Sunday!

My favorite day of the week!!! Church was so good this morning...particularly worship. Our worship leader, Bob Geabhart, just has this amazing ability to be able to lead us into worship. And I do believe that is a God~given ability. The music and worship was just so reverent this morning. It was one of those times when I couldn't really sing because I couldn't stop crying. I always think that when that happens, it's just anointed. God truly met us there this morning, and it was just amazing.

We met our new nephew today! After church we all went over to Wiley and Phyllis' house and met up there with Tim, Tracy, Nathan and Joseph! He is such a doll...chubby cheeks, great personality, big ole brown puppy dog eyes, the works! He would get his way all the time at my house. Ha, I am kidding, I promise, but when they would tell him not to do something, he would start crying these big crocodile tears and it was as if he'd just had his little heart broken. It's so pitiful! Tracy assured me it does get old, eventually, but I find myself wondering! What a sweetie!

Graham and Drew couldn't keep their grubby little hands off him! They kept on asking him for a hug, and usually he would oblige. We carrolled at Grandma Rena's retirement home...well, not really, but we did sing a couple songs. The boys have been dying to go Christmas carrolling! We went back over to their house afterward and ate dinner there, too. Might as well, rather than having to come home and cook!

I'm excited about tomorrow! The boys and I are meeting Dad at his office, then going to lunch with him. After that, I'm taking the boys to Phyllis' house so Todd and I can finish our shopping. I know. Three days before and we're not done. BUT we are going to finish tomorrow night, and hopefully we'll get in a date night as well! I'd love to see a movie, but don't know if that's going to happen or not! I don't know what I would see, but the thought is kind of nice!!! On the other hand, we may just come back home, snuggle up and watch our Netflix movie that we've been needing to watch. =) Remember what it is, honey??? I'm sure you're thrilled! For everyone else, it's a Tyler Perry movie. Tyler Perry as in MADEA and the Po~po!!! I love him/her!!!

Well, I'm going to finish reading Graham's Christmas book that I borrowed. Love to all!!! Goodnight!!!

Why Christmas Is Magical To Me

Why Christmas Is Magical To Me

1. The birth of Jesus. Santa Clause totally aside, Jesus' birth is the most magical, special, thrilling thing ever to have taken place. That God chose Mary, who said "Lord, let it be unto me as You have said", who was betrothed to Joseph (not many men would have stood by her side), to be the parents of Jesus Christ. How much more humble can it get? God knew what He was doing all those years ago, and it still rings true today. Whether this Christmas is the best or the worst, God has a plan in it all, it's just up to us to step aside and trust Him. I love the image in my mind of what it must have been like to see that bright star suddenly light up and fill the whole sky. It makes me wonder: do I have the Lord in such a place that He fills all of me?

2. Our church family and the body of believers who are our family and friends. This is what God intended; for us to belong to a body of believers with whom we could fellowship. In so many ways, the church is as much our family as our real family is. The church being all it's people, not the building itself. There is something so incredibly special about belonging to a church for years at a time. I love the saying, 'You will never find that perfect church. If you do, you'll mess it up by going to it.' It's so true. Our church is amazing, but trust me, there are faults to be found. None of that matters, though. We believe what our church teaches, it's Bible based, and we know that denomination doesn't matter...as long as we have asked Jesus to be in our hearts, believe in Him, and confessed and asked forgiveness of our sin...that we will all reside in Heaven someday together! These people within our church know every little nook and cranny of our lives. We are not private people. We lay it all out right there, for everyone to see and to be a part of. We're emotional, loving, feeling, sharing people, Todd and I, and there's something so freeing about people knowing all these little details about our lives and STILL loving us. It's amazing. And if you're reading this, and you don't have that in your life, I encourage you to either get more involved and SERVE TOGETHER with your church, or just come to church for the first time. If you don't have one, come to ours. I'll even skip choir and come sit beside you. Wherever you go, I just pray that you find 'your spot'. We all have one.

