The Coming

Every year I try to re-focus our family at Christmas time....every year I feel like I have failed. I want my kids to understand about advent and the way that Christ came, is coming and will come. All I can do at this point is say it over and over and hope it sticks at some point.

And then the loot and plunder are unleashed. Excessive sweets, excessive toys, excessive everything. What a crazy day!

Despite all the craziness, Christmas is great. Note to self, next year...more Jesus, less presents!

Promises Kept

The most wonderful thing in the world is a promise kept! This season of advent reminds me that God is the ultimate promise keeper. There is no promise made by God that has not been kept. I am so thankful that He kept the most important promise of all - to send His Son to save me and you.

I am also mindful that humanity is sinful and people do not always keep their promises. I know of two little boys who were told by their mother that she would see them for Christmas (after more than a year of absence)...but will now have to spend Christmas without her because of a broken promise. What is worse than the broken promise of a mother at Christmas?

In a world of sin and broken promises, I would like to make the following promises to my family:

to be more patient, to spend more time and less multi-tasking, to be less critical, to love more fully as the Father has called me to love.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Silas' lucky day

Today was Silas' lucky day! He started the morning at Nona's (my mom) house after a sleepover. The rest of us picked him up around 9:00 and we headed to Nacogdoches to see Nanne Sue (Jeff's mom). Jeff dug around in the attic and found some "old" Star Wars toys - Silas was totally excited. We came home after lunch and spent some time outside before the freezing weather arrived. We found a patch of clover and I began telling the kids about how some people believe that you find luck if you find a clover with 4 leaves. Within 30 seconds, Silas says "I found one". Amazing. To top off his lucky day, Jeff's 34 year old Lionel train set started running tonight. Jeff had bought some new tracks, done some work on the engine and it runs. Silas had so much fun running the train around and around...although, I wonder who had more fun?

I'm Alive!

My grandparents with Emma, Silas and Abby at Dinner Theatre

It's good to be back in bloggerland. I have been away during the final week of dinner theatre (and the week after). I have been absolutely exhausted and running at full speed for weeks. Once the show was finally over Sunday night and we cleaned up after ourselves, I arrived home at 10:30 p.m. only to be up at 6:30 a.m. ready for a full week of work and life. I was so glad to be done with dinner theatre but was completely overwhelmed by the mess that was my house, my kids, my laundry, my life.

Several afternoons of diligent cleaning, washing and organizing (and 5 glorious hours of Jaunita's time) have finally resulted in some order. Unfortunately, the exhaustion remains! I am overwhelmed by the prospect of two out-of-town trips and Christmas in the next 7 days. Is there any way to get the holidays to come to me? Isn't it a sufficient explanation that I have three small children, a job and am totally spent? I know...I'm just ranting!

Christmas at Uncle Phil's Diner

For the 2nd year in a row, I am producing Uncle Phil's Diner, our church dinner theatre. This year it is set at Christmas time, 1958. Everyone has done such a great job and is ready for opening night - tomorrow. Aside from the cast and crew, I am most thankful for the ladies who are working in the kitchen. They have been working hard and long to make the perfect meal. What a blessing the show will be...

An Only Child

Abby was an only child this weekend. Such a nice chance for Jeff and I to spend alone time with her. Yesterday she got several hours alone with daddy while I was at the church for "Super Saturday" - our dinner theatre work day. Last night, however, I got several very sweet moments filled with tickles and laughs...just the two of us.

We got this opportunity thanks to both grandmothers. Jeff's mom invited Emma to Nacogdoches for a weekend of Christmas fun. There were all types of activities, a parade and two days worth of special attention from her 'Nanne Sue'.

Meanwhile, my mom took Silas to Dallas for my nephew's 2nd birthday. They went to a giant pizza place that apparently has indoor bowling, miniature golf and bumper cars. He has hardly stopped talking about it.

God blesses children with grandmothers !

Epilogue

Now that Silas is 5 years old, Jeff and I are able to look back on our time with him and have a laugh or two. We had several years of exasperation but always knew we were truly blessed by this boy. While I am absolutely confident that he will grow to be a Godly and successful man, I cannot help but share a few of our funniest stories with you:

He and his best friend (you know who you are) pulled the fire alarm at school, evacuating the entire church and bringing the fire department (now that is cause and effect!)...

He and his best friend crawled out the window of his room and got the mail (while they were supposed to be sleeping) - they thought they were so helpful...

(These are only two of many funny Silas/Johnathan stories)

He took all the screens off the windows of our house...

do you see the screens in the background?

He stripped down naked and crawled up on our brick fence - exposing himself to all the drivers on Rieck Road...

