Recovery

This week is recovery week at our house. Kelsie is completely well now and is catching up on school work - she has been diligent this week to study and worked very hard, we are proud of her. Wayne has also recovered with the exception of a little coughing and not 100% voice back yet, but he is back to a full schedule this week. I got the cough, sore throat later than everyone else and so today was my day to get back to normal and go back to work. Kelsie wrote in her journal for school that she was so sick that she will NEVER get the floo (that's how she spelled it - cute) again. I thought that was funny. Anyway, not much else to tell from our week but here are some pics to share - still getting caught up - these are from the Christmas Musical at church "Christmas in Reverse" that our kids did in December. Have a good week and weekend.

Brynn and Kelsie - angel friends.
My sweet little angel baby.
The angel choir and the cutest little star.
The angel choir
It was very funny because after all the kids got dressed, they had a little sandwich dinner before the presentation. The angels of course were banned from the red and purple punch that was served and they all chose to eat cheetos or doritos. So, I was standing over them telling them to be careful and wipe their hands ON A NAPKIN and not the pearly white costume.

Finally getting better

Kelsie woke up Sunday with no fever. She ran out of energy pretty quickly but we were able to direct a little bit of it toward getting caught up on school work. She is working really hard today to get caught up but I have a feeling it will take the better part of this week to be all done with make up work and tests. She has a good attitude about it though. As a consolation for all the stuff she missed over the weekend, we got tickets for her and Morgan to go and see the Miley Cyrus 3-D movie on Saturday. It should be fun and something to look forward to after what will probably be a week filled with studying. She is looking forward to going back to basketball tonight and Friday night's daddy/daughter sock hop at church. Okay - enjoy the pics (Still getting caught up on sharing them - these are from Six Flags Holiday in the Park and some snapshots taken when we were figuring out what to put on the Christmas card.)

Kelsie and Raider in front of the fire place - it was actually hot that day.

This is one of the shots we considered for the Christmas card.

Kelsie and Morgan at Holiday in the Park.

with Tweety
Wayne and Kelsie at the entrance. The weather was great that day - a little chilly when the sun went down but we were in layers so it was comfortable.
Another photo op for Kelsie and Morgan
The girls listening to Mrs. Claus read a story.
Kelsie and Morgan waiting in line for the Judge Roy Scream. It was one of the last rides of the night.

Still Sick

Well, poor K is still sick - when they say the flu is 7 to 10 days, they mean it. The good news is that she feels a little better today but she still has fever. I feel sorry for her b/c the school work is piling up and she missed a slumber party on Friday as well as her basketball game and a birthday party on Saturday. We have watched many, many hours of Little House on the Prairie, Disney movies and Disney shows. So, continue to pray for her (and us).

Enjoy the pics from Christmas:

Kelsie on Christmas Eve right after our service at church. Our tradition is that we go to the service and then come home to open gifts and have dinner together.

Raider opening his gift - he got a new bed.

This year in order to keep Wayne and Kelsie from shaking and guessing what was in the boxes under the tree, I did not label them the traditional way with names to and from. Instead, I wrote codes on each one that corresponded with a verse and I was the keeper of the code. It was fun b/c Kelsie tried hard to figure out which gifts were hers. Anyway, when it was time to open gifts, each person had to read the verse that went with their gift before opening. It was fun and it kept our focus on WHY we give gifts - Jesus Birthday!

The earrings Wayne and Kelsie gave me. They are beautiful!

Kelsie got these sunglasses as an accessory with one of her outfits. She really doesn't love getting clothes so this made it a little more fun to get.

Wayne opening and reading his BIG gift from us - tickets for the Cowboy playoff game, this was a printout of the stadium showing where our seats are.

Christmas morning - Santa brought Kit, the American Girl doll. Kelsie loved her.

Our tradition on Christmas morning is to sing Happy Birthday to Jesus at breakfast so here is Kelsie blowing out the candle on the cinnamon roll.

On Christmas Day we traveled to my mom's house in San Angelo. We opened gifts and had dinner that night. Here is Wayne with his pile of gifts to open.

My neice, Hailey, opening gifts.

Kelsie gets the Wii game, Cooking mama - it's a cute game and she loves it!

