Merry Christmas!

No blogging, just enjoying our first Christmas in our new home, and the kids! Have a wonderful Christmas!

Math Triangles

Our life this week has been math flashcards, as in memorizing addition facts. We have never done this before, and it is past time! Max doesn't like it. I bought these cool triangle-shaped flashcards, which I really like. A teacher told me that it doesn't matter what comes to his mind visually, as long as something does. So Max will be seeing triangles in his sleep. Even if it kills both of us.

Los Primos

What a joy to spend time with friends who are like family to us. We have been through so much together-even the birth of Simon! It was so good to be with the Bruneau family again. We had a blast remembering our time in Panama together. They will always be close to our hearts, and the impact they have had on us has changed our family-the way we think, relate to one another, and what we now hold as important. They taught us that people matter more than anything, and how to push everything else to the side. We are thankful for who they are and what they mean to us!

**They are in the process of raising more support so that they can continue to work in the camping ministry in Latin America. If you would like more information, go here.

Yesterday

It has been a weekend full of mixed emotions. It started when we attended a funeral for the father of our good friend, followed by a wedding of another friend, followed by a visit from our dear friends from Panama! All in one day. I did, however, spend the day talking to the Lord so I could process everything that was going on around me. Sorrow. Joy. Memories. Such is life.

Our Street Cat

Since our cat, Stella, became an inside/outside cat, we get at least 2 phone calls weekly. It usually goes something like this,
Nearby Neighbor: "We found a sweet white kitten. We think she is lost! Is she yours?"
Me: "Yes, she's ours. DON'T feed her! Just kick her out and she will come home!
I am so weary of these conversations, that I am trying to find a way to attach a note to her collar with this explanation:

My name is Stella. I may look young and vulnerable, but I am a street savvy adult cat who knows how to take advantage of people. I have a home and am well-taken care of, but am searching for better catfood. If you feed me, I may decide to stay forever. I will hang around until you kick me out or take me home. My address is ******. Please don't call my owners.

The only advantage is that we have met SO many people through Stella! Still, it has to stop.

A Back Porch Christmas

We went to the Christmas tree farm this past weekend, which was like a whole new experience for the kids! Our last Christmas in Texas was spent in other's people's homes, since we had sold our house and were on our way to Costa Rica! That means we haven't had a real tree for 4 years! It was time! Max was 2 the last time we got to cut down a tree, and Annabelle was 18 months old, so they have no memories of the tree farm. Needless to say, they loved it this year!

Max was all about the "work" of cutting down the tree, and the gloves, saw, etc. Annabelle and I liked the baby trees! Simon just loved being outside, after having been cooped up all last week with a cold.

And, yes, the tree now resides on our back porch. Between Simon and our cat and dog, it would not have lasted long inside the house, so we had to be creative! It still looks pretty, even without the glass ornaments!

Christmas Lists

I think this is so telling of Max and Annabelle's personalities. This is what they each want for Christmas this year:

Max: "real" camo clothes, a bow and arrow, a gun, a camo face mask, a chess set
Annabelle: a pink pig stuffed animal, a pink pearl necklace, a "Fur Real" pet, basically any toy she sees!

It's a GIRL!!!

I'm having a niece! Or maybe I should say, my sister-in-law, Stephanie, is having a girl!!! After 2 boys we were all shocked, but God is more than good! For me this means that buying pink baby things doesn't have to end yet, which I am thrilled about! I love shopping for baby girls, almost as much as I love holding them! Can't wait to meet you, Chloe!

SimpleMom Giveaway

I love all of the jewelry that is being given away! If you want to enter, go HERE.

More on the Killing

One more pic of the proud hunter, per Max's request!

Pies, Family, Farm and THE Prize!

**Warning! This post contains death and carnage! Look away, children and the faint of heart!**
Part 1: It started with Pie Breakfast. I hope we made the Andersons proud! We ended up with 14 pies. I tried pumpkin pie for the first time this year. I thought it was time, since I love pumpkin so much but shy away from pumpkin pie. I think it is a texture thing! Anyway, it turns out that my friend Marcia makes a killer pumpkin chiffon pie-it is as light as air! I learned I do like pumpkin pie! I think the apple cranberry pie was the favorite of the day, but I don't know why. I never tasted it!
My Mom and Darren helped me make the pies, otherwise it wouldn't have happened. Three little distractors, you know. My sister-in-law took the kids for half of the day on the day of the "pie making." That helped a TON! Overall, it was alot more fun than I thought it would be and the kids loved it!

