It's Christmastime- part 1

I have the GREATEST in-laws.

Ever.
Every year since we were dating (which is 11 years total now ;) Brad and I have been in Pennsylvania with my family for Christmas. It's not a preference thing- it's just it works out well with Brad's time off of work. Not once have I heard my dear in-laws complain about the Christmas day absence. Partly due to the fact that complaining just isn't in their nature and partly due to the fact that they ROCK. Being a mom I can only imagine life with adult children but I hope I am even half as gracious of an in-law as what mine are to me!

So the Howells' family celebrates Christmas early. Here's some pics of this past weekend.

Joseph and Mary made an appearance ;)

Nerf Nerds

Complete with Happy Birthday songs to Jesus, games, and time spent together.
Precious gifts indeed.

It's about the Cross

Anna and Seth just built Frosty completely unassisted!

Any one else disturbed to see a de-bobbleheaded Yoda in the nativity?? ;)

We enjoyed having some friends over last evening. I got to pull out my Grandmas glasses to serve this red-themed punch in.

Making time for play at the childrens' museum too-

Jaedon's class was responsible for assembly this past week. Jaedon (in the brown/orange stripped sweater) got to play the part of "music director" and got to lead his class in their song.

As our days run one to another and December goes by we've been reminded the absolute necessity (and FUN) of just making time to PLAY- together. Nothing you can wrap will be better than that!

The new dirt-catcher-

This was my kitchen floor when I woke up on Saturday morning

This was a tired husband after 5 hours of work...

And this was our kitchen on Sunday morning:

Hard-working little elves at our place this weekend ;-)
I'm a bit disappointed though. I was hoping this new floor would be self-cleaning. Apparently not. It still catches milk, carrots and crumbs just fine and I'm fairly certain the "joy" of cleaning it will wear off...sometime soon. ;)

A long time coming

I was so impressed with the missionary family we met in Zambia for- well, alot of reasons. One that has stood out to me though was how well they spoke to one another. It seems like a little thing but after we got home and reintegrated into our reality I realized how a "little thing" like being polite, courteous and respectful to each other- specificially in our own home- is not such a little thing at all! In fact, after some disheartening observations of our speech we felt like this was a huge problem that we needed to address. We thus began a "sweet speech" jar. Anytime we caught one another being encouraging, using manners, saying "ok" instead of arguing etc... they could put in one coin into our jar. The goal was to fill to the line and then have a Sundae Supper- I mean, what's sweeter than ice cream for DINNER??!! =)
So what began in April we finally made it to our Sundae line this past weekend. We all got to choose an ice cream flavor or sundae add-in or topping. It was a long time coming (believe me- the added calories were NOT on the agenda for Thanksgiving weekend!)but there has been a noticeable change in the temperature of our tone in our home which, to me, is the sweetest of all.

Online shopping

I am loving doing some Christmas gift shopping from the comfort of my house- thank you, Amazon.com for free shipping!! =)
I have found some sites over the past few years that I just pour over wondering how we can best spend a bit of extra money set aside for a "birthday gift" for Jesus. This is seriously my most favorite thing that we do together this entire month. So these are a few that I've found- I would LOVE if you have some of your own favorites that you could pass along to me too.

Gospels for Asia:
http://www.gfa.org/gift/browse/gifts-of-compassion/

Heifer International:
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/?msource=QTAK100001

Compassion International:
http://www.compassion.com/

World Vision:
http://www.worldvision.org/home.nsf/pages/home.htm#/home/main/christmas-gift-catalog-items-1-1271

Show Hope- specifically orphan care:
http://www.showhope.org/

Woman At Risk- This one is neat. They have jewelry, clothes, home decor that you can buy with the proceeds going to saving woman caught up in the ugly world of sex trafficking:
http://www.warinternational.org/store/

Deck the halls....and kitchen...and living room...and bedrooms....

We had a delightful morning of tree-trimming, train-wrecking fun-
Complete with hot cocoa and a few snowflakes.

Gratitude

I think Veggie Tales had it right when they sang:
"A thankful heart is a happy heart. I'm glad for what I have that's an easy way to start..."

