A Full House and A Full Heart

Today has been a wonderful day of family and food. We've had 12 people in the house and 6 of those are 7 and under. It's been a day of excitement, squealing, and running! It's been a day of cousins loving on each other and grownups laughing along! It's been a great day that makes me thankful for my family.

I hope that you and yours have had a fantabulous day and one in which you were able to count each blessing!

We also had one special visitor...the tooth fairy came again last night after N lost his 2nd tooth while eating dinner - that's definitely something to be thankful for!

Tomorrow, we'll enjoy more time together and find more adventures to enjoy together (and we won't be joining the shopping madness!!) - Saturday, we hope to get our Christmas tree up and decorated!

This time of year is wonderful and so full of great traditions!

I'm one of millions

So, it happened this weekend. I did something current, hip, and with the masses.

I went to see Twilight. Somehow, I had never even heard of Twilight until last week and then I got sucked in.

After our church's Thanksgiving dinner last night, I was invited to go to see the late show with some other gals. A couple of them had already seen it earlier that day and were already seeing it for the second time!

The movie? It was good. Great story, some of the parts are a bit disturbing, but hey! it is about vampires, so what can you expect?

I do want to read the books now...there are 4 and of course the movie ended with hints of the next movie to come...

My rating: thumbs up!

Crafting

Tuesday night was Card Club night at Jennifer's - it was super fun! She had good food and great Christmas Card projects. And of course the best part was the company of friends!

Emily was so sweet and brought me one of her awesome CD covers complete with the Michael W. Smith CD that was recorded during our trip to Houston last summer. Thanks Emily!!

I've found a site that has super cute letters and such --some things they make and some you can do-it-yourself! It's called Say It with Letters - it's an Etsy shop and I have my eye on something for my master bedroom. It's a Fancy Schmancy Letter (no really, that's what it's called!) and they can make it in custom sizes.

I have this vision for what our bedroom will look like someday and it includes the letter M in a custom size - in silver! We'll see if I can make it happen. I'm thinking a bedroom redo would be an awesome thing as Lance and I get closer to our 15th anniversary next August. I have visions of changing the pulls on our furniture to silver and painting the room a beautiful lavender/grey - I love the feel of those colors with the mahogany furniture we have. I would also LOVE to have mirrored chests as our nightstands. Do you think that is too over the top?!? We have a 4 poster rice bed so our furniture is already big and traditional. I will definitely have to find these chests for less money, but I love the look!

Ah, dreams, plans, and ideas....now if I can just implement them!!

HB Gpa!

Today is my Dad's birthday! He is known as Glen to some, Dad to 2, and Grandpa to 6. My Dad is one of the 3 wisest people I know. Now, I don't know if he was always this wise or not. I think some of it may have come thru age :) All I know is that I hope when I'm his age, I will be wise and that my kids will come to me for advice like I go to Dad.

Those of you who've read my blog for awhile have seen comments from my dad and while he doesn't comment on every post, he does comment on those where he has a helpful viewpoint - whether humorous or serious.

Sadly, these were the most recent pics I could find of my dad and they are from the spring of 2007. I think most of the time we're together we're too busy enjoying one another to stop and take pics. We'll have to do better with that.










Happy Birthday Dad and Grandpa - hope you have a great day!

I love you,
Jen

a different perspective

The weekend....well, it didn't go exactly as planned.

Some things just didn't work out and one person was in a bad mood. So....things weren't as fun as they could have been, but one thing was still fun! The Peter and the Wolf Children's Symphony in San Antonio was really neat! It was an interactive time geared towards children. They had Q&A time as well as having activities prior to the symphony for the kids to do. Mine loved it! I would definitely do this again!

Another first this weekend? We went on the boat tour thru the riverwalk. Lance and I had never done that before but we choose to do it this weekend with the kiddos and they loved it! The Riverwalk was not crowded at all - probably due to the extremely cold wind. It was nice to get in and out of places easily! We forgot our camera, so no pics, but good memories!

A different week

This week was unusual for us. Lance took the entire week off. It was great! He was home every evening and we got LOTS of family time. It's made a big difference for the kiddos - especially L. She has had lots of Daddy time and I think it's done her a world of good. She is usually glued to me, but this week, she got to:

have Daddy take her to dance class - which he LOVED! This is a highlight of our week!
wrestle with Daddy and Bubba!
Have Daddy change her sheets in the middle of the night when she had an "accident"
Play "Trouble" and "Clue Jr"

Bubba too has benefitted from Daddy's vacay - except for Monday, Lance has picked him up from school each afternoon
They've worked on homework, painted N's room and rearranged the furniture - hoping to have pics up next week - but ya know, it could be 2 weeks or 25.