Part 2: Thanksgiving lunch at my parent's house. Thanks, Mom! I really feel that you shouldn't have to cook when someone near and dear to you can do a better job of it! We forgot our camera, so no cute Thanksgiving pictures of the kids this year. They did look cute, though!

Part 3: We all went to the farm at the end of the day and spent the night. Tons of playtime with the cousins. It is so great to live close to them again! There wasn't alot of sleeping going on that night, but it sure was fun! Since Canton is a mere 20 minutes away, me, my Mom, and sister-in-law had to go the next day and had a blast! If there is anyone to shop Canton with, it is definitely my Mom. She is an expert on anything you could possibly find there!

Part 4: My brother took Darren and Max hunting over the weekend. This was a HUGE deal for Max, as he is obsessed with hunting but has never been! He shot his first doe. I am having to learn to deal with this "killing animals for fun," so I won't take this opportunity to voice all of my opposing arguments against hunting, especially for children. Because Max was so proud of himself, I was so proud! I screamed and jumped in the Sam's parking lot when he called me! It was a weekend that Max will never forget, full of man-cooking, new friends, lots of Coke, and guy time. Best of all, he spent the whole 2 days "camo-ed up." He looked older to me when he got home! We loved being in Texas for Thanksgiving this year!

A Winning Combination-Wave, Spit

Today Simon and I went to Wal-Mart by ourselves. He was in a super funny mood, which was a welcome change from the "fussy baby" who has taken over our household this week. As soon as we got in the door, he started waving to people as we strolled through the aisles. He LOVES the attention he gets from other people when we are out, but decided to trick it up a little today.

Si: waves at a person walking by.
Stranger (usually an older person): something like, "Oh, what a cute baby!"
Si: spits at the person, you know, the kind where you are blowing spit with your tongue sticking out. Then laughs hysterically.
Stranger: "Oh, my!"
Me: "I'm so sorry!" moving on quickly...

He caught me trying not to laugh the first time he did it, which he thought was funny, so he continued. You know. For kicks. If there was any doubt before, it has now been confirmed. He is my husband's child.

Fussy Baby Top 10

What to do with a baby who is getting his molars in and can't be consoled!
10. Turn him upside down and run around the house.
9. Take a walk in the stroller.
8. Tylenol.
7. Teething tablets on top of the Tylenol.
6. Baby swing outside.
5. Make finger puppets out of his socks. (O.K., this one didn't work at all.)
4. French fries from the Drive-thru.
3. Stroll him around the mall-faster than usual.
2. Give him free reign over any drawer/cabinet in the house, under supervision, of course.
1. A big bowl of ice cream. Eat until both of you stop crying.

Vote for Pies!

We are having Tyler's "Pie Breakfast" on Thanksgiving morning for the Andersons this year. I am deciding which pies I want to make...tell me your favorite and I will make it!

Holy

My Bible Study this morning looked at Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1, their visions of Christ in all His holiness. The truth is comforting. We don't have to try to understand everything that God does and allows on this earth.
"Now that is a view of God that we have lost in the church in our generation: the high, exalted, lofty, exclusive, unparalleled, unprecedented character of God. Preferring the comfort of His nearness, we have lost the reality of God's transcendent holiness.
Who is like God? No one. That's because He is holy. He is separate. He is completely unlike us."
Downpour by James MacDonald

Big Dude, Big Weekend

What a weekend! Nana and Pawpaw came to spend the night Friday night to start things off. It was fun to get to spend time with them. Annabelle loved arts and crafts time with Nana, while Max wanted to hang out with "the boys." Simon had "birthday waffles" the next morning, our family tradition! No complaints from him!

Max had his last 2 soccer games Saturday, which kept us busy in between getting ready for the party! The Heady Family came, as well as my aunt and uncle from Arlington, and Tracy, Kyra, Cooper, Chichi and Popi.