We have thoroughly enjoyed this month leading up to Thanksgiving- a holiday I feel gets short changed. We have found some fun stories, devotions, audio books and hymns to help us in our quest to generate a more deliberate sense of gratitude in our home. The fun thing about having kids is that while they may be the reason why we do these intentional spiritual lessons- we are discovering that-as it turns out- I need these lessons just as much (if not more) than they do! A heart of gratitude and contentment is certainly not something I have on my own! So these measures we've found this past month have just been so neat to see how God is changing my heart into one of more purposeful gratitude. I hope as our family continues to do "hands on" spiritual nurturing that it won't be something we pursue just "for the kids"- Infact- I hope that when we've been married 30 years and our kids are gone that Brad and I will still have our own thanksgiving tree since I'm pretty sure generating and maintaining genuine gratitude is a lifelong pursuit.

Life on the Edge

So, I have a two year old.
Need I say more?
Let's just say that in the past few weeks Owen has felt the overwhelming urge to make, define, push, draw and fight about boundaries. Our biggest challenge if sleeping. While I know many other moms who have MUCH bigger problems in this area- it is our own challenge right now. The plain truth is this: to the mind of a busy 2 year old boy- sleep is for the weak! So last week after a rousing 20 minutes of he gets of a bed, I swat his bum and put him back in ...repeat and repeat and repeat... I stood outside his room with the door slighly ajar and watched him. The little stinker would crawl to the verrrry edge of his bed, lower his feet until they alllllmost touched the floor, then pull them up and try it again. He wasn't "out of bed" right?! I stood outside his room for another 30 minutes and watched this with as much amusment as exasperation- until he finally fell asleep like this:


As I watched him finally give up and close his eyes it occurred to me- aren't we the same way with God?
I tell Owen: "Stay in bed or be spanked." Seems like "well, duh" choice doesn't it?
What is God tell me?
"Don't gossip."
"Oh- that wasn't gossip, God! It was sharing a concern."

"Don't judge others"
"I'm not judging! I'm simply saying that they need to be doing this..." (because oh don't I know their needs better than God???)

"Love your Neighbors"
"Sure- as long as they don't interrupt my life or make me uncomfortable. Oh, and who exactly would YOU say my neighbors are anyway? I mean...just to be specific."

"Forgive."
"Ok. I'll forgive. As soon as they ask me to."

"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying- I'm just exaggerating a bit."

"Spend time with me."
"What? I pray at meals and tell my kids to pray. Isn't that enough?"

And on and on. It seems God give us (ME) commands and I want to push them to the verrrry edge of all reason. Meanwhile our Parent is standing outside our life shaking his head (I wonder if he's amused and exasperated too?) thinking, "Child! Just obey and all will be well!"
I think of that nice, big, cozy bed that Owen COULD choose to climb into and blankets he COULD snuggle under for warmth and comfort- but he instead wants to sit and sleep on the very edge.
And you know what- he fell.
Jaedon went to wake him up from a nap last week and Owen had fallen off of the bed.
And we do too.
I was also reminded last week as we talked in our Young Marrieds class about how some of these above issues (and so many more) become the foothold Satan can use to begin to tear us down. It is a slow fade- to quote a popular song.
We don't turn into judgemental people overnight- it a process of making one judgement after another.
Affairs typically don't happen in a day- it begins with an understanding conversation and an unguarded heart.
Distance in my walk with the Lord doesn't happen in a day- it happens one "busy" day after another until it's been a month since I've been in the Word. Our falling off of the edge happens because we continue to slide our feet off the edge of the bed to see just how close we can get.
If I continue to not engage God in my heart and only engage him in my actions- I will always be pushing and fighting his boundaries... much like my 2 year old.

Brides and Birthdays

Apparently when I was younger I would attach my mom's tea-towels to my head and pretend to be a bride. My ultra-talented aunt decided to make me a wedding dress complete with a veil- a little girls dream come true- no? While I don't remember things very well I DO remember this dress! I tucked it away in my hope chest- HOPING to save it for my girls someday. I pulled it out for my flower girl to use and then I completely forgot about it when my oldest niece would've fit it. For some reason I remembered it this past week, pulled it out, cleaned it up and was able to put one of "my girls" in it. My second (out of 3) niece Katelyn- She is having as much fun as I remember having with it.

Yesterday was one of my favorite birthday-days that I can remember having in a while. It was a nice blend of normalcy and spoiledness. =) My man takes good care of me.

