Last Night...

... during dinner and just after Jacob let out a loud bit of gas (and just so we are clear, it wasn't a belch)...

he said "Mom, it must really be bad to be the only girl in a house with three boys". (three includes Daddy)

Me: "You don't have to rub it in".

Jacob: "But, you are very lucky to be loved by three boys".

Isn't he the sweetest thing? It is good to be loved by three boys, even if two of them do stink.

Does anyone know why little boys smell? Seriously... girls don't.

The Christmas Pictures...

see, I'm only a little late -- it's not even New Year's Eve yet.

my boys

gangsta Ethan

Jacob and his Hulk Transformer

Action figures from Santa

The livingroom after the bomb (A.K.A. Christmas morning)

Ethan at my parents

Jacob ripping in

Have a Happy New Year!!

Did ya'll have a Merry Christmas?

We sure did. All of the parties and running around seeing family was great. But, Christmas Day was the icing on the cake.

We spent the first few hours at home opening gifts with the boys and then playing with those gifts. Curt spent a bit of time setting up the new Wii (that we bought for the boys, ahem..) so it would be ready to play after we got back from my parents house. Unfortunately, it was already passed the boys bedtime so Curt and I had to do it ourselves. The sacrifices that we make as parents is limitless...

After our gorge on new toys we traveled 45 minutes to my parents house and had dinner with my family. Both of my sisters, their husbands, and their children were there. We have such a good time together, it starts as soon as we walk in the door and the talking and laughter don't end until we all get home. I love my family. They are the best.

After dinner my Dad did a reading (I'm not sure what book it was from) but it was regarding the birth of Christ the King. It brought me to tears, I was so moved by the thoughts of the author. Picturing our King... Lord... God... coming down to Earth, a lowly place for sure, to sacrifice himself for us. Us... you know we don't deserve it.

Once the reading and weeping was done we ripped into the remaining gifts. I am pretty sure that the kids all liked what they got, they've done nothing over the last 4 days except play with all the new toys. Curt and I made out pretty well too. My parents went above and beyond this year. Thanks guys!!

Well, that's all I got for now. I'm sure I'll post pictures someday soon. Have a great Monday!

Hello Dear Friends

You may be asking yourself this very moment "Where in the world is Kristy and what has she been up to?

Well, I'll tell you.

I've been around and doing a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing.

Yup, I've been neglecting my bloggy friends.

Now, that doesn't mean that I don't run upstairs first thing in the morning and peruse all of your blogs, it just means that I haven't taken the time to share with you what we've been doing. Unless of course you follow me on Twitter, because I do like to Tweet.

I don't think our stuff is nearly as exciting as your stuff, but today I'm going to share with you anyway.

Lately we've been getting snow (which I cannot claim to love, because it is so very cold) so the boys have been outside making snowmen.

We've been Saturday mornings at church preparing for our Christmas play which was performed this past Sunday.









We've been hanging ornaments and other decorations





We've been eating oatmeal with honey



And we've been making Christmas presents that I can't show you until after Christmas. The recipients of these gifts tend to frequent this blog so they can catch a glimpse here and there of their grandchildren.

What else, I've been recovering from bronchitis which is mostly better, but now I have a sinus thing and I keep sneezing all over the place. I'm pretty sure that Ethan has it too. We are a great little pair.

Other than that its laundry and dishes and a little bit of reading. OK, OK, if you know me at all you know that by a little I mean a book a day. But still, what else can a girl do when it's so cold outside? Assuming of course that she doesn't want to open the doors and go outside in that coldness.

Tonight we start with our first of 4 family Christmas celebrations. Tomorrow we will be making cookies with both Grandma's and getting haircuts. In the evening we will be having family Christmas party number 2.

I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe weekend. I will hopefully be sharing more pictures and stories in a couple of days. With Jacob and Curt home for the holidays I am sure I will have a bunch of inspiration!