Plethora of Pictures

So many pics to share now that I am no longer afraid to dump them onto my computer. So, here is post #1 of several more to come to catch up on all the times I promised to post pics soon.

Another piece of news, Kelsie has the flu so as you read this say a little prayer for her to begin getting better. She has had fever since Tuesday. We did see the doc on Wednesday morning but he said to keep doing what we were already doing to treat it. She had a bad night last night and started showing signs of getting better this evening but then had a low grade fever again right before bed. We are praying her fever will break tonight and she will begin healing. She has missed a week of school and I am afraid she is getting really behind - we will have a ton of catching up to do on Monday. We thought that today she would feel like doing some work but she just didn't have the energy. The bummer is that she has a basketball game and an ice skating birthday party on Saturday and she was invited to the rodeo on Sunday night with Morgan's family, so I hope she will get to do those things after the yucky week she just had but we will have to see how things go tomorrow.

There we are in front of Texas Stadium on the walk up. A BEAUTIFUL day!

Greg Ellis (taken through the fence - can you say papparazzi) walking up to the stadium after he parked. It was fun to see these players up close and personal even if there was a chain link fence between us.

All 4 of us at the stadium in our Cowboy white.

They honored the military this day and so this particular group of military held the flag - it was a good pre game show - look at all the fans in white.

The Jessica's from New York. These were the fans that sat behind us - they were funny so I had to take the pic.

On New Year's Day while we were at home hanging out , Kelsie and Morgan played Santa/Reindeer. Kelsie is Santa and Morgan the reindeer the first time and then they switched. They were so creative presenting their little skit.

Now Morgan is Santa and instead of a sleigh she is just riding Rudolph. Cute - look at their sack of toys. Funny girls!

Hopeful

I am hopeful b/c we finally took our computer to a person to get it fixed. I am hoping to be able to put all my recent pics on it and then I can share them with you. The biggest thing that will change is that I will be able to spend my itunes money that I got for Christmas. In a rare moment last week, the computer allowed me to get on and buy some songs but I am hoping they will not get lost in the process of repair.

Now for an update - Kelsie's finger is healing nicely. She went for a follow up check on Friday and they said it was fine although she is still on an antibiotic for a few more days. Raider did well after his shots and apparently did fairly well at the groomer. K's 2nd basketball game was Saturday morning and she did GREAT! Scored 10 points, had several rebounds and assists. All the girls played well and it was very much a team effort for the win.

A funny story at Upward Basketball. During half time while the teams take a short break and go over things with the coach, a person from the church gives the adults a little devotional. It's usually very brief and ends with a prayer. This week, the guy that spoke talked about the Lord's Prayer and finding God in the secret place through prayer (Psalm 91). What was funny about it was that when we went to Gateway Church that was the scripture Robert Morris preached from in his sermon series "First." He was talking about giving God the first portion of every day and that if we want to dwell in the secret place with God, it's through prayer. Well, needless to say - I had to ask the Lord if He was really trying to tell me something about morning time with Him. As you know, I am NOT a morning person. So, I will give that struggle to Him and give Him the first portion of my day. It may be a sleepy portion but it's His as an act of obedience. Isn't it sad that God has to tell me twice? Well, I'm a slow learner.

Have a good week - I will keep you updated on the computer situation.

Texas Stadium Knowledge

Before the Cowboy game last week, we hadn't been there for 10 years so it was like looking through new eyes. So, here are some things to know for the next time you go to Texas Stadium.

1. The floor hasn't been washed off in YEARS and it is very sticky. I recommend tennis shoes and don't bring anything you may have to set down like a purse or bag. Gross!

2. Again, wear tennis shoes or comfy walking shoes. It's a lot of walking around - but worth it!

3. If you are attending a game, go early and plan to stay late. Go early so you can enjoy walking around, you may luck into seeing some players like we did and it's fun to watch people and the pre game stuff. Also, stay late - there is no reason to run to your car and get in to sit there for 2 hours.

4. Be prepared to deal with obnoxious people that have consumed too many beers.

5. Try not to drink too much - you do not want to have to use the bathrooms there! Also we noticed that the bathroom line was twice as long for guys.

6. They only serve Pepsi products. (I'm a coke person).

7. Bring binoculars - no matter where you sit, there are things on the other side of the stadium to see.

8. In the winter - wear layers. Texas Stadium is designed well with the shelter but open air. That means that you are protected from the elements but you still get the cold air. In the summer, you will just have to sweat.


