New Year's Eve

Look how much fun Scott and I had on New Year's Eve...

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[Audra loves to watch this video over and over again! She keeps asking to watch it then just laughs saying, "That's my Mommy and my Daddy! They're SO SILLY! They're silly dancing!"]

Ok, so that is just what we wish we had been doing on New Year's Eve! Actually, we've been quarantined to the house for SEVEN DAYS! The kids are SO sick and the only time they've left the house this week is to go to the doctor. The only times I've left the house were to make a couple of late night runs to the grocery store and Target after they go to bed. I feel like I'm running a pharmacy in my kitchen and a mini-daycare because they just keep getting each other sick.

The kids have only gotten really sick twice this year: this week and when they got the stomach flu when we were in Colorado. You know what is amazing? Both times, I am the only one in the family who has not gotten sick. I decided last night that must be God's miraculous grace, because I have more physical contact with them than anyone! That HAS to be a "God thing."

One Year Ago

One year ago today our baby boy was born! Happy Birthday, Justus Dane! I spent much of the morning reminiscing about what I was doing at that exact moment a year ago. We are so thankful that God gave you to us! It is a privilege to be your mother...to have carried you in my womb, nursed you, held you, played with you, and loved you for the past year. I look forward with anticipation at the GREAT THINGS God has in store for your life!

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another." John 1:16

We had a little family celebration tonight! We spent the morning at the doctor's office and Titus and Justus both have eye infections (and all three have colds and coughs) so we are quarantined to the house. You can tell from the picture that his eyes are swollen. Poor little guy!

Sweet Slumber

Last night, I let Audra fall asleep in our bed and decided to go to lay down next to her. I was so worn out from Christmas and then the recovery that I was asleep within minutes. At some point during the night, she woke up and we had this sweet conversation:

Audra: "I love you, Mommy."
Mommy: "I love you, too!"
Audra: "I love you very much!"
Mommy: "I love YOU very much!"
Audra: "Am I a princess, Mommy?"
Mommy: "Yes."
(pause)
Audra: "God made you!"
"And God made the princess!"

...and we fell back asleep.

Olivia

Ok, this is my new favorite children's book. Have you read it? The simple cover design and color scheme are deceiving. It is brilliant! I bought it for Audra for Christmas (having never read it). Barnes and Noble didn't have the book I wanted to get for her, so I got this one because it was recommended in Honey For a Child's Heart and by a friend. I was in a hurry and didn't even read through it. I read it out loud to the kids today for the first time and laughed my head off! Olivia is so much like Audra. Titus and Audra kept looking at me like, "What is so funny? Did I miss something?" I just love everything about this book: the real-life humor, the illustrations, the fine art. Hooray for Ian Falconer!

Christmas Morning

We woke up to this beautiful view Christmas morning: frost on the ground and fog resting on The Little Red River.
Dora and her backpack!!! She was so excited that I couldn't get her to sit still long enough to get a picture that wasn't blurry.
Audra reading one of the books that Grandma and Grandpa sent from Washington! Grandma taught first grade for many years and always sends the most wonderful books! Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!
Justus LOVES playing with the caterpillar that Grandma and Grandpa sent!
Gramps reading one of the new books.

A new flapper dress! We love to play dress up! What could be better than sparkles, fur, and fringe?!?!
Imperial TIE fighter!
Gramps took the kids for a walk to get some fresh air and exercise.

Late Night Christmas Eve

I forgot to post these pictures with the Christmas Eve pictures. These were taken after my brother and sister left for their in-laws' houses. We decided to let the kids each open one more present before bedtime...

This was probably Titus' favorite Christmas present. It is the Star Wars Battle of Hoth and all the action figures. He was so excited to take out every piece and play with it!
Here is Mimi helping Justus open a present from her: a "My First Christmas 2007" ornament. She has given each of the children one of these.
Mimi also gave Audra a stroller for her new doll, Shelby!
Here's Justus luvin' his "Mater" tow truck!

Christmas Eve

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!"
(Excerpt from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess)

"With the secularization of religious holidays, families want to be intentional about emphasizing the real meaning of these celebrations. (Christmas) is more than a sweet look at a baby born in a manger. Christmas is the ultimate love story. It is the story of God invading human history in the person of Jesus. What a mind-expanding concept!" Gladys Hunt

When I was in college and my brother and sister's children were babies, my family became very intentional about how we celebrate Christmas. The Christmas story out of Luke had always been read, but we began to shift from an emphasis on presents and Santa to a celebration of the birth of Jesus. We still exchange presents, but it is done with a heart of gratitude that Jesus is the best gift we've ever been given and a desire to generously share that love with others. As a college student, I was more of an observer to these changes, but I have always loved it and felt like it added so much more meaning and depth to our Christmas. During the years when we did not have money to buy many gifts, I didn't miss them. Celebrating Christmas in this way with my family has always felt like a privilege and are some of my most cherished memories. I hope that my children grow up feeling the same way.

