Purple Fever…

I’ll admit…my purple pride is alive this weekend…

This is just a taste of what we’ll be enjoying tomorrow afternoon as we cheer on our favorite frogs!

Go Frogs!

Be blessed.

So Long 2010…

I still have Christmas photos and the last bit of happenings from the year in our neck of the wood to post…but came across this article on John Piper’s Desiring God blog and wanted to share…

How Did You Do in 2010?

December 27, 2010 | by: Tyler Kenney |

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The last week of the year is a good time—with God's help—to reflect on the past 12 months, do a little self-assessment, and decide what things to repent of and reach for in the next lap around the sun.

At the end of his first year as pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, John Piper led his people in doing this through his sermon "I Have Kept the Faith."

Below is the conclusion of that sermon. Just plug in "2010" and "2011" where you read "1980" and "1981," and the content is still relevant 30 years later.

So, how did we do in 1980? If 1980 were the whole of our life, could we say with Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness"? My guess is that there are people here who can give three different answers to that question.

• One will say, "I fought no fight because I felt no great desire to follow Christ's counsel and trust his promises. Satan and my own flesh got no resistance from me."
• Another will say, "I felt some desire to trust Christ and go his way, but whenever a conflict arose, I was defeated every time. I really didn't fight a very good fight."
• And a third will say, "Praise God, it was a hard but glorious year. The Word of God came alive for me and helped time and time again to overcome temptation and hold to Christ. It wasn't always easy, but thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Whichever one of those groups you are in now, remember this: by the grace of God, this day is only a rehearsal of the end. His mercy is opening before you a new life in 1981, and you can enter it and finish as a victorious fighter if you will declare yourself from your heart as one who now renounces Satan's power and self-reliance and who trusts Jesus Christ for all his word.

As I reflect on this past year, I humbly admit that I haven’t always “fought the good fight”…I have succumb to fear over the future (lacked faith),  thought of myself before others, not always lived in light of my salvation, been selfish about my time, not allowed scripture to resonate in my heart and not always been as bold about my faith as I would like…

BUT praise God for His insurmountable grace…and for new beginnings!

This side of heaven, there will never be a perfect year, but it is encouraging to think about 2011 and wonder what God might have in store…and how He might work…even despite me and my shortcomings.

Praise God for 2010…and for this upcoming year!

Happy New Years Eve!

Be blessed.

______________________________________________

p.s. GO FROGS!!!

 

Merry Christmas!

Hopefully, this photo made it to all the mail boxes it was intended for…

But just in case…

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We continue to be humbly grateful for this past year…and filled with anticipation as 2011 finds itself just around the corner.

May your heart be encouraged by the true reason for this beloved Christmas season…

Luke 2 :The Birth of Jesus

^“1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while^[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

²¹ On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. “

Be blessed.

-C, S & B (and Ella too)

Merry Christmas Eve!

We spent last night in C’s parents neck of the wood and woke up to enjoy an early Christmas morning and brunch with B’s Grandma J, Grandma B and Auntie B.

After some coaxing, B enjoyed helping everyone open their stockings…

Then B helped his Auntie B with her traditional role of passing out everyone’s Christmas gifts.

It was fun to watch B figure out who everyone was as he listened for direction as to who the gift was supposed to be given to.

Auntie B was very gracious and gave B his very own pair of TOMS shoes!  It was fun to put them on his little feet and imagine that another child, somewhere else in the world, would be benefiting with a similar pair.

Thank you Auntie B!!!!

C and I continued the tradition of giving grandparents a special handprint Christmas plate…B was sure to make sure that his hands fit the painted prints on the plate.

Grandma J & Grandpa B found B this little B-sized apron to wear as he helps cook in the kitchen…we tried it on him…and it stayed on all morning long.

B enjoyed opening other gifts…though he wasn’t sure about ripping the wrapping paper…but once he discovered the contents in each package, we found that he was pretty much hooked and fascinated by the entire process!

We are so blessed to have been able to spend Christmas Eve morning with good company (and delicious food)…it is so much fun to experience such a special time through B’s little eyes.

Thank you Grandma J, Grandpa B & Auntie B for a fantastic morning!

What a gift this time of year is…as we all remember and celebrate the greatest gift of all…Jesus Christ!

Merry Christmas!

Be blessed.

A Rum Pum Pum Pum!

Due to technical difficulties (it was C’s fault) this post is going have to be re-published.

No, we don’t have a little drummer boy…but we do have a little dancing boy!

There were tears in my eyes (from laughter) as I captured B practicing his dance moves…

Praise God for the ability to dance!

Be blessed.

The ‘Eve’ of Christmas Eve

Today, we were able to enjoy a special family of three day…we slept in…enjoyed some cuddle time with B and Ella in bed and then headed to the bakery for breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed out to the Gaylord Texan to look at Christmas decorations.  B was quite impressed by the indoor waterfall and river… 

He also found the star in the glass ceiling  of the atrium…we have been learning about stars as we have been reading some of our Christmas stories.

He was impressed by the “snow”…

But mostly impressed by the “Cho Chooos” (trains)…

After watching the trains (from several different spots) we explored other parts of the Gaylord…

By this point, B was ready for a little “pocket gas” (a snack)…

Then exhaustion kicked in…

Then it really kicked in, not just for B…but for C and I too!

Afterwards we headed home for lunch and a nap. 

It’s hard to believe that our time as a little family of three is limited…and we honestly couldn’t be more excited…though we are trying to relish in our time with B.