Okay - hope that helps you for the next time you prepare to visit Texas Stadium. The 2008 season is the last one to catch a game there. After that, be prepared to shell out the big bucks for a seat in the new stadium - you know, because Jerry cares about "the fans."

Other Happenings

Aside from the excitement of going to the Cowboy game on Sunday, there have been other things happening. Kelsie went to her grandmother's house in Waco on Saturday after her Upward game. Since we were going to be gone all day Sunday at the game, she took the opportunity to spend some time with Wayne's mom and aunt. So, Kelsie played her first basketball game of the season on Saturday morning (this is her 3rd year and Wayne's 3rd year as assistant coach). She has been blessed because she has had the same coaches for the last 3 seasons so she has been able to build up her skill from one year to the next and really learn about basketball. They keep score at this age and her team won 26 to 6. They played great as a team, passing and getting the ball to everyone. After the game, we drove to Hillsboro to meet Wayne's mom and aunt and did a little shopping at the Nike outlet there. Monday afternoon we picked Kelsie up and drove home in time for practice and rushed home to eat dinner and get into bed for school the next day. Kelsie went back to school on Tuesday. It was a nice long break, which we were thankful for, but it was really weird having the pressure of it being a "school night."

Tuesday was a good day until Kelsie cut her finger while cutting carrots (with the new knives I got for Christmas) for the salad. It was bleeding so badly we decided to take a trip to Care Now and see what they could do. No stitches were needed, just a little glue and tape as we called it. They got her bandaged up and on some antibiotics since it was a cut on the hand. She is doing fine, just tender today. We go back on Friday to check out the progress.

Raider had his doc appt today for his rabies shot and some other shots he needed. He did great and now weighs 6.2 pounds. The doc thinks he will be around 8 when he stops growing. He has lost some teeth and still has a few more to lose. Now that he has had a rabies shot, he can go to the groomer and his first visit will be on Friday - that should be interesting.

Hope you are having a good week. More to come.

Sunday's Adventures

Yesterday was a blast! We gave Wayne tickets to the Cowboy's playoff game for Christmas (the bonus for me was that I got to go too) and we went with the McLelland's who got tickets at the same time we did so we all got to sit together. The game didn't start until 3:30 and since Wayne took a day of vacation, we decided to go over to Gateway Church. A great church, worship was good from beginning to end. As soon as church was out, we headed over to the stadium early - we wanted to make sure we had enough time to walk around, eat lunch and see pre-game warm ups. The paper said they had 40,000 white towels to hand out and asked all the fans to wear white. On Saturday we went all around to find white shirts so we would be supportive fans but no white towels were to be had and we were inside the gate 30 minutes after it opened. I say - no way there were 40,000 - Jerry! Anyway, while we were walking around to different gates to see if they had towels left (that's what our gate's ticket takers said to do) and we saw all these people gathered around and lining the fence so we asked what everyone was looking at. We discovered, to our surprise, that the players actually park close to the stadium and walk in down this tunnel. We got the whole scoop on who drives what car, who has already arrived and who they were still waiting on to arrive - believe me, these people are experts! We stood there for a while and saw Greg Ellis drive up in his Rolls and walk in (I got a pretty good pic of him) and Marcus Spears. We saw some others but I didn't know who they were, the people around me seemed to know. After that, we went into the much advertised "Corral" to get lunch. Thankfully, it was free to get in b/c of our press pass (it is normally $10) because once we got in there we realized it was a glorified beer barn - they didn't have much food to choose from so we left and found a vendor in the stadium. We took some pics, watched the warm ups and ate lunch. The weather was crisp and sunny but not too cold - a beautiful day!