3. The kids! I am totally reliving my childhood through my boys and I love it. My heart was racing this morning as I dropped them off for their LAST DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! I may seriously be more excited than them!!! Not really, but they were all looking at me like, "Mom, chill." I think I embarrassed them. I love all our little quirky traditions. For us, this whole month is all about FAMILY and doing all we can with them. It starts the day of Thanksgiving, and goes right up until the night before they return to school. We go to their houses (hopefully more than once before the BIG DAY), we go to Zoo Lights, the parade, the town Christmas tree lighting, we always to go some sort of Christmas village for them to participate in, we drive around and find our favorite Christmas lights, the list is endless. These years are precious that we have while our children are little, and before we know it the day will come when they don't want to do this kind of stuff anymore. I am dreading those days, but Todd and I will probably continue right along. Hopefully they'll just want to add their friends/girlfriends to the mix. The more the merrier is my life's motto.

4. CHRISTMAS MUSIC! I haven't listened to it that much this year. But I have a song in my head at all times. I think my favorite is O Holy Night. It holds a close tie with Little Drummer Boy. Just precious, I tell you. I am constantly singing or humming one of these beautiful songs. Also, and this kind of goes along with the music, I love Christmas movies! I've recorded like ten so far, and am trying to watch them all before Christmas! Drew and I watched a couple yesterday when he was home sick. I love the Family channel and the Hallmark channel. The family channel has the 25 days of Christmas, which is just amazing! Thank the Lord for digital video recorders!!! I don't know what we ever did without it! Even Todd watches them with me...if I twist his arm hard enough!

Well, I am out of time. I could add more, but I'll leave you hanging. Happy FRIDAY!!!! And love to all!

It's Almost CHRISTMAS BREAK!!!

I am sooooo excited, I cannot hardly stand it!!! We have one more day of school and then it's two weeks off!!! The boys are excited too! We had Christmas parties today...Drew missed his because he was sick. Poor little boy. He's better now, though, thank goodness, and will return to school tomorrow for his easy day. I'm reading in Noah's class when I finish working, so I'm excited about that.

Okay, yesterday I was talking to Jonah's teacher, and she told me that somehow they got on the subject of Elvis Presley. They were talking about where he was now, and she said she thought he was in Heaven. Jonah spoke up in disagreement and said, "No, Mrs. Miles. He's not in Heaven yet, he's frozen and hanging up in a grocery store." DO WHAT!?!?!?!?!

Don't know where that came from, and don't care to know. All I know is that his teacher thinks we're all a little loco, I think. Love to all.

Bedtime Story

There once was this sweet little family of boys. Graham was the oldest and therefore thought of himself as 'the boss'. Drew was the second, and was dubbed 'the family clown' because he loved to make everyone laugh. Jonah was the third out of four brothers and he loved to talk. He also admired his handsome Daddy and wanted anything that Daddy had. Noah was the youngest, and therefore the most docile of them all~he just kind of went along with what everyone else already thought of and was happy to do so. This one night it was getting later and later, and still all these little boys were just busy busy busily running around.

They were throwing homemade paper airplanes, they were running and chasing each other, they were scurrying to get ready for bed, only to race back down the stairs as they remembered to take their medicine. The youngest of the brothers was laying on the couch trying to convince Mommy and Daddy why it was a good idea for him to stay home from school the next day. They didn't 'buy' the story, but thought it was a great effort. And there the Mommy sat, so tired and exhausted that she only listened with one ear. Thankfully their Daddy sensed the Mommy's near cranky state and listened intently to every word being said.

It was late, and all the sweet little boys needed to be in bed, but the Mommy was dreading it. The two youngest brothers had been sick, and their Mommy had a brilliant idea. She thought,"I have a great idea! In case the older brothers get sick in the middle of the night and can't make it in time to get sick in the bathroom, why don't I make them a nice cozy pallet to sleep on? That way, should I have to be up all night (for the third night this week), I won't have to run around and change sheets and find clean ones!" Of course the older brothers thought this was a fantabulous idea and went along with it wholeheartedly. They loved sleeping together, but had grown too big to do so in their own beds. This way, not only could they sleep side by side, they could talk and talk and talk, just in the way that all brothers do.

