Merry Christmas!

aiming for even more beauty, cheer, joy

and love in our hearts than in our home...

Happy {belated} 4th of July!

Backyard camp-out! Click to enlarge and see Aidan up at the crack of dawn reading and Tennyson guarding the girls tent (sleeping in front of it).
My 5 beautiful girls. Reminds me... Gotta get that shot gun cleaned...
So much good food! Nothing like water mellon and BBQ on the 4th! And Jan's fruit salad was a huge hit :)

While we were eating, the girls climbed on Tennyson... "run and grab the camera!!"

Thanks Grandpa Rick for providing the fireworks. Here Ed amazes the crowds with 'snakes'.

OK, just had to put another cute shot of the twins and tennyson :)

Easily entertained...

OOOOH, AHHHHHH

I don't know what just happened... But it must have been pretty amazing ;)

Aidan and his pillow (dog) watch the big Fairground fireworks show from our nieghbors yard

Ooooh, shiney

A lesson learned {for GOOD this time}...

I don't know what is wrong with me sometimes. How do I, a Believer, keen to the Evil One's schemes, fall right into his hands, his plan to distract? I know how he uses things, materialism and selfishness, commercialism, to take the focus off the Lord, and yet, another holiday has passed with me playing right into it.

Do you ever do something even though you know you shouldn't and even worse, you know deep down you don't really want to!?! Yet you do it anyway? No? Oh. Well, I do that. Too often. And truly I don't know why. I am a sinner. But an aware sinner, one who knows better!

I guess it could be that my childhood left something to be desired , I try to make up for it by making sure my kids have everything, and more. Yet I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it's not going matter. They don't need it, what's worse, it's BAD for them. Still, off to Target I go, joining the masses, scooping up the .99 Easter baskets, the soft stuffed chicks and bunnies. I buy plastic eggs, fill them with candy. I stay up late filling them to hide the next day.

Then Sunday morning do I rise early to spend time with my Savior, thanking Him in quietness of heart before the days activities begin? No, and I don't sleep in either, I get up and perfectly arrange 6 Easter baskets, making pretty tags with ribbon and stickers. All for what? To show my kids what matters.

Yes, we do focus on the true meaning of Easter. We ask our children, "What is Easter really about kids?" "Is it important whether or not we wake to Easter baskets or not?" Yet, here they are...And I was so excited to see their faces when they found the little things I'd bought them. I know that it's fluff and that they would fight over the toys later (and they DID!) and I know that they would have sugar highs and later plummet (and they DID!) and saddest of all I know that we would be wasting time focusing on what the world focuses on instead of what matters.

Of couse we prayed and thanked God for allowing Jesus to come to earth and die for our sins. We praised Him for raising Jesus from the dead 3 days later. They did appreciate their gifts and especially loved their wooden crosses to paint. We spoke of why Jesus is not on the cross.

But we still had boys focusing on their new legos throughout the day; and fighting about whether they would get more of their candy now or after dinner. At Charity's mom's house, the selfishness continued and it was torture to stop playing with toys long enough to let me take a picture. My heart was very heavy.

You know what's {almost} funny? Chad, the wise-one, told me so sweetly "Do they really need baskets this year?" "But it's Annah's first Easter with us. And it's just good fun isn't it?" "But do we need to spend the money filling them with so much?" "Yes, honey, I know I go overboard. I'm working on it, I promise." "Okay." I stink. {A side note, a friend once told me, after my boys were mis-behaving and going overboard with decorating my backside with hearts and glue, "It's hard to see our our shortcomings in our kids isn't it?" Yes, it is. And I'm ready to do something about it!}

I really have learned my lesson this time. I am done with spoiling my kids to make them happy and ending up with selfishness instead. Wasted money, wasted time. It's not going to happen again. Check in next year, you'll see!

special weekend

Annah and Viktoriya had a special weekend together. One of love, acceptance and forgivness. They shared a time of understanding and learning how families do not give up on one another even when they do not see eye to eye.

They shopped and spent Viktoriya's birthday money, got their pictures taken together, stayed up late watching movies and giggling, slept in, swam at the YMCA with Ethan and Ry (they are GOOD big sisters!), enjoyed worshipping at church together, reminisced and told stories. I loved hearing about their childhood.

We had fun celebrating Valentines Day and Viktoriya's 15th birthday together...

In the end we raced *I mean did the speed limit* to the ferry and said our goodbyes. Late last night, as I was folding laundry on my bed, Annah came in, tears streaming down her face, "I miss Viktoriya." I held her and she sobbed asking "why can't we force her to live here?" We prayed that God would have Viktoriya live exactly where He wanted her in these last few years of her childhood. "What if she insists on staying where God doesn't want her? She's gotta be better off here." Sighs and hugs are all I could offer at that point.

And yes, we do have 4 boys in this house. I'm sorry I've only been posting about girls lately! The boys enjoyed our annual heart shaped choc chip pancakes on Saturday. The little things really make them happy, especially traditions they can look forward to...

And I have to mention (and post a pic to get Chad in the blog again) that my daughter's are not following in their mostly-vegetartian mother's footsteps... they LOVE their Daddy's BBQ anything... It was so funny, they kept begging and begging for more, even though they had already eaten dinner.

chipmunk cheeks galore, full of barbeque chicken!

Halle looking at Chad like "you're seriously not givng me anymore???"

Oh no, the twins highjacked the post again, oh well. Here is a Valentines Day kiss for you!!!

annah's bday at grandma sharon's

Grandma Sharon, Nana and Auntie Joyce baked Annah a cake and had us over for dinner!

AND they watched the twins all weekend. God has blessed us with wonderful family indeed.

Grandma's and Nana's toys are better than anyone elses.

Annah opening up more Christmas presents and birthday presents~score!

Grandma Sharon is always happy to play the piano when asked. "Oh come all ye faithful"

We sure missed these babies when we were gone!!! Grandma says they were good as gold.

Nana put up with the noise of 6 children well~she loves the joy they bring.

Peppermint ice cream and cake at Grandma's~doesn't get better than that!

Hope and Halle LOVED their tree~and they listened and only looked! Impressive :o)