Before we knew it the first quarter was over and we were commenting on the fact that it was going by too fast. The game had lots of ups and downs which made it exciting but extremely disappointing at the end. Being there was such a blast and there were a few Giants fans around us which made it interesting. When the game was over and everyone absorbed the lost, the crowd was stunned and I was amazed at how quietly people were leaving. The same crowd that was so loud I couldn't hear the person next to me, was just in shock at the loss. We decided to sit and watch players exit the field vs. sitting in our car for the next 2 hours. After almost everyone was gone we walked back to the tunnel where the players park. There were a few people around watching and hanging out but we saw Troy Aikman get in his car and leave and soon we saw Jason Whitten walk out head down, some linemen, Bradie James, Anthony Spencer, Greg Ellis and then we saw Tony Romo get in his car and he got stuck in traffic coming out and had to sit there for a minute while people yelled at him to roll down his window. Then we saw T.O. get in his orange Range Rover with his matching suit - literally the suit was the same color as the car. For the most part as the players were exiting, people were just quiet, watching - it reminded of a funeral. As we walked around back to the gate where we entered we saw the Giants buses being loaded and the small group of fans waiting around, taking pictures with players and getting autographs. We saw lots of their players but didn't recognize any of them except for Eli Manning. He was classy with his fans, taking pics and signing stuff. We made it back to our car and got out pretty easily at that point, headed to Uncle Julio's in Grapevine for dinner and home. It was just a perfect day - except for the loss of course. More to come and hopefully with pics - I took some good ones.

This week's update

It's not a milestone by any stretch but finally today I made it to the Y. 30 minutes on the elliptical and I was DONE. It made me mad at myself b/c when I was going every day last Spring, 30 minutes became easy. Today - dying. Well, it's a start - it took me a few days to just get used to getting up early. Wayne is good at getting up and going, he gets up super early and plays racquetball. But, I feel good and plan to go the rest of this week. So - keeping you posted and keeping me accountable.

Looking forward to Sunday's game at Texas Stadium b/c we will be there. Can't wait!

Movie Reviews

Those of you that know us well, know that we are not movie buffs. I don't know why, we just don't really go to the movies very often but during the holidays we took K to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and today went to see the new "National Treasure" movie. So, here is my amateur review. Alvin was pretty cute, Kelsie seemed to enjoy it. It got a little annoying but the story about family was a good one. National Treasure was better, but probably over K's head in some places since she hasn't studied American History yet. She did recognize many places and names of Presidents and we did a little whispering to her in the movie. She said she liked the movie though and it was pretty exciting like the first one.

As we are slowly getting back into the normal schedule of life, I realized this week how thankful I am that Kelsie has not started back to school. Wayne went back to work on Wednesday and I worked at home and tried to get caught up on stuff at home. New Year's Day was a great day at home but I promised myself I would get some things done on Wednesday. I completed many of the tasks on my list but not everything and as the week progressed we were slowly getting back into a schedule of working and chores. But, it's not all work and chores we made time for playing games with Kelsie while one of the hundreds of football games was on TV and had friends over for dinner on Friday night which was an evening of good food, good conversation and laughter. So, I have worked toward one of my New Year's Resolutions. Even with good intentions, I couldn't jump into a weekly exercise routine last week but now that we are back to life I am going to try and ease into it this coming week. I'll keep you posted.

The Book of December

Well, since December was so busy I did not really have time to post so here is December by chapter instead of by posts. AND Happy New Year.

Chapter 1 - The Wrapping Elves
This year we started a new tradition. I usually wrap all the gifts myself. However, this year Kelsie showed a great interest in wrapping gifts so we had a wrapping party. We put the paper on the kitchen table, the ribbons on a table in the family room and the tags on the coffee table. We had a great assembly line going and everyone participated. I must admit that it took a huge load off my shoulders and it was lots of fun doing it together. So, thanks to my little elves and be prepared to show up again next year.

Chapter 2 - Finishing Semester 1!
School was over on December 20th and it was not a fluff week. Kelsie had 2 major tests that week but we finished strong and her average grades for the semester were all A's. What makes that such a huge accomplishment is that there are no 6-week grading periods. All the grades in each class are weighted and averaged by the semester so in order to make an A average you really have to maintain it all semester. We are so proud of Kelsie, she worked hard for the grades but finished well. One semester down and one to go.

Chapter 3 - Holiday in the Park
We were ALL ready for the break and went to Six Flags on Friday. The weather was cooperative, it was chilly but not freezing and the wind was light. We enjoyed the time with friends, we went with the McLellands and Shirleys and all the girls had a great time (photos to come later). We got to ride quite a few rides despite the fact that lots of people were there and Mrs. Claus read Keslie and Morgan a story. We had a great time and it was just what we all needed to get away and have some fun.