Playing Scattergories. What a fun, competitive group!

The big kids' team brainstorming.

The Guys are ready to eat! This is my brother, Richard, and the two brave men who married in to the family. We had an absolute FEAST for Christmas Dinner: Crown Roast with stuffing; Smoked Ham; Spinach Salad with mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, & sunflower seeds; Dad's Famous Mashed Potatoes; Corn Souffle; Parmesan Roasted Asparagus; Rolls; Ambrosia; and Christmas Cranberry Tea. Then we had Pecan Dream Bars and Banana Pudding for dessert. Just the memory of it makes me salivate! Yummmy! Hats off to my Mom for pulling it all together. I truly think it was one of our best. Momma Connie would be proud!
The grandkids dressing up and doing the nativity play to Luke 2. This was Justus' first Christmas and he was baby Jesus. This has been a tradion in our family for over 10 years.
Singing "Happy Birthday Jesus." Traditionally, Aunt Jennifer always makes the birthday cake. Now it's time to open presents...
This year, we drew names for the first time. So, we each gave a gift to one person. I bet everyone wished they had drawn Audra's name. She got this excited about every present that was opened...as soon as the paper was torn and she saw the box! It was hysterical! Mimi gave Audra a Cabbage Patch Doll! She loooves it.
"Hmmm. Maybe, I'll just touch this one shiny ball while no one is looking. Except Gramps. And he thinks I'm too cute to tell on me."
Does Audra's facial expression look familiar? Every present. Every time. This time she's helping Justus open his present from Ben. It may have been the most popular present there. Every child under 5 wanted to ride it and show Justus how to play with it. How generous!
He is FASCINATED!
Dave gave Scott this hand-carved marble chess set. Scott loves to play chess, but he's definitely never played on a set this nice! Dave and Rhea Lana returned from a 10-day mission trip to India 24 hours before our gathering and brought this to Scott all the way across the Atlantic. This was Dave's 10th trip to encourage the team in India, but the first time Rhea Lana has gone. We all loved hearing their stories and seeing their pictures.
Jennifer gave Mother this beautiful container with intricately patterned pieces of broken tiles. Later, she gave Mom the second part of the gift. She spent HOURS hand-painting a matching piece of artwork for Mom to hang over her mantle in the sunroom. Wow! What a gift of love! Other highlights include the cross charm bracelet that I received from Richard (I love it!) and the wall crosses that Scott gave Dave and I gave Richard. They are hand-made (not by me)from recycled pieces of wood, copper, nails, and barbed-wire thorn crowns. So cool!
"Hum Diddle Ay, Hum Diddle Oh, Hum Diddle...Ay...Dee...Do...zzzzzzzzzz." Gramps sang himself to sleep.
Traditionally, someone in our family brings a gift that doesn't have monetary value (much like the drummer boy had no gift to bring to baby Jesus, the King, but played his drum for Him). Usually, in the past it has been one of the grandchildren. One year Bekah & Leah played a flute & clarinet duet. Another year Erin played the piano. One year, when Dave & Rhea Lana's kids were really little they quoted an entire passage of the Bible. This is the first time I have ever done anything. It is the nativity story told using candles.

This was actually one of my favorite moments of the whole day. After Richard and Rhea Lana's families left to travel to their inlaws and my younger ones were tucked in bed, Titus and I cuddled up to read Christmas books. It is rare that I get to read to just one of my children at a time. We took our time and talked through the wonderful stories. I love to read good children's literature and I love the magic intimacy of this moment.

Merry Christmas!

Wii Oui! Wii Wee!

Last night DJ and Cari Harris invited our family over for dinner. After dinner, DJ, Wyatt (their 3 year old), Scott, and Titus went upstairs to play Wyatt's new Wii (an early Christmas present). Cari and I stayed downstairs with the babies and Audra floated back and forth. My biggest challenge of the night was keeping Justus off the stairs. He crawled out of the living room and when I went to find him a couple minutes later, he was sitting at the top of the stairs looking down at me! AHHHHH! We repeated this about 20 times during the night...only I got a lot faster at capturing my fugitive.