My First Bloggy Award

This award (my very first) came from my dear friend Wendi. Apparently, it is only given to those who are honest. I am glad that I am thought to be an honest person, I do try. The stipulation attached to this award is that I must list 10 honest things about myself. So, since I really want to keep this award, here we go.

1. Some people (I won't list any names, but they know who they are) have described me as stubborn. I will not deny it. I am.

2. I tend to put things that scare me or that I think I may fail at off to the last minute. (Curt was not a big fan of the night before semesters end when I was in college!) It is not limited to any one area in my life either.

3. I love to give, but receiving is hard. Again, this is not limited to any one thing. It could be gifts, compliments, love....

4. My family, extended included, is everything to me.

5. I don't consider my friends to be merely friends, they have become part of my family.

6. I sometimes worry that if my friends knew who I really used to be and the things that I have done that they wouldn't be able to stand the sight of me any longer. I am ashamed of that person.

7. I am so very thankful that the blood of Jesus is covering all of my sins.

8. I tend to dwell on something someone says that is negative towards my character either real or implied. I have been known to believe them and then berate myself for that character flaw, which may or may not actually exist.

9. I have made my child sit on the potty after they've yelled "I'm aallll dooonnnne." so I could finish reading a blog post.

10. Although I try, I find it difficult to open my heart to others.

So, there they are. I hope it isn't too heavy. In some ways, posts like this are good for me because they take me out of my comfort zone. It is easy for me to talk about my family, but myself.... that's way harder.

I also understand that I am to pass this award on to 7-10 other bloggers. But, I think I will just choose 3.

Christine

AmyBeth

Rachel

Enjoy!!

The Doctor says....

I have bronchitis. And, if I hadn't gone in, it would have turned to pneumonia. So, here's to strong antibiotics, cough medicine (so you can sleep at night), long naps, and friends who (gently, yet efficiently) encourage you to go to the doctor. I should be feeling better in 48 hours or so.

Mom. Are you gonna die?

Yes, that is the question that Ethan asked me as I pulled off the side of the road today while on our way to pick up Jacob from school. I didn't think I was going to die, but revisiting the breakfast I ate YESTERDAY looked like it might be a possibility. Remember me mentioning that I was coming down with a little tickle in my throat, but that I thought I was feeling better. Let me give you the FULL story.

Saturday I was running a fever of 102.5. I thought that I might have a slight fever because my eyeballs were burning.

This is sometimes a sign.

One that I often pay attention to.

I also developed a cough that I was sure would end up in a broken rib or two. It hasn't... yet, but I did hear a snap in my back and am sure that I need to visit the chiropractor.

I also had the energy of a sloth. I took about a 3 1/2 our nap and then felt a little better. Mind you the coughing was still going on quite regularly, but as long as I didn't move I felt almost normal (by this time the fever had been brought down by Advil).

Sunday I thought that it would be best to stay home from church. I was feeling better, but again the less I moved the better it was.

Curt took the boys and I had a quiet morning.

I was able to make the beds - one at a time with a significant rest between - I even hung the lights on the Christmas tree.

Yup, I was on the mend.

Until I took a bath.

Then I went downhill.

Until my 3 hour nap.

Yesterday I was doing pretty good. Unfortunately the more I talked the worse the coughing was. Ethan was on a roll and our friends and family who hadn't heard from us over the weekend called to check in. It was very sweet of them to worry. I felt very loved. I skipped a nap because aside from the coughing I was feeling great. I even went so far as to wash some dishes and empty the dishwasher. I gave up and went to bed at 7:30.

Both of the boys were still up watching a movie with Daddy and I went to bed.... at 7:30.

This morning I woke up refreshed. I mean really, who wouldn't feel refreshed after 12 hours of sleep.

I got the boys around and took Jacob to school. Things were going pretty well.

I just couldn't breathe too deep outside because that tended to start that horrible "tickle cough", you know the one. So, I didn't and we (Ethan and I) made it back home without a hitch.

Curt, bless his heart, left a sweet little note on the counter reminding me that I needed to pick Jacob up from school since he had a debate thingy and wouldn't be home until later.