Chapter 4 - A Trip to the Moon
The Saturday before Christmas, we went to Waco for the day to spend time with Wayne's mom and aunt Joy. She fixed a yummy pork loin for dinner and we had a good time visiting and exchanging gifts. Kelsie received a doll she wanted and "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader" game which we played later and all learned that we are definitely NOT smarter than most 3rd graders. Part of our visit included a trip to the nursing home to see Wayne's 81 year old grandfather. He is in an Alzheimers unit and will sometimes know you and sometimes not know you. That day, he did know us and he opened his gift (a blanket for his bed) and had a little bit of a conversation with us although short and he reminded us that we needed to get on the road before it got dark although it was 10 minutes from Wayne's house and it was in the afternoon. There was a lady there named Margaret that kept going outside in their little yard and walking despite the fact that it was REALLY windy and cold. When we asked her why she was going in and out she said she had to make sure she could get to her car. So, I asked her where she was going and she responded by telling me she was going to the moon and if she gets to go, she will come and pick me up. So, if you read in the paper about my trip to the moon, you will know it was me and Margaret.

Chapter 5 - Christmas Eve
The night of Christmas Eve we had a beautiful service at church, it's one of my favorite's all year. This year was really different with the reading of the prophecies and the fulfillment of those prophecies surrounding the birth of Christ. The music was great, the LIT's (5th and 6th graders) did a dowel routine that was fabulous and the reading of scripture was meaningful and a great reminder of what God is - a fulfiller of promises. Our family's tradition is to come home for dinner and open gifts. We usually travel on Christmas Day so we open everything and leave Santa's treasures for Christmas morning so we can pack and go. Everyone had a nice Christmas and for the first year ever we surprised Wayne with his gift - he usually guesses. We got him tickets to the first Cowboy playoff game. We go on Jan. 13th and are super excited about it. Kelsie was so sweet and giving that she bought her daddy a gift with her own money (some golf stuff) and got me houseshoes. She also made us a coupon book to redeem for cleaning her bathroom, doing dishes and some other household things. Her most exciting gift was Heelies. She is learning how to use them and doing quite well. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family.

Chapter 6 - Christmas Day and beyond
Santa Claus came indeed, after Kelsie finally went to sleep around 1 a.m. He brought the much anticipated Kit American Girl Doll. We were all excited! Christmas Day we traveled to San Angelo to be with my family for a few days. We had a great time, opened gifts, ate too much and watched football and Christmas movies. One thing we did was all go and get pedicures one day. It was Wayne's first and it was pretty funny to see him in a pedicure chair surrounded by women - my mom, grandmother, sister, neice, Kelsie and myself. It was fun all being together. We tried to pick out a suitable polish for him but he wouldn't hear of it. Raider did very well traveling, slept most of the time and was a good boy at Grammy's house. I was a little concerned with his chewing but he did well. Hailey just loved Raider and cried when we pulled away - she loves her sissy (that is what she calls Kelsie).

Chapter 7 - The End (or maybe The Beginning Again)
We drove back home on Saturday to be at church on Sunday, the 30th. Wayne had a difficult time finding a fill in for the 30th so he just decided to come home and it worked out since we are seeing the Cowboys on the 13th so he will be off that day instead. Of course we watched the disappointing Cowboy game and enjoyed just being at home. New Year's Eve we went to the Griffs and the Watsons were in town so they also joined us. We had a great time together catching up since they had moved to Midland. Kelsie had Morgan with her and their highlight was watching Miley Cyrus and throwing homemade confetti at midnight. We took Raider and had 3 cute little yorkies with Raider, Doc (Griffins) and Perky (Wynette's parents yorkie). They all got along pretty well and by 10 were all resting from all the chasing and running. Today is just a relax day before going back to life. Kelsie doesn't go back to school until the 15th. New Year's resolutions? 1. Get my computer fixed 2. Exercise more regularly 3. Make more time for long dinners with friends, playing with Kelsie and enjoying the blessed life God has given us. So, Happy New Year to you and I pray you have a 2008 full of a relationship with God and an opportunity to invest in His kingdom. I am thankful for the few of you that read this, our friends and family - we love you!

