Christmas Quote...

"Think of having a whole penny of your very own. Think of having a cup and a cake and a stick of candy and a penny. There had never been such a Christmas."

-Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie

My Life...

Z's Not Feeling Well...

so I gave him some Motrin. He finished it and then said sadly, "I drank it all gone and its still not working." Poor baby...

That Doesn't Make Sense...

M (very indignant): If I'm not English then how come I like English muffins?

My Pantry Is A Mess...

but instead of cleaning it I'm just sitting here reading email and praying. And blogging, apparently...

Happy Anniversary...

to me! The Stallion and I have been married for a dozen years today. And I truthfully love him and cherish him more today than I did the day we were married.

(My wonderful father called today to tell us that they had bought us an anniversary card. He said it was still sitting on his coffee table. Then he apologized and offered to read it to us over the phone:) I love my dad so much!)

Chris's Inner Monologue...

Apparently he misplaced it somewhere.

A Very Boy Conversation...

M: Z, remember that time you puked at the store?
Z: Target?
M: No, that other time.
Z: Michaels?
M: No, the other time.
Z: Trader Joes? Safeway?
M: No, that other time!
Z: Oh, Walmart.
M: Yeah, that time. Geez, Z you puke a lot!
Z: Yeah. I know.

Z and the "Pokeys"...

Z was rubbing Chris's face the other day and commented on his "pokeys". Then he rubbed my face and his face and came to the following conclusion.

"Bigger boys have pokeys, but not little boys. Or girls. If a girl had pokeys I wouldn't want to pet her anyway."

My Proud, Hard Self...

"If we are really open to the conviction as we seek fellowship with God, God will show us the expression of this proud, hard self that cause Him pain."

-Roy Hession, The Calvary Road

My proud, hard self causes God pain. How sad that I never thought about it like that before.

Things I Have Learned From Our Current Economy...

I am the only one who can taste the difference between Kraft and the store brand Mac and Cheese.

One stop shopping only works if you don't forget 5 things.

If we run out of milk before I shop on Friday it can still wait. The kids won't die from drinking water and eating oatmeal for two days.

Dried beans are cheaper and make a lot more chili than canned ones.

1 pot of chili can bless 3 families without stretching my grocery budget.

Baking a cake with a mix bought on sale is cheaper than ice-cream and the kids don't care because dessert is dessert.

Everyone is pretty much in the same boat we are, so planning picnics at the park works great for everyone.

You can spend an hour at the Lego store and still have fun without buying anything.

The first thing to cut from the budget is cleaning supplies since I don't really use those anyway.

Except for laundry soap, but you can use about half a cup and get your clothes just as clean. Also, if you cut your fabric softener sheets in half you get twice as many for the same price.

My husband is a wonderful provider who never complains about how hard he has to work for us.

God continues to provide for all our needs and we continue to rely on Him, which means we've have nothing to worry about.

Yet Another Reason Why I Love My Husband...

Tonight the Stallion got so excited that I made a cake he sang me the Oompa Loompa song with brand new lyrics. I'd print them, but this blog is G-rated...

Waiter...

M was playing waiter this evening.

"Hi! Welcome to the seashell restaurant. My name is M. If you need anything just let me know. I will be right here. Or somewhere else."

Jack In The Box...

Guy on commercial: Who would have thought you could get a whole meal in a bowl?
Chris: Ever heard of soup???

Things My Boys Said This Weekend...

M (while pretending his necktie was a whip): Man, have I got some skills with a tie!

Chris (while at a crowded buffet): Okay, the next guy that gets that close to me is buying me a drink!

Z (while unpacking the Veggie Tales Nativity Set): Look, Bob Shepherd and Larry King!

We Are Such Parents...

Me (frustrated): Flippity, flip-flops!

Chris: Mommy has a potty mouth today!

Maternity Clothes...

I offered a friend my maternity clothes, but sorting through them I just realized that I really wasn't styling much when I was pregnant. Oh, well. She can always add some bling.

Q...

Did you ever stop to think how amazing this guy was? I mean, not only did he invent the coolest things, but he always knew which inventions James Bond would need for each mission and sent only those. He was always %100 accurate. Like I said, amazing.

God Hates Sin...

"Some might find it surprising that I teach my nine-year-old about God's wrath toward sin. But I find it surprising that any loving person would withhold this truth from another person they love. Because only when we understand God's wrath toward sin can we realize that we need to be saved from it. Only when we hear they very bad news that we're deserving of judgment can we appreciate the very good news that God has provided salvation through His Son."

-C.J. Mahaney "The Cross Centered Life"

Chris's Trip...

Okay, Chris and his friends are home safely and he is at work so my hands aren't otherwise occupied;P He said it went really well and that it was an incredible experience. The family they built a home for had 3 small children, the oldest a little older than Z and in an odd coincidence named Z. The father was not a Christian and what a wonderful example they were able so show just be accepting him anyway. Chris's favorite moment is when they had the house half done, the roof on and walls framed and Z (not mine:) kept running in one door and out the other yelling, "CASA! CASA! CASA!" Chris is talking about taking M next year, but we'll see. My friend LP and her family are missionaries and speak Spanish, so they ran a program for the children. Chris is already talking about his trip next year, so I'd say it went really well! Thanks for all the prayers. We are glad he went and glad he's home:)

Mixed Emotions...

Z: Mommy? Will you read me 100 books right now?

(Chris called. He'll be home in about 90 minutes. Smiles.)

The Stallion Returns...

Chris is coming home tonight! (Translation: Can't blog. Kissing.)

Artwork...

Someone dropped by today to leave a package and commented on my "unusual taste in artwork". Let me try to explain.

