Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Well, here I sit ready to blog about all of our fun activities over Christmas and New Year and I am unable to upload any pictures-Boo!!!  That really stinks!  Well, here is what we did without the pictures and hopefully soon I will figure this out.

Patrico, Suzy, Sebastian, Sienna and Sawyer got in town-Yay!  We are so glad to see you!
Shelby had a school performance-super cute!
JP had a school performance-super cute!
Shelby and JP sang in church-major super cute!
Children's Choir Happy Birthday Jesus Party-so fun!
Pratt's Bible study family party at our house-fun fellowship!
Pratt's work party at John and Sandi's-great time of food and fun!
Annual Chinese Take out Christmas dinner-we usually do this on Christmas Eve but since there was so much family in town we did it early and it was a special treat to have my brother join us!
Matt and Lauren visited for the night-I love my brother and sister!
Made our annual gingerbread houses-messy and yummy; I think this year the children ate more candy then they put on the houses!
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service-one of my favorite services all year!
Christmas Eve Reed Family dinner-Crazy time: lots of food, fun, and family!
Christmas morning at our house-Happy Birthday Jesus!!!
Christmas with Cynthia-can you say Monkey Bread and Ham Biscuits-Yes Please!!!
Christmas with John and Sandi-food, fun and presents!!
Christmas with my family-more food, more fun, and fighting over the leftover stuffing in the turkey: I'll get you next time Matt!
Finally Home and crash into bed!!

We had so much fun this Christmas with all of our family!!  What a blessed life we live!  Thank you Lord for your provision over 2012 and we eagerly await all that You will do in 2013!  Nothing we have and nothing we do would be possible with You, Lord!  We give all glory, honor and praise to You!

Santa!!! I Know Him!!

I have chronicled over the years Shelby's extreme fear of Santa and this year we had the major breakthrough we had been waiting for.  Yes, the picture you see is for real.  There is no photo shopping involved.  In fact this is only one of the four times that Shelby sat on Santa's lap on Sunday!!  AMAZING!

Of course as she continued to process this Santa through out the day she was quick to figure out that it wasn't the "real" Santa and made sure before she went to bed to confirm with Pratt that it was just a man dressed up like Santa.  Then the next day she announced that she still didn't want him coming to our house, but we will take the baby steps:)

Color Vibe

A few weeks ago Shelby and I did our first race together.  There was much excitement on my part as I love to run and had all these great ideas in my head of how the day would go and how this would be a big love fest for Shelby and I; well....maybe not so much.  I am not sure Shelby will ever run again, but we did it!

The race that we ran (actually we only ran the first mile and then we walked the rest, but I was extremely impressed that Shelby ran the first mile as we did absolutely nothing to train for it) was called the Color Vibe.  It is pretty neat.  Along the race they have color stations set up where they throw the color at you. 

I am not sure if you know this about Shelby but she likes to be IN CHARGE all the time; no ifs, ands or buts!  This was not a race for someone like her.  You really don't have control over a lot of elements and I quickly realized that she was not enjoying it so much.  We made it through the first color station fine, but then we started walking and she started, in her own little way, panicking.  First sign was that she held my hand for two miles.  This girl does not like to hold hands but she held on tight and every time someone came running around us she would grip tighter and tighter.  The second sign was that she asked a million questions..."Mommy, why is everyone so loud?  Where are Jack and Miss Erin?  Where is Miss Erika?  I can't see them anymore" etc, etc.

If you asked her today if she like it she will tell you yes, but take it from me, it is not something high on her list of things to do again in this life.

Making Beds

I feel like I have completely fallen off the blogging bandwagon and every time I sit down to write one I just can't...blogger's block maybe??? 

Anyway, I have succumbed to the pressure of my parents and my husband and hopefully this post will be the one that gets me going again.

The age old question: Why is it so hard to get your children to make their beds in the morning.  Six months ago both of my children were making their beds everyday before school and then summer came.  It seems like all rules go out of the door when summer hits and they completely forgot how to make their beds.  I guess I have to take some of the blame as I didn't make them make their beds everyday but these last six months have been a battle everyday to get this simple task done.  Sometimes I wage it and sometimes I just say it isn't worth it.

Anyway, one morning after a success I walked into JP's room and found this arrangement on his bed.  It was too cute and I couldn't resist taking a picture.  Every time he makes his bed this is how it can be found.

I wonder what makes him decide to cover up his tiger and monkey with his blankie??



