Daily December: Day 19

My dear sweet husband arranged for me to have a new hair cut for Christmas. I thought I would throw my new 'do' into the mix of pictures for December.

I think the last hair cut I had was in June. I had colored it a few times by myself in the last few months, which Jason isn't much a fan of - usually because I end up turning my hair orange (apricot was the perfect color description that Loreal used when I called their help line!)or bleaching it out (in an attempt to get rid of the apricot color) which all end up resulting in tears.

It was so nice to have someone do my hair that knew what they were doing. Amanda (from day 16) was sweet enough to give me a new cut and a much needed color.

NOW, I am ready for Christmas!

Daily December: Day 18

Tonight we were downstairs in the basement. We heard fire trucks in the neighborhood and then down our street. And man, they were really loud. I'm rushing upstairs thinking that surely our neighbor's house is on fire. Instead, we find Santa riding on the back of a firetruck! Ho Ho Ho! Welcome to Spokane :-)

Daily December: Day 17

Millions and millions of letters. At least that is what it seemed like. Today we finished up working on our Christmas newsletter. We hope that you got it in the mail!

Daily December: Day 16 part B

This fall I took a photography class and so I am trying to find willing victims on whom I can practice. Sunday afternoon I went over to the house of one of Jason's students. Ben and Amanda had beautiful Abigail over 8 weeks ago. She was 5 weeks early and born at 4 and a halfish pounds. She looked like a doll the first time we saw her but she is a healthy 8 pounds now. Here are a look at a couple of my favorite shots. It was so fun and I am so excited how the pictures came out!

Daily December: Day 16

Today we tried to do some fun new traditions with the kids. We ordered pizza for dinner (that was more fun for me than the kids!) and we got into our pajamas (not including Jason) made hot chocolate and went for a ride in the car to look at lights.










We decided to head up to a local church that was having a drive through living nativity. We got into line just after 7:00 and this is what we looked at for over an hour.






After an hour of looking at tail lights, the kids were getting pretty antsy.




The kids did remarkably well for being in the car for an hour and a half. The nativity was really neat. If we go next year, we will just have to be prepared for the wait.

Daily December: Day 15

Going to see Santa Clause this year was great! We headed up to Green Bluff (our favorite fruit picking area) where one of the stores had a Santa that the kids could visit. There were no long lines, we could stay and visit as long as we wanted and best of all, it was free. Kellan was only in it for the candy cane, but Mirielle seemed to get a kick out of sitting on Santa's lap. We took a few pictures outside and I just couldn't pick which one I liked the most.

Daily December: Day 14

Tonight was the Moody Aviation Staff party - family style. I made sure we all coordinated our outfits for this picture on our kitchen floor :-)

Daily December: Day 13

A work of art. Mirielle was finally good enough to decorate her gingerbread house. I looked at 4 different stores and could hardly find any hard candy to decorate the house. I still haven't seen any red hots. What is this world coming to??

My original intention was to have all red and white gingerbread houses, and in my quest for red and white candy I made a delicious new discovery. Andes mints makes Peppermint Crunch chunks(like chocolate chips, except chunks, red and white chunks!). They were so good to snack on that I decided to make the recipe on the back of the package - peppermint chunks, oatmeal, coconut and over a cup of pecans. How could you go wrong with that combination? They are SO good!

Daily December: Day 12

Although this post isn't exactly keeping with the Christmas spirit. It is definitely a snapshot of our lives right now.

Today was one of those days. Both of the kids were crazy psycho. Kellan has hit the trying 2s right now and is testing everything. Mirielle definitely gives him lots of ideas on how to be naughty.

Today was the battle over lunch. Mirielle didn't want taco leftovers so that meant that Kellan didn't either. So I've posted a picture of our afternoon - the spank stick and the 'time out' timer on the stove. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Daily December: Day 11

First, I just have to say that I was not the adult in this house that allowed our daughter out to shovel snow in her dress up clothes. See those bare legs in the picture?! Thankfully, she got too cold after about 3 minutes and headed back inside.

Getting this girl to wear winter clothes has been quite the ordeal. I guess running around in the Philippines without socks, shoes and occasionally without much clothing is in her veins.

I think the biggest mistake I made with her was allowing her to pick out her clothes this summer. Since she stared school, there have been some major fits over her wearing 'school' clothes and not her favorite green top and red velvet skirt followed by black tights and her white Easter shoes.

Besides looking like a clown, now that it is winter, the girl simply refuses to dress appropriately. What was under that jacket? - a bikini top to go with her blue mermaid skirt! We just can't get her to wear clothes - even when it is 20 degrees out.

The solution: Yesterday we removed all of her clothes from her room. Now they are all in our room, which she in no longer allowed to go in. She gets one outfit a day and she doesn't have any say about what she gets to wear. It is the only other thing we could come up with after the 3 months of other things we have tried to get her to cooperate. And, she still gets to play dress up, but not as a half naked mermaid!

