Cousin Visit!!!!

It all started as a perfectly peaceful beautiful winter snowstorm...

Then, the COUSINS came and the ELECTRICITY WENT OUT...and it was all-out WAR!

Snow wars, that is.  They divided themselves into teams and made flags to put on their snow forts.  They spent most of their weekend outside in the beautiful 8 inches of snow.  Going UP our long driveway...

And then DOWN the long driveway--but usually on sled--over and over and over again.  They were so sleepy by bedtime!

Of course, they had a great time snowball fighting...

Angel cousins making snow angels...

You'll notice in the next picture that it was all fun and games until someone got hurt.  In this case, it was Lauren.  She took a snowball to the face no less than 4 times, thanks to one boy who shall remain nameless to protect his privacy--right, CODY????  Poor girl, she took it like a trooper, though.

Lauren and William spent lots of time hanging out.  They like to remind people that they are only 6 weeks apart in age.  They are not only cousins, but good friends.

The dogs loved chasing the sleds down the hill, then tackling the riders.

Inside, drying out, relaxing and warming up...  Jared (and John Wesley---shhhhh don't tell him I told you) enjoyed the Thomas the Train set that Trenton so nicely passed down to Jared.

The kids all decorated gingerbread men (or women) one afternoon.

Thankful for my collection of Christmas mugs.  The snowstorm caught me without any paper or plastic ware, so I had each kid pick a cup and made it THEIRS for the duration.  (We did wash them occasionally. :))

The power outage also meant my Mom & Dad didn't have heat.  So they came over to stay with us, joining in on the fun.  The more the merrier!  There were 15 of us in our "little house" that weekend.  Yes, we were walking over and around each other; yes, it was a little chaotic; and yes, it was FUN!

The kids emptied this gallon jar of pickles in one day.  Trenton, Lauren and William decided to drink the juice--all of it.  YUCK!

Jared (pictured here with Lena) and MaKenzie had fun sledding, too!

What's more fun than spending a cold, winter day inside playing a long game of Monopoly???

We were blessed to have the wall-mounted heater to keep us warm and cozy.  With no electric, we couldn't use the dryer to dry gloves and coats between trips outside.  This is "the little heater who could!"

Every available spot that could hold a hanger was put into use to dry the wet outside clothes.

The next afternoon, we made delicious snow cream!

The kids decided it should be green, alien snow cream--so it was.

The kids had a great time.  The electric being out made it all the more fun.  I'm sure my kids (and I hope Lauren, Jake and Trenton) will look back fondly on this weekend visit for many years to come.

And, I'm not even going to TRY to explain this one...

William & Matthew

I glanced over at the table to look in on the kids as they were working on their schoolwork yesterday afternoon, and this was what I saw.  I just love how William was holding Matthew while he worked and not even thinking about it.

What Do YOU Want For Christmas?

I think this video speaks for itself.  Enjoy.

September? December? At least they both end in -ber....

So, Lena and MaKenzie's birthdays are in September.  We usually celebrate them together since they are only a day apart.  Back in September, on MaKenzie's birthday, we had to go pick up the goats.  Mom & Dad kept the kids and while we were gone, Grandma baked the girls a yummy chocolate birthday cake.  So, we celebrated at their house that night, and I called it good--and it was!

However, I had purchased all the necessary items to make a castle cake for the girls way back in the beginning of September, before their birthdays.  The stuff has been moved from pillar to post around my kitchen for a couple months now--remember the "not much space" issue?  Well, finally we decided the kitchen was too valuable (space-wise) to be taken up with the cake mixes, decorations, etc, and we moved it all to my bedroom.  All the while--the WHOLE 3 months--Lena's been saying, "Mommy, when are you going to make my cake?"  So yesterday, during my "peaceful winter morning", while the girls played in the snow on the porch (aren't they cute all bundled up in the hats and scarf Aunt Robyn made?), I baked their cake.  Today we had Grandma & Grandpa over & we had a 1/4 birthday celebration.  They are officially 1/4 year older.  Who else do you know that celebrates 1/4 birthdays??  I know--we're the only weird ones.  I get that.  :)

Peaceful Winter Morning...

What a peaceful morning I've had.  Harold and the four older boys plus Jared left around 6:30.  Harold had an elders' meeting at church, then all of the men and men-in-training from church are going to get together for what we call "Mountain Men's Breakfast".  They have that every month. 

