The Reason for the Season

I LOVE Christmas!! Its my favorite time of year! I love the decorations, music, baking, shopping, giving, and receiving that go along with it. But, my favorite part of Christmas is celebrating the birth of Jesus. As a mom, I can't imagine giving the life of one of my sons for the sins of myself or others. Yet, God in his great love for us, did that very thing. Amazing!! I try to always stay focused on the Lord amidst all the busyness that the holiday creates, and I do my best not to stress out but to enjoy these times. Ayden and I have been busy the last week baking cookies and candy and I enjoyed making memories with him...even though it slowed me down. I look forward to the time when Landon and Camden are old enough to join in.

We had a particularly good discussion in Sunday school yesterday regarding Christmas. Each of the teachers shared our favorite name for God and why we feel like its a gift to us. I chose the name El Roi - God Sees Me. This name for God was only used once in the Bible, by Hagar after she ran away from Abram and Sarai. An angel met her in the desert and told her to go back. She then received a blessing from God and she gave Him the name El Roi. I love this name because it speaks of the intimate relationship God wants to have with each of us.
When I feel like I'm just one of many...He sees me.
When I've been hurt...He sees me.
When I feel like I'm all alone...He sees me.
When I rejoice...He sees me.
When I mess up...He sees me.
When I raise my hands in worship...He sees me.
When I put my face on the ground before Him...He sees me.
Do you know that He sees you, too? May El Roi reveal Himself to you during this Christmas season in ways he never has before. Merry Christmas!!!

It's a Good Thing His Head is So Hard

Man oh man, what a morning we had! We HAD to make a Wal-Mart/Target run to get a few groceries and gifts. Landon hates riding in the cart, but he has to because I can't steer the cart and hold his hand and shop all at the same time. He stands up a lot in the cart, and I always make him sit down so he doesn't fall. But, he's so short, I have a hard time seeing him over Camden's car seat. So, sometimes, I don't notice right away that he's standing. That was the case today. We were finishing up at Target and as I started to make a turn I saw, to my horror, that Landon was standing up...and losing his balance. As if in slow motion, I ran to catch him, but not in time. He fell headfirst onto the floor and immediately a crowd of onlookers gathered around to hear his wails. I felt like a terrible mother. I know it was an accident. I know I don't let him stand up in the cart, for that very reason. I know all of that. But the other shoppers don't. I'm pretty sure they thought I was a terrible momma. Luckily, Landy wasn't hurt and he stopped crying very quickly. He recovered faster than me...I shook for 30 minutes. Then, when we got home, he was sitting in Ayden's little Diego chair and lost his balance again. And fell on his head-again. This time it was just on the carpet, though. Poor guy.

Better Luck Next Time?

I have looked forward to tonight for the last few weeks. Sadly, it was a letdown. Tonight was supposed to be Ayden's big debut in the preschool choir.

He has walked around singing his songs for the last three weeks.

I tried to make today perfect so he'd be in a good mood.

I've been talking it up.

Telling him I'll take pictures and video it.

Getting him all dressed up in his new Christmas outfit.

Running into the church with him about 5 min. late.

Making a last minute bathroom run.

Getting him back onto the stage.

All of that for him to sit while everyone else stood. Sit while they opened their mouths and made a joyful noise. Sit while they smiled for their parents cameras. Sit while his daddy and I furiously motioned for him to stand up and sing. Sit, sit, sit.

When it was over he came to sit with us. Wanna know what he said? "Mama, I wanna sing in the choir. Can I sing in the choir now?" Then he looked up at me and smiled, gave me a kiss and hug, put his thumb in his mouth...and fell asleep.

Better luck next time?

Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee or Broken Eyeshadow

I've been meaning to post for the last few days, but haven't had the chance to sit down!! We spent all day yesterday at Disney. It was the first time for everyone but me and we had a blast! We rode all kinds of rides, met Buzz Lightyear, ate popcorn, rode the monorail, saw some awesome shows, and watched Hollywood Studios Streets of America light up with over 5 million lights! It was a wonderful day!! It was also so nice to spend a day all by ourselves. We left the cell phones in the car, and so we were literally alone (in the mass of all the other people visiting Disney yesterday). The boys all crashed on the way home, Ayden first. We stopped just outside of Orlando to get some dinner (Chick-Fil-A, baby!), but he was already out and never woke up to eat.
Today was the Preschool Christmas Party at church and so we dropped all three kiddos off at 10 this morning and didn't have to pick them up until noon. For two hours Jesse and I wandered around the mall drinking coffee and buying stocking stuffers for the boys at Target. Its the longest we've been on our own since Camden was born. I can't tell you how nice it was to have one another's undivided attention.
But, the inspiration for the title of this post, is from Thursday. I have been dragging all week and haven't gotten up early enough to have my quiet time before the boys wake up. So, I've been going to the far side of the living room to read and pray and study...because its away from the main action, but I can still make sure they aren't destroying anything. On Thursday, the two older boys were literally running circles around me making all kinds of noise. As I was finishing, Landon walked over and as quickly as only toddlers can, dumped my coffee all over my bible study book. At least it wasn't my bible! Grr!!! Ayden apologize for him..."Mama, he's really sorry. Landon didn't mean to spill your coffee on your study book!" A few minutes later, I realized my bathroom door was open (I try and always leave it closed...you'll see why). As I went to shut it, I discovered Landon...in my makeup...I'm pretty sure he had eyeshadow on his lips...and some on his eyes...and crumbled all over the sink....and the floor...my brand new eyeshadow that I loved... *sigh* Such is the life for now! He even had the audacity to look up at me and smile....and of course I smiled back... The Little Monster!! I emailed a few friends about our morning, and one suggested I blog about it....she even suggested the title. So, LT, this one's for you!!!

Ladies Night Out

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend Ladies Night Out with some friends from church. What a sweet time it was! The lady that leads the group simply shares from her heart the things God has taught her about being a wife and mom. The focus last night was putting Christ back in Christmas. Some of the suggestions she made are things we already do, but others are something we want to put into practice in our family. One of the girls described these monthly meetings as "refreshing," and I think that is the best description. There are so many things I want to teach my children but sometimes feel at a loss because of they are still so young. She gave practical ideas and said things that made me think about the way I sometimes respond to the boys. Even if they aren't in trouble...do I coach them to do things the right way? Do I encourage and speak to them with respect? What tone am I setting for my home? How do I respond to my husband?
As I've gone through the morning, I find myself thinking about the things that were taught last night, and asking the Lord to mold me and help me to apply the practices into my life. Have a blessed day!

My Little Baby Jesus

Yep, you read right. Camden was Baby Jesus in the Trailblazers' program tonight at church. I know its not a big deal to most people, but his daddy and I were awfully proud. He was so good...he never cried. He got a bit squirmy but Mary and Joseph were awesome and would pick him up before he could have the chance to cry. It was a very sweet service filled with the Christmas story and Christmas carols. Even though Christmas is my very favorite time of year, I'm in a bit of a funk this year because our Christmas will be much different from those in the past. So, it was nice to be surrounded by traditional music and the timeless story of our Savior's birth. May you be blessed this holiday season as you celebrate the most important gift of all!!

Rainy Day

Well, back in Missouri its beginning to feel a lot like....Christmas. You know, cold weather with occasional chances of wintry precipitation...leaves no longer on trees...Jack Frost nipping at your nose.... And, here in Florida, I think fall has finally arrived. Temps in the 50s and 60s for the next week and rain for several days. It has rained most of the day today. We had a cozy day inside, even though we had planned to spend the day at Disney World but cancelled because of the rain. Today was Jesse's day off, and, for the first time in a LONG time, we were all home together all day. We had pancakes for breakfast and then all 5 cuddled on the couch to watch The Polar Express. Then, Jesse and I picked up the house while all 3 boys took extra long naps. Ayden woke up first and the two of us made cookies for dessert and to share with the students when they come over tomorrow afternoon. Then he helped me with dinner. Jess had to be gone tonight, but the boys and I found a Muppet Christmas movie on tv and finished our day like we had started it. All in all, we had a nice, rainy, inside day....sorry its boring to read about, though.

p.s. We'll try Disney again next week...

Pushing My Buttons

Grr.... That's me making a guttural noise similar to growl. Sometimes, being a mommy is hard work. There is one thing that Ayden does occasionally that pushes my buttons like nothing else. I had to discipline him for that thing last night. Part of his punishment was going to bed as soon as he'd eaten dinner. Consequently, he was up early this morning....and made sure everyone else was up as well. Now Mr. 'Tude is seriously pushing his limits again this morning with sassy responses and an ugly attitude. Seems like he does this every time someone from Missouri visits us or we visit them. I know deep down in his little heart that he really misses them....and that I can tell him we'll see them again in 3 weeks, and even make him a paper chain to count down the days...but he really isn't old enough to understand yet. So, while we weather the current storm, I'll pray that his almost 4 year old heart can understand in some way why so much in his world has changed. And, I'll cherish the moments (which are much more numerous than disobedient ones, by the way) when he wraps his little arms around my neck, gives me a kiss, and says "I love you Mama." And, even though I should start cleaning house, my little man is now asking me to sit on the couch and get "covered up" with him....how can I resist?