Daily December: Day 10

It started snowing just before we left church on Sunday. It was great watching it fall through the windows in the church while we closed the service out with Christmas hymns. Today, everything is not only snowy, but frosty. All of the trees are covered in white and it is absolutely BEAUTIFUL out. I had to run out to the store and driving down the road, I almost started crying. It is a sight to see! Thank you Lord for giving us such amazing things to enjoy on this earth!

The red berries are from the tree that produced those amazing pink blooms in the spring. It is the tree that never stops giving. :-)

Daily December: Day 9

Away in A Manger

Mirielle was so excited for her preschool program. She was telling everyone that she met, including the lady in line at the store, that she was going to be on stage on Sunday. Saturday night she could hardly sleep. This girl is a performer at heart. She did a great job of actually singing! It was so fun to see her with the other kids singing her heart out.

Daily December: Day 8

One more snowflake. Told you, they are all over the place!

Daily December: Day 7

I love love love snowflakes and right now they are all over my house. Funny story: I remember going skiing in Salt Lake when I was dating Jason. It was cold and it was snowing, but I remember stopping in my tracks to look at the snowflakes on my jacket. I guess growing up in AZ, I had seen snow, but hadn't ever been snowed on. I couldn't believe that real snowflakes were just like the cut out ones - each one detailed and different. I'm pretty sure that Jason thought I was nuts when I told him I couldn't believe how amazed I was to see real snowflakes!

Daily December: Day 6

A potato sack race?
Nope!

One of the ladies shared this Christmas idea at Bible study the other day.

Last year she sewed bags for each member of her family. Their job was to fill it up with things that they already had that made them happy or brought them joy.

I thought it would be a fun activity for our family to remind us to be grateful. Kellan is still too little, but I would be interested to see what Mirielle would put in her bag.

What would go in my bag?

My Avalon "Joy" CD (my favorite Christmas CD this year) and Ella Fitzgerald Christmas CD

My Christmas snowflake earrings

My boots that keep my feet oh so toasty these days

A candy cane (I love decorating red and white - so I LOVE the Christmas season!)

My new Crate and Barrel spatula that I won at MOPS (mine didn't survive the trip back from the Philippines and it has been oh so interesting to try to bake without one)

My camera, especially my camera!

A picture of my kiddos and wonderful hubby!

Daily December: Day 5

I've been trying different settings on my camera, since it seems like our house is not bright enough any longer, between it being cloudy and gray and the sun setting at 4:30, to take pictures without a flash. I was trying to capture Mirielle playing with our Christmas house that serves as the night light in our bathroom.

Daily December: Day 4

This is all that is left of our poor snowman. Heat wave this week, which means temps in the 40s. The kids keep looking out the window, crying about their poor lost snowman.

Daily December: Day 3

Tags, Tags, everywhere

30 tags for
30 Christmas gift bags for
30 women in poverty

Spent a few hours working on these tags to go with the gift bags that our women's Bible study group is giving out this week.

December Daily: Day 2

There was just enough time to fit in building a snowman before getting ready for church.

Had a wonderful message at church!

Had a delicious dinner with friends.

December Daily: Day 1

Bought a new coat at Kohls. Cause "Baby Its Cold Outside!" I brought Kellan home for a nap while Jason took Mirielle to Disney Princess on Ice for an early Christmas present. I baked most of the afternoon while watching it snow out of the kitchen window and listening to Christmas music.









Made these delicious gingerbread and cranberry orange scones for a Christmas coffee house/movie night at the hangar for all of the Moody Av students and staff. I had a few too many samples! :-)

I like to browse the blogs of some of my favorite scrapbook girls for ideas, especially around the holidays. Ali Edwards has a great idea for December. She puts together a December Daily Album. I'm going to give it a try it this year and thought I would share our pictures on the blog. I have a few days to catch up so here goes!

Recipe for: Insanity

Moody just had their annual missions conference. We signed up to host a dessert following the sessions on Friday night. What I didn't know when we signed up and offered to provide the desserts is that we were supposed to plan for 20-25 people and the dessert wasn't supposed to start until 8:30pm! We weren't sure if our house would even hold that many but we managed to cram all 18 of us into our kitchen/living/dining area. Yeah! And the kids even fell asleep before everyone arrived and stayed asleep. Double Yeah!!

My kids were lots of help while I made 3 different desserts :-) I might go the Costco route next year because with the 2 little ones at my feet it was truly a recipe for one insane mom! The desserts were much appreciated though which made me glad I spent the time and effort on them.

We hosted almost an entire crowd of freshman guys. Some of them commented on the curtains or the paint color in our kitchen, which was so sweet of them. It just made me laugh though to see what a couple of months of living away from home made those guys appreciate! It was fun to have them in our HOME! It has truly been a joy and a blessing for us to be here and be involved in students lives.

It seems like in all of the places we have lived, no matter how small or the length of time, I find a spot that becomes a sort of favorite spot.