Boys Night/Girls Night

Last weekend JP and Pratt headed off for a fun night of camping at Hampton Lake.  We figured this was a good way to introduce JP to camping.  They have everything you need at Hampton Lake so off the went for a night of guy stuff. 

The boys had so much fun!  They boated, fished, danced, had a fire, ate all kinds of food, etc.  Unfortunately the fun didn't last all night for Pratt as he got some kind of food poisoning or something.  Let's just say getting sick while camping, no matter how nice the arrangements is no fun; but leave it up to a child to make you smile even in the midst of feeling the worse.  When JP woke up Saturday morning he peaked his head out of the tent to find Pratt barely alive and said, "Dad, dad, two amazing things...first, I slept in my clothes all night and second I still haven't brushed my teeth!" 

Both really enjoyed the camping thing and will probably give it another try soon as the evening temperatures are starting to cool off.

While the boys were off on their adventure, Shelby and I opted to have a nice girl's evening.  We started out with dinner at Truffles with Grandmother (Shelby really wanted Grandmother to join us and asked if she could call her to invite her that morning.  Since it was 7am and I knew mom didn't have to work I told her that I would make sure to call Grandmother.  She couldn't quite understand that Grandmother probably wasn't up yet.).  After a very nice dinner we walked next door to Lovin' Spoons for some yummy yogurt!!!  As always, my eyes were bigger then my stomach, but I mustered up the strength to scrap the bottom of my bowl....so glad that my whole family loves that place.  PS-Rarely will I ever turn down an invite to Lovin' Spoons-hint, hint:)

After a quick trip to the store we came home, put on our pjs and settled into my bed to watch Yes to the Dress.  It was so much fun and I really cherished my time with my not so baby, baby girl!!  I love her so much!!



First Day of School 2012

Last Tuesday we started the new school year.  While a lot of mom's across our town were fighting back tears, I was very excited to send my children off on a new adventure.  Is something wrong with me??  I mean, I love my children to pieces, but I also have no problem watching them grow and go off on new adventures.  Maybe it is because I loved school sooo much that I get all giddy at the thought of school supplies, books, learning, etc that it overrides my sadness as a mom watching her children getting bigger by the moment.  Don't get me wrong, I do have moments of realization that take my breath away but when it comes to sending my children off to school I don't.

Anyway, before we loaded up to head to school we tried to take our yearly first day of school pictures.  We tried our hardest to get a good picture, but most of the time the children, especially Shelby, were more interested in being silly then serious.  At first this was rather frustrating, but then I said to myself, "Hey, if she wants to be silly, let her be silly.  What better way to capture their little personalities then when they are being goofy."

This first picture is actually the best one we got but most of them.....

were like this

or like this...

Then we moved onto individual pictures. 

JP's first day of kindergarten.

(Don't ask me what the leaf was about.  They both decided they needed a prop to pose with.)

Shelby's first day of 2nd grade.



Okay, now I am ready to cry:(  Where did the time go and I miss my babies!!!! 

Can I get a Witness?

JP is actually listening...well, sometimes....

Sunday at church during the children's sermon Pastor Bill asked the children what was the only way to Heaven?  The children (at least most of them) quickly replied, "You die."  Of course we adults got a huge kick out of that.  We knew the answer that he was looking for, but children are quite literal so they gave him an incorrect correct answer.  As he went on to explain more about Jesus and what he did on the cross and through is resurrection so that we could spend eternity in Heave with God he asked the children where Heaven was and my sweet, shy JP who never speaks up said, "Straight up."  I was unaware that it was him until the end of the service so you can imagine my surprise when Rachel told me.  What a stinker!!!

Monday morning Shelby was walking around the house pretending like she was dead, but she could walk.  I think that she might have said the word zombie but part of me can't believe where she would have heard that word so I am not sure.  At any rate, she made a comment about walking around dead.  JP said, "Everyone walks around dead."  So I told JP that there was no such thing as dead people walking around.  And without missing a beat he said, "Yes mom, we are all dead in our sins."  HOLD UP!!!  Did he just say that?!?!?! was the response in my head but what I said was, "You are right JP; you are so right.  How do we become alive?"  He replied, "God makes us alive."  Then I asked him what God did so that he could make us come alive.  And he said, "Jesus died on the cross."  Bingo!!!  So impressed that he seems to be getting it:)

All this time I supposed everything went in one ear and out the other, but somethings are actually sticking.