The list-

So in September I came across the idea of posting a picture a day on the blog- which was fun- but I have some battery issues lately- (namely I don't have any batteries and I never remember to buy more and when I DO remember I talk myself out of buying them because they're so blasted expensive!) See..issues!
Anyway- this month I'm posting a 'thankfulness a day' on my sidebar.
The neat thing that I'm experiencing already is that I'm having problems coming up with just ONE thing!
It seems like thankfulness is a disease- I hope I'm contagious!

Life lately

3 Michigan State fans watchin' the game....

Our small group got together and spent time filling 20 shoesboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/Pack_A_Shoe_Box/

Our halloween-type get together with some spidery salad (they are fake just FYI), some goblin juice (aka sherbet and sprite), yummy "witches brew" (aka tortilla soup), an eyeball hunt and of course- just fun dressing up with friends.

I was going to label this post "our busy life" and then thought- everyone says that! It's true- our excuses for not doing something, not getting back to someone, not volunteering for something etc.. is "life is just so busy right now"- and it's true.
But do you ever wonder what it would be like to say ( and hear)
"I have all the time in the world for....(fill in the blank)"
or
"Our life is just so boring lately"

I'm challenged lately with the thought of how I steward my time. There are so many things screaming for our attention- personally- and as a family unit- and so many of them are GOOD things. But what if I'm so busy doing "good things" that I miss an opportunity to have a conversation with a neighbor?
What if I'm in such a hurry to get to my next "to do" that I forget to read THAT story to one of my kids?
Am I too busy to hear my kids laughing and join in?
Hmm.. deep thoughts for a Saturday afternoon.
So I think I'll sign off and go grab that book while it's still today.

Variations on a theme

I tried. Really I did!
I tried to think of something a bit more original than doing a thanksgiving tree again this year.
I thought of a turkey.
Nah.
I thought of a wreath.
Nah.
I even thought of choosing another Psalm for memory work other than Psalm 100 that we've been doing every November for I think 4 years now.

In the end- I decided some things are okay to keep the same.
So here is year 2 of our Thanksgiving Tree- a bit bare with leaves just yet but as we each add one after supper it's fun to watch the tree bloom-
and I think it'll be fun to see how much the kids will remember from doing the Psalm 100 again.
I guess the point isn't necessarily to do "something new" - but to do something.

The Owenator

Some recent shots of my littlest hotshot:

This is what I get for leaving my cleaning tote (and a 2 year old) unattended -
Not only did he empty my comet and spic and span- he thought spraying the Windex cleaner was grand fun. It was very hard to look sternly at him and tell him "no" when I was cracking up!
His newest favorite activity: puzzles. He will sit and do the same puzzle 5 times in a row (and ask for help for the same piece each time ;-)

Although he decided that 2 was an acceptable time to give up naps- (which his Mama does not agree with)- when he does decide to sleep- he's OUT!

So I rearranged my living room this morning for no other reason than I wanted this view from "my chair" -Not bad eh?

Isaiah

This year is a first for me. I am in Bible Study Fellowship for a first time. I've heard things about it from people over the years and decided to pursue it. I'm really impressed with how organized they are. The curriculum that they have for kids is so great- basically they teach what we are learning too. Which, considering we're studying Isaiah this year, is not exactly an easy task. It was too sweet to hear Owen sing "Owee, Owee, Owee" (Holy, Holy, Holy) yesterday while packed away during carpool.

I don't know about you but I've always put the "prophet" books on the "interesting and important but not necessarily applicable" category in my mind.
Oh how wrong I was!
Not only am I finding great nuggets of application I'm seeing a lot of parallel with the nation of Israel and our own.
In Isaiah chapter 5 he has a list of "woes" that he is telling the straying Israelites. God tells their nation to end their pursuit of materialism, alcoholism, pride, greed, injustice and ignoring God's laws. Hmm- sounds like another nation I'm familiar with.
Then in chapter 6 Isaiah "saw the Lord".
His response?
"Woe is ME."
He didn't point fingers at his culture, his country, his neighbors, his 'church', his family. He didn't have any other judgments to pass except that which he was most familiar with- his own sin.

So what is my response when I catch a glimpse of God?