The boys sounded like they were having fun upstairs, but I had no idea how much fun until we went up there to check on them. All four of them were physically exausted from the action of the Wii. I'd never heard of it, but apparently it is the big rage. It is a video game system, but it is wireless and it is completely physical, rather than just sitting still on the couch. When we got up there, Titus and Wyatt were boxing and Titus was hilarious. He was so "into it" that he was furiously throwing punches with both arms while running and kicking both legs. They'd also been plaing golf, tennis, and bowling. Cari was giving us all pointers, so I'm convinced that she's been secretly playing it while the boys have been napping. Who needs to go to the gym for Tai Bo, when you can play Wii at home? No wonder she is so fit!

In other news, when we got home Audra sat down to draw on her Doodle Pro while I was cleaning her room before bedtime. A few minutes later she said, "Mommy look! Whale friends swimming in the ocean!" I was so impressed! (Ok, so you have to look at it through a mother's eyes.) Titus has never been that interested in coloring or drawing and it was the first time one of my children has drawn something recognizable and been able to tell me what it was. See how she gave each "whale" two (or three) eyes and mouths. I was very proud of my little Picasso!

[BTW, I'd love for you to leave a comment on my blog! That way, I know I'm not the only one who reads it! :) All you need to do is click on "0 Comments" under each post and you can type a comment.]

Tadpoles By Mail!

The kids got a Christmas package in the mail today from Aunt Tammy and Uncle Terry (Scott's sister and her husband). It was labeled, "LIVE." I guess I was expecting it to be a plant or something. I didn't know it would be live LIVE! I didn't even know they would send something LIVE in the mail. We opened it and it was a "Raise-A-Frog Kit." When I first read it I was a bit hesitant because I like animals, but I don't want to live with them. When I looked further, however, I discovered a bag of four live tadpoles in water and a kit to build an aquarium for them with a teacher's manual. I began to get so excited about it! This definitely tops my list of coolest Christmas presents my kids have ever received! How creative! The kids and I spent the afternoon (sans naps) following the instructions to set up the habitat for the tadpoles, reading about tadpoles & their morphological changes, labeling a diagram of a frog, and feeding the tadpoles. Then the kids just sat and watched them; they were fascinated! I can't wait to do the activities, science projects, and check out the library books that it recommends! I would NEVER have thought of something like this for the kids, but we LOVE it! Thank you SO much Aunt Tammy! You are always so thoughtful! We'll send pics as our tadpoles grow. By the way, tonight at dinner they got named Yoda, Anakin, Padmay (sp?), and Gena (Audra's contribution). Obviously, Scott and Titus have been watching Star Wars III this week. So, I am now the proud owner of a pet tadpole named Yoda!

Please, pray (for the sake of my children) that I don't kill the poor things. If plants are any indication, I am in big trouble!

Snowman Pancakes

I have a pretty short breakfast menu. I alternate between hot whole grain cereal, smoothies, or eggs with toast & fruit. I like to have some type of protein, whole grain, and fruit for the kids for breakfast. I got a wild notion last night to make snowman pancakes. I thought it would be festive with Christmas only a few days away. The kids helped me mix up the batter and as soon as I started pouring the circles into the pan Audra said, "Frosty!" I was amazed that the snowman was recognizable to her. I didn't tell her that I was attempting snowmen and it certainly didn't look like one to me. When I served Audra's, Titus said, "Mom, why did you make Audra's look like a snowman?"

"Well, I thought it would be fun," I replied.

"Cool!" Titus said. "Can I have Lightning McQueen?"

Ha! I draw the line at Snowmen. That's as artistic as I get.

Lights on the Fayetteville Square

We decided to take advantage of the warmer weather today and head down to The Fayetteville Square. The kids have already been down there once with Scott (when I was hosting Qiana's shower), so they were very excited to show me the lights, camel, and ponies. It really is so magical and charming with all of the lights! Scott took us on a ride in a horse-drawn "Cinderella Carriage." The kids and I were so delighted!!!!


Titus and Audra had their Christmas parties at Kids' Day Out this morning. Here are the little gifts we took to their classmates and teachers: white chocolate covered Christmas pretzels. I had intended to have the kids help me make these, but I got distracted by other jobs & errands yesterday and forgot. So, of course, I was up at midnight making "their" crafts last night! :) I have a feeling it won't be the last time. I can only imagine what it will be like when they start having school projects.

Justus and I spent the morning running errands and finishing our Christmas shopping. When we were in Target, he discovered a thrilling new game. He loved dropping his paci out of the cart and hearing himself say, "uh oh!" over and over again. Unfortunately for him, he is Baby #3 and this game is not new to Mommy, so after he practiced his new vocabulary word several times, the paci got put away. He didn't seem to mind too much and entertained himself by charming all the other shoppers.