The Daddy had mercy on the Mommy and went to tuck in all the little boys. When all was finished, he came and sat back down in the quiet living room. The Daddy had made a beautiful fire to sit by, on this cold wintry night, and was happily trying to stoke that fire. So this tired Mommy just sat and watched this handsome Daddy as he did this. She sat there for a while and was about to fall asleep, when she decided to go ahead and go to bed. Of course, just going to bed was not at all what Mommy's do, so after ten minutes of washing and cleansing her face in the bathroom, brushing her teeth, and doing all the other stuff that all Mommies do, she thought about what she should do next. The kids!, she though. She had yet to check on them!

So down the hall she went, quickly and quietly as a mouse and peeped in at all her sleeping angels. The younger brothers were blissfully sleeping, exhausted by their day, one at kindergarten, and the other tired from being so sick all day. She tucked them in, all nice and tight and snug as two bugs in a rug, and left to check on the older brothers. She stuck her head in their room and alas! They were still awake! What they were talking about, she did not even want to know, since it was coming upon the ten o'clock hour. She made sure they were all tucked in, nice and tight snug as two bugs in their rug, and left their room.

And now, the tired, exhausted, worn out and on the verge of being cranky Mommy sits and writes her family and loved ones a story. She's afraid that if she goes to sleep someone else will wake up sick. So prolong it, she tries, to no avail. It's getting later and later and sleep she must! The face has been washed, the kitchen has been cleaned, the pillows have been put back where they belong, the stray toys have been picked up off the floor, the folded clothes have been properly dispersed, the playroom couch has been 'made back up', the animals have been fed, the shoes have been put back in their proper place, and here she still sits. Well, this is silly, she thought. So she finishes her bedtime story, says her prayers, and picks up her Christmas book. And sooner than she thinks will happen, off to the Land of Nod she goes.

More Of My Exciting Life

I will be so thankful when this horrible virus leaves our family. Noah got it around 10pm last night, and went strong until 7 or 8 am this morning. I am now functioning on 2 hours of sleep. Well, the times combined may be 2 total, maybe less. He is currently passed out on the living room sofa. He's been out like a light since 8 this morning.

I really hope I don't get fired from my job. No really, I don't think I will, but someone in my house (including me) has had SOMETHING since the first week I started. I think Jonah, Noah and I are all building up our immune systems. At least I hope that's what has been wrong! Thank goodness for my comp. time! If it weren't for that, my checks would have been less.

So right now I'm sitting, waiting on yet ANOTHER load of laundry to finish washing and drying, and watching Rachel Ray. I love her. She just makes me want to go whip up something every time I watch her. I'm watching her show on NBC, not the actual Food Network show. Food Network is my fav. channel. Seriously. Anyway, I'm contemplating what I want for lunch. I'm thinking salsa and something. I'm sooooooo on a Mexican food kick right now.

There are a few things good that come out of this yucky sickness. One is that I get to have a lazy pj day. I would cuddle with Noah if he was awake, but I plan on doing some of that once he regains conscienceness. Another something is that I finished one Christmas book last night, and got halfway through another one. In case you didn't pick up on that...I was afraid to go to sleep. I was scared that once I did, he wouldn't "make it" to the bathroom or to the bowl I finally gave him. He is not the easiest child to wake up, ya know what I'm sayin'??? After today I'm going to be needing another Christmas book, AHEM PHYLLIS, so I had to resort to borrowing one of Graham and Drew's books. It looks good, it's called the 12 Dogs of Christmas. I think Graham's second grade teacher bought it for him for Christmas. It kind of reminds me of Marley & Me, that new Jennifer Anniston movie coming out. Which I want to see with the boys...the older ones. I don't think Jonah and Noah would like it. Well, at least Jonah anyway. He HATES movies, and can just barely sit through one. The thought of him having to be quiet for two hours or more puts him right to sleep about twenty minutes after those theatre lights go out. Noah, on the other hand is like Drew, and is my movie buff. Graham likes them, but only wants to watch them once. Me, Drew and Noah could watch them over and over and over and over. Get my drift?

Well, my stomach is growling and I am rambling. So I will put you out of your misery and hush. Happy Tuesday to all!