As I was seeing Harold and the boys out the door, I noticed it was beginning to snow.  I went back to my bedroom to decide whether I was going to go back to sleep or start the day.  I got to pick because the rest of the kids who were here--Lena, MaKenzie, and Matthew--would still sleep for a few hours.  I couldn't sleep (I know--unusual for me, right?), so I sat and leisurely enjoyed a couple of magazines I'd been wanting to read.  I took my shower and headed for the kitchen.  I couldn't believe what I saw as I looked out my kitchen window...SNOW!  Beautiful snow, about an inch of it already--it had only been an hour or so!

What I don't think you can see in the picture above is the sweet little cabin that is at the foot of the hill.  When I look out my window in the winter (because the tree leaves are off--otherwise I can't see the cabin) as I'm in the kitchen washing dishes is this little lodge-vacation-like scene.  I can pretend I'm in Gatlinburg while I wash my dishes!  I love it!

And here is the driveway.  I guess going into town will have to wait.  That's okay, 'cause what's here is WAY better than what I'll find in town.  So many sweet little treasures.

Like these little mittens that my boys used to wear.  I couldn't bear to throw them away, so the year when I discovered nobody would be able to wear them, I hung them on our Christmas tree.  They've been there every year since.  I love them!  The paper chain is at least a few years old.  It's getting a little fragile in places.

And look at that sweet little handprint on that mitten!  That was made about 10 years ago!  And the little reindeer below?  His face is a traced shoe print from when Cody was two (also 10 years ago now) and his antlers are my sweet boy's two-year-old handprints.  Right in back of the right antlers/hand you can see a little red sweater ornament with a white snowflake on it.  That was given to me by Sharon Grant one year in the Christmas cards she sent out.  The little rainbow colored star at the bottom right corner was an impromptu decoration Cody made one year and just hung on the tree with no prompting.   That was about 4 years ago I guess. 

So, this peaceful winter morning, I think I'll just enjoy the quiet (well, relatively quiet anyway--there are still 3 children here after all!) and admire the snow from the warmth of my little house.

Distractions?

Often I find myself so "busy" doing "GOOD" things that I am distracted from the things that are "BEST."  I saw this video on Ginger's blog and thought it was very true.  Just wanted to share.

~By the way, you might want to scroll to the bottom of the page and press PAUSE on the music player.~ 

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Jared!

How can it be that seven years have come and gone?  Nearly seven years ago now that I first saw your sweet face and your big blue eyes, then unseeing, and your ears not hearing.

You stole my heart that very first night I met you in the hospital.  I knew you were mine, even if you never were really.  I knew that I wanted to be your eyes and ears for as long as you needed me.

But, miracle of miracles!  You experienced God's healing.  Oh, how I would love to take you to see that doctor who said you would never see, walk or talk.  You could tell HIM a few things.  More than a few, actually.

What would a boy who can't see need with this toy?  Nothing!  You can see and you can talk all the ears off a field full of cornstalks!

And, what happened to that little baby that I held and rocked, whose hand we pressed to his Daddy's whiskers so he would know who had him, whose Mommy wore the same perfume (a little too strong) for months so you could smell it and you would know I was near?

That baby grew up into a fine young boy who knows exactly what he wants and isn't a bit shy about telling whoever will listen!  So, take that Mr. Doctor and thank you, Jesus!  Happy Birthday my sweet boy, it is my great privilege and honor to be called your Mommy.

What I've Learned Living in a Small House...

About 3 or 4 years ago now, Harold and I bought this piece of property--about 7 acres give or take, it is very wooded and private.  It's way out in the middle of God's country and we L-O-V-E it!  Our kids L-O-V-E it.  Even our dogs are happy here.  When we bought it, we were so enamoured with it, we called it "The Promised Land"--for indeed it is the perfect place to raise our large, active family.  Our kids have thrived here, having the ability to spend their days exploring God's creation, chasing squirrels, watching bugs, and observing the trees as they grow and change with the seasons.

When we first bought the property, it was just woods.  Very densely-wooded woods.  We cleared the land, had a well dug, and hooked up to the electricity.  Our intent was to build a house that would accommodate our family. 

We had lots of ideas about what our house would be like, and the main component was LOTS of open space, and a nice LARGE kitchen and dining area.  We never wanted each child to have his or her own bedroom, preferring instead to have at least 2 to a bedroom (for many reasons--but mostly because we like the sense of "community" fostered by the sharing of their intimate spaces).  So we had 2 or 3 drawings of ideas for our would-be house.  What we didn't (and still don't) have was money to build.  We needed to sell our other house first.

