Christmas Memories

Stone Mountain Christmas

Friday night, Allan's boss & his wife treated the families to a night at Stone Mountain. It was so much fun. Over 2 million lights decorated the village. There were fireworks and a special Christmas laser show. The kids loved it. We left Seth with grandparents so that Nate & Alex could really enjoy a bit of one on one time with Mommy & Daddy. We watched about 20 mins of the Polar Express in 4D. The boys really liked that. They have been all into that movie right now, so it was perfect timing. Then, we rode the train around the mountain & sang Christmas carols. On the train ride, they tell the story of the birth of Jesus. That's something that you don't really hear of much lately in a public arena. Everyone always taking Christ out of Christmas. Anyway, we had a great time. So, thanks to Brad & Becky for taking us. And, thanks to Lindsay for the idea of going!!

Christmas Trees Everywhere...

I really like having a lot of Christmas trees. This year, total, we have 6. I don't promise all of them to be beautifully decorated, but they are fun & the kids LOVE them! The one to the left here is the Family room tree.

We have 3 full size trees. One of them being a live tree. And, we have two 4' trees & one 1.5' tree.
My front living room tree is one that I put all of my breakable ornaments on. Ornaments that Allan & I had prior to kids. And, it has white lights. This year, half of one of the strands of lights doesn't work.
The toyroom tree has colored lights on it only. No ornaments.
The Family Room tree is live & has colored lights. This is the tree that I put all the kids ornaments on. Ornaments they make in preschool & Sunday school. This is the one that I will allow them to rearrange the ornaments on.
This year, we got Nate & Alex little fiber optic trees for their bedroom. They have a few simple red ornaments & some cheapo candy cane garland. But, they absolutely LOVE going to bed each night & watching their trees.
Here's some pics of them...

The front living room tree. Notice the middle section w/no lights.
And, my counter in the kitchen has a few itty bitty ornaments on it with colored lights.














This one is our toyroom tree. It had to be rigged a bit since it's a prelit & the bottom part decided it didn't want to work this year, but don't tell anyone ! :)
Alex's room tree. Nothing fancy, but still 100% fun for him!
Nate's tree. Same as Alex's.

Christmas on the Corner

Tonight we went to Christmas on the Corner. It was an event put on by our church for everyone. It was so much fun. They had a live Nativity, which brought me to tears as I sat there with Nate & Alex. They are at the age where they are understanding more about Jesus and my heart just melts to see them get excited about hearing about Jesus. There were train rides and we roasted marshmallows and they had Chick Fil A & Dominos pizza on hand. Several local schools choral groups came and sang. Nate & Alex's favorite part I think was the marshmallows & the train ride. There was a funny moment... Nate was holding his stick (about 3-4 ft long) with 2 marshmallows on the end of it. Allan & I were talking to a friend from our neighborhood not really paying any attention when Nate all a sudden busted out crying hysterically. We were like "What's wrong Nate??"... and all he could get out was "my marshmallow".. .So, I was looking on the ground thinking he had dropped it and we looked at Seth. Mouth/Fist full of marshmallow! haha.. I guess he gave up on someone giving him one and the stick was up close to him so he helped himself! It was too funny. I guess you just have to have been there. Anyway, I'd say 3 of the possible 60-70 pics I took actually turned out. Point & Shoot cameras aren't great at night pics that are far away. So, enjoy the somewhat decent shot I got of the live Nativity. It was truly a special night!

Happy Anniversary & Happy Birthday

Happy 8 Year Anniversary to my best friend in the WHOLE WORLD!

And, Happy 33rd Birthday!!!

I love you so very much! God has blessed me tremendously with such a loving, faithful, patient & compassionate man! I love you so much!!

Oh, The Joy Of....

Trying for that ONE perfect picture! LOL!
Well, I don't think that's happening this year. Actually, these pics were taken before we took the boys down to Photographic Creations in Winder to visit Santa. The visit itself actually went pretty well. I thought Alex was going to have no part of Santa this year. He wasn't all googlie eyed, but with a bit of hesitation, he sat in his lap. Seth was oblivious as to what was going on. His feelings were... "oh, another picture?" Nate was pretty shy, but happy to see him as well.
Enjoy this little slide show...

Stinkin' ol' cheap lights...

Know what irritates me?!?!
Stinking Christmas Tree Lights that wait to go out after you get all the ornaments on the tree. UGH!
So, now, the middle part of my tree isn't lit. And, the things were brand new! Straight out of the box. I'm sure my children couldn't be the reason for them not working! I'm sure they've twisted a bulb & knocked out the strand. But, seriously, do you have to buy the $30 lights for them to keep working year after year??
Another issue I tend to have with them is for some reason they decide to spontaneously blink. Oh..NO!... not the whole tree just the top section.
Maybe if I combine all the trees I have in this house I'd have one totally lit/decorated tree! We will have 6 trees total by the time Christmas gets here. I have one in the toy room, one in the front living room, Nate & Alex have one in each of their bedrooms, I have a miniature tree on my bar & we'll go this weekend or next for our live, family room tree. I will say though that the toy room tree is lights only. No decorations. I'm sure Seth will have a tree on top of him before the season is over.
Stay tuned.. I'm sure I'll have more antics to post about.

