our Christmas / MacFazden

Before we had kids, Nathan and I never really made Christmas that special of a day as Nathan's schedule usually required him to work and making the day too special made me really miss my family and that closeness and togetherness that comes with holidays. (Don't get me wrong...we always took and still take the time to focus on the REAL meaning of Christmas - the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ - and just being able to do that is special and meaningful and produces closeness in itself; however, we would lying to ourselves if we didn't realize and see that we make Christmas more about the birth of Christ.) As we now have our kids and the fact that they are getting older and understanding the meanings of things, we are finding ourselves having to change our mindsets to make these holidays special and memorable even with the lack of extended family around.

With that said, I was really dreading and almost becoming depressed over this Christmas as Nathan was scheduled to work the dayshift and would be out on the road all day long (or at least part of the day). The Lord knew that I needed Nathan to be home and spend this Christmas with our family, and He provided a huge blessing to our family. This blessing came in the form of a man named - Sgt. MacFazden. Sgt. MacFazden was gracious and kind enough to tell Nathan and the other 3 men scheduled for the dayshift that day to stay at home ALL DAY and enjoy their families as he was going to cover all of the calls and the whole entire shift. (He could have easily split up the shift and only worked a few hours along with all of the other guys working similar hours, but he DIDN'T - he gave us the gift of having our family together.) I know Sgt. MacFazden has NO IDEA how blessed and how thankful we were from this generous offering...having Daddy home for Christmas made our Christmas so special and memorable. I can't think of a better gift to give to our family. Thank you so much, Sarge!

SO...Christmas for our family was a fairly quiet and relaxing one. In the morning, we opened all of the generous gifts we received among ourselves and from other kind and generous people this Christmas. We ate our traditional Christmas lunch together - homemade pizza and hot wings. Then, we just relaxed and enjoyed watching the kids play with their gifts they received for the rest of the day.

Here are a few snapshots and glimpses into our Christmas Day...

Thank you to all those who gave so generously to us this Christmas! And, thank you, God, for sending your Son, Jesus, to live, suffer, die on the cross, and then conquering death by living again for US!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Merry Christmas!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and say, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

~Luke 2:1-21

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

it's a...

GIRL!!!!!

Santa Clause

On Christmas Eve, as we were reading books to the kids to get them down to bed for the night, we heard a bell ringing...first the ring was in the distance and then it got closer and closer and closer. Santa Clause was coming to our house!

Ivy had been talking about Santa coming to her house ever since we went to Santa's Village (an amusement park in New Hampshire with a Christmas theme) over the summer, and now he FINALLY came! At Santa's Village, Ivy got to sit on Santa's lap to tell him what she wanted for Christmas - one thing - a FOX! Can you guess what Santa gave Ivy?

That's right! A FOX!

(Daddy and Mommy did something this Christmas that they said they would NEVER, EVER do - only because our kids have got SO MANY of them, they're rarely used, and it seems like such a waste of money - Daddy and Mommy bought a STUFFED ANIMAL - the FOX!) :-)

As you can see, Owen was NOT a fan of sitting on Santa's lap - even though Santa brought him a monster truck as a gift!

Here's Santa giving his gifts to the kids...



THANK YOU, Santa, for stopping by our house!

By the way, Ivy loves her fox (her name is Betsy), and she sleeps with it every night!

(Actually, Santa Clause was our new neighbor, the local middle school principal - Mr. Richards - who offered to be Santa for us! Thank you, Mr. Richards (and the entire Richards family), for giving of your time and energy, especially when you could have been home with your own family on Christmas Eve! You blessed us with a memory that we can look back on!)

crafty?

NO...I AM NOT!!!

And, that's why I LOVE Oriental Trading! They have the BEST little crafty things that even I can handle, both mentally and financially. You find the craft that you like, order it, and all of the pieces come pre-packaged for each individual craft...pretty much ready to be assembled. It's so easy - even the worst crafter in the world (ME!) can do it!

It is my goal to make one crafty thing (if not more) for every season of the year with Ivy (and our other kids when they are old enough). My hope is that our kids will gain an appreciation and sense of accomplishment in creating and producing something, will learn how to follow instructions, and will work together and help one another. Plus, the crafts make GREAT presents for people!

This year, we made TWO winter crafts...

This cute little snowman pin (which you could turn into an ornament for your Christmas tree or into a magnet for your refrigerator)!

Here's Ivy working on the pin...she did everything except the hot glue part. (Mommy had to help with that.)

AND...we made this SIMPLE snowman card (which we turned into thank you notes to send to everyone who was so generous and giving to us during Christmas)!

This project involved using PAINT which Ivy LOVES! Here is Ivy and Mommy working together on this project...

Happy Crafting!

ugly sweaters

Sunday evening, our small group held its first annual Christmas party where about 20 college and career-aged people joined in the fun. This year's theme - ugly sweaters! Take a look at all of those who participated...