So, not wanting to wait till we sold the other house to get out to the land, we bought a single wide mobile home to put on the property "temporarily" until we got our "big house" built.  We would squish us all into it and "make do" for the few months it would take to get our house built.  Uh-huh...And here we still are, 2 years later. 

We have 3 bedrooms and 10 people--somehow we make it work.  Our wonderful dining room table that my mom and dad gave us, which seats up to 12 people, actually fits in the kitchen area!   Our big sectional, a recliner, and a rocking chair all fit nicely in the living room.  And the hallway has space for 2 large book cases. 

I'm not going to lie.  Even though all of our NEEDS are accommodated in this little home, living in a small house has been hard for me.  Having to move my dirty clothes in order to do laundry (because the only place to sort them is in the 4 ft square area in front of the washer and dryer), having to move my clean, folded clothes to set the table (because the only place to fold the clothes is the kitchen table which is about 4 feet away from the washer and dryer), having to move my large pots and pans in order to cook or do laundry (because the only place for my large pots and pans is either on top of the dryer or in and on top of the stove)...that's all been very frustrating to me.  I'm one of those people who like for every item to have a permanent home, so this constant moving around of stuff is hard, not to mention inconvenient--and inconvenient is uncomfortable--and I crave comfortable, don't we all?

But I'm learning.  Slowly.  I'm learning that my life doesn't have to be comfortable.  God never said my life would be comfortable.  He never said that I would be able to get through a day without having inconveniences and frustrations.  He said my needs would be provided for.  And they are.  There is nothing my family needs that we don't have in our small house--at least not today.  I am certain that when the day comes that our family needs more than this little house can provide for us, God will make sure we have a house that will fill the bill--he's good like that, providing for our needs just at the right time. 

I'm learning.  Learning that just because my house is small doesn't make it any less "HOME".  My home, though small, is still a haven for my family--it is where my children grow and learn, where Harold and I confide in one another and nurture our children together.  It is where our family has movie nights and plays games.  It's where I prepare meals and wash clothes, give baths, and read stories.  It is where we offer shelter and respite to friends or acquaintances who need a "home away from home" for a bit.  It's where we live and love, grow and give, pray and play--together.

This little house might not be pretty--I don't kid myself.  It's nothing fancy to look at for sure.  It needs a good paint job and it has lots of quirks--quirks that on some days make me think I'm going to lose my flippin' mind...but slowly...ever-so-slowly, I'm learning to look at living here from a different perspective.  And I'm learning to like the view.  Who knows how temporary our stay in our small house will be?  We could be here for several more months, or several more years.  Only God can move our other house and get it sold in this economy.  What I do know is that we are a closer family (and not just proximity-wise) for having lived in our small house.  Our small house has taught us to improvise, share, make-do, create, wait, organize, plan, pare-down and prioritize.  We've learned that we have to not only respect each other's space, but be willing to share our own personal space.  Who knew our small house could teach us so much?  This Thanksgiving season, I'm thankful for my small house that shelters my family and keeps us closer.  Even moreso, I'm thankful for the memories that will no doubt remain for many years, that we have made while living right here, in our small home.  

THANK-ful for CHRIST-mas...

Now, normally, I'm the one you'll hear loudly complaining all the way through Wal-Mart about "why they have to get the Christmas stuff out sooooo early... can't they wait till we get Thanksgiving out of the way, first," et cetera ad nauseum. But this year, I've gotten in the Christmas mood a bit early. I got my shopping mostly out of the way last week, and that really boosted the Christmas quotient for me. It got me started thinking about the tree and decorations...and of course the music.

I had a hard time convincing myself it'd be okay to buck my own tradition of putting up the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving (most years--some years a bit later). I argued with myself a bit, and polled my kids for their opinions, trying to figure out what I should do. But the more I rolled around in my mind what Thanksgiving would be like with Christmas decorations already up, somehow, it just seemed right and good--in fact, better than good.

I can't imagine a better reminder of exactly WHAT we have, as Christians, to be THANKFUL for. We are thankful for not just our earthly blessings, but the very fact of Christ's birth and everything He came to earth to do for us. Really, Thanksgiving is such a fitting segue into the Christmas season, isn't it? Almost makes me wish I hadn't done all that complaining walking through Wal-Mart...it just might be that they had it right all along and they didn't even know it.

Oh yeah, the best part is...my kids are now officially big enough and capable enough that all I had to do was choose which Christmas music to put on and mix up the hot cocoa. They took care of hauling everything in from the shed and putting the tree together and decorating it! Love it!

NOW we are ready for giving some real THANKS!!!