Ok. Things are going well. I even let Ethan stay up from his nap.

Off we go to get Jacob and you know what?

About 7 minutes down the road (thank God we were off the highway) I started a coughing fit.

I was sure that I was going to revisit something horrible (see above).

I pulled off the side of the road because I couldn't see anything through my teared up eyes and I thought, "can't breathe, can't see, driving not good". I got myself together as much as I could, but I still had that little cough in my chest that wouldn't go away. I continued driving down the road, coughing, but not too bad.

Ethan: Mom.

Ethan: MOm.

Ethan: MOM. Are you gonna die?

Ethan: MOM. I SAID. ARE. YOU. GONNA. DIE?

Me: honey, mommy can't talk right now. (I can barely breathe)

Ethan: (very disgruntled) I KNEW IT.

If you happen to be with Ethan during an emergency, you don't have to worry about him freaking out. He might be a little upset that the situation is causing a kink in his plan, but no hysterics. And, just so you know, it is now 8:05 and I am going to bed.

Rebel For a Cause Raffle-way MckMama Style!

MckMama has done it again. This time, she is giving/raffling a great camera package away to raise support for String of Pearls, No Hands but Ours, and The Elison Project. If you are interested in finding out more about these causes, click on their names (I've handy-dandy like linked you up). To donate/purchase your raffle "ticket" go to MckMama's blog. You can also click on the cute little button on the sidebar. I would wish you all luck, but you know how I feel about luck.

The Day After Thanksgiving

Well, I am a scrapbooker and a blogger, I Twitter and I have a Facebook page. You would think that will all the ways I document our family life and share it with our loved ones and friends that I would have taken at least one photo on Thanksgiving Day. You would be wrong. Not one. And, it isn't the first time. Seriously.

Anyway, I started coming down with a sinus bug yesterday. You know, it all starts with a little scratch in the throat and a tickling cough. I woke up today with a headache that lasted for nearly 8 hours and was getting worse by the minute. Finally, after a two hour nap and two rounds of Advil, several courses of Zicam and some Echinacea, I am starting to feel a little more like myself. My big plan was to clean the house, get the fall decorations put away and put up our Christmas tree. Instead, I dusted the living room, put the fall decorations away and have tubs of Christmas decorations clogging up the computer space. It will get done tomorrow. I promise. Then, I can take pictures (although, I won't be posting them until the 15th, see the button on the sidebar).

I hope that you all had a blessed Thanksgiving. We certainly enjoyed our time with family (even though we don't have ANY pictures). There is always next year right?

Look What Arrived Just in Time, Almost.....

As I was fiddling with Twitter today I heard the very distictive sound of the UPS truck in our neighborhood (it is a lovely sound). Usually, the delivery is made to our door... aghem... so I quickly ran downstairs to see what it was (not that I get an overly abundant amount of UPS packages, but we have been doing some online Christmas shopping, you know, in case you were wondering) ANYWAY, this is the sight that greeted me.

... except this is out the back yard and not really at all where I was looking.

Along with this box

Which contained these

... without the red sweatpant covered legs. Those were added at our house.

It would have been great to have been able to send them off to school with Jacob today so he wouldn't have to freeze his little toes off in his sneakers. I am, however, not always the best at planning ahead. But I do try.

Yeah, yeah, I know. I have been gone for a while. But, I'm back. I just haven't had anything profound to say (not that I ever do) and our daily life has just been sorta normal. Not a lick out of whack and nothing exciting. But here we are and I felt like I should update you on our lack of updates. But, before I could we had something rather exciting happen at Yellow House and I get to share it with you. Are you ready?

Lets start with a little story. A little story of a little first grade boy who was teased at school. Why would a sweet little first grade boy be teased at school? Well, apparently he was the only little first grade boy or girl (in his class) that hadn't yet lost a tooth. After today my friends he will be teased no longer.

Can you see the hole? Here, let me get closer for you...

