lives.

We sang some fun thanksgiving songs and came "before His presence with singing". Big C however really wanted to skip to Christmas songs and especially his favorite "We Three Kings"!

 

Psalm 100

A Psalm of praise.

¹ Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
² Serve the Lord with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.
³ Know ye that the Lord he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 98

A Psalm.

¹ O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things:
his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
² The Lord hath made known his salvation:
his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.
³ He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel:
all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth:
make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
⁵ Sing unto the Lord with the harp;
with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.
⁶ With trumpets and sound of cornet
make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.
⁷ Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein.
⁸ Let the floods clap their hands:
let the hills be joyful together ⁹ before the Lord;
for he cometh to judge the earth:
with righteousness shall he judge the world,
and the people with equity.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My younger brother sent me a text later that morning saying . . .

"Forgot not His benefits." Which was such a great reminder of all the 

AMAZING things we have in Christ! 

I have been blessed by this passage of Scripture before (I have a date written next to the passage)   and again yesterday with the 

prompting of my brothers text.

What an AMAZING God that loves us and provides us with such love and care!!!

Great my brother sent that.

Psalm 103

A Psalm of David.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul:
and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits:
³ who forgiveth all thine iniquities;
who healeth all thy diseases;
⁴ who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
⁵ who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;
so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶

Thanksgiving Tradition

 Tradition at our house is that every year we assemble Pilgrim hat cookies and freeze them on Thanksgiving themed paper plates until Thanksgiving evening and then the kids go and deliver them to neighbors. They LOVE this. We got the Pilgrim hat idea from my sister-in-law. 

J was with us assembling cookies this year but really just ate cookies and Reesies.:-)

 Big C showing his assembled Pilgrim hat.

R is such a goof, on one cookie on his plate he forgot to flip the cookie over to the fudge part so instead the Pilgrim hat had stripes:-)

The Fun of Junior High

We had picked up G's school books from school so he could head to swim practice and as I was carrying them up to his room I saw 3x5 cards tucked down in the clear plastic sleeves on the front of some of his binders. I started reading and got a good laugh . . .

Tricksters' Warning

Warning: If this binder or any other possessions currently held by G. L. (his name) is found in the desk, hands, locker, or power of the prankster/s I will instantly confiscate them. Unless they were on their way to return them. If I see my belongings being taken to anyplace besides where I currently am, I will firmly keep my property from being handled further. Your cooperation is valued and expected. G.L. (he has his name)

I asked G about this when he got home and he got a big smile on his face and told me that during study hall or (his school calls it collequey) some of the kids play tricks and hide peoples stuff and it can take them awhile to reliquish the object so this was in defense of that happening. :-)
Ahh, the joys of jr. high. He LOVES school. Have I said that before?:-)

Strength and Song

Exodus 15:2

 

The Lord is my strength and song, 

and he is become my salvation: 

he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation;  

my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

 

Amen

Views From Our Home

 These two are really buddies.

 Colonial "C"

 A butcher, a baker, and candlestick maker:-)

 All these pictures are taken from my bedroom or master bath windows.

The colors were stunning this last week.

Beautiful Fall Day In Williamsburg

Big brother G wheeling the girls around. It was a brisk day but really just perfect weather.

Over Veteren's Day weekend we got the opportunity to go to Williamsburg and look around.

Williamsburg opened their doors to military and their families for free which was really really special. I am grateful for that. We had a much needed day out as a family in absolutely beautiful fall weather. We could not have ordered a better day. We really did the preschool tour of Williamsburg this time around. The girls only can go so long. But we spent quite a bit of time just not focusing a long time in any one place except the mansion and that one we barely made it through:-)

It was a wonderful day out and we were all thankful for it.

Daddy giving the kids a little lesson.

The gang

Us, in front of the governor's mansion.

Baby C and me

G really enjoyed the governor's mansion a lot because of the HUGE display of 

weapons of different sorts!

We took my mom's advice and brought a picnic lunch. Perfect day for a picnic and we weren't the only ones doing that! I hope we can do it next year too!

The twins really enjoyed being out of the stroller and exploring. 

The trees were absolutely beautiful!

Me with the love of my life.

ATTENTION!! The boys with a soldier.

"A" taking the opportunity to get to write with a quill pen.

G taking a turn at the quill pen.

"A" looking very colonial!!

The stocks in Williamsburg!

Baby B and Me! Enjoying the beautiful fall colors!!

"J" finally just conked out. He was one tired boy.

Baby C enjoying playing in the fall leaves.

R enjoying the fall day in Williamsburg.

Baby B LOVED LOVED LOVED crawling in the leaves! She did not want to be picked up.