Blah Monday

Today is sooooo dreary. It's missing a great chance to snow, too. They're predicting freezing rain today. The high today is in the mid forties, but the temp will start dropping around noon, and falling to the twenties. Brrrrr. I bundled the kids up good for the weather.

So yesterday was fun...and yes I'm being sarcastic. It was my birthday, but Jonah was soooo sick with a stomach virus that started at 2 am and made him throw up every hour, just about on the hour. Fun. I was two hours into my birthday, on my hands and knees cleaning up the bathroom from where he didn't quite make it. Poor little guy.

I had to leave Jonah home with Todd, and me and the other boys went to our concert. It was so much fun, and they all did so good! Drew was a shephard, Noah was a sheep (the cutest one out of three on stage!), and Graham sang a solo and was in the angel choir. It was precious. I cried like a baby when I heard the song Graham sang. It's "Who Would Imagine A King" from the movie, The Preacher's Wife. Beautiful, I tell you. I am so thankful for all the hard work these kids put into this....If you're on facebook, you can go to my page, and then go to my videos and see it for yourself. I was going to put it on here, but can't figure it out and don't have the time to sit and play with it.

Well, speaking of time, mine's running out!!! Love to all and Happy Monday!!!!

What We Did Today

It has been a very busy weekend so far! We had dress rehearsal at church last night that went until 10:30. We sang until right up to that time almost. The good news: I think it all will pay off tomorrow night. The bad news: my voice is shot. I'm praying it'll come back before tomorrow night, since I'm singing in the first ensemble!!! I really want to sing that part, too, so I'll be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

We came home, went straight to bed, and hit the floor running this morning. Drew had 2 chorus performances today. One was at ten at the nursing home in Collierville, and the other was at eleven on the Town Square. It was sooooooooooooo cold and windy. Well, not that cold, but the wind was ferocious. So much so, that my dad "borrowed" Jonah's santa hat. I'm hoping he returns it tomorrow, since it's Jonah's favorite! After they sang a shortened version of what they sang at the nursing home, we went on a carriage ride around the square. It was so much fun! The boys loved it, and I always can go for some time to snuggle up with all my favorite boys! Yummy!!!

I left them, and went off on my own. I met Mom and we did some shopping!!! I feel so much better now that I've actually started. I'm so excited about Christmas this year...it's a little different. The boys probably won't get quite as much from anyone, including us, but we've had some really great quality time with them. I don't want Christmas to be about 'stuff', and seeing who got what at who's house, and racing to the next house to rip into to even more packages. Everyone has less money this year, but I would not have it any other way.

For one thing, it makes us take a step back and evaluate what we've done in years past. And I love buying for these boys, so it's hard not to do so. But when I think back to that Holy night when the baby Jesus was born, as the Little Drummer Boy states...'I'll play my best for you'...that is what we're encouraged to do. We are to give Him our best. And our best is not all caught up in sparkly new gifts. They're nice, don't get me wrong and I love getting them and giving them, but Jesus wants our best....our heart and for us to live for Him. The other thing I love is that we're creating memories with the boys. December is all about togetherness for us. It's about us doing the best we can to milk everything we can possibly get out of this one month of magic. I love the traditions we've started with the boys, and I think that when they have families of their own someday, they'll remember this time with a thankful heart.

Now, all this being said...I did some shopping today, you know what I'm sayin'? I am very excited about what I've gotten so far...I think it'll be really special for them all. I also helped the grandmothers shop. I have such a hard time describing things that it's just easier to shop with them. Although with Mimi, we just talked on the phone.

So while I shopped, Todd took the boys to pick me out something for my birthday. They had lunch, then he took Graham to a birthday party. Tonight we went to this church that puts on a spectacular Christmas event called Alpine Village. It was so amazing. There are all these buildings everywhere with things to do inside of them. Some of them were The Candy Shoppe, The Book Shoppe, The Toy Shoppe, things like that. They watched a puppet show, saw Santa, and got to see a live nativity at the very end. We just got home a little while ago, and all is quiet. Speaking of that quiet, I think I'm going to go to bed now. I really need to finish my Christmas book before Christmas comes, and I have an even longer day tomorrow. Good night....love to all!