You just need to know that in Yellow House lives the happiest little boy ever. He has been smiling and sticking his tongue through that hole since the tooth came out at lunchtime. He has been looking at himself in a little mirror and put the tooth under his pillow (for the tooth fairy) about an hour before bedtime. He even said that next time he wouldn't cry and he'd do the pulling himself.

Big milestones friends, big milestones.

Cardboard Testimonies

I found this video by following a link on the Ministry So Fabulous blog and thought it was worth sharing.

Did I forget to mention you would need a box of tissues. My bad.

Just a Little Bit of Random.....

It is what I do best.

• I just spent a wonderful morning with a great friend who inspires many everyday through her blog. We don't often get together (with or without) the kids, but we are going to attempt to do better because it was a lot of fun (and the pumpkin cheesecake wasn't too bad either).
• I want to grow old gracefully, but the gray hair that glow at me when I look in the mirror are really making it hard.
• I really love Bryan Adams (thank you Rachel).
• I like to think that I am crafty, but I really need a good set of instructions.
• I am a bit obsessive about everything having a place. I pretty much keep the whole plastic bin business a profitable venture. And, don't forget the labels.
• Someday I want to jump out of an airplane (with a parachute of course!), but wouldn't bungee jump for anything.
• When I balance my checkbook, I have to find every last penny. I can't let even one go.
• I have really big feet.
• There are many places in this world that I would like to visit: Jerusalem, Ireland, England, France, Italy, Egypt, New Zealand, but also in the states I would like to visit the redwood forest in northern California, the Grand Canyon, Yellow Stone National Park, New York City and Washington D.C.
• I sometimes wish for a crazy adventure (think Indian Jones) but know without a doubt that I would be the girl that drove everyone crazy with her fear of rats, snakes and a whole lot of screaming.

That's all for now. I hope you have a blessed day.

Just a Little Update...

If you look to the right of the screen you will see a 7x7 prayer button. This will take you directly to Angie's blog and the scriptures that she and I and several hundred other people will be praying over our children during the next seven days. You may join us and use those, or come up with your own. The point is to pray for your children. Everyday, all day!!

Love and blessings to you dear friends.

What's Next?

I have been wondering "What's next?" for our country now that Mr. Obama is our President -elect. If left to my own devises, I tend to get a little melancholy over the whole situation. But, I am proud of the many Americans that took the time earlier this week to vote. I only had to wait in line for about 3 minutes, some had to wait in line for hours. Their commitment to this process is to be commended. I applaud all who recognized the privilege that we have in this country and saw it not only as such, but also as their civic duty. This is our country, it is ours to protect and care for. There are many men and women who have felt an even greater duty and at this time are serving the cause of freedom far away from the comforts of home and the love of their families. I am so thankful for them.

As I said, I have been a little melancholy over the results of the elections. But, yesterday I read (on the LPM blog) some great words of wisdom. (Oh, how I sometimes wish I was wise!) Beth very eloquently reminded me on this post that regardless of the outcome of the election there are some wonderful things to be thankful for. And on this post she reminded me what I can do now to support the future leader of this country (and of what God has to say about the whole "government" thing). It was good stuff. I think I am out of the melancholy stage and ready to do my part. I hope that you will join me.

Today I was reading Bring the Rain and Angie reminded me that I should be praying for my children. Now, I don't want you to get the impression that I don't ever pray for them, but to be honest, I don't pray as often as I should. I am going to join her (and many others) in Seven Prayers a Day for our children. It isn't too much to ask, and really, aren't we to pray without ceasing? I hope that you will pop over to her blog and check it out. I know that this will be a blessing to you and your children.

Finally, I haven't just been wishing I could change the world and reading other peoples bloggy goodness. On Tuesday my Mom and Dad came down and while my Dad stayed with Ethan, my Mom and I went and got some Christmas shopping done (and had a great lunch at Panera Bread, it is my favorite). After we got back we went outside to play in the leaves. The temperature outside was in the low 70's (not your typical November in Michigan) and we have a Sycamore tree that just loves dumping on our yard. It was a recipe for fun (and great pictures too). Here is the eye candy.....






