Month: November 2010

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, we’ve decided to step on into the Christmas Season!  Fun times!

Technically (not that we are very technical about anything around here), it was Mack’s turn to put the angel on the top of the tree.  However, Mack told Josh, “I don’t like girls,” which meant he didn’t want to put the angel on the top.  Ruby and Molly argued about who, then, got to do it.  Molly said she asked first.  Ruby thinks because she is oldest that she should get to do it.  Josh diplomatically settled the dispute by asking each of them to fix her dress once he got her up there.  Problem solved.  Good job, Dad!

Mack did love his choo-choo train stocking though!

And I just might never leave my house this season.

Being dealt some lemons as of late, we are all under one roof (many lysol wipes, ibuprofen doses, sleepless nights, and eight hours on the road later).  Josh thought he’d go ahead and take Molly and Mack to see his parents in South GA, but after being there about two hours, it seemed that Mack had a fever, so he got his stuff together and drove all the way back home.  Crazily, Mack is totally fine.  No fever, no whining, and a full night of sleep.  Just weird.  Weird.  I have no other thoughts except that evidently the Lord did not want us in Albany.  Don’t know why, but that is ok.  It has to be!  He is God.  He is good.  He doesn’t make mistakes even when the plans we have made and looked forward to fall apart completely.

So, here we are.  All five of us here at home.  I ran to Publix and got a ham and some stuff to make a banana pudding.  I laid out some fresh corn and peas.  Josh brought home some dressing from  his dad.  It’s gonna be  good meal, but we will miss everyone terribly.  Our heart has been learning to be thankful for the things that we don’t understand over the last six months, so this situation seems to fit right into that.  There are different kinds of happy…this is a new one for us.  Here are some pics of us making lemonade here at home.  I hope you are enjoying your Thanksgiving no matter where you find yourself this year.

Or maybe a scary turkey!!  I don’t know.  I saw a picture of this turkey online and thought it would be cute, but I didn’t take the directions to the store, so I just bought what I thought would work.  The results are kind of funny, but Mack and Molly had fun with it!

When Molly wasn’t fussing at Mack about messing up the “green grape-purple grape” pattern, they worked quite well together.

For anyone who wants to know…a pear should have been used for the turkey head.  You just cut it in half.  Raisins were to be used for eyes.  Cheese could have been cut in cubes for part of the pattern on the “turkey feathers.”  Our cheese was frozen (thanks, Mary!), but I forgot to thaw it out and so I worked with frozen cheese.  Mack even ate it.  Yuck.  You see how sad the cheese “beak” looks!

Practicing fine motor skills….can this count as a school day?

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Just some pictures that I haven’t posted….

Molly had pajama day while I was in Indonesia.  She just had to wear this Fancy Nancy gown.  Josh did have her wear shorts and a t-shirt underneath though.

This was the night I got back from Indonesia…a long 11 days away from the family!  They are showing off their cheap watches I got them in Singapore.

Mack was not impressed with the shirt and the drum I got for him, so I had to give him my flashlight that was part of our conference…then, and only then, was I in good graces with him!

Mack and Molly were beside themselves on the night we bought a pumpkin to carve.

Recently Mrs. Mary sent a care package to the kids with a ton of goodies and two shawls for Ruby to wear since her coats don’t fit well over her cast!  I feel like I have already posted about this….I have written it in my head, but I don’t believe I have ever followed through.  We miss the Koester family horribly.  Mary was my closest friend around here!  She always was encouraging or hilarious about whatever situation we found ourselves in.  I learned a lot from having her as a friend.  We hope to visit them in December.

This is a picture I took of Ruby in Molly’s Kindergarten classroom, which was also Ruby’s Kindergarten classroom.  It’s so cute because her smile makes me think that she has really fond memories of being in that room!  She reminds me how easy Kindergarten was every time we start to do 1st grade Math….”but Mom, I just really miss Kindergarten.  1st grade is so hard!”

And this is Molly with her cute little friend, Audrey.  They are in school and Sunday School together….very sweet friends.

How is that for random?!  If you only knew what kind of day(s) we are having ’round here, you would understand.   Happy Monday night.

Today was the annual Thanksgiving Feast at the girls school.  It is such a great way to kick off our Thanksgiving Break.  We started off in Ruby’s room with her being the Miller in the play, Stone Soup.  She did a good job!  Mrs. O helped hold her book since she still has that cast on!

After the play was over, we went in to the lunchroom with her and sat with her while she ate.  Mack kind of ate all along throughout the whole morning/afternoon.  He is an absolute mess!  We are so proud of Ruby and how well she read in her play.  She is such a sweet 1st grader.