Celebrate Christmas update

Hey all, in case you didn't hear there were 61 salvation this year at Celebrate Christmas this year. We are so honored that TarrantNet has had a vision for this project and many churches in Tarrant county have participated each year to present this in Trinity Park. There were new directors this year in the creative department and it was evident in the quality of the production. The most important thing is that God gets the glory for drawing people (in some cases, whole families) to Himself. In many individual people acting out of obedience in the cold, rain, wind, etc to set up, act, sew, administrate, pray and counsel - God honored it and allowed us to get a glimmer of His work in building His kingdom. Merry Christmas.

Almost Finished

After a full day of shopping I have 90% of my Christmas shopping done. Just a few more things to pick up here and there and now the wrapping begins! While the week has been busy, we have had some fun Christmas moments. Thursday night we went to Prairie Lights in Grand Prairie with Kelsie's best friend Morgan and her parents. It was our first time to go and we really enjoyed all the lights. The girls rode the 2 rides and we got hot chocolate - very festive. Friday night we had dinner with friends and a long visit over coffee - love those kind of evenings. Celebrate Christmas was cancelled because of rain but it's going tonight and it's really cold! Praying for the cast members to keep warm and stay healthy for God's glory!

Crazy Weather and Other Stuff

So, Saturday morning we put up our Christmas lights in shorts and by Sunday we had our coats out again and it was COLD. Since then rainy and yuck, chilly but tomorrow sunshine and high 50's until the winter blast comes through with the wintry mix over the weekend. WEIRD!!

Saturday was also the day we attempted a family picture for our Christmas cards. I addressed and got all the cards ready to send, all we needed to do (in theory) is take the photo, make copies and send. Yeah right! We should have taken our friend Barb up on her offer to take our pics but as usual we waited until the last minute so we just decided to use our camera on a tripod with the timer. Disaster! By the end of the hour long, hot (we had the fan and A/C going b/c we were all in long sleeves) photo shoot everyone was frustrated, hurried and sick of trying to pretend to be happy and smile for the camera and on top of it we didn't have a usable photo. So, we decided today to just take a pic of Raider and Kelsie. I only took 5 pictures and picked the best one - it was cute - Christmas cards go out tomorrow and that's one more thing off my list. WHEW. Almost done Christmas shopping, anyone else have a hard time getting something for their husband?

Well, here are some things I have enjoyed this Christmas season:

1. XM satellite radio Christmas music channels on our TV. Some of them play the best Christmas music and I love turning it on during the day at home.
2. Kelsie being a sweet angel in the church musical.
3. Pier 1 diffuser with the scent cranberry balsam
4. Our gas fireplace - love it!
5. Mistletoe hand soap at my kitchen sink from BBW.
6. Free shipping on items bought online - love that!
7. Cider - yum
8. Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks - still my personal holiday favorite
9. The new lighted, twinkling snowflakes we added outside this year along the walkway - so cute.
10. Getting Christmas Cards in the mail.

Hope you enjoy all the little things during this Christmas season.

Programs, Programs, Programs........

