Weekend Away

Most winters my in-laws have treated us to a night away at a local (within 90 mins) hotel.  This year was different.  We packed up the van, our swimsuits and some yummy food and off we were.

The kids have always enjoyed it because we find a hotel that has an indoor water park.  I didn't get a whole lot of pictures, but here are a few of the kiddos swimming on Friday evening.

 Nick and Olivia are supposed to be coming down one of these slides, but I missed it. :(

Olivia's ear had started draining on Friday afternoon and had gotten noticeably worse on Friday night so Saturday morning her and I just stayed in the hotel room while everyone else headed back to the pool.

So much fun was had by all!  Much thanks to my in-laws!

Child Training Bible

Several months ago I was making hot lunch for the school kids and the other mom that was with me was working on some Child Training Bibles while we waited for the lunch to bake.  I was immediately interested and came home and did some research.  What I discovered was an amazing tool to help parents and children get into the Bible when dealing with daily issues.

What is a Child Training Bible (CTB)?  As described on their website the Child Training Bible is a "is tool that allows parents and children (and anyone that loves the Word of God) to go directly to the pages of Scripture for instruction in 20 key areas with a complete section dedicated to the gospel."


Our CTB looks like this....

 

You can see here the 20 areas that it addresses. 

 

 Each color is on each side once and corresponds with the tabs in the same location.

 Open it up and this is what it looks like.  You highlight the verse in the same color to match the tab. (All the Wrong Friendships Bible verses on highlighted in pink and marked with pink tabs on the bottom edge.)

  My kids have already been asking about it.  I think that the colorful tabs and highlighting have made them curious!  Praying that this becomes a well used tool in our house!

(Side Note: the CTB website recommends using the English Standard Version, but I opted for the New International Version as that is what my husband and I grew up with and it is the version the kids use at church and school.)

Normal Everyday Life

I seem to feel that I have to have some significant or profound in order to make a blog post.  So many of the blogs that I follow either help me save money, encourage me or they are mothers that just seem awesome to me.  Well, this blog is really none of them and I when I started I wanted to just post about the everyday things (hence the title).  So, here are some photos of our everyday life. :)

 New Year Eve.  We let all three kids eat in the living room while watching The Polar Express.  Olivia was super thrilled to be able to join her brother and sister on the mat and not be sitting in her booster seat.

 My little kitchen helper modeling one of the new aprons the girls received for Christmas.  I have found that it is easier if I just adapt my plans and try to include her in one way or another. 

 My helper "sampling" the chocolate chips. :)

 Rebecca's class had planned to put on a little production of the Gingerbread Man before Christmas.  Between the weather and illness they were unable to pull it off so it was postponed until January.  Rebecca played the part of the Little Old Lady and enjoyed herself! :)

Rebecca's class singing a few songs and reciting a Bible memory verse after their "production."

 I don't remember what the deal was here, but I know that I told the kids that if they were ready for bed early that we could watch movie.  They all complied and they all got out their blankets and snuggled in!  Well, Olivia only snuggled in for a few minutes, but I snapped the picture before she could get away!

 Again, Olivia helping me in the kitchen.  I was cleaning the fridge and asked her to empty out the door.  She nicely lined everything up on the floor (on her own) and was happy to comply when I asked for a picture.

 Micah has had privilege of playing on a local Upwards basketball team this winter.  This is from his first game.  He is loving the game and excited when it is time for practice or games.  Team introductions above and taking the ball down the court below. 

Merry Christmas!

From our home to yours, Merry Christmas!

Once again we have reached the end of the year and we can hardly imagine that yet another has passed.  So much changes in a year and yet so much remains the same.  We have been reminded several times this year to cherish each day that we have with our family and friends and to enjoy all the blessings that we have been given.  Again we have seen and felt God’s faithfulness and loving-kindness as he continues to provide for all of our spiritual and physical needs. 

Nick surpassed his 6-year anniversary at ... IA.  It is hard for us to imagine that he has been there for more than 6 years, but he started just before Rebecca was born and so we know it is true! J  He continues to work in the Safety & Regulatory department and enjoys going throughout the company doing meetings and presentations.  He is also actively involved ... Christian School (where Micah and Rebecca attend) as he was elected to the School Board this year.  He was nominated to serve as Vice-President of the School Board and serves as the head of the Education Committee and as a member of Promotions Committee.  Whew! Yup – he keeps busy.  He was a volunteer coach for Micah’s Little League team this summer and had a wonderful time interacting with the boys on the team.

Michelle experienced a job change this year as she left her position of 5 years at ..., IA and became a full-time stay at home mom.  It was not a decision that was reached easily, but it was one that she was being called to.  She now fills her days with schedule-making, meal preparations and all the tasks involved in keeping everyone happy and healthy (which is easier said than done!).  She also serves on the School Circle at ... Christian and has rediscovered a love for sewing.  Her sister and her family were also home on an extended furlough from Uruguay.  During their visit their second child was born much to the excitement of all.  We packed them back up in August and were sad to see them go again, but we know that they are in God’s hands and that we (Nick and Michelle) will be seeing them when we visit in March 2013.

Micah (8) is now a 3^rd grader at ... Christian School and excels at nearly everything he puts his hand and mind to.  He continues to surprise his parents with his ability to retain Bible verses, spelling words and grammar.  It is also very difficult to keep up with him in reading materials as he reads through books very quickly! He played Little League this summer and much to his father’s delight served as one of the teams pitchers. J  He is currently involved in a 4-on-4 basketball club and is enjoying practice and looking forward to the games this winter.