I AM THANKFUL

After our Sunday school teacher shared the things he was thankful for yesterday, it inspired me to come up with a list of things that I am thankful for. So, I decided since there are 30 days in November, I'd come up with 30 things. I have so much to be thankful for that I could go on for days & days. But, for Bloggers sake, I'll keep it at 30.

I am THANKFUL for......

Jesus Christ who died for my sins, so that I may have eternal life in Heaven with my maker!

God’s forgiveness, His grace, His mercy & His unconditional love for me.

My wonderful husband, Allan, who loves me unconditionally with every ounce of his being.

My 3 healthy, beautiful boys who keep me laughing, frazzled, and busy. But, mostly I’m thankful for their big hugs & kisses.

The opportunity to be a stay at home mother… even as chaotic as it gets around here sometimes.

My church, my pastor, and our Sunday school teachers.

Our faithful, believing & encouraging Sunday school friends.

Our family has food on the table.

The beautiful house we’ve been blessed with.

The marvelous rain we have gotten for the past 2 days.

My second set of parents (aka Inlaws) for raising the God-loving man who is my husband.

My extended family that has helped shape me into who I am today.

Allan being the absolute best Daddy in the world to our three sons.

Allan’s job that provides financially for our family.

2 Bible studies this Fall, that have significantly impacted my life.

Nate & Alex’s preschool teachers who truly love what they do.

My sister.

My snowflake friends all over the US & Canada.

Internet & email.

Date nights when we can get one every now & then.

Nate, Alex & Seth’s friends at church & preschool.

The 2 cars we have in our garage.

The men & women who serve our country so I can have the freedoms I have.

A/C in summer & Heat in winter.

Chick-Fil-A.

Celebrating my 30th Birthday this year.

Christian missionaries stationed all over the world who are spreading the word of God - the good news - to lost people.

A&W Root beer & Skittles…. my new addictions!

Food Network.

My comfy bed.

C'mon, now. You make a list of what you're thankful for & share with someone!!
Blessings to you all!

Happy 4th Birthday Nate!

Today was Nate's 4th Birthday. I can't believe 4 years have gone by since he was born. Since we already had the combined birthday party, we celebrated today just the 5 of us. I made him blueberry muffins for breakfast. Then we headed to the mall. Crazy, I know, but it wasn't too bad. We had a Sbarros picnic in the foodcourt floor b/c there was no table to fit our party of 5 with double stroller in tow. I am sure it was pretty nasty, but what ya gonna do?? Then, we walked down to take a peek at Santa from a distance. Nate was in awe, Alex not so much. Then, we went outside to ride the train. They all enjoyed that & Daddy got to ride, too! Next, we headed to ToysRUs so the kids could test out a few toys to see what they wanted Santa to bring. It was a pretty fun time. They had a blast in the bicycle area. Then we topped our day out off with a good ol' trip to Krispy Kreme doughnuts.. and the light was ON! YUMMY!!
Here's a few pics from our outting.

Thankful for Toilet Paper...

But, not for waking up to toilet paper hanging from the huge trees in my front yard the day before Thanksgiving.

Oh, my poor neighbors!!

Lady Bugs, Lady Bugs Everywhere

Is it just my house or is everyone's house covered in ladybugs??

Nate is mildly obsessed with them. Back in the spring, Allan would go with Nate & Alex out in the back yard. We have different patches of some kind of grass in the very back that attracts lady bugs. They would sit forever just watching them crawl around. Nate & Alex just loved letting them crawl all over their arms. Nate is normally not a very patient child, but he'll sit with his finger stretched out so sweet, gentle & patient while the lady bug finds it & crawls right up it!

Anyway, they are crawling all over my kitchen windows and around the ceiling. In Nate's room, we found 5 in like 30 seconds. Not sure why there are so many!

Freedom of Speech.. sensored

I could not believe the bumper sticker I saw on a mini-van this morning, while I was on my way to take Nate to school. At first, I couldn't read it, but once we stopped at a stop sign I got to fully read what the bumper sticker said. "It's such a nice day.... Don't f*** it up". The 4 letter word was completely spelled out. I was in shock that a MINI-VAN would have such a vulgar sticker on it. Then after we turned, she pulled into the Middle School. I was appalled that a mother could put or would allow that to be put on her vehicle. A vehicle that she uses to shuttle her kids to school. Good grief. I really didn't want to start my day out reading something like that.
Application for freedom of speech... DENIED ..at least in carpool line! Where's my duct tape??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY!

