"The ?!Angry?! Santa"

Hmmmmmm......Created by Bottle Rocket this week at school! He thinks it is hilarious! Perhaps it is a boy thing? Perhaps I have not been spreading the Christmas joy and acting too stressed out this holiday? Perhaps he is just playing tricks on his mama? What do you think?

Finally Friday- Finally!

Way to go!

I am so proud of our 6 year old! He has been working hard over the last 2 weeks to learn all the books of the Old Testament. If you recall these are not easy names. Last night in Awana he earned a jewel for saying all 39 books! I will be the first to admit that I was learning them right along with him. Way to go Bottle Rocket!

Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah
Esther
Job
Psalms
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
The Song of Soloman
Isaiah
Jeremiah
Lamentaions
Ezekiel
Daniel
Hosea
Joel
Amos
Obadiah
Jonah
Micah
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi

Not My Time

It has to be one of the hardest struggles in my life. I like to be in control of things. I like to know when things will happen. I like to plan ahead. I love to have things scheduled. I like to be prepared and ready. I like when I am in the loop and know what is going on. It really is a character flaw to a point. I mean how dare I think that it's possible to have so much of a handle on things.

Our daughter had surgery planned for this coming up Monday. It is a surgery we had to decide for her as parents. I was ready. I had plans in place for the other kids to be taken care of. I had Tylenol and bandages ready. I had asked the doctors tons of questions. I knew how the procedure would take place. I had dotted all my I's and crossed all my T's. My husband and I had done extensive research. We had disussed the issue in depth. I had come to peace with putting her through surgery. I was ready! Until they cancelled her surgery today due to a cold. What?! But I am ready. Let's get this done. It is time. It is already scheduled. (Of course I am 100% behind the surgeon putting her safety as the #1 priority, but these are thoughts in my head at the time!).

Boom! It hit me again, like many times before. It is NOT about MY time. It IS about HIS time. God is an on time God. God is never late and He is never early. God is always right on time. Who knows why some things happen in our lives. Who knows why some things happen at certain times in our lives. Who knows why Sparkler woke up today with a cough and cold. I may never know. But that does not matter. I trust that God has a plan for each of us and there is a time for each part of that plan- down to the second. Surgery for Sparkler on Monday was not part of her plan. Period. No argument to be made. I must accept that.

It really is kind of nice to know that I am not in control of things and that He is. I had really struggled with putting Sparkler through this surgery at such a young age. I was so focused on the pressure and responsibility I felt as a parent. I was so concerned with how I felt about the surgery. I had tuned God out in a sense- forgotten that I am His child and He is taking care of me. He shares my burdens and responsibilities. I can lean on Him, cry out to Him, ask Him for help. And He hears me. This "schedule adjustment" has forced me to turn my selfish focus back to my faith and trust in God. He is guiding me and if I listen, He will teach me so much.

Scattered, Smothered & Covered

If you have ever been to Waffle House (even if you don't want to admit it!), you are surely familiar with the term...... scattered, smothered & covered hashbrowns. One of my most favorite times of the day is bright and early in the morning when the kids are ready to go downstairs for breakfast. One by one they will come into our room and pile on the bed with us. By the end of the "'gathering", there are 6 people snuggled up under the covers close as can be. Their intent is to wake us up and get moving, but my husband and I end up with a wonderful treat. For those few priceless moments, we get the chance to be scattered, smothered & covered with our children's love and cuddles! It rarely lasts as long as I would like, but it's a great way to start the day! Thanks kids!

Finally Friday!!

One more week closer to CHRISTmas! This month is flying by! We had some technical issues with the camera this week (ahem.... truthfully I dropped it last week causing the technical troubles). Needless to say we were not able to take many pictures this week. So............here are a few of my favorite shots from the summer beach trip. Makes me want to hop in the car and head where it's warm! Enjoy and have a fun weekend!

weekend!

He's FIVE!!!

WOW! Has it been another year already? Smoke Bomb has grown so much this past year- physically, emotionally, maturity-wise! He is so much fun to be around and such a dynamic part of our family! We are so proud of him! Happy Birthday to our favorite 5 year old!

Free Fun Family Entertainment

Hats off to Bass Pro Shops for this years' Santa Wonderland! We heard on the news that Santa was visiting the store this past weekend and decided to take the kids to have their picture taken. When we walked in the store we realized it was WAY more than just pictures with Santa! The boys eyes were huge! They had tons of stations set up- each with an activity the kids could take part in. There were remote control monster truck rallies, slot car racing on a 30 ft track, fishing video games, dart tag target shooting, coloring stations, bow and arrow practice, letters to santa, giant mailboxes to put the letters in for Santa, popcorn, candy, large scale trains and free pictures with Santa! They even had hand sanitizers at each station and the attendants made sure each child used it after their turn. Bass Pro Shop really thought of everything with this activity. Of course the items they had set up were all available for purchase. It was just such a creative marketing idea. We ended up spending 2 hours there and never spent a dime! I would definitely recommend this to any family- just get there early!

PS. Yes, Firecracker and Sparkler cried in the Santa picture. It will be a few years yet before we get a tear free picture with Santa!

Finally Friday!!

Yeah! It's the weekend! Here are some candid shots from this past week. These kids just crack us up all the time! Hope you have a great (snowy? just kidding!) weekend.

You Know What I Mean

This morning Smoke Bomb was apparently telling Bottle Rocket what he could and could not do while they were in their room getting dressed for school. When Bottle Rocket came to tell me he said, "I am trying to "anore" him but he keeps being rude to me"! Maybe if he tried to ignore him, Smoke Bomb would be more likely to leave him alone! Stay tuned I am creating a post of the top 25 things the kids have said over the years.....well maybe more like top 50 since there are so many kids!