Sunday night was the last night of "Christmas in Reverse" and it was so good. Very well done from the beginning to the end - I was so proud of our kids. The message was evangelistic and I felt like each kid knew why they were presenting it. I had the privilege of making the angels look glittery - very fun with the glitter hairspray and powder. The girls were very pretty and it was funny to watch them try to eat their snack dinner on Sunday night dressed in all white with adults begging them not to wipe their cheesy hands on their costumes. Tuesday night (we found out late) was Kelsie's recitation at school. It was one of those programs where the kids from each grade is reciting something and it takes longer to get them on and off the stage than it does to actually do their little part. I have accepted that it's part of being a parent to endure those kind of nights and Kelsie's class did a cute presentation about Romans and Greeks (what they are learning in History). Friday night was the Point of Grace Christmas concert at McKinney Memorial. Our praise teams got invited to sing with them for the second half of the concert. It was fun, the girls from Point of Grace were down to earth and well, gracious. The concert was very good and even Kelsie enjoyed it - it didn't hurt that Frosty, Santa and Rudolph showed up at one point. Of course, during all this is also Celebrate Christmas. Wedgwood's involvement is that we are in charge of one scene this year - a large scene. We drove through tonight and Wayne has been working on it for a while to coordinate everything. It looked great and we are so happy that Tarrant Net has taken it on and expanded it. As of the end of tonight, 2500 people have driven through and 23 people have accepted Christ! They received the BEST Christmas gift this year. As I look forward to Christmas and check my "to do" list, I must remind myself to focus on WHY we are celebrating - Jesus Christ came to earth as a baby to complete God's plan for my salvation. I'm happy for a hopeful and joyous Christmas season. Merry Christmas to you and may you have the joy of Christ this season.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I am amazed at how fast Christmas is approaching. I am usually so prepared and have by now purchased most of my gifts, given some thought to the cards and picture we will be sending out and probably would even have some wrapped gifts already under the tree. This year has been different but now my house has been transformed from Fall leaves to Christmas. I love Christmas lights. The tree is up, the stockings are hung (the mantel is still not fully decorated yet) and the village has been put up again and Mariah Carey is loaded on the ipod. We have part of our outside lights up - the icicle lights will hopefully go up this weekend at some point. Kelsie's Christmas musical at church is Saturday and Sunday and the fam is coming into town to see her. I have purchased a few gifts but have given no thought at all to cards or wrapping. Well, no stress - Christmas season is fun. Parties, shopping, lights, cards in the mail and touching base with friends. But, even with all of that stuff - Christmas is a great time to reflect on what it means that Christ chose to come to earth as a baby and gave up living in heaven in order to make a way for the forgiveness of my sin. I admit - I do love the commercialism of Christmas - all the hustle-bustle and even Santa Clause but mostly I love the God who loved us so much that He sent to earth His Son. It's the reason we are happy and hopeful this time of year - it's Christ! So, as you enjoy all the memories, the songs, the food, the shopping, the cards, and the lights - remember to worship in all things, giving thanks to God that we have a reason to celebrate. Merry Christmas!

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

Well, again no pics yet but I did take some good ones so I hope to post very soon (I know I keep saying that - I MUST get my computer fixed). Anyway, we had a great Thanksgiving. Kelsie had no school all week so we spent the first couple of days just running errands, buying groceries and cleaning the house. Wednesday was more fun b/c Wayne took off work and we got to spend the day with him. Kelsie and I spent the better part of the evening preparing some of our Thanksgiving dishes ahead of time - she LOVES to cook so it was fun for both of us. She made her daddy's favorite, chocolate chip pie. It was a big hit on Thanksgiving Day. On Thursday, Wayne's family came over for lunch, everyone contributed to a yummy meal. Wayne fried the turkey and we had a ham along with all the delicious sides and desserts that everyone brought. We watched the Cowboys play and looked at all the ads in the paper (my personal favorite tradition). The highlight for everyone was the snow. Technically it was probably a "wintry mix" but it was still fun. The kids went out and played for a while in it but it really came down that night. Raider did pretty well with everyone here. He was held a lot b/c he's so cute and little. Friday we did a little shopping (no 5 a.m. this year) and went to see the movie "Enchanted." It was really cute. Today was Brittany's 9th birthday party so we went over to Arlington for cake, presents and skating. A fun weekend. Now for the Christmas decorating - I hope to finish by Monday night then the shopping begins. Hope your holidays were happy and filled with friends and family.

Thankful for the Simple Things

As Thanksgiving approaches, I was thinking about what I am really thankful for. Of course, my health, family, home, church family. I am so blessed beyond what I deserve, thank you God! This year it just came to mind to enjoy the small things. You know, the things I take for granted. So here are some things I have counted as blessings and thanked God for in recent weeks - nothing is too small - just learning to thank God for the things I love and not to take anything for granted.

• sunshine through the windows especially on a cool day
• pulling my car into the garage on a rainy day
• when my mom answers the phone with a hey darling or hey doll
• scrapbooks with pictures and stories of people and events
• reading late at night when the house is quiet and still
• Kelsie's spontaneous hugs and snuggles
• when a magazine I read comes in the mail
• dinner at the Griffs
• keeping up with people online
• catching up with old friends
• diet coke with lime from Sonic
• finding enough change in my car to buy my Sonic drink
• a warm robe
• taking a nap on the couch on Sunday afternoons
• saving money with coupons
• lit candles in the house (especially Harvest)
• listening to Kelsie and Wayne cracking up from her room as he puts her to bed at night
• an exciting football game
• a nice dinner with my husband
• queso and chips
• looking out at Wedgwood and seeing people really engaged with God - not necessarily singing and hearing the stories of how God is working through people in our congregation
• an enlighting revelation from Tom Kemner
• Creativity team at my house Monday nights
• that my husband understands my limitations behind the wheel of a car
• music - all kinds

