It's been a while

Wow, I just looked at our blog and it has been a long time since I posted something. What has happened since November 10th... Hmmm.

Thanksgiving in Durham with Gramzy, Popsy, and Carla... maybe Franklin can come next time! Thanks to Boston Market, we did not cook. We got up early and went shopping the day after Thanksgiving. It was totally worth it and Gramzy saved our place in line more than once.

December was CRAZY

Hannah had her Christmas program where she lipsynched for at least part of it. This was better than last year where she just stood there the whole time. Here she is not singing.


We had our Christmas really early so the kids could play with their presents before we went to Florida. Hannah was so upset because apparently they told her what Christmas day was suppose to be like at pre-school and we were doing it different. She cried "I can't wear my Christmas pajamas because it is not Christmas yet!" She got over it though. She loves her new bike and has gotten really good. Poor Charis only got a hat for Christmas.


We pretty much finished the playroom. We have yet to get our final inspections. Also, Brian bought the best fire alarms, but they are really sensitive and we have about two false alarms a day. We still haven't figured out the problem. Thankfully Charis and Hannah just sleep through them. We also took a trip to the emergency room because Brian cut his finger on the saw. It is all better now.

We went to Amelia Island, Tallahassee, and Deerfield Beach/Ft. Lauderdale.

We attended Jon Whitney's wedding where we got to catch up with a lot of old friends. We had a blast staying with Don and Danielle, and I was really encouraged to start eating healthy. I have been doing pretty good so far this year. We were having so much fun that I didn't have time to take any pictures.

January flew by-- I don't even remember what we did this month. Brian went to Chicago and New York. Charis started walking. I did another once a month freezer cooking day. We booked tickets to go to London in Feb. Brian turned 31. It snowed and we were stuck inside for days! Both Hannah and I went sledding for the first time. I entered Hannah in the lottery for the public Montessori school. And I just finished a really good book by one of my favorite preachers, Tim Keller. It is called Counterfeit Gods. We are looking forward to spending some time in London together. Nana and Papa are coming to spend a week with the kids and we are so thankful. I will get to visit a good friend who is currently living in Cambridge.

Hopefully, I will be better about posting!

While I was cooking....

While I was cooking all day (see below post), Brian and Papa hung the drywall to the playroom.

Once a Month Cooking

My friend Ashley and I just did a marathon 11 hour day cooking... it feels like a marathon when 4 kids are in the house! Here is the fruit of our labor. We followed this website's menu plan. Now you know what we will be eating this month. http://onceamonthmom.com/cooking/menus/

Halloween

Thoughts

As a stay at home mom, it is tempting to think my life is only a bunch of mundane, seemingly meaningless tasks. Some of these tasks include things like: wiping bottoms, cleaning spit up, trying to make a nutritious meal no one will eat, etc. Some days I feel like I move from task to task just surviving- that I am in a constant battle to bring order to chaos. In past two weeks two warriors lost their battles with cancer. Brian and I hired a babysitter to go to one of these memorial services. We feel it is really important to reflect and celebrate those who have past on before us as well as deal with the painful reality of death. Because of these deaths, I have thought about the reality of my every day life. Yes, it is indeed true that I am in a constant battle with chaos and too often I lose that battle. But, there is a truth that is greater than my little struggle. I have two souls I interact with on a daily basis. God has given me the instruments of prayer and the guide of His Word to raise these souls. He has a plan for us and He can accomplish more than I ever could by worrying. Too often I turn to methods and worry instead of this truth. I am afraid of pain and death as well. I worry about what would happen to Hannah and Charis is something happened to us. I was reminded at the memorial service that all of our days are ordained by the Lord. He has ordained every single one of my days and I can trust in Him. Today I remember Cliff Bernard and Beth Rettig for their faith and endurance. They fought as hard as they could and although we are pained-- Death ultimately does not have the victory. We are assured in Christ who was raised from the dead.

Some other pics

Charleston

This is on an old Navy ship.

View from Ft. Sumter.

This is Bob the horse. He was our guide through Charleston.

Picnic on the way there.

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah is Three!

New Pictures

So our camera broke. After 5 and a half years of loyal pictures I am searching for another one. These are the last pictures I was able to salvage off it. Notice the decrease in quality.

Excerpt from Henri J.M. Nouwen

I really like this quote. I have been trying to steal back some time for reflection and prayer. This really hit home for me!

"Once we have committed ourselves to spending time in solitude, we develop an attentiveness to God's voice in us. In the beginning, during the first days, weeks, or even months, we may have the feeling that we are simply wasting our time. Time in solitude may at first seem little more than a time in which we are bombarded by thousands of thoughts and feelings that emerge from hidden areas of our minds. One of the early Christian writers describes the first stage of solitary prayer as the experience of a man who, after years of living with open doors, suddenly decides to shut them. The visitors who used to come and enter his home start pounding on his doors, wondering why they are not allowed to enter. Only when they realize that they are not welcome do they gradually stop coming. This is the experience of anyone who decides to enter into solitude after a life without much spiritual discipline. At first, the many distractions keep presenting themselves. Later, as they receive less and less attention, they slowly withdraw."

The Playroom Project

New door in Hannah's room.

View of the door from the attic.

Getting ready to install the window. The wood is there so they don't fall out.

Framing the walls and ceiling.

Hannah already loves her new playroom.

Some pictures of sweet Charis.

Confession of a Computer Addict

Well, life had been crazy lately. I think part of the problem was information overload... mostly from the computer. I love Facebook, but my brain just can't keep up with what over 300 people are doing in their everyday life. I also was reading a bunch of money saving blogs. They give you tips on great deals for the day and how you can get items for free. It is really a great resource, but they post about 20 deals a day. There is no way I can keep track of that many deals and in fact it makes me feel like every time I buy something for full price, I have failed. One women buys all of her groceries for $40 a week-- sometimes less. I have just come to the conclusion that I cannot possibly do that. So I am taking a fast from Facebook and I think I am going to unsubscribe to my money saving blogs. I hate to do it because I really do find some good tips on there. I guess I just don't want my whole life to be about saving money. Next thing I want to try is to only check my email twice a day. Just thinking about it gives me a bad feeling. I think I really am addicted to all of this stuff. In all my spare moments, I want to run to the computer. So I this is kind of like my confession. Part of the reason I love all of these things is that it keeps me in touch and I love that. But I think I can keep in touch in a more healthy way by having set times in the day when I am on the computer. So, I will probably be back on Facebook in a week, but with more boundaries. Life has already been made simpler without it.

My next post will be pictures of our new addition to the house! Brian and Papa got the door, floor joists, and window in. They will start framing the walls today.