I'm game. You?

I'm a regular reader of Beth Moore's blog. Refreshingly genuine & usually inspiring. She recently posted an invitation to join her in memorizing 2 scriptures monthly, writing them down in a spiral bound index card booklet. Her preface to the invitation is much better than what I could come up with right now to make it sound appealing to you, so check it out here

I'm in! Can't wait to fill my mind with the "Truth [which] trumps the lie or comforts the hurt." His "living & active" Word will undoubtedly usher His presence into my 2009. Pin It

Christmas photo album

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

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PDO Christmas Program

(Click to enlarge)
Pile of pictures from Carter's Christmas program.

He had a blast! Sang all the words & did all the motions with enthusiasm. Apparently he has a flare for performing, because much to everyones amusement, when his class left the stage he stayed with the next class & performed right along with them! Front & center, even took a prop from the (unknowing) teacher. Midway through the performance his teachers & the teachers of the class he'd joined all realized what he was doing & it was quite funny! He ran over to his class once he saw they weren't with him! Don't you just love kids programs?!

What happened after the program will live in our memory too. Dan had been pretty sick for days with a cold; out of work & everything. The day of the program nausea set it pretty badly. Minutes before we left for the program, he still wasn't sure he'd make it. I gave him some phenergen for the nausea that I had left from pregnancy, warning him that it would likely knock him out. If you've taken it, you can tesitfy.

So he sat, pretty still through the whole program. We went out to the car very quickly once it was over to get home. He got there first & started up the car "to warm it for me" he said. Only problem is, he recently had keyless entry installed on my SUV & it automatically locks the car doors once the car is started. Yep. We were locked out of the running car! And the diaper bag, packed with my purse & CELL PHONE were inside!

Long, long story short. Dan was outside almost an hour later with a VERY sweet man from church trying to break in & unlock our car doors. (Let's just say the convenient roadside assistance service we have been paying for, wasn't so convenient!)

I'm inside the church with our two kids, waiting on the church phone on hold with the roadside assistance people. The program director tells me to get outside immediately, Dan has passed out!

Yep. He passed out. And her husband had caught him! When I got there he was on his hands & knees on the pavement very sick.
THANK YOU GOD for helpful & generous Texans! The director's husband had our car unlocked and we were on our way home.
Memories!

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Carter's Christmas program

Poor uncoordinated kid next to Carter...


"Mary had a baby"

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TaDa!

This is our very first gingerbread train! Carter put on the icing, ate some icing, put on some candy, ate some candy!
You can click to enlarge the collage.

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Holidays upon us

Yes...I am sipping another Starbucks holiday drink...but NOT BECAUSE I NEED IT! Lilah Sophia slept through the night last night!!! 9 weeks old, just like Carter was. Praise God! We'll see how tonight goes. Wondering if it was just a good night or if its really the new Lilah!

Carter is starting to worry me a bit with the whole Christmas thing. I was super excited that he could actually understand the concept of Christmas morning this year. He knows presents arrive via Santa down our fireplace, we leaves cookies for Santa & carrots for reindeer....the whole thing. We made a collage of all the toys he had been pining for in Target's Christmas catalog by cutting out & gluing them to papers, writing a "Dear Santa, please bring me these toys" request. He even stamped it and took it out & put it in our mailbox & put up the red flag for the mailman. It was precious. Great first memories.

Now, I'm trying to fill him in on the "true meaning of Christmas". Maybe I should have mentioned this said "true meaning" BEFORE I mentioned Santa & the presents! You think?
Its been interesting around here trying to fit the two Christmas events together in his head. Even more interesting is trying to get a 2 year old- wide-eyed with anticipation for all the toys he sees on TV to end up under his tree to be deeply affected by God sending us Jesus! "The first and most important present" is my spin!

This is just the beginning of hoping that we, as his parents, can represent Jesus as supreme in our lives amongst all that can distract us. God help us! Pin It

Pass the Cheer

Last Holiday season Starbucks ran a "Pass the Cheer" (I think that was the title) campaign. I heard it was inspired by one man's reaction to an impatient, perhaps rude lady behind him in line at one of their drive thru locations. Instead of retaliating in the expected fashion, he paid for her drink-at least that's the story that I got through some radio deejay that no doubt, got the story from someone who heard it from somewhere...and so on. In essence the campaign included little "buy one, get one" drink cards to make it a no brainer for people to pay for the next in line.
I haven't heard that it is officially in effect this year, but the other day at my local morning stop, it sure was! And according to the barista, it had been going on for quite a while. "Thank you" to the person ahead of me that covered my $8 & some change worth of warm holiday sweetness for my husband & I. And "you're more than welcome" to the car behind me. It brightened my whole day, to first receive & then be encouraged to give. Cheer. Certainly, Pass[ed] the Cheer!

PS: Its not just Starbucks here in my small Texas city, though. It has happened to me at a local mexican drive thru & another drink place. Very, very appreciated & inspiring! Don't you think? Pin It

Holiday 09

This is our first Christmas at home in Texas since we've had any kiddos. It's already been great fun establishing holiday traditions for our family of 4...plus Rocco.

First on our list has been decorating for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving.

Dan and I are both so excited for Christmas morning this year, since this is the first time Carter grasped the anticipation of Santa coming and putting presents under the tree. He is almost daily reminding me that we'll need to make sure the fire is out so Santa doesn't get burned coming down!


We've watched a plethora of classic Christmas movie showings-(has anyone else noticed that some of these classics are quite scary...i mean, i've spent a good deal of time trying to explain away the "scary guys".)

Today was our shopping trip. And boy, did we ever check things off of his list. Such fun!
The challenge has become hiding it all. Next, will be a wrapping party!


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Germs..hmm..

Carter: "Mommy, you have germs on your lips?"
(my explanation for why I wasn't kissing him last week)

Me: "Nope. I'm all better."

Insert big Carter kiss

Carter: "I'm sick."

Me: "You are? What hurts?"

Carter: "Germs." Pin It