Rebecca (6) is a kindergartener at ... Christian School and had a bit of a rough 2012.  We discovered in February that she is allergic to several environmental irritants.  This started a long journey of trying to find the right medication.  Unfortunately there were a few that did not work out and caused us to lose some ground.  We also discovered that her adenoids had grown back (they had been taken out for the first time when she was 3 and had grown back apparently it is common in children with allergies as severe as hers).  As soon as the school year was over she had surgery to have them removed again and to have her nasal cavities cauterized.  We also made the decision to have her repeat kindergarten.  The allergies had caused some speech issues and the wealth of medication that we had to try had put her in a fog thus she struggled socially.  It was a heart-wrenching decision, but not one that we regret.  We are pleased to say that Rebecca is doing very well.  She is excelling at school and loves “helping” her teacher this year.  She also played T-ball for the first time this summer.  It is always an adventure to watch 4 & 5-year-olds try to play organized sports, but she enjoyed it.  She is still our little imagination station and often times she can be found with her princesses and other little dolls creating stories. 

Olivia (2) is, well, how to put this…. our little go-getter.  By that I mean that if she isn’t supposed to have it then she will probably go and get it.   Climbing in the fridge, playing with her sister’s carefully arranged princesses, sitting in front of a closet door so that her brother can’t get in it are things that Olivia routinely does.  She is almost always running and always wants a “haw-daw” (hot dog) for all meals.  She certainly adds a lot of the spice of life right now and we do not see that changing anytime soon. 

We pray that as you move throughout this marvelous season that you will see and hear the beauty of the message of our Savior.  Take a few moments, take a deep breath and remember that a Savior was born for you, for us and for everyone that we may know life and know it to the fullest.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Baking

Since all the gifts are purchased, I can now move on to thinking about what I am going to baking for Christmas goodies!  I seem to always have plenty of recipes that I have bookmarked through out the year that it takes some time to narrow down my options. This year I am trying to keep things simple and use ingredients that I already have in the house.  The tasty items that will be coming from my kitchen are the following:

World's Easiest Christmas Candy
Thanks to Money Saving Mom I found this yummy and very simple recipe!  It tastes much like toffee does and only takes a little bit of time.  Both good things in my book!

Cookie Dough Bites
This is a new recipe for me this year and so far it has been a big success.  Think of a big bowl of cookie dough right before you bake it and you have this yummy treat.  I made this one for an annual goodie exchange and I hope that everyone likes it as much as we do!

Homemade 3 Musketeers
This is a recipe that I found last year and we like it better than the real 3 Musketeers!  Made it last year for our goodie exchange and this year some one else it making it.  I had lots of compliments on it last year.  It can be a little messy, but it is oh so very good!

These and a few crackers with peanut butter dipped in almond bark and I will be done!  Hope that your Christmas is full of yummy treats! :)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree is set up.  I believe this is about as early as it has gotten for us in recent years.

Last year our tree looked like this....

I debated doing that again this year.  We have a certain member of the family who has trouble remember what they can and can not play with and I was afraid that the ornaments were going to be tempting.  However, I decided to give it a try with the ornaments and we will see how things go.

Nick wasn't feeling well so it was just the kids and I and it went very well.  The older two and I set up the tree and the little one was awake from her nap by the time we were ready for the ornaments.  It was fun to see their excitement.

I think that I have a little fixing to do.  There are a lot of areas like this.....

That need to shifted to fill in areas like this. :)

And the usually "How many kids can fit in the Christmas Tree Box photo."

And the "pretending to be sleeping" photo which they all thought was funny. :)

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was pretty typical for us other than some illness.  Nick ended up in bed all day on Thanksgiving Day with strep.  Not fun and hoping that the rest of us do not get it.  A few of us are battling colds or something of that nature.  I am hopeful that we are sick now and we will all be healthy when it comes to Christmas programs and gatherings.  Hopefully? :)

A lot of the week was spent in preparation for the 3 family gatherings that we had.  I made a lot of my food on Tuesday afternoon and then spent most of Wednesday helping my mom with food and getting her house ready for the 29 guests that were coming on Thanksgiving Day.  The moment that probably stands out to me the most occurred when I was up to my elbows in extra topping for my Apple Crisp on Tuesday afternoon.  I was becoming increasingly frustrated because I had to much topping and not enough room in my pan.  I can't throw away yummy Apple Crisp topping so I had to cut up more apples and make another pan.  After an afternoon on my feet, a toddler at my feet and with nothing ready for supper I was ready to throw in the hat.  Then out of nowhere (well, actually I am sure it was God straightening my attitude) the thought flew into my head that there are mothers all over this world (and probably not very far from me) who would love to have the "excess" problem that I was experiencing.  I was reminded in that moment that the food in my cupboards is more than some will have a year's time.  The fact that I had several options for supper is beyond comprehension for some mothers and families in 3rd world countries.  My attitude changed and I moved on seeing my "problem" as a blessing.  Our (my) "problems" are often blessings that need to be looked at in a different light.

With that in mind here are some photos from a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  May we all remember that the blessings that we have are gifts that our Father in heaven has given to us for this moment in time.

 Electronics are always a big hit with the little ones!  This just makes me smile!

 Great Grandpa playing Barbies with some of the little girls.

 Yes, Eric is taking care of the tangles in the yarn for his mother. :)

 Micah playing "War" with extended cousins.

Olivia is taking some antibiotics that are pretty rough on the system and we had a little accident which meant that she got to run around with no pants and her light up shoes.  It was pretty funny.

Thanksgiving exhaustion!