He let his sister color his entire body with a magic marker (when I asked who had colored Silas, she said "Silas" but there was evidence to the contrary because she signed his back...)

Need I go on?

Giving thanks for a circle of feet

We went to Beaumont for Thanksgiving to see my grandparents. Our visit also gave us an opportunity to see my dad (in from Johnson City).

My dad and Abigail

My favorite part of the trip was the "circle of feet". Have you ever been part of a group standing in a Circle to pray and opened your eyes during the prayer? What you see is the "circle of feet". Just before our Thanksgiving meal, we stood in my grandparents living room and my grandfather said our blessing. When I opened my eyes, I saw the following feet:

1. My grandfather - 86 years old, married to the love of his life for 66 years, an elder in the church for years and years. A man who loves God, loves his family and helps other people without ever expecting anything in return.

2. My grandmother - 86 years old, married to the love of her life for 66 years. A faithful, Godly woman who loves unconditionally and exemplifies what a Christian wife and mother should be.

3. My dad - 64 years old and living life simply at the LBJ National Park in Johnson City. He loves his children and grandchildren very much and never misses an opportunity to say how proud he is.

4. Jeff - my amazing husband who works tirelessly to support the kids and I without complaint. He has taken a lot of crap during his legal profession but never looses sight of the priorities in life.

5. Emma - my big girl.

6. Silas - my big boy.

7. Abigail - my sweet baby.

8. Bill and Bettye Cook - some dear family friends who live in Beaumont and go to church with my grandparents. I have many fond memories of Bill leading singing and Bettye cooking for church functions.

What a privilege it is to be able to come before the Father, as different as we are, and lay our burdens down. I am thankful for that...

Christmas Photos

My sweet kids did a great job as my "test subjects" last Saturday morning. I needed to work on lighting, backdrops, etc. for my portrait sessions so I took them to my "studio" and snapped a few shots. Here are the best ones:

Happy Birthday, Silas!

My big boy is five! What a wild ride these five years have been.

From the day he was born, he was his own man. Weighing nearly 11 pounds at birth, he sent the nurses scrambling to find diapers and a shirt that would fit him. A quick trip to pediatrics proved fruitful as he started his life in size 1 diapers (newborn diapers only go to 10 pounds). By the second day in the hosptial, he was "singing". When we would wrap him up and lay him down, he would hum.

The first year of his life was full of ear infections, ending in surgery and instant relief. Unfortunatley, the persistent fluid in his ears caused speech delay that persists. At 18 months, he spoke only three words and I started to think he was autistic. Obviously he is NOT! God answered my prayers for Silas to talk by giving me a boy that will not be quiet - ever! I had no idea that a child could talk so much. From a broken leg to 5 days in the hospital, Silas has been through it.

He is my strong and brave little man. Sometimes he is a frustrated lefty in a right-handed world but he is learning early that life is not always fair. He has a heart for God and loves to sing praise songs...can I ask for any more than that?

Join me on my trip down memory lane:

6 months (No digital camera at birth - sorry)

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

Portrait Sessions

Don't forget to schedule your portrait session:

Saturday, November 22nd

or

Saturday, December 6th

1 hour sessions booked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Floods and webs

The rain we had earlier this week caused our creek to flood way out of its' banks. You may have noticed as you've come down Rieck Road that the city has built a walkway under the road so walkers/runners/bike riders can get from the park to the other side of the road (more specifically, to Premier Fitness). Since that construction, the flooding has worsened.

On a totally different note, my mom came back from Reno this week with a delivery of toys for my kids. My sister-in-law (in Dallasa0 had sent two presents - one for each of my older kids (their birthdays are all so close that we basically celebrate them together). Anyway, she sent the following:

For Silas - a Spider Man gun that shoots both water and "web" - aka grey silly string.

For Emma - a Hanna Montana doll that has actual hair color (for the doll and the child).

I warned her that when I go shopping for her kids' Christmas presents, I will remember the silly string all over my back yard and the purple hair color all over everything. What's family for anyway?

A new job

Why is it so hard to start a new job? As many of you know, I started to work at Ramey & Flock last Thursday. I am only working during the time that Abigail and Silas are in school so I am able to drop them off and pick them up as usual. It is the perfect schedule for me right now. That being said, it has still been a hard two days. I've met lots of new people (whose names I cannot remember), got lost on the way to the bathroom and ate lunch alone at my desk. All in all, a good experience...but sure to be better as time passes.

Happy Birthday, Emma

My big girl turned 7 years old today. Last night, she had slumber party with 3 of her best friends from church - Darcy, McKenna and Aspen. We sent Daddy, Silas and Abby off to my mom's house (she is in Nevada) and had a "girls night". When I went to bed at midnight, they were still up talking. When I rolled over at 7:00 a.m., they were talking. Surely they slept, right?