I think that it has been a way for me to survive all of the moves. I just find a little spot in the house that makes me happy. My new favorite spot in our house is the fire place in our living room.

I especially love it now because the little pumpkins I bought for fall match the colors in the room perfectly. It makes me smile! I can't wait to see it hung with stockings. Not too much longer....

Cute Kid's Book

My mom just ordered the kids some really cute books. The series is called Sam Books. They are written by Amy Hest and illustrated by Anita Jerman (illustrator of Guess How Much I Love You).

The stories are short and cute and the illustrations I would describe as warm, cozy and delightful. I want to crawl into the pages of the book and live at their house. I've thought about redecorating my house with all the colors in the book!

Just thought I would throw it out there if anyone is looking for a cute read for their kids. Kiss Good Night is probably my favorite, but just because it gives me an excuse to give my kids extra kisses!

On a fun note. I was looking at photographers on the web in our area the other day. There is a lady out of Coeur d'Alene that I found that does beautiful work. You can see her website, Captured Photography, here.

Anyways, she is just getting her blog started up and was giving away 3 free sittings with an 8x10 to the first three people who contacted her. I jumped on that right away and ended up winning the last free sitting! I am so excited!! I would probably never spend the money to do something like this, but I know it will be a treasure. Plus, I'm excited to go and see her in action, since I secretly wish I could have a job like hers. If you haven't noticed, I love taking pictures!! Click here for the latest.

Mary and Martha

I had kind of a Mary and Martha moment this weekend.

Jason and I had a discussion the other day about how our house is still not unpacked. You would think that with all of the practice we've had that we (or I, really) would be a pro at getting unpacked and set up. Not so. I definitely am not an organized person and I get distracted really easily. And I've found myself having a hard time deciding where to put things in this house. The closets are small, the linen closet is really small and we have a bunch of open shelving in the basement that is great for storage, but drives me crazy because it always looks like a mess.

All that to say that over the weekend I was trying my hardest to get the house picked up and a few more things unpacked. I was on my way upstairs and glanced over in the dining room and noticed Jason sitting at the table playing a game with Mirielle. The thought that first went through my mind was, "Why is he sitting playing with her when there is so much work to do around this house?"

The second thought was, "Wow, that sounds like a version of the story of Mary and Martha." I am Martha when it comes to my kids. I am too busy trying to keep up with the whirlwind mess, being distracted by the computer, yelling at our dog that is desperately trying to dig her way into the neighbors yard, and put a nice dinner on the table to take the time to sit down on the floor and play with my kids. How sad, I know.

I am very thankful that I have a wonderful 'Mary' husband that spends time interacting with our kids. It did hit me however, how little time I spend with them during my day. Which made me stop and think about what is really important. I don't want my kids to grow up only having fun memories with their dad. Guess it is time to start making time for some serious play!

My grandma just passed away on Wednesday. On Saturday she was at my cousin's wedding and by Saturday night she was in the hospital and from there, everything went really fast. Even though we will miss her like crazy, she was a believer so we are rejoicing that she is now in heaven.

After struggling with arthritis for years, it is an amazing thought to think of her in a resurrected pain-free body dancing in heaven!

She was one strong woman. This picture of her in her garden on the farm where her and my grandpa raised 5 kids puts me to shame. I think I've got it rough when I have to load the dishes in the dishwasher! It just amazes me to look at that picture and think of the life that she lived.

I guess her death has made me do some thinking about the legacy that gets passed down from generation to generation. And in the face of death, things become so very clear. It is so easy to see that the only thing that matters is Christ and Christ alone. At the end of your life, it is only what you've done in the light of eternity that counts. It has really made me think again about how I conduct myself as a mom, as a wife and as a woman. It challenges me to be intentional and active. My one desire would be that my kids and their kids and their kids would be followers of Christ. Because it truly is the only thing that matters.

While we have encountered different struggles over the last years and continue to be challenged in our new life here, my prayer is that through it all, God would be glorified and that I would be transformed. I want my kids to see that we believe and have hope in a living God that is real and is active in our lives and the world around us.

Its been a long time since I've posted. A really long time. I've decided it is time to return to the world of blogging. I suppose this blog won't be quite as exciting as when we were in the Philippines. Hopefully no more stories of worms in my kids and snakes in my house. The most excitement we've had around here lately is a giant spider in the washing machine. But all I had to do to kill it was turn the washer on and the scalding hot water that comes out of my wonderful American washing machine did the job. That spider couldn't stand the heat!

Anyways, things here in Spokane are still an adventure. We still definitely feel like missionaries here. It is just different struggles and different adjustments. More on that later.... I love that we are getting settled and are starting to know our way around. Spokane is a really beautiful place. The biggest small town you will find. Jason is starting to adjust to the schedule at work. I am starting to get a routine down with the house and the kids. AND the Lord has been so good to give me a good friend here already (makes me tear up just to write it!).

Well just wanted to get the ball rolling. More to come soon!