Lance is also planting some new crepe myrtles in our yard ---love these weeks of accomplishment!

And me, yes, having a husband around has been nice - tonight we even get to have date night!!! It's been months since our last one, so excitement abounds. Although I have to say, there are really no movies I want to see right now. Why does that always happen? When we can't go out, there are tons of movies? But tonight, not so much, so I think we'll probably see the new James Bond. Not even sure of the name, but Lance will enjoy it, so there ya go!

And to top it all off, he also has Sunday off!!! So, we are headed to San Antonio after the soccer game on Saturday. I'll write more next week about our adventures in SA - we have something special planned for Sunday afternoon!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

N's Success!

In case you haven't heard it before, my N, he is an active one. Always has been, probably always will be. Think Ty Pennington or Richard Simmons as a 7 y.o. As I've mentioned before, N struggles with sitting still and keeping his hands to himself.

1st grade has been a struggle in this area for him.

Well, yesterday, there was a great thing in his Monday Folder. It was a happy stamp and his best conduct grade of the year!!!! Yippee! This is a major accomplishment for my boy. I'm very proud of him. I know how hard this is for him!

We discussed some of these issues with N's pediatrician last week and I love how she put it, "When we're born, we don't all get to line up in heaven and decide what our "problem" will be. We don't get to choose cancer, heart disease, or dyslexia. We're all given something. Some are discovered at a young age and some show up later in life, but we all have something we have to deal with."

And not only did he have success in his conduct, he was moved up a level in his "take home" reader. And this new level, it has a table of contents and a GLOSSARY. Harvard, here we come!!!

Or not. Because what really matters the most to Lance and I is that our children are happy, good citizens, and loving God. Everything else is just gravy.

One of the things I read on an adoption blog yesterday spoke about how the children you've adopted may not be interested in the same things you are. They come to the family with different biology and different interests and talents. And it's up to the adoptive parents to either embrace those differences and broaden their own horizons OR try to manipulate their child into their own image. I hope Lance and I always remember to embrace the differences. We've already learned more about trains,origami, volcanoes, and earthquakes than I ever thought possible.

And interestingly enough, N does have my great love for architecture and design. He loves going to tour model homes and his latest book from the library? How to build a house. It has step by step instructions for everything from the foundation to electricity, cabinets, etc. Quite a selection for a 1st grader, huh?

N, I'm proud of you and I can't wait to see how God will form and shape your life. And for now, I'm just having fun watching you take it all in!

Love,
Momma

National Adoption Month

November is National Adoption Month - a time to focus on the importance of adoption and the celebration of families created thru adoption.

This year the focus is on finding families for the thousands of children in foster care. This is a crisis and one that breaks my heart. I feel a burden for these children without parents. Many of these will be in the "system" until they turn 18 and will remain "orphans" all the days of their lives. Do we not need parents any longer once we are 18? Think about all the times you've called your parents for money, advice, a shoulder to cry on, or to celebrate a big accomplishment---if you are like me, there have been many of these phone calls since you turned 18.

I have a burden and have been praying for many months about what God would have me do for these children. Is my role simply to pray? Are Lance and I called to adopt one of these into our family? Is there something else altogether we are to do? The answer right now is "I don't know", but I will keep searching.

If you have a burden for these children, I encourage you to pray as well.

N and L were great additions to our family and they happened to come thru adoption. It's a miraculous journey and at times, a difficult one, but one that we have never regretted.

Celebrate adoption this month!

One more thought on the election....

Okay, I've changed my mind. I will tell you who I voted for in the election. Not because I want you to be like me. If I wanted that, I'd have been posting about it for months. No, I decided to reveal my choice, because I shouldn't have to hide in "shame". The post at www.christinemoers.blogspot.com is beautifully written and it echoes so many of my thoughts, though not all. I'm sorry I couldn't get the link up, but her blog is also listed in my sidebar to the right. It's called Welcome To My Brain.