Pizza and cake (with Silas)

Matching pajamas for the girls (instead of goody bags)

Morning makeovers with Kendall (our favorite babysitter who is at A&M)

If you will induldge me, I would like to take a little trip down memory lane...7 years with Emma:

36 weeks pregnant with Emma - she came 2 weeks later

Emma's first day home from the hospital

1 year old (before we had a digital camera)

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old (Emma and I went to Disney World for her birthday)

What's in the water?

While Kim was out of town yesterday, I kept Johnathan and Kalleigh for a few hours. When Kalleigh and Abigail were sleeping, Silas and Johnathan went out in the back yard to play. I sent them out with a package of "Halloween Tattoos" and two wet wash clothes. When I peeked out a few minutes later, this is what I saw:

Portrait Sessions Now Available

As this Christmas season approaches, I am offering portrait sessions for your family. I have both traditional and festive backgrounds so you can choose how formal you want your portraits to be. I can take pictures of your family, just the kids or any combination you choose. At the end of the one (1) hour session, I will give you a CD full of photos and a copyright release that allows you to use and print the portraits as you wish. If you do not want to mess with printing, designing Christmas cards, etc....I can do that for you.

Each session with CD is $50.00.

I will have a price list available

for ordering prints or Christmas cards.

The available session dates are Saturday, November 22nd and Saturday, December 6th. Appointments will be set between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

My theory for these sessions: a relaxed atmosphere where you and your kids can get a great portrait without stress or rush. You are welcome to bring as many family members as you want and you may change clothes as many times as you want during the hour. There are no extra fees or charges...just great photos.

Here are a few more of my best photos:

Clearly Vocal

My friends from Clearly Vocal sang tonight for a crowd of more than 50. I have seen Clearly Vocal perform many times, but tonight was especially good. First of all, they were at Glenwood - home field advantage. Second, they had their best sound guy - Bill. And most important, they offered free dessert. YUM! If you've never heard Clearly Vocal, go see them. You can find their next performance date and location on their website.

Good fitting pants

Why is it so hard to find pants that fit right? Jeff can order pants from anywhere (as long as they sell 38 long) and they fit perfect - loose fit, slim fit, regular fit - it doesn't matter, they all fit him. When I was younger (aka before babies), I could walk into any store, try on my size and most pants fit - some better than others but they all went on.

Now I go in and try on 12 pairs of pants to find one that is acceptable. Is there no way to make a pair of pants for post-pregnancy women who refuse to loose their pregancy weight but desire to look like they wear a size 8? How hard can that be? UUGGGHHH!!

Nona

My mom goes by "Nona" - the greek word for grandmother. Her older sister (my aunt) lived in Greece for a number of years, on the island of Mykonos. She had one of her children in Athens (my cousin, Selene) who then had three children, each several years before I started having kids. They call their grandmother "Nona" and my mom liked the name as well.

So...Jeff and I got married in 2000. My brother and his wife got married in 2002. At that time, I only had Emma. My mom said "I would like to have 5 grandchildren in 5 years". Amber and I went to work and we accomplished the goal. HAHA! We gave birth to grandchildren #4 and #5 in the last 10 weeks of 2006. Ask and ye shall receive...

Family Fun Night

Last night was "Family Fun Night" at Rice (where Emma attends). It is two hours of games, activities and food held each year for the students and their families. My mom went with us and we had my brother's children - Payton and Carter.

Abby really liked the duck game - pick a duck and get a prize

Silas entered the donut eating contest

The highlight of the evening was when Silas rode the horse - dressed as a cowboy

Photo shuffle

I take no credit for this...I stole this idea from my friend Kim. Here's the deal - I am going to post 10 pictures in this order: the first picture from my first photo file, the second picture from my second photo file, the third picture from my third photo file, etc. up to the tenth picture from the tenth file (no edits, no cheating):

Abigail at 4 weeks (#1 from the "Abigail" file)

Bret Raymond with his daughter, Anna (#2 from my "Anna" file)

Emma (#3 from my "April 2006" file)

Abby (#4 from "April 2007")

Abby and our neighbor's cat, Lovable (#5 from "April 2008")

Silas wearing Emma's hat (#6 from "August 2006")

Silas jumping to Emma's bed (#7 from "August 2007")

The Hodges family - John, Kim, Johnathan, Kalleigh, Jonas and Kim's mom, Carol (#8 from my "August 2008" file)

Silas at 3 years old (#9 in my "Birthdays 2006" file)

Emma at the Lufkin Zoo this summer (#10 in my "blog" file)