Happy eve before Christmas Eve!

Be blessed.

Momma’s Christmas Sussy…

B has been a little slow with his acquisition of words…nothing that the teacher in me is too terribly worried about…but a little slower than some of his similarly-aged counter parts.

B seems to study and understand almost everything we say, but doesn’t always communicate in a language that C and I understand.

With that said, we have been working on saying “Please Momma” instead of using the sign language sign for please…and this video reveals the fruit from our week’s efforts…really I think he has just been saving this as an early Christmas present!!!

Now we are working on “Please Daddy”.

Happy Thursday!

Be blessed.

Flipped

These days, C’s and my dates often consist of a movie from a “Red Box”.  You can’t beat the price and it prevents the need for a babysitter.

Tonight, we enjoyed a movie that C had found called “Flipped”.  We were both pleasantly surprised by the sweetness of this movie and I thought I might suggest it…

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/flipped/trailer

Happy Wednesday!

Be blessed.

Goose Egg!

It’s almost as if B and his toy fire truck went in cahoots together and knew that we would be gearing up to take Christmas photos this weekend…I mean what mom doesn’t want to have this beautiful bump snack dab in the middle of her son’s face?!?

This was bump was result of a run in with the ladder of a plastic fire truck…the truck was on the couch and B went into grab it/head butt it and C and I discovered this goose egg as a result!

I immediately ran for the ice pack…

After awhile, B tried to ice the bump on his own…

Needless to say, he didn’t make it very far and ended up cuddling with C as we tried to get the swelling down.

After some good cuddle time and an afternoon nap, B’s head looks a lot better…I guess our Christmas photos might have evidence of a very busy little boy…and we are thankful for every busy part of his little personality!

Happy Wednesday.

Be blessed.

Future EMT?

I am often amazed by the different toys/items B becomes attached to…to C and I, his attachments seem so random, yet to him they are probably very deliberate and thought out.

With that said, this little ambulance toy is B’s new “thing”. 

This little toy was a hand-me-down gift from my friend’s son, C.  C had outgrown it and thought that baby B might enjoy playing with it.  This was a very gracious thought for an almost five year old…and we are very grateful for the toy, even though it makes a   a “simply delightful” siren noise and lights up! (please excuse my sarcasm).

it is almost as if this little emergency vehicle has become B’s security blanket.  B will go to his closet (which we call the garage) every morning after he wakes up to pull the little vehicle out.  The ambulance then will get carried or pushed to the myriad of destinations that B finds himself at throughout a day…the kitchen, front room, living room, front porch, backyard, bathroom, etc. etc.

We have a rule that the ambulance has to get parked in its garage before we go in the car or go to bed…this has been a hard lesson for B to learn…though he is getting better.

I am sure that we all will come to treasure this little ambulance and its lights and sounds in our own unique ways as it is marking a chapter of play and interest in B’s life. 

Here’s to planes, trains, automobiles…and ambulances!

Happy Wednesday!

Be blessed.

P.S. Thanks M & C for the toy…it is such a bright spot in out little guy’s day!

Play-Doh

Recently, B enjoyed another attempt at playing with play-doh…

B’s play has gotten progressively more deliberate as he has started to roll, mash and cut the dough.

I love how these photos capture some of his many facial expressions during his play…

This dough is the “real kind” but I did just try to make my first batch of  homemade play-doh and found myself  really impressed by how quick and simple it was.

In case you want to try it…

1 cup salt

2 cups flour

2 cups water

2 tsp. cream of tarter

4 tbs. oil

food coloring (for color)

Mix all ingredients together over low heat, stirring consistently.  Stir until mixture is the consistency of dough and then knead well. Add color. Store in an air tight container or plastic bag.

Happy Playing!

Be blessed.

La Posada

A church, not too far from our house, hosts a La Posada parade every year to celebrate Jesus’ birth.  This year, we decided to check the animals and parade out in effort to soak up as many Christmas memories are possible.

We weren’t able to see any of the actual parade, but did make it in time to see the animals arrive at the church for the live nativity scene. 

B seemed to be most impressed/fascinated by the sheep as he would point to them and say “seeep” and then make his own little version of a sheep sound “baaaahhhaaaa!!!!”  The camels were a little late on their entrance…B had lost almost all interest by the time they trotted by…but C and I thought it was incredible to see the camels walk past us and then kneel in front of the manger scene.

After the camels’ grand entrance, we politely excused ourselves to check out the children’s petting zoo.  C led B into meet the sheep, goats, bunnies, and chickens.  Initially, B didn’t know what to do with all the four legged friends…but seemed to warm up rather quickly in the end.

Here’s to simple family memories!

Happy Monday.

Be blessed.

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Light Walk

This weekend, we headed out for a Christmas light walk. Our walk was complete with hot chocolate…B even enjoyed some “luke warm” chocolate in his sippy cup.

This is a house a few blocks away from us…the lights and decorations are nothing short of magical. 

 

B’s little eyes lit up as he saw the lights all illuminated!

It was a beautiful night for a walk…and made for a fun family memory.

Happy Sunday.

Be blessed.

A Good Day to Play at the Museum

We got kicked out of the house for the morning…well, not really, but we had a showing, so we packed up and headed to the museum for a little bit of play time.

Our trip was fun filled to say the least…it continues to be such a joy to watch B play (and play alongside him).

Happy Saturday!

Be blessed.