Let it Snow

It actually snowed here this past week!! It was a blast! We headed over to a friend's house and spent the day! There was a lot of playing in the snow, sledding, hot chocolate, a fire in the fireplace, friends...does it get any better? The only thing we missed was my very responsible and dependable husband who went in for a full day's work. And to top it all off,they are forcasting snow again today...so if you are a local, better go get your milk and bread! (Exactly what do you do with all that milk and bread in the snow??)

Christmas Fun

Can you believe we are half way through January 2008!! Seems like Christmas was yesterday!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year...It was full of wonderful times with family and friends. The church service on Christmas eve was an incredible celebration of the birth of Christ and really helped me stop in the midst of the hustle and bustle and remember the reason we were celebrating!

I never get every thing done that I want during the holidays and this year is no exception...so when you get an "Easter" card from our family, know you weren't taken off the Christmas card list this year. I just never got them out!!

We spent Christmas morning at our home and then by lunchtime headed out to Atlanta to spend the rest of the holidays with my family. I am so thankful for my family...what a crazy crew we are and what fun we have together!! I didn't do a great job of capturing it all on film this year (perhaps that is to blame on the new family obsession with the game Blokus!! )

My parents really deserve a big thanks for the way that they always open their home to us.They are so incredibly generous and loving. I hope that none of us ever take for granted all they do for us!! I am tremendously thankful for my sisters, brother and their families as well!! I love them so much and they add so much to my life!

A Precious Friend

One of the bonuses of having special friends with a precious daughter is that on occasion we get to baby sit!! What fun we had one night with Little E, while her mom and dad went to a Christmas party. She had big fun in J3's Cozy Coupe - driving it back and forth in kitchen. J3's job was to keep it filled with "gas" - good training for the future!!

Both A and J3 were super sweet to Little E and enjoyed her so much! She is such a cutie!

Truly "Uplifting and Encouraging", His Radio

Over the Christmas holidays, I had to go to our local Christian radio station to record a 30 second spot advertising our church's women's bible studies. (These bible studies are awesome and start on January 16th ,by the way!!) This is the third time that I have done this, and all three times the kids have gone along. All three of us are fascinated each time by the whole set up...it really is a fun experience.

We had to wait a little while this past time, as the people who do the recording were all busy with other projects when we got there. The kids were so patient and well behaved, and I was very appreciative,as it is not really a place that is conducive to loud sounds and rambunctious behavior!!!

As I finished recording, A said "I wish that we could record something some time." The lady helping us (the host of the night time show) kindly responded with an idea that maybe they could do something for VBS or something like that and then offered to show the kids around and take them to the kitchen for a cookie or cupcake. As we were leaving, the female host of their morning show stopped us and wanted to know if we had time to record some things for the station (the kids loved the fact that her co-host said they had great voices!!) We then had the opportunity to record Bible verses, the radio station's slogans and a short spot on what the station means to our family. We got to meet several of the dj's. Everyone was so kind, friendly and patient! The atmosphere there really shows that it is not just a job to those people. They really do love the Lord and live it out in their attitudes and actions! What a blessing it is to have a station like that here in our town!!

So, stayed tuned during the month of January and be on the "listen" for A and J3!!! They did a great job!

Tis the Season for Random Acts of Kindness

(I started this post on December 19th and am just now getting around to finishing...it was one of several really neat things that happened over Christmas!! More Christmas pics and updates to follow!!)

We had the coolest thing happen to us a couple of days of go at the drive-thru of a local fast food restaurant. It was a busy day and the line in front of us was fairly long, so we placed our order and then eventually got up to the window for our turn to pay and get the food. When we pulled up the woman that was working the window said "The person that was in front of you said to tell you Merry Christmas and they paid for your lunch." I was speechless (that in and of itself was unbelievable!!). I saw the back of the van in front of us as they pulled away and it didn't belong to anyone that we know, so it was must have been a stranger, performing a random act of kindness.



It made such a big impression on us all. The kids were really struck by the fact that someone would do something so unselfish...something for which they would not even receive any recognition or thank you.



You know, this time of year we get so busy with accomplishing the Christmas tasks...baking, shopping, decorating, celebrating. My prayer for myself and for others is that in the midst of it all we don't lose sight of what is most important!!

Bethlehem Gulch

This past Sunday our church presented a children's Christmas musical called Bethlehem Gulch. It was so cute and every child that participated in it did an amazing job. How brave they are to get up in front of all those people and sing and act!! We are very appreciative of the adults who take their time and talents to work with the kids.

It was a big night for our kids for two reasons....it was J3's first time participating in the children's program and A had a solo in the finale. I was such a proud mama!! They were awesome!!

Does Anyone know a Good Dentist?

Hee, hee, hee! J3 and his fake teeth!