Just in case you were wondering what the boys have in their mouths, it was vampire teeth that Jacob brought home from school on Monday. One of his classmates gave everyone a set of teeth. Jacob happened to get two and he very generously shared with Ethan. They have them in from the time they wake up until they go to bed (Ok, almost. I do make them take the teeth out for school and eating!)

My Heart is Heavy

I feel a great responsibility for my country. I don't consider myself a political enthusiast, but in just a few short days our country is going to have one of the biggest and most important elections of its history. I am going to stand up for what is right and true. I will choose life. I pray that the people of our nation do the same.

Seriously Cute Boys

...and they aren't even sporting their Halloween costumes yet! They are yet a little young for marriage proposals, but I assure you they will be ready in 20 years or so. Here is your morning eye candy.

Aren't those just beautiful baby blues??

He wasn't cooperating, but I still got the pic of his freckles (or Angel kisses as we like to call them).

Why does it seem so hard?

*update* I just wanted to ask if you would be willing to join in a prayer vigil for baby stellan and his family (their link is to the right if you haven't read their story). Stellan is going to be born today and they could sure use all of our prayers. Another blogger has set up a prayer vigil for them. If you would like to participate go to this link.

Why does it seem so hard to get out of bed in the morning?

Why does it seem so hard to motivate myself into cleaning this house? (It's not like its a big house)

Why does it seem so hard to remember important dates like birthday's and anniversaries?

Why does it seem so hard to open my Bible every day?

Why?

Because I am selfish (and lazy). I think about me and what I want to do (or not to do) and I very conveniently find other ways to waste my time.

Today, I am going to do better.

Today, I will put my God first, my family and friends needs above my own. I will even clean the house. And, I know that by doing so, I will feel accomplishment and joy.

Today I will do those things.

Today and hopefully tomorrow.

It's a God Thing...

I have something to say that may shock some of you, others may not be so shocked. OK, so probably most of you won't be shocked, but I am trying to make this exciting - so, please just play along!! The something that I have to say is that... I don't believe in coincidence or the phrase just happened to. Nope, not me.

This morning after I loaded the boys into the van to take Jacob off to school, I put the key in the ignition and turned it. All I heard was hummm, click, click. Not such a good thing. Instantly, I remembered that Ethan had left the car door opened for several hours yesterday before I noticed it and was able to close it. What I should have done right then was go outside (but it was cold and I didn't want to be cold) and try to start the van. That way, if it started I would have known that all was well and if it didn't start, well, I could have Curt do something about it. Instead, I forgot about it.

Until this morning.

When it was even colder.

And, I had someplace to be.

Now, we do try to learn from our mistakes and a couple of years ago, Curt left the door open to his car and the battery went dead and a dear neighbor guy (I still don't know his name) came over and charged the battery with a great new invention - a battery charger.

OK, so they've been around awhile.

Well, we didn't have one and didn't know what to do with one if we did. Anyway, we decided "we should have one" and for Christmas that year we asked for and received a state of the art car battery charger.

It is snazzy.

But the only time we (I say we very lightly) had to use it was when Curt was trimming the bushes in front of our house and listening to the MSU football game on his car radio. Yeah, he forgot the radio was on and ran down the battery. I happened to be inside quite unaware of the goings on outside so I didn't witness the hooking up of the battery charger. But it worked. I was informed of that after the fact.

Back to today.

So I think instantly that all I have to do is hook up the charger (which has a great emergency start feature) and I will still be able to get Jacob to school on time. That was my plan. I popped the hood and I lifted the little bar thingy so the hood wouldn't fall on me and I grabbed the charger out of its box (we don't want it to get dirty or anything), I read the instruction manual and I hooked it to the battery and plugged it in. Nothing, not a twitch on the needle. I switched all the switches and still nothing. I fiddled with it for about 20 minutes (did I mention it was cold). I called Curt (he teaches High School and doesn't ever answer his phone) and left a "Call Me Immediately" message and then, my phone rang.