My entryway is filled with the most beautiful art you have ever laid eyes on. That picture of Rocket? M drew that for Z when he was sick. That drawing of a choo-choo train that's hanging a little crooked? Z drew it and then hung it up all by himself. The lovely welcome home card was created just for us by Little Miss Muffet and taped to our door when we came home from Disneyland. We knew right away who it was from because of all the sparkly heart stickers. That blue storm trooper was hand-painted by my MN Neph who really liked his b-day gift this year. That cut out heart with the silly face on it? My husband made that just for me and left it on my nightstand. That paper plate covered in feathers is actually the dove that brought the olive branch back to Noah and the ribbon covered in beans and rice reminds us that God provides for all our needs. That family portrait was created by a 7-year-old, if you can believe it. And no, he didn't spell October wrong on that handmade calender; he knows how to write October in Spanish. And that very colorful drawing above the chair? Well, I don't really know what it is supposed to be, but I do know that Z spent over an hour working on it with the tip of his little tongue sticking out.

So what did I tell the UPS guy today? I just said, "I bet you've never seen so much priceless art on one wall!"

Day 2 Without My Baby...

Okay, I managed to get both boys out the door to the 8:30 service this morning. I did forget their canned food donation, but promised to send them with double next week. (I remembered their offering, though.) Then we went to Costco for lunch (hot-dogs and samples) and bought Chris's Christmas gift (wrapped and hidden now). We ran by the bookstore and bought a new movie to watch together. Had soup for dinner, consoled Z with the knowledge that daddy will be home tomorrow. Reminded M that what daddy is doing is very important and we are glad he went. Prayed with boys. Put them to bed and threw on tennis shoes. Now I'm cleaning my house to keep myself occupied. I know this will be easier the next time he leaves and, again, I am thrilled he was able to go and am so looking forward to hearing what a blessing this weekend was for him. (I have a sitter coming Tuesday around lunch so I can take Chris out and hear all about it:). Now I am going to frantically clean my house and hopefully exhaust myself before I fall asleep on Chris's pillow. (Its funny how accustomed one gets to not sleeping alone.)

Before I forget, I had a GREAT time with my girls last night. I love my friends because they are so goofy and so Godly all at the same time. We talked about our "relationships" with our husbands, what we don't wear (I was shocked!) and how God is currently working in our lives. Plus we had Chinese food, Starbucks and my sweet K made cookies (my favorite, I ate 4!!!). Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with such beautiful friends. (You guys are TOTALLY included in that sentiment:)

The Stallions Rides Away...

Chris left this morning on a missions trip to Mexico where he will spend three days building a house for a Christian family there. I am so thrilled that he had the desire to do this and couldn't be happier that he was actually able to go. However, our home is always happier when he is in it and our family isn't really complete without him. I miss him so much already. The boys and I are keeping ourselves pretty busy this weekend and tonight I am going out with some of my girlfriends. (We are going out for Chinese food which is happy.) Please pray for Chris and his friends while they are away and the boys and I while he is away. Here is a link to Amor Ministries if you are interested in what he is doing.

Amor Ministries

Thanksgiving Tree...

At our house every November we hang a tree. Every day we each add a leaf that has the year, our names and something we are thankful for. At the end of the month I laminate the leaves. Each year we hang up our tree we hang all the leaves from all the years. We have 5 years up now and it looks lovely to me. This is the first year Z has really understood what we are doing so it has been a lot of fun. Yesterday he was thankful for our family. Today when I asked him what he was thankful for he said, "Our family". I reminded him that he said that yesterday then gave him a few suggestions of other people and things he could be thankful for. He just grinned at me and said, "I'm really thankful for our family, but its okay, we have lots of leaves!"

Voting Was Fun...

Considering how the election turned out I am so glad I took M and Z with me to vote because we had a great time. There was no line and I was able to walk M through the entire voting process from start to finish. He was even able to look over the ballot without me feeling hurried. He asked a ton of questions and was so fascinated by all of it that I was suddenly fascinated, too. We even got in a little math by figuring out how many years it would be before he could vote for the president. And Z was a perfect little angel the whole time we were there. Just sat in the stroller and played with Megatron. Like I said, voting was fun.

As I Head Off To Cast My Vote...

So, grant us peace.
Jesus, grant us peace.
Move our hearts to hear a single beat.
Between alibis and enemies tonight.

Or maybe not, not today.
Peace might be another world away.
And if that's the case...

We'll give thanks to you,
With gratitude.
For lessons learned in how to trust in you.
That we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream,
In abundance or in need.
And if you never grant us peace...
But, Jesus, would you please...

-Nichole Nordeman, "Gratitude"

Hey, Hobbitsister...

I thought about you today when the speaker at my Bible Study showed a clip from Jon and Kate Plus 8.

When Z Grows Up...

I almost forgot to blog about how Z cracked up his Sunday School teachers at Bible Study today. Apparently they were discussing Halloween costumes and somehow ended up having a "what do you want to be when you grow up" conversation. So one of the teachers asked Z what he was planning to be and after thinking about it for a bit he told them this...

"When I grow up I'm gonna be even bigger trouble than I am now!"

Sleep Overs...

I was attempting to explain to M why he was not allowed to sleep over at girls houses. I guess he didn't really get the point...

M: When will I be old enough?
Busy: You are TOO old. Its not appropriate.
M: So, I can never sleep over with a girl ever???
Busy: Well, when you get married you can have sleep overs with your wife.
M: Maybe, but we don't know for sure if she'll want to.

Z's Sunday School Story...

"Today my story was about Abraham and me!"

From Now On...

When anyone jokingly asks if The Stallion and I "need to be alone" I'm just going to say, "Yes, please!" ;D

Breakfast...

Z asked if he could have a bagel with chocolate peanut-butter and m&m's on it, but don't worry. I told him he couldn't have m&m's until his bagel was gone.