Christmas Musical in Clarksville

The kids and I drove down to Clarksville tonight to see Erin, my niece, in her Christmas musical. My sister-in-law, Jennifer, has been directing their church's Children's Chrismas musicals for the past four years, but it is the first one we've seen. I was so impressed! The quality was excellent and it had a great message. They really did a great job! Titus and Audra think anything related to their cousins is wonderful, so they loved it and were very attentive. Afterwards, they had a blast playing with their cousins and eating Happy Birthday Jesus cake at the reception.

Lazy Day

After the whirlwind of Christmas activities around our home the past two weeks, I could tell that my kids were craving my undivided attention this morning. So, we spent the morning lazing around (is that a word?) in our pajamas. I ignored my "chores" and we snuggled, wrestled, tickled, laughed, read books, and played dress-up. Pictured above is one of Audra's many costume changes. Nice combo, eh? Cowboy hat, ballerina tutu, and snow boots. (Thank you for the boots, Kate! Audra has been wearing them for two days!) That's Spiderman peeking out behind her. Justus is behind them looking out the window, but you can't see him.

Justus did the funniest thing this morning. Titus...I mean, Spiderman...was shooting webs at me and saying, "Pkew! Pkew!" (Are all boys born with the innate ability to make sound effects?) Then Audra--in her Cinderella dress--started copying Titus and saying, "Pkew! Pkew!" All of a sudden Justus, who had apparently been observing the scene, stretched both arms in front of him and said, "Pfff! Pfff!" Hilarious! My other two certainly didn't do that at 11 months, but they didn't have a 5-year-old brother around, either. How funny!

Mimi and Gramps stopped by before they left town to go back to Heber Springs. As they were leaving and saying their good-byes, Justus said, "hi," and waved for the first time. I should clarify that he actually waves to himself: he holds his hand up with his palm facing himself and waves his fingers up and down. He is my first baby to wave like this, but it makes sense, because that it what it looks like when people wave to him. This is his favorite new game and we are all happy to oblige him. It is so adorable! I have a feeling my blog is going to full of lots of Justus firsts for the next several months.

Recruiting Edge Christmas Party

Almost three years ago, Scott conceived a vision for Recruiting Edge. He enjoyed recruiting, which he had done for JB Hunt, but wanted the freedom to work for himself and the ability to help more drivers by being able to place them at multiple companies. He started as one independent recuiter hiring for one company. Almost three years later, Scott is now the general contractor for 35 Independent Recruiters across the country hiring for 16 trucking companies. Each of them work out of home offices, which is so nice. They are well-respected and trusted within the industry. I admire Scott for his giftedness, leadership, and for assembling such a talented team.

We had a Christmas party in our home to thank the Recuiters and to celebrate the year. We missed all of you who live out of state or who were not able to come, but I really enjoyed visiting with those who could make it. Daniel Alexander was the "life of the party" and kept all of us in tears from laughing so much! He kept persuading my Dad to tell military stories, which somehow turned into hilarious "war stories" from recruiting truck drivers. Thank you all for coming. We had such a fun night and appreciate your passion, dedication, and excellent standards.

Justus' First Words

Justus added a new word to his vocabulary of sounds today. I dropped his sippy cup at breakfast and said, "uh oh!" He replied with a very intentional, "ah, ah, AH, ohhhhhhhh."

Here are some of his other adorable "words":
"buh"-he'll put his hands on his forehead (he has the right idea), take them off and say "buh!" (boo)

He can also growl! One evening the kids were playing and wrestling around with Scott on the living room floor and Titus and Scott were growling at each other. Justus did not want to be left out of the fun and "tackled" Scott and gave him a deep throated, "aaahhHHH!" Hysterical! He'll do it for you if you growl at him!

Christmas Choir Concert

Tonight Titus and Audra had their very first choir concert. Every Wednesday night they go to University Baptist Church where they have choir and then "Cubbies." (Awana's Bible memory program for pre-schoolers.) Tonight was their Christmas concert and it was so precious. I really wish I had been able to capture it on video, but our video camera is broken.

Audra did such a good job. I have to confess that I was relieved that she didn't cry through it! She was so sweet up there! She was delighted when she saw Scott and me and waved to us through most of the performance. Her favorite song was "Away in a Manger." She's been singing it daily at home!


Titus doing the ASL sign for Jesus. Titus also did such a good job! He sang all the words to his songs...except when he first saw me and turned around to his friend behind him and said, "Hey, that's my mom!" He waved and gave me the ASL sign for "I love you." Justus also did a great job watching his big brother and sister. Have I mentioned how much I love this stage of life?

Brother and sister after their performance.