Do I compare my sin with others?
For some reason we tend to think OUR sin is acceptable and THEIR sin is disgraceful. We shake our head when we hear about someone elses poor choices, someone elses straying family member, someone elses marriage problems, someone elses struggle with greed. Meanwhile our own choices, family, marriage and our own pursuit of anything other than God- goes unchecked in our lives and is deemed "not as bad as them" by us.
That's just the ugliness of plain ole pride!

So what then we we have a moment to glimpse his glory?
What happens when we "see the Lord".
Would I be one to acknowledge my own sin- to understand the depth and depravity of it each day-not as be oppressed by that knowledge but to be humbled by it?
Oh that I will be made completely aware of my own sin- and completely in awe of the cleansing that follows.

Fun on the Farm

Yesterday was my idea of a perfect day.

We were woken up to a tiny tot snuggling in our bed, joined shortly after by a not-so-tiny-tot-who-still-is-ok-with-being-snuggled-once-in-awhile.We mozied about with some coffee, some pancakes for breakfast and assorted chores mixed with playtime.We met up with some friends to go to a farm that hosts some fall-activity fun. They have animals to see and pet, a pumpkin "train", hay for play, corn maze, fresh donuts and cider and, of course, hayrides out to the pumpkin patch. Seriously- can you stuff any more fallishness into an day? My typically I-could-care-less-about-sports type husband reeeeally wanted to watch the MSU vs. UofM football game. So we did! We ordered pizza, watched TV (in the middle of the DAY! which is very unusual in our house). I felt completely irresponsible- and loved every moment. I went on a bike ride with just Jaedon and truly enjoyed his company.
The weather was gorgeous, the leaves were stunning.
Really- a perfect day.
It occurs to me that "perfect" days are really a matter of our perspective. Obviously, any days that involve dealing with other people are likely to be very not perfect- we are, after all, all imperfect people. I'm learning that it's not so much about how to have the perfect event, plan the perfect party, be the perfect mom but how I deal graciously with my imperfect life- starting with those I live with (very imperfectly) every day.

Deux

Not only have I just been amazed at the physical similarities between Jaedon and Owen since birth- but as Owen gets older it seems he favors his brother in the book-loving way as well. This ABC puzzle is a newly discovered favorite around our house.

Solo Saturday

Brad had a band competition on Saturday so we decided to go to Home Depot for a bit of fun. They have a building project the first Saturday each month- not my thing at all-but Brad has taken the boys on several occasions. We have gathered a lovely assortment of ...uh... very USEFUL wooden projects around the house. Birdhouses, rain gauge, firetruck, boats, Foosball table, matchbox car storage. They are quite creative and it was fun to see Jaedon doing his project mostly by himself.
They had face painting as well. Jaedon asked for "a grizzly bear with sharp teeth standing on his hind legs". Seth was a bit simpler: a snake with a tongue stickin' out". I was impressed with how they turned out.

Spiritual Birthday Party

Since Seth and his new bestest buddy Isaac both accepted Jesus into their hearts within a week of each other- we decided to have a "Spiritual Birthday" party. It was a bit confusing to Seth that he wouldn't be turning 5. ;)

Borrowing

I have come to terms with the fact that God gave Brad and I three handsome men to raise for him. Although, I have wanted a girl from the first pregnancy- I really love my houseful of testosterone (check back with me in a few years ;-)
However, I am also lucky enough to have family and friends that have little girls!
This little lady, Adrianna, is a special friend. For her 6th birthday I decided to take her on 6 dates over the course of a year. This past week we went on our 3rd date- to an American Girl Party! How cool for me to be able to borrow a daughter for a totally girly night!

Coffee, Kindle and Candles

Yesterday was Brad's birthday. The boys and I had a little "party" at home with some gifts and whoopie pies. Then we went on a double date with our friends. We went to Kobe where the cook the food in front of you- I was personally proud of the chicken tossing from the chef to Brad- he didn't miss a single one!
Since I'm a working gal now ;-) I decided to splurge (like a lot for me!) and get Brad a Kindle for his gift from me. If you don't know what a Kindle is it's a little handheld devise that you download books on and read it from there. It's super lightweight and easier than carrying a book around. Although it might seem a bit silly- if you know ANYTHING about my hubby- you know he's not only a HUGE bookworm- but he's a techy geek too. Combining them just made sense! =)

Happy Birthday!