We had a "monkey" party for our little monkey-he loved the toys and all of the attention! Stephanie, Chance, Christian and Reed spent that night with us and time at the farm on Sunday. It was great just to hang out with you guys!

Thank you, Lord, for giving us a year with this precious baby boy. And thank you to everyone listed above, for giving our sweet Simon such a special day. We made some good memories!

Freedom of Choice Act

A friend sent me a link today to an online petition against the Freedom of Choice Act, which would "eliminate every restriction on abortion nationwide". If you consider yourself pro-life in any way, please check this out. I took the time to watch the video of Obama promising Planned Parenthood last year that he would sign this bill. You can sign the petition and get more detailed information here.

Happy 1st Birthday, Simon!!!

A New Leaf

At not even 12 months old, the Dude has turned over a new leaf. His "sin nature" has emerged. We had our first "battle of the wills" over a sippy cup of milk today. I won (by taking it away from him), but only after he threw it across the room 5 times or so. I told him no each time very sternly, then he would look at me and do it again. I seriously thought I had at least a few more months before I was going to have to discipline him. But, alas, the day has come. He's super-lucky he's so cute. It helps with my frustration level while he is testing me to my limits. Anyone know of any good discipline books that pertain to a 1 year old?

Streams In The Desert

L.B. Cowman's Streams In The Desert has been one of my favorite devotional books for a long time now. The author was a missionary in Japan and China from 1901-1917, and I so appreciate her perspective. I pick it up when I can read a page or two. Here is a quote from yesterday's reading:
"Our capacity for knowing God is enlarged when we are brought by Him into circumstances that cause us to exercise our faith. So when difficulties block our path, may we thank God that He is taking time to deal with us, and then may we lean heavily on him."

WE BEAT TEXAS-YEAH!!!

We laughed, we jumped, we danced, we screamed, WE WON!!! Actually after the last 8 seconds of the game, we were holding onto each other while we were jumping and dancing and screaming! I think I even saw a tear trickle down Darren's face last night. He claims it is the best birthday present he has ever gotten! That may be a small clue as to how much college football means to him, mainly Texas Tech football. God shone his grace upon us last night, and restored hope for all that is good in this world, all through a football game. Go, TECH!

Los Pollitos

I recently ordered a CD for the kids that we LOVE-Elizabeth Mitchell's You Are My Little Bird. If you don't have it, you must buy it! It will be your favoritest kid CD that parents love too! We finally got it in the mail today-Max and Annabelle were so happy! They love music, any kind, all the time. As they were boppin' along in the backseat while we were running errands, a song came on that is so special to us. I had no idea that it was on this CD. It is called "Los Pollitos," and our friend Lorena used to sing it to Annabelle when we lived in Costa Rica. She was still little, not even 2 years old, and she loved it! Actually, any spanish speaking person knows it well. As I heard it begin, I immediately started crying because I still miss Lorena so much. Then Max recognized it and said, "Mommy! It's Lorena's song!!!! We've got to call her and tell her!" Annabelle doesn't remember the song or Lorena singing it to her, which makes me sad, but now we will always have a reminder of Lorena!

Just for the record...

That was MY child who scored 3 goals in his soccer game today-the first 2 within the first 5 minutes of the game! Believe me, he is as proud of himself as we are! Go, Vipers!

Camo-ed Up

Max LOVES to get decked out in his "camo." He calls it "getting camo-ed up." in celebration of going to Academy Sports store today for no particular reason, Max and Simon "camo-ed up!" Max was so proud of how tough his little brother looked! That's what it's all about, right?

The Great Pumpkin

I LOVE pumpkin. Pumpkin anything really, except pumpkin pie. A friend from Panama gave me this recipe last year. I was pregnant, and really craving pumpkin, so I ate as much of this as I could get my hands on. My only problem was that canned pumpkin in Panama is rare. When someone finds it, they usually buy every single can because they know how hard it is to come by. I know-I bought 7 cans last year when I found it in a store, and that was the last I saw of it! Thankfully, Wal-Mart is not in short supply. So here it is, in all its creamy delicious-ness!