I'm tired of living in a society that believes that all good Christians must vote Republican. I'm an imperfect Christian, but I do feel that I'm striving to be more like Christ and that I truly want to be more like him. I want to love on those who are "the least of these". I want to serve others. I do believe there are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all out there who are Christ-followers. And, I also believe this nation was built on freedom of religion. We cannot expect our leaders to always believe what we believe. This is not our church, people. This is a nation. The Israelites were not always under godly leadership. The New Testament was not always under godly leadership and yet, God still provided. God will provide no matter who our president is. Whether it's Billy Graham or Marilyn Manson.

I've never voted a straight ticket in my life. I vote for the candidate and the issues and I also know that even if a candidate campaigns for one issue doesn't mean that they won't change sides once they are elected. We must not put our faith in our politicians. We must honor and pray for them.

'Nough said. Subject closed. Please stay tuned for more family-related topics in the future!!!

I'm 51 weeks early

if you count that I wasn't going to have Halloween pics up until Hallo '09. So, ya see, I'm an overachiever after all!!!

Enjoy!!!

So, this is what I looked like after L got ahold of the face paints. Only on Halloween my friends...





And here's my kitty cat...we used only items that we already had - it was great! Black leotard and leggings, headband with black pipe cleaners to make the ears. Once of Lance's socks pinned to rear for the tail, and face painted whiskers!






My robot....he even spoke "robot" and he was the hit of the evening...everyone commented on his costume! The only thing we bought for his was a dryer vent and silver spray paint. The rest is boxes and aluminum foil. Lance and N did a great job putting this together!





And here's Lance...a black eyed "P"...ha, ha, I know...



This was their first stop...one of our neighbors answered the door dressed like Audrey Hepburn. It was great!



Enjoy!!!

A fresh start!

Some thoughts on this election:

This has been the most fascinating one of my life. Now, I'm not sure if it really is or if I'm just getting OLD, but I think truly it was. To have a minority and a woman both on the ticket was awesome. I really believe it was a win-win situation for our country that we have come this far.

I know some of you out there are depressed today, but don't be. God is still in control. Our duty now is to support our new president and pray for him and all the other leaders. It doesn't matter if we agree with them or not. God says we are to honor and respect those in authority over us, whether it's teachers, bosses, police, politicians, pastors etc. This doesn't mean we have to agree with everything they do. I mean, honestly, is there anyone in your life that you agree with 100%?

And if you were fortunate to have your candidate win, then be gracious with those around you. Don't rub it in. Just embrace the days ahead.

I won't tell you who I voted for, but I can honestly say, I was going to be happy no matter who won - although I did have a favorite! I think both candidates were far superior to the Bush/Gore election of a few years ago. All four of the people on the ticket have incredibly fascinating life stories. None of them probably could have ever dreamed where their lives would take them. We can be proud that they all worked hard and achieved the American Dream in their own way. They weren't from political dynasty families like the Bushes, Kennedys, or even Clintons. That makes me proud to be an American.

Life will go on and God is sovereign. Change is hard sometimes, but some of the best things in life came about thru change. Look how far we've come in 100 years. I wouldn't have been able to vote 100 years ago, neither would Barack Obama. The church stood in the way of these rights in the past and we still stand in the way of some rights today. Let's embrace change. Let's all work together to make our country and our communities better. It's what Jesus would do.

Tomorrow, back to something more lighthearted!

Why?

Why does God make itches?

Why does God make scratches?

Why did God make music?


What is the real question behind the 3 above? Really, it's a 3 y.o. trying to ask why there are scratches on her C.D....it's cute how she processes it all together.


Other questions from L in the last few days....

Why did God make milk white?

Why did God make butter yellow?

Who is Jesus' baby?

All very good questions and interesting.

N brought home his Monday folder yesterday with work from last week....one of the questions on his math worksheet asked how he knew something...it was basically to see if he knew the process and just didn't get lucky with the answer. His answer...."because I'm smart". Wow - wonder what Mrs. Schmitt thought when she read that! He let me know yesterday that he is the smartest person in the whole world except God and Jesus. And evidently humble too.

N's school had a mock election at school yesterday. He voted for Obama. When we asked him why, he said, "Obama's name sounds more presidential and McCain's name is kind of boring." So, there you have it peeps, the way to make a good voting decision compliments of a 1st grader.

And to all who were waiting by their computers for the halloween costumes, well, I'm sorry....I've failed technologically again. Perhaps I'll get them posted by the end of the week, or before Halloween next year...I don't want to get over ambitious or anything!