Mountains and Meadows: It's beginning to look a lot like

Christmas!The presents are all wrapped and cookies are baked. Packages and cards are mailed. Some home-made ornaments are on the tree and we still have LOTS of snow. We've been reading Advent devotionals. Even the stockings are hung all full of wrapped little presents from the children to one another (in the hallway) and the ones on the fireplace from us to the children. Have I mentioned I love having a teenager in the house!? She likes to be ahead of the game and wrapped everything except her own presents. She's also going to paint my bedroom and the play room with me this week. Oh and we've also gotten one of our favorite Christmas books out... The Three Trees .

Why Mountains & Meadows?

Life is not unlike the challenge of hiking up a beautiful mountain, trying and exhausting, yet thankfully we come across peaceful meadows that are quiet and beautiful. While the meadows are often short and sweet (and the mountain can be tough) there is something even better waiting for us in the experience of pushing ourselves, putting one foot in front of the other, learning and growing stronger, willing ourselves to reach the top of the next mountain. And then...what a view!! The huge breath of fresh air, the excitement of the accomplishment and most definitely the presence of God found in His creation. Read more here and here.

Words to live by...

"If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. " Romans 8:10 NASB

“What is needed, then, is to see God in everything, and to receive everything directly from His hands, with no intervention of second causes… To the children of God everything comes directly from their Father’s hand, no matter who or what may have been the apparent agents.” Hannah Whitall Smith in 1875.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 RSV

I am thankful for...

A clean house! (Mama)
A get-away to Gold Bar, with Daddy. (Mama)
A wonderful vacuum. Thank-you Carol! (Mama)
Baby Monkey, Iron Giant, & our trampoline. (Ryland)
Cuddling and watching a movie with Dad. (Ethan)
Daddy's adorable dimples. (Mama)
Daddy's buttermilk pancakes with strawberries on top! (Mama)
Dancing to music with Mama. (Halle)
Food, food, food! (Halle)
God's love and faithfullness, His mercy & His grace. (Mama)
Hope is walking finally (at 14mos)!
Mom taking us to the movies. (Aidan)
Money to pay our bills. (Mama)
Music!!!! (Hope)
My binkie. (Halle)
My blankie, my fingers, my Mama. (Hope)
My friend Simmy. (Aidan)
My new homeschool supply hutch. (Mama)
My new scrapbooking nook!!! (Mama)
My rope swing. (Aidan)
My transformers! (Ethan)
Our family. All of us. (Ethan)
Our new church. (Ryland)
Our trees, our ducks, our house. (Ryland)
Paper, notebooks, pens, pencils (Aidan)
The rooster is dead and won't hurt Popcorn anymore. (Ethan)

Kid Quotes

~Ryland to Ethan after Ethan said something innapropriate... "You know what Mama says 'No saying anything not innapropriate Ethan!'" Not exactly, Ry!

~"I just wish I wasn't so very curious." Aidan likening himself to Curious George, after he burnt his finger on a interesting-looking light fixture, at aThai restaraunt.

~"It's okay Halle-O, brother Ry is here. You're okay now. I'll protect you from the mean Hoper-Smacker." Ryland consoling Halle after Hope smacked her in the eye.

~"Momma, I want to marry Hope and Ethan will marry Halle and then we never have to move out!" AJ's fix to the eventual separation of our family~oh dear!

~ AJ before bed, "Momma, you and Daddy and Charity are my most favorite family ever." Me: "What about your other family?" AJ: "Yes, Grandma Sharon and Nana too!" Me: "And..." AJ: "Papa Rick, Grandma Cheryl, Uncle Joe...Ummmm, I just have the best family ever. God gave us the best family ever."

~"Hope has a tooth!!! I'll get the cheerios!!!" Ethan upon spoting Hope first tooth.

~"And we pray for Charity to be safe while she tells people about Jesus and teaches. And then bring her home soon!" Aidan.

~Ethan in the car, "I just want to stay little Momma." Me: "I like you little too Ethan, but you're getting more and more wonderful everyday. That is how God made us~to grow and change. "Ethan: "But when I grow up, then I will die?" Me: "Not for a long, long time. After you are a Daddy and a Grandpa too." Ethan: "Then I'll go to Heaven?" Me: "Yes, yes you will!" Ethan: "Will Jesus pull me up, up, up with a rope, way up high?" Me: {chuckling in the front seat} Ethan thinking way in the back seat: "But what if I'm afraid to be up so high?" Me: "Jesus won't let you be afraid." Ethan: "Will there be a house for us in Heaven." Me: "Even better, Jesus has made us mansions! But most importantly we'll be with Him forever." Ethan: "Well I still want to stay little."

~"DADDY! Hopey is smiling at the TOP of her LUNGS!!!" Ethan telling Chad that Hope was very very happy.

~Helping Ryland put his shoes on I said, "See you have to lift the tongue..."Ry: "Aaaaahhhhh" with his tongue lifted.

~AJ after I allowed him to go to the bathroom in the men's room for the first time on Friday, "Mom, you're just gonna have to stop babying me." Ouch! Of course later that night, "Momma, can I sleep in your room and cuddle???" :o)

~Ryland after coming out of my bathroom with his hair cut down to the scalp, "I just wanted to be handsome, and it was sticking up, here, and here."

~Ethan in the middle of the movie theater during a quiet part, in his best dramatic movie voice, and wrapping his arms around Chad, says loudly "I LOVE YOU FATHER". Chuckles from those all around only encouraged him more...

~ Aidan, after hearing Ethan tell us his teacher's method for getting the kids attention when they are acting up... "One two three, eyes on me" and so forth... Aidan camly chimes in and tells us his teacher's approach. We are all ears because we really like his teacher and she has tons of experience and great ways of motivating the kids. "My teacher just says - EVERYBODY BE QUIET!!!!!!!!!!" His comic timing and delivery was pefect and we were all rolling with laughter!

~ Ethan: Oh drate! = Oh great!; Ephan = Ethan; o-tay = okay

~ Ethan, telling Becca to give daddy a message for him while he's at work: "hi daddy, I miss you, when can I come to work with you? And please stay home with us someday. Someday like today or soon."

~ Ethan after getting in big trouble for doing something bad... With lower lip sticking out and a look of desperation and despair, "Bad luck for Ephan today!"

~Ryland told Chad yesterday, "When I grow up I want to be a Dad, and also, I'll work at Microsoft. I'll work hard and come home when it's dark out. And my wife will be there taking care of my kids and making dinner too." T~Bella answered, "I'm going to work at Microsoft too; well, just until I have a baby and then I'll stay home with her. And make dinner too."

Monday, December 22, 2008

It's beginning to look a lot like

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