Here's the just happened to part, read slow, there are a lot of just happened to's.

It wasn't Curt. It just happened to be my friend Rachel and she just happened to ask if I was ready to get the big box out of my sun room because she was on her way to get it. The big box came from my Mom and contained bedding that she just happened to want to get rid of and Rachel just happened to think her Mom would want for her spare room and, she just happened to. Rachel just happened to be coming to my town today (if you saw her to-do list, you would totally get that that is a big just happened to), she just happened to call her husband who just happened to know all about battery chargers and just happened to be able to explain how to work it in girl talk. I got the battery charged and started the van and took Jacob to school, albeit a little late.

I don't believe in just happened to's because, well, it just takes too many just happened to's to get to where we need to be. It was most obviously, to me at least, a God thing. God has plans and He isn't going to let a dead car battery or anything else for that matter, stand in the way of His work being done. Whatever His work for today may be.

I Was Tagged....

by my dear friend Rachel so here goes.

The rules of this game of tag are as follows:

1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post (or as many as you want)
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!
(Personally, I think this is a great way to learn things about people that just wouldn't normally come up in conversation!)

My 6 Random Things:

1. I sneeze 2 times every time I get up from the massage table.
2. I am not a morning person, but have recently found that coffee helps (exhibit A).
3. We have an obscenely large movie collection.



4. I have long legs and a short torso which makes buying pants tricky. They are either too short and I look ready for the flood, or the waist is up to my armpits. A big shout out to the creator of low-riders. All I have to do is take a tuck in the waist (which is really supposed to be by my hips) and I have a perfect fit!
5. I cried the other day when Jacob told me that he makes pinkie-promises with his friends at school. It is just a reminder that he is growing up before my very eyes.
6. I love color. I live in Yellow House and the inside is as happy as happy could be.

the kitchen

the dining/sun room

the living room

the bathroom (we do not have a shower it is tub baths for us!)

our bedroom

the boys room

as much as I would like to say that I painted that tree, I must admit to using a Popsicle stick and just
rubbing on a wall transfer (but, I did it all by myself!!)

I am also including some pictures of me I was unable to upload last time I was tagged because I didn't have a scanner (but, now I do). If you didn't read my random things last time, click this link and have a good laugh.

this is me and Rusty(yes, he became burgers and I enjoyed them)

this was my first cow, Bessie (she is also the only one that I would ride, I called her my racing cow)

I am tagging: Rachel, Wendi, Sarah, and that will have to be all because, I just don't know that many bloggers.

Have a great day!!

The Concert (and meeting Angie)

A couple of months ago Angie Smith from the Bring the Rain blog announced that she was going to be attending a benefit concert here in Michigan that Selah (her husbands singing group) was going to be headlining for Laban Ministries. My girlfriends and I are faithful readers of Angie's blog and wanted so much to meet her in "real life". With our husbands permission and full cooperation (thank you guys!!) we planned our girls night out. First, we stopped at Panera Bread for some warm soup and sandwiches (and caffeinated beverages). Then we set out on our hour long trip to Northville. I still don't think I could find Northville on a map, but I can get you to the Nazarene church if you need a ride. The concert started around 7pm and it was great. Not only did Selah perform, but so did Todd's brother, Jack, and his wife, Molly and also Todd's sister Nicol (who was in Selah for 8 years). We also got to learn all about Laban Ministries and the wonderful work they are doing to help reach the people in Congo, Africa with the Gospel. After the concert was over we were able to wait in line to meet Todd Smith, Amy Perry, and Alan Hall (the members of Selah) and get their autographs. Now, I don't want to imply that that wasn't cool or that we weren't excited about that prospect, but we really wanted to meet Angie. So, my dear friend Wendi told Todd, as he was graciously signing our little bulletins, that we were really there to meet his wife. He just chuckled and wasn't at all surprised. He also told us that she would be out soon. Being the non-stalkers that we are, we very covertly started scoping out the (is joint an appropriate pseudonym for church? We'll just go with church) church and found her already surrounded by her bloggy fan club. Again, very nonchalantly we made our way to within touching distance and waited patiently (OK, so we were a little giddy at this point, but we'll just keep it between us!). After a while "her crowd" dissipated a little and she included us in the conversation. She was just as cute and vibrant and funny and humble as we thought she would be. We were able to talk with her for a while and of course get some pictures during which she shared her "skinny pose" secrets with us. And then, as if the night hadn't already met and exceeded our expectations she asked us, (yes, us!!) for our blog addresses. At that point we were all REALLY giddy and Rachel, shouted "It's a dream come true!!", which it was. I am sure that if we lived near Angie we would all totally be BFF's and that Todd doesn't really think we are all crazy. At least that's my story and I am totally sticking to it!!