Jana's Pumpkin Dip

3/4 c. cream cheese, softened (6 oz.)

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. canned pumpkin

2 tsp. maple syrup

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix well (with a mixer). We eat it with apples!

Rose Parade

This is where dreams begin! Can't you just see those wheels turnin'?
Darren took the kids to their first ever Tyler Rose Parade! It may have been their first North American parade, though they have seen some pretty interesting ones in Costa Rica and Panama! The weather was beautiful, though we had to do some explaining on what exactly the "Rose Queen" is the queen of, etc. Our camera memory was full, so we only got a few pictures, but you get the general idea!

Crazy Boy=Crazy Driver

Maybe we should start praying now for the days when he really will be behind the wheel. We met my aunt, uncle, and cousin this past weekend at the farm-it was so good to see them! Simon got into the kids' Jeep for the first time and LOVED it! Hmmm...future Nascar driver? His Daddy would love that!

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn

If the Lord burdens your heart, pray for a sweet friend from Pine Cove, Miss Connie. She lost her husband in a car accident a few years ago. Yesterday she also lost both of her teen-aged sons in a car accident. You can read about it here.

Her Big Day

Max made Sis play football with him. Of course they went all out!
We celebrated with Andy's ice cream! She is a new creation!

Last week was monumental for Annabelle. In our schoolwork, we were memorizing the fruit of the Spirit-Galatians 5:22-so we talked alot about the Holy Spirit and how he works in our hearts. Annabelle has always thought of herself as a "believer," mainly because her brother became a Christian in Costa Rica and she remembers it. She also thought that because she believes that Jesus is real, she would go to heaven.

Out of nowhere in the midst of studying the fruit of the Spirit, she began asking lots of questions about heaven. Basically, she didn't want to go to heaven because it sounded scary to her. All of the descriptions we would give her didn't sound very appealing. She always said that she would rather just stay here on earth!

Well, as we talked about the fruit of the Spirit throughout the week, it bothered her that only the Holy Spirit could cultivate these things in your heart. She began to realize that she didn't have the Holy Spirit, which led to a realization that she was someone who actually needed forgiveness for her sins. I just thought this was another step towards her salvation.

We were coming back from the library last Friday when she said, "Mommy, I don't want to be a regular person anymore. I want to be a Christian." She said that she wanted Jesus to live in her, even if she had to go to heaven! Oh well, I will let God reveal the glory of heaven to her in His time! She has always been able to give a good gospel presentation, mainly due to her brother. I told her that when we got home, we would talk more about it. This gave me some time to pray and ask the Lord for wisdom and discernment, and I knew that Darren would be heartbroken if he missed out on one more minute! We prayed for her in the car and went home.

Max prayed alot after that, and pulled her to the side later to give her the "facts" about the gospel. I eavesdropped and she did a great job answering his questions! Later she prayed with her Daddy and took hold of the greatest gift ever! Honestly, I was a bit shocked. Sometimes salvation can be a long process, but we can't always see what God is doing in the hearts of others. We trust that our Sis will be in heaven with us, and are rejoicing! She loves the fact that she is a part of God's family now. I love the fact that her journey has begun!

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God..."

Heavy Hearted

This sweet family, whom I don't know, needs lots of prayers right now. Let's intercede for them.

Video Coming Soon!

Simon is growing so fast! In the past few weeks he has learned how to wave good-bye, shake his head no, and throw his little soccer ball! The dude loves to swing and seems to be the daredevil that we have never had! He does not like his carseat, or being restrained in any form or fashion. He does have a few bad habits, of course. He bites and pulls your clothes when he gets mad, which is quite often. He has also decided that he no longer likes any type of meat or vegetable. He spits them out and screams. Aren't kids supposed to start the "picky stage" at the age of 2? Too bad you can't reason with him! We are all enjoying him so much-and he is still a Mama's boy, which I am totally taking advantage of! What a monkey he is!

Las Bailadores-The Dancers

Mom and Dad just got back from visiting my sister in Spain. They brought these Flamenco dresses and shoes back for the girls-they are awesome! After trying them on, they danced for a good while to Mexican music rather tham Flamenco music-it was all we could find!