I must say, we had quite the array of creativity and ugliness with these sweaters. As you may or may not be able to tell, one sweater was "missing" sleeves, another the sleeves weren't quite long enough, yet another had shoulder pads, one was creatively decorated with wrapping paper and marker, more had fringe and bells, another looked like an afghan, and others contained "strange" colors especially when considering who was wearing them!

Of course, there were some party poopers (uh-hm, the college students) who refused to participate in the ugly sweater contest (maybe next time), but I think we all had fun laughing with one another.

Our night started with the "usual" menu of hamburgers and hot dogs and all of the goodies that go with them...


There were two in the group who apparently didn't care for the food and decided to "dig in" to a better meal! Yummy!?!

AND, when we have people to our house, Ivy ALWAYS knows that means there will be dessert! And, Ivy will not let you forget about dessert! (She's Papa's girl, what can I say!)


Thanks, Sarah, for the sugar cookies and the great idea of letting Ivy decorate her own cookie! She loved it!

After dinner, the group selected the first and second place winners for the ugliest sweaters for both the ladies and the guys. The winners were...


1st Place (Guys): Justin G. / 2nd Place (Guys): Eric
1st Place (Ladies): Anna / 2nd Place (Ladies): Sarah

Thanks to all of those who participated!

We also had a jar full of lots of yummy chocolate candy to guess how many were in there...of course, one of our college students won - Leah! She guessed the exact amount! Good job, Leah! Nathan B. came in a close second!

Although the food, fellowship, and "mini-contests" are always fun, it was time to bring our focus to the REAL reason we were all gathered together - THE one thing all of us have in common or should have in common - our love, passion, and relationship with Jesus Christ. Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no Christmas. Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no hope for all of us. Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no Savior!



For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16 (NIV)

Justin G. challenged all of us with a short devotional from Romans. He reminded us that no matter how ugly our sins are, God still loves us - so much that He sent Jesus to this earth to die for our ugly sins.



But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished - he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is bosasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. ~Romans 3:21-27 (NIV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ~John 10:10 (NIV)

To finish the evening, more games and fellowship...

While Ivy was playing Jenga, there was only one person who was "strong" enough to turn the big stack of Jenga pieces over to start the game again. This person was called upon every single time a new game of Jenga was to occur. This person was declared by Ivy to have the biggest muscles there. This person was Da - Andy!!!










Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

ultrasound

Today, we had our ultrasound for Baby Z. #3! The baby looks great!

This came as such a relief as, I must say, Nathan and I were a little nervous going in for the ultrasound. Although I had been feeling the little flutters from Baby Z. #3 moving, we still didn't know what we were going to see as it was at this 20-week ultrasound a couple of years ago when we found out that our baby that would have been born between Ivy and Owen was no longer living! It was such a shocking and horrific day that day, and the thought of having to go through another tragic day like that again seems unbearable! All in all, we know that the Lord is in control of all things and that He works all things out for the good! AND, although we still have no idea why tragedies like that happen, we know that God sees the bigger picture and has all things in His hands!

This was the ultrasound where we could have found out whether our baby was a boy or a girl. For both Ivy and Owen, we did not find out! We loved the surprise!

This time, we had no idea whether we should find out or not. SO, we had the radiology technician write down what the sex of the baby is for us to look at when and if we made the decision to find out. (I must say, just knowing that we have the answer to one of the mysteries in our lives right now within our reach, really tempts us to peek to see the answer...BUT, we have been good and have not peeked...I even had to go as far as putting a piece of tape over the envelope flap so it would further prevent me from trying to look! Am I helpless or what?)

Ivy is seriously set on having a baby sister! And, many people have asked her what she wanted...a baby brother or a baby sister (as if she could choose). BUT, if you really think about the question as posed to a 3-year old, they really believe that they do have the option of choosing a baby brother or baby sister. Ivy is a very sensitive little girl full of emotion and passion but yet has the side of being able to explain, reason, and comprehend before the emotion and passion sets in. Ultimately, if we let our 3 (almost 4) year old girl continue with the idea that she is getting a baby sister because she chose to have a baby sister for the entire 9 months of our pregnancy, and God gives us a boy, she would be crushed!

For this reason, we have decided that we ARE going to find out what we are going to have! We decided that this would be a perfect gift for Christmas! Tune in then to see what we are going to have! I know I can't wait! :-)

never a dull moment...

in this house!

Our Christmas tree was thirsty and had no water in its bowl, so Ivy (being my GREAT helper as always) and I decided to give the tree a drink....problem is, we watered the tree when Owen was up and observing. He now knows that there is water under the Christmas tree, and he doesn't quite understand yet that the water is there for the tree only and NOT for his enjoyment! :-)

The other day, he decided that Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the donkey, and two of the three wise men, needed to go for a swim. Where did he choose to put them? In the Christmas tree water!

Another day, he decided that about 10 of the little plastic farm animals, the farmer, and a couple other people from the Little People toys needed to get a bath. Where did he choose to put them? In the Christmas tree water!