I am pretty sure that Rachel and Rachel and Wendi are going to be posting about this wild (by our standards) and wacky night. If you want to check them out, just click on their names and you will go right to their blogs.

Rachel, Me, Angie, Wendi and Rachel

Toothpicks and Other Random Goodies

I think I am going to start a weekly blog entitled "The World According to Ethan". I have in the past couple of days started to really listen to what he says and try to remember it because if it doesn't give me a headache, it makes me laugh. I should probably start carrying a tape recorder.

This morning Ethan brought up toothpicks. I know, what on Earth inspired this burst of randomness? Anyway, this was the conversation:

Ethan: Mom, did you know that Papa doesn't use your toothpicks because he has stuff in his teeth?

Me: No, why does he use them?

Ethan: Because he just wants to use all of them up.

Me: Are you sure he doesn't have stuff in his teeth?

Ethan: Yeah, he told me so. He just wants you to buy more.

Me: (in my head) Is this some diabolical plan to put me into poorhouse? Could it be true that my dad has it out for me and he's using this toothpick scheme to bring it to fruition? Was I that bad as a teenager? Oh, yeah, I was. Ooops.

Ethan: What are those toothpick things called? You know, the things you stick in the cakes?

Me: They are called toothpicks.

Ethan: Oh yeah, but we don't use them to pick teeth, we use them to make cakes.




Kids in general are loads of laughs. On Wednesday nights I work with the Cubbies group at Awana. The Cubbies are 3 and 4 year olds (just so you are aware). Last night during our Bible story time Mr. Martin (our Bible story time leader) asked if anyone knew where Jesus was born. The first answer shouted out was...."Florida". Yup, I said Florida. A few minutes later Mr. Martin asked if anyone knew what a Jew was. Another child (I'm sure it wasn't the same one) said "I want some juice!" and his neighbor said "I'm thirsty too!". Seriously, I couldn't make it up if I tried. It makes me wonder if we are having an impact at all. But then, someone does something that makes me realize we are.

Lastly, tonight me and a few of my friends, Rachel, Rachel and Wendi are going to meet Angie and see the group Selah. I am really excited (I'll try to stay away from caffeine today so I don't scare any of you!). Hopefully we'll get some pictures to post tomorrow (it shouldn't be a problem because we all scrapbook and we all blog which means we all will have our cameras). If you haven't checked out Angie's blog (and if you are reading this here, you probably have because only the three of you listed at the beginning of this paragraph read my blog anyway) you really should. She and her family have gone through a huge loss this year but she is using her grief and her words to bring glory and honor to our savior, Jesus Christ. Her words are inspirational and honest. You will be richly blessed by what she has to say.

Anyway, that's all I've got for today. I hope you have a good one.

Conversations with Ethan

Every morning during the ride back home after dropping Jacob off at school Ethan starts talking for the day. Once he starts he doesn't stop (unless it is naptime, which is strictly enforced for my sanities sake). Our conversations range from the beauty of the morning to the "whys" of life. Today our conversation started with Ethan wondering if the pigs that turn into bacon get shot or stabbed. I know, such a great way to start the morning (thankfully, I had already drank a half cup of coffee). Anyway, the conversation took a turn and this was part that struck me as funny (as if pig slaughter is normal)...

