Christmas in Albany

We wrapped up our Christmas celebration this past weekend in Albany.  And what fun it was!  We didn’t do much (lots of talking, reading, and eating), which is why it was so nice.  I told Josh that I like the road trips now simply because I have to sit down—and I don’t see any toys that need to be put away, there is no laundry to do, no food to cook, etc.  It was nice to sit and ride.  

Of course there were some funny stories…like Molly and the golf cart ride.  She came in from a golf cart ride with PawPaw crying and holding her arm.  No one else that was with them seemed too concerned.  Molly, however, told me, “I fell off the golf cart and Paw Paw ran over me.”  “What? Molly, where did PawPaw run over you?,”  I asked.  “On my arm!!!! See???,” she whined.  “So, you fell off the golf cart and PawPaw ran over your arm?,” I asked, skeptically.  “Yeeeesss….,” she continued to cry.  “You mean the tire went over your arm?”  “Yes,” she once more said.   Well, of course that didn’t happen.  She is quite dramatic.  And her daddy came in to help her and offered her a cookie.  He asked her about halfway through the cookie if she felt better (using food to heal her emotional distress…she’ll blame us later in life if she struggles with her weight, I am sure).  Her response to Josh was, “After this cookie, a popsicle will help me feel better.”  Oh my goodness.

Ruby played so well the whole time.  She just enters into her imaginary land, playing with her new Tinkerbelle fairies and ponies.   She also has a very “grown-up” side to her.  She was playing with Mack, and he ended up crying or something, so Josh told her to stop it and calm down.  She turns around to go the opposite way from Mack and looks at Josh and says, “It’s just a joke, Dad.”  (As if to say, lighten up—good grief!)

Mack kept everyone laughing with his funny little self.  He enters a room and can immediately figure out who is not there and then asks for them a million times or until they enter the room again.  Genius baby.  I will post pictures later of him “wrestling” with Molly.  She is so patient with him as he rolls all over her and even sits on her head.

This morning we had Molly stay with us during church because she wasn’t feeling well.  She ended up making her way to Mrs. Mary, our sweet friend who is so patient and kind to Molly (and all my kids).  She got to try some tic-tacs while sitting with Mrs.Mary.  Later that day at lunch I was telling Molly how great she did today in church.  Her face lit up at the compliment, then she said, “And then you let me go sit with Mrs. Mary, and we had tic-tac-toes.”  It was so cute.

Another great part of the weekend was a little book that Gran brought to read to the girls so that they could act it out with all of her hats.  She had a hat rack up with hats all over them, so that the kids could wear them if they wanted to match Gran.  Deb looked great in all of them.  Anyway, the book was called CAPS FOR SALE.  There is a man who is walking around wearing five hats and hollering out, “Caps for sale!” No one buys any, so he decides to take a rest under a tree, only to wake up and find that all of his hats but one are gone….and to top it off, monkeys up in a tree have stolen them and are wearing them.  The man tries to tell them to give them back, but they just mimic him, which makes him mad.  After a few episodes of this, he throws his hat to the ground.  The monkeys do the same, and the man is happy as he goes on his merry way selling his hats.

Molly balancing all the hats on her head
Molly balancing all the hats on her head

 

Ruby, Josh and PawPaw as monkeys in the tree
Ruby, Josh and PawPaw as monkeys in the tree

 

Gran narrating CAPS FOR SALE
Gran narrating CAPS FOR SALE

 

 

 

 

 

Ruby enjoying the extremely mild winters in South Georgia...Gran's hat and Gran's socks
Ruby enjoying the extremely mild winters in South Georgia...Gran's hat and Gran's socks

 

Papa Mac and GG
Papa Mac and GG
Molly acting silly.  She was so patient during gift opening time and waited her turn beautifully.
Molly acting silly. She was so patient during gift opening time and waited her turn beautifully.

 

Mack got a new back pack that he loves
Mack got a new back pack that he loves

 

Uncle Jason got the family chef (aka PawPaw/Merv/Irv/Mervin) a pig for his kitchen
Uncle Jason got the family chef (aka PawPaw/Merv/Irv/Mervin) a pig for his kitchen
The empty sleeping bags the girls were supposed to be in.....
The empty sleeping bags the girls were supposed to be in.....

 

this bed was much more comfortable!!
this bed was much more comfortable!!
Mack wrestling with Molly...she didn't fight back at all, but just giggled and giggled while he rolled and rolled
Mack wrestling with Molly...she didn't fight back at all, but just giggled and giggled while he rolled and rolled

A New Year

The last day of the year.  Wow.  I, personally, love a new year.  A fresh start.  A time to reflect, change behavior or attitudes or actions (or all of the above) and move on in life to new and exciting adventures.  You know, I always hope for new and exciting adventures in a new year, but the truth is–we don’t really know what the new year has in store for us.  The Lord has orchestrated beautifully my new devotion book and the timing of a New Year.  I started JOHN: The Beloved Disciple a few days ago.  It is by Beth Moore, but it is different than her other studies.  The questions she asked were: “At this season of your life, what do you sense you need most: preparation for a fresh work of God? Repair from a tear? Restoration from a fall?” AND “How could you demonstrate your willingness to follow Him faithfully into whatever He knows is next for you?”    For me,  I feel I need a major re-focus on listening to God daily through His Word and a meditation upon the Scriptures.   Things around here are so very busy.  It isn’t anything crazy like running the roads or filling our calendar with unnecessary stuff.  It IS a husband (who works full-time and is building our house full-time, who also teaches Sunday School every week and all that it entails), a 4 year old Ruby who is growing up so quickly and is very independent, yet still needs so much, a 3 year old Molly who pooped in 4 pair of panties today (what in the world???!!!!) and who still struggles to talk normal, and instead chooses a horrible whiney voice, an almost 2 year old Mack who never stops-ever and still needs to even be fed a lot of times.  All these people wear clothes every day , need food a few times a day, a couple still need help with wiping the hiney, and on and on and on it all goes.  Don’t get me wrong, I know I am doing just what I was made to do—I love being home with the kids and I couldn’t have asked for a better husband—but neither of those things take away from the fact that the day is full, to say the least.  

So, as I sat with my Bible open and listening to the Lord….I was overwhelmed the fact that He knows me.  He knows where I am now.  He knows who I am now.  He knows what the new year brings.  He knows who He wants me to become in this new year and in whatever He brings into my life.  And what is even more amazing is that as I wish and hope for some new adventures in 2009, the Lord wants to give me a new adventure—-it could be the worst thing that I think could happen or it could be the best thing I could imagine—either way, with HIM, it promises to be a great adventure.

II Timothy 2:21 “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”

I definitely want to rid my life of the natural flesh and the sin that hinders me from being all God wants me to be.  It can be overwhelming to think about.  So as I answered the question about how I could demonstrate my willingness to follow Him faithfully into whatever He knows is next for me, I wrote “daily get alone with Him, away from the busyness and listen to Him and obey day in and day out.”  A lot easier to write than to do.