Well, I don't have any pictures of my uncle Billy to share. Unfortunately, he passed away before all this new technology such as the internet & digital photography that we have readily available to us now. But, today would have been his birthday. He would have been 56 years old, I believe. It's been 19 years since he passed away. It doesn't seem like that long ago. I can remember it like it was yesterday even though I was just a kid. Another victim of the tragic illness, cancer. So... HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE BILLY!!
Today's RBC.org devotion.
November 6, 2007
Better Yet
For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. —Philippians 1:21
Sir Francis Bacon said, “I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death.” Woody Allen said, “I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”
It’s not death that’s so frightening. It’s the dying that scares us. As Paul faced imprisonment and the prospect of dying in a jail cell, he shared his view about life and death: “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). What a perspective!
Death is our enemy (1 Cor. 15:25-28), but it does not possess the finality that so many dread. There is something waiting for believers beyond this life—something better.
Someone has said, “What the caterpillar thinks is the end of life, the butterfly thinks is just the beginning.” George MacDonald wrote, “How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset.”
I love this paraphrase of Philippians 1:21, “To me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying—well, that’s better yet!” (TLB). During our physical life, we have opportunities to serve Jesus. But one day, we will actually be in His presence. Our fear will melt away when we see Him face to face.
That’s the “better yet” the apostle Paul is talking about!

Personally, having a better understanding of Eternity helps me to be totally at peace with death. Where will you spend Eternity? Do you know without a doubt that you'll go to Heaven when the end of this life is done? If not, please don't hesitate on starting that relationship right now! This world could come to an end right now, tomorrow or next week or several years from now. The point is to be ready at any given second. Unfortunately, many aren't given the last days of sickness to "get things right" before death comes. We could leave this world very unexpectedly and I want You to know without doubt where you'd end up. First, you have to admit & acknowledge you are a sinner. If you think you haven't sinned... maybe go through the checklist of the 10 Commandments. Ever lied, stolen anything? Ever said Oh My God? That's taking the Lord's name in vain! Do you realize that there is no amount of good works that can get us into Heaven? Simply being a good person, donating to charities, etc. won't do it. Going to church every time the door is open won't purchase our ticket to Heaven. Nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can buy your ticket. Believing that Jesus died an innocent death on the cross for yours & my sins, is the ONLY way to enter into His kingdom. I know without doubt that God has prepared a place for me in Heaven. A place where there is no more sickness, no more tears, no worries, no more mean & hurtful situations/people. My next life has sooo much more to offer than this life. Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. He will forgive us of our past, but we have to repent & ask forgiveness! It's my prayer that I see you all in Heaven with me!
Sorry... got carried away there, but I'm seriously passionate about it! And, if you aren't sure, you better call me right away!!

On to other ramblings... Nate has gotten to the fun stage of asking "WHY?" to every single thing! Oh my goodness... the WHYS don't stop. And, today at the lunch table he cracks me up by counting on his hand/fingers things that he thinks we "have to do" today. We gotta go to Lance's house, Conner's house, Brady's house, pick up socks & shoes, ride bikes, play on swingset, go to DahBuh's house and go to the ballfield.
Funny little kid. Then last night, Alex told me he had boogies. So, I told him he needed to go get a Kleenex. Nate said, "no, he needs a tennis shoe." I was like huh?? Then I realized he was trying to say he needed a TISSUE. HAHA..

the Trophy

Today was the official end of Nate's first season of TeeBall. We had the season-end party today! So much excitement... pizza, cheetos, juice boxes & of course the prize... THE TROPHY!
Nate is sooo proud of his trophy. He has been carrying it around with him all day long. I'm sure this is only the beginning of his trophy collection.
We're so proud of Nate. He really did a great job. Spring season will be here soon & then he & Alex will both be playing. I can only imagine how busy that will be!

Here's a sweet pic of Daddy & Seth. Too bad you can't see Seth for the big thumb in his mouth!!!

Don't forget to set your clocks back tonight!!!

Hebron Fall Festival

Yesterday started off weird. My alarm clock went off & the first thing I heard was "Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas"... I was like "WHAT?!?! Please tell me the FISH isn't starting Christmas music on Halloween!" Then, finally after listening for a while, I realized it was their way of "tricking" listeners. I mean, I love Christmas music, but about a month of it is all I can take. I thought I was in for big trouble if I had to listen to it for 2 months! Last night was Hebron's Fall Festival. They boys had a great time. It started off kind of rocky since Seth was feeling awful, but it ended great. Seth cried for the first hour. Very unhappy camper. I got the docs to give him a mean ol' shot of antibiotics to kickstart those ears to getting better since the oral wasn't doing any good. Thankfully, he's been fever free ever since. 4 days of a high fever can take it's toll on such a little body!