Ethan: Mom, do we have guts?

Me: Yes.

Ethan: What are guts?

Me: Guts are all our insides, like our heart and lungs and stomach and intestines.

Ethan: Where does our food go?

Me: Into our stomach.

Ethan: Why doesn't it go into our legs?

Me: Because God made us so our food goes into our stomach.

Ethan: Does it become poop?

Me: The part that our body doesn't use.

Ethan: But why doesn't it come out our leg instead of our bottom?

Me: Because that's not how God made us. Time to be quiet now, Mommy wants to listen to this song. (and get rid of the headache that I've gotten in the last 5 minutes talking about guts.)

Ethan: But, I think it should come out our legs.

Java...

I haven't always been a big coffee drinker, but lately I've been dabbling with iced or hot, mocha or regular. I have friends and relatives alike that don't start the day (or end it for that matter) without a cup of that hot, uplifting, comforting gift of goodness. Since fall has taken hold we have been having damp, cold weather and nothing sounds as good as a hot beverage (especially one that will help me wake up and get out of my warm and toasty bed). So, yesterday I took my coffee pot (which was stored in the box in the basement and only brought out for parties) out of its box and made a special place on the counter just for it. My Dad (love him) gave me a wonderful box of Gevalia Pumpkin Spice coffee and I used one of the filters that came with the machine (did I mention I've had it for five years or so?) and made myself some coffee. Now, I am not one to miss an opportunity to make a good thing better so I added some Pumpkin Spice Creamer to my Pumpkin Spice Coffee and what did I get?? A slice of Pumpkin Spice Heaven. I think I may be like those friends and relatives I mentioned above. A good cup of coffee to start morning or end the day (of course this would have to be decaf version or I won't sleep a wink) seems to me a very good idea.

Flying High

This past Sunday we had the opportunity to go flying over the town that Curt and I grew up in. This opportunity came about when Curt's parents won (through a silent auction that was raising money for their church) a one hour plane trip. They very generously asked us if we would be interested in splitting it with them. That gave each of us a half hour. The pilot is a sweet lady that goes to their church and also is a flight control director at a nearby airport. She is also the host of the pool party that we have gone to the last two summers. She is really neat and kinda spunky (I like that in a person) and very adventurous (at least by my standards).

This is us before we took off. It was only a four seater plane, so Ethan rode with Joanne and Gary.

Curt was co-pilot. I think the highlight for him was when he was asked if he wanted to drive. It was great for him, but as the driver he decided to play a little and with me being in the back seat, my tummy wasn't too happy with his up and down and right and left manuevers. But, I was glad he got the opportunity. It was a once in a lifetime moment.

We had hoped to catch all the fall color when we scheduled the date for the flight, but up until last week we really hadn't seen much color change. But, fortunately it came on strong this last week and we saw some magnificant beauty.

Curt took a great shot just as we were landing on the runway.

I love that you can see the propelor. When we were flying it was going so fast that I forgot it was even in front of us. It took the camera to capture it.

Thursday Night Football

A couple of weeks ago I was able to take the boys over to watch my nephew Michael play football. He plays both offence and defence and he is doing really well. Fortunately, he had a home game on a night that wasn't going to be too cold. I made up some really snazzy t-shirts that had his mascot name on the front and his nickname on the back. He thought it was cool to have his own cheering section and I had fun cheering for him.

Here are our snazzy shirts. You definately wouldn't be able to miss us!

Here is the back of the boys shirts.

Here is Michael. He is number 58.

I love this part of the game.

The Trojans won in the last few seconds with a field goal. It was a great game!

After this game was over we stuck around for a while because my other nephew Cam plays flag football and they had a scrimage during the following halftime. He is in second grade and looked so cute down on that big field.

Cam is the one in the middle with the black shirt and shorts.