Next stop was Molly’s Kindergarten class where we got to watch her be a cute little Indian girl.  Her part was, “shhhhhh!”  And she did a great job!

The class members also told what they would like to see on a Thanksgiving menu this year.  Molly said POPSICLES.  No surprise there!

She also got to have Daddy up there with her to play her part after they finished doing the play the first time.  It was cute to see the dads and moms up there being silly.

We all ate lunch with her.  (Then, Josh stayed for ten minutes of clean up!…how does he wiggle his way out of stuff????)  Anyway, it was a very fun morning at the school.  I love this school and how it helps me to stay home so much with the kids.  I know we are making some good memories….I just hope they will forget any of the bad ones we are also making.  🙂  Seriously, TKA is near the top of my list of things I am grateful for.

I hope everyone is gearing up for a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I love this time of year.

 

Oh, and I must not forget to record that that I made the same Turkey cookies for both of the girls classes…..I didn’t have FOUR helpers like I did last year, so the turkeys looked a little tired and cross-eyed by the time I finished all 40 of them!

…and maybe too personal, but oh well.

This morning I was ranting about how no one puts anything away and how Mommy’s always have to work since the little ones don’t put things back where they go….blah, blah, blah.  Mack just point-blank asked me: “Mama.  Why you mad?”

I just stopped and started laughing.  I went on to explain that every month most Mommys get a headache or get annoyed and that maybe if I could just have some time alone I would feel better.

Mack said, “Yeah, maybe you should have your quiet time…..”

Ruby interrupted and whispered in his ear,”…and a donut stick!”

How funny is that???  And true, too!

So I sent the kids to watch a movie while I sit and have my quiet time and tell Jesus how I am the only one who ever puts anything away and how I am so tired!  He’ll listen to me.

As for the donut stick, I better pass.  Next week offers way too many yummy options to waste calories on a processed donut stick!  But Ruby had a good point.

Mack imitates Cowgirl Jesse by saying, “Lee-lee-wooo-hooooo.”

That is his form of yodeling.

When we played charades last night he was Woody.  Every time.  And every time he would say, “There’s a snake in my boot.”  And every time the girls guessed that he was Woody, he would walk back to his seat saying, “YESSSSSSSsss,” like he had done so good.

When he wasn’t being Woody, he was doing the exact same thing that Ruby, who went right before him, had done.

Funny kid.

Conversation with Molly this afternoon:

ME:  Molly, you have beautiful hair. (I was noticing how it just dried so perfectly with such body without us doing anything but brushing it once after her shower.)

MOLLY: (Looking back at me and with slight hesitation) You have…curly hair.

This comment came the day after Mack told me I was “wearing Daddy’s clothes” because I had on khakis and a t-shirt.

Kids.  Good grief.

Mack kept saying “Let’s talk about poop.”  Or he’d say, “C’mon, Molly.  Let’s go in here and say poo-poo.”  I had enough, so I told him that if he didn’t stop saying that nasty word that I would pop his hiney and then pop his little nasty mouth.

He walked by me, pointed to me and said, “Good luck with that, Sheriff Mom.”

Yes, he did.

Is it just me or are they a tad cuter before they can talk?

What a difference a good night’s rest and a Saturday morning alone can make!  Josh took the kids to Waffle House and left me here all by myself.  Yipee!  I have enjoyed Mocha Mint Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and my Bible.  And I just felt the need to share….my last post may have seemed a bit despairing, so if anyone is concerned about my mental well-being, well….right now I am better.  🙂

Here’s the verse I am memorizing and meditating on these days.  I try to leave it and go to another, but I just can’t seem to shake it.  It’s perfect for where we are right now.

Psalm 94: 18-19  “If I should say, ‘My foot has slipped,’ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.  When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.”

Isn’t that good?

But to combat anxious thoughts, we have to be in His Word to know what kind of consolations the Lord offers us.  There are many.

I also want to share some songs that are just fabulous.  I always like to hear of new songs that I can add on to my i-pod.  Here’s a list of the songs I am wearing out these days.  Check them out for yourselves.

1) JOY IS IN OUR HEARTS, Sara Groves

2)RESTLESS, Audrey Assad

3)CARRY ME, Audrey Assad

4)YOU ARE GOOD, Nichole Nordeman

5)GRATITUDE, Nichole Nordeman

6) JEALOUS, Church at Brook Hills

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday.  I don’t plan to leave the comfort of my warm house, and I am so excited about it!

Ruby had a good appointment yesterday and it seems that he bones are healing properly.  We go back next week to check on them again. Keep praying that all is well!  We may get it re-cast since they had to saw it, but I am not sure about that.