Well, my list could go on and on but I stopped. The point is that God is teaching me to keep giving Him thanks in ALL things and really notice the small things. They are all God's blessings and it makes my favorite scripture come to life - "the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way. though he may fall, he is not utterly cast down for the Lord upholds him with His hand." Be thankful. What are your small things?

God is Amazing!

Still no pics sad to say. I don't know why it's so hard but it has just not been convenient to get my computer to someone who can fix it so I am still posting from my work laptop. Anyway, I wanted to share a story with you about God and how awesome He is to provide for some people we love dearly. I know when you read this story you will be encouraged and maybe you have experienced God's provision in a similar way (I know we have) but I am so happy for them and it seems like the appropriate time of the year to be thankful and share. So, here's the story:

A while back some friends of ours (Rob and Donna) were praying about a calling to move out of the metroplex to a youth position at a church in Midland, Texas. As they prayed about it over the weeks and months of interviews and trips to Midland, they felt more and more confirmed in their hearts that God was calling them to move and minister there. As they stepped out on faith, God began to provide the things they needed at just the right time - not their time mind you - HIS time. Among other things, God prepared the hearts of their kids and they were receptive to moving and accepting of leaving the metroplex (the only place they have lived). But even though they all knew they were to move, there was one lingering thing in their lives it seems God had forgotten about - Donna's career. Donna has been a teacher for years in the same school and teaching in a very specialized area and had run several cutting edge programs and led out in her field. Moving to Midland meant not only resigning but there were no openings in Midland at all. She still did the things she needed to do like sent a resume and talked to some people but it was all in God's hands, there was nothing else she could do except get on the sub list and she was okay with accepting that and moving forward with whatever God had for her next. Last week Rob spoke with the principal of the school and she all but told Rob that there were no openings and there probably wouldn't be in the near future but to have Donna start substituting and maybe get certified in another area. So, Donna went to visit Rob over the weekend and she received a phone call from the school principal in Midland saying that she had a resignation that morning for the job that Donna is certified in - you know, the one that would not likely ever be an opening. God is so incredible to provide that job for her - it's her passion, her calling. His timing is perfect! Sometimes we think we want to know all of it up front but God just saved His reward for their obedience to step out and trust Him.

Okay - here is what's up with our fam.....Kelsie finished school today until the 26th! We all need the break - she is still doing very well, all A's to this point. Wayne's family is coming here for Thanksgiving Day. We are all getting excited to eat fried turkey! Raider is doing well - he is chewing everything and we have to watch him all the time so he doesn't chew furniture or pee pee on the carpet. He is doing okay in his crate at night and generally sleeps until 6 a.m. Kelsie is in children's choir at church and they are in the middle of preparing "Christmas in Reverse" which will be the first weekend in December. They are working hard and getting excited. Upward basketball also starts after Thanksgiving and Wayne is assistant coaching again and Kelsie is playing - should be lots of fun. Hope all is well with you and Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Birthday, MaMaw

We went to Waco today to spend some time with MaMaw (Wayne's mom) and take her out to eat for her birthday. We had a good visit and she chose Texas Roadhouse for her meal. It was yummy. Of course, Wayne told the waitress that it was her birthday so they rolled in the saddle for her to sit on while they sang. She didn't dare but she did agree to wave the napkin around like a rope while they sang. Embarrassing but funny - Kelsie kept trying to talk her into leaving before they came to sing but we didn't make it out the door until afterward. We ended up taking Raider with us because we were going to be gone for so long and he is still a baby. He did very well - slept in the car both there and back. Once we got there, he played outside and didn't have any accidents in the house or the car!! We put him in his crate at MaMaw's house while we went to eat and he didn't seem to mind at all. The downside is he slept so much that he is wide awake now and playing at midnight but we are hoping that means he will sleep past 6 a.m. Better go - I'm very tired and we have a big day of washing windows tomorrow.