He is soooo sneaky! :-)

With our Christmas tree being up and decorated, it is a fascination to everyone in the house but ESPECIALLY to Owen! It's so hard to tell what and how many things we will find hidden in the Christmas tree. So far, we have found MANY matchbox cars, balls, members (wise men, baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, cow, donkey) from the nativity set, and a little bit bigger cars and trucks.

This time, we caught him red-handed!





A couple of days ago, as I was unloading the dishwasher and thinking that the bathroom door was shut so that Owen could not go in to play in the toilet water (as he has figured out how to lift the toilet seat and lid up now), I turn around to see a toilet paper trail running from the bathroom out to the stove. Apparently, he thought we needed a "white carpet" to walk on to get to the bathroom! :-)

future doctor?

Ever since our kids were born, I have always wondered what plans the Lord has for them and what profession they will be directed to. What do you think? Future doctor????

Daddy was in the parade!

This afternoon, the kids and I were able to watch the Christmas parade in town and the "official" lighting of the town's Christmas tree. Now, Nathan and I always say that the town of Conway is like a city compared to where we came from (which it totally IS!), but I must say that our little hometowns of New Bethlehem/Hawthorn in western Pennsylvania far outdo the parades around here (and that's not saying much!). Officially, I have now attended the second shortest parade in my entire life! (The absolute shortest parade also took place in Conway!) Please don't take my poking fun as ungratefulness or snootiness because all in all, it was so nice for the kids and I to get out and enjoy being with one another, making memories, and being outside, especially during the first snowfall of the season. (YEAH! I'm so glad the snow has FINALLY arrived!) After the parade was over, we walked down to the park. On our way, we heard a new siren and then saw the blue lights coming our way. When the cruiser got to us, we discovered that it was Daddy! As soon as Nathan made his way past us, Ivy remarked, "Daddy was in the parade!" (Little did she know that he wasn't actually an "official" part of the parade but on his way to an emergency call! As a side note, I don't think I will EVER get used to hearing sirens wailing knowing Nate is at work and wondering if they are his, what kind of emergency he has been called to, or what kind of a person he has to deal with OR, worse yet, actually seeing Nathan speed by with lights shining and sirens blaring. When I do hear or see them, I always take the time to pray for the situation and for the people involved, whether it includes Nathan or not. I am thankful though knowing that God is in control of ALL things and that He will protect Nathan; however, if God chooses to take Nate to be with Him, I will one day see him again in Heaven and that God will take care of us and ALL of our needs here! Okay, enough of my rabbit trail!) When we finally got to the park, we watched the tree lighting, saw Santa, and enjoyed some FREE cookies. Yummy!

After the festivities, I asked Ivy what her favorite part of the parade was, to which she replied that seeing the horses and Santa Claus were the best. Then after a bit of further thought, she also remarked that she liked getting ALL of the candy (a few pieces, but it doesn't take much to please Ivy!) and getting to see Daddy "because Daddy was in the parade!" I think Owen's favorite part of the parade was watching all of the fire engines with sirens blasting and lights flashing. Owen loved waving to the firemen as they drove by (what a cutie pie), and he just couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the trucks.

The Christmas season is upon us!

decorating for Christmas

I have learned over the years that it is best to leave some decisions up to your husband.

In this house, picking out the Christmas tree is one of those decisions.

If anyone has EVER gone shopping with my husband (for shoes, clothes, or whatever), they TOTALLY know what I am talking about. Deciding that I have more patience this year, the kids and I went along, and we made it a family event!



Now, I never have understood WHY Nathan always tries to include me in a certain decision when ultimately, he has a strong opinion about it and doesn't want to hear any other answer but his and then we do what he thinks anyways. This is Nate asking what I think (like it matters)...



This is Nate comtemplating about the tree...

This is Ivy adding her opinion in the matter..."What about this tree, Daddy?"

This is Owen adding his "two cents" in the matter...."uh...uh...uh, Dada?"

This is Nate STILL contemplating...

This is Ivy adding yet more complication to the matter..."What about this one?"

This is Nate...DECISION IS MADE!!!!

NOW, for the interesting part...getting it home and decorating it!

To bring this tree home, we had it tied to the roof of our van. On our way home, the tree decided to go for a ride off the side of the van! After finally getting it home and rearranging the living room for our tree, we got it inside and set in place for decorating.

Here is Nate doing a great job stringing the lights around the tree - the job he thoroughly enjoys...in fact, he declared this year as he was putting the lights on the tree that he is going to let someone else enjoy next year! :-) He does do a wonderful job with it though.

Ivy and me putting the ornaments on the tree. (The timing just so happened that Owen was napping while we were decorating the tree.)

Ivy's way of hanging the ornaments...find one branch and put ALL of the ornaments on that branch! :-)

After discovering Ivy's way of putting ornaments on the tree, we showed her the step stool so that she could spread out the ornaments and put some a little higher. She loved the step stool!


Ivy loved decorating the windows for our long winter to come...






It's beginning to look like Christmas in our home!