Our day at preschool

Last week I had the opportunity to help out at our church Preschool with Noah's class. It was our " Friendship Feast" day where the kids make a special snack for a friend during class. I had such a great time, although Noah didn't really like having Joshua there with him

Joshua wasn't quite sure about class time

Noah making a turkey cookie

I snapped this one of Noah with the help of his teacher, ( also his aunt Michele) writing his name! I love it!

Christmas explosion!!!!!!

I LOVE Christmas time! It is by far my favorite time of year, my favorite thing is to decorate my home with so many beautiful things that I have collected over the years! As soon as Thanksgiving is over, and sometimes before it has even come I am usually begging Micah to get all of my decorations out of the attic so I can decorate!

My mother in law made this for all of the girls last year. He sits on top of our pantry next to my...

ballerinas. I got these from my mom several years ago. Before that they were my moms, we put them out as Christmas decorations every year. I'm not sure why but I have always loved them. They have seen better days, thanks to our dog Fuller, but I did my best to fix them with the pieces I could find after he got a hold of them.

There are a few books that are always on my side table in our living room. My Bible, and this one that was loaned to me by a dear friend. It is full of wonderful " nuggets" as we call them from God's word. I am going to have to invest in a copy of this. I put all of the books in a cute little Christmas basket.

Last year I decided on a color scheme for my Christmas decor... red and blue. I bought a bunch of balls on clearance after the holidays... I am putting them all over the house, to carry the theme all over.

Love these and I just couldn't put them out of sight for the season.

This sign hangs above our stove.

This is my village. This is by far my favorite part of decorating my home. A few years ago I got these as a gift for my birthday from my in laws. They made them!!!!!! They are beautiful and I plan on keeping these in our family for generations to come!

The church wasn't made by them but it fit the same size and look of the rest of the houses so it works!

This one was made to look like our house.

Every village needs a Christmas house

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year we stayed close to home for our Thanksgiving. Usually we travel over to my Dads and spend a few days with them, but this year we weren't sure what Micah's schedule would be so we didn't want to take chances in making plans and then having to change them last minute. We had dinner with Micah's family at his aunts home nearby. It was a wonderful time, and much smaller of a gathering than usual! Of course, Joshua was difficult, not having other kids around made it a little harder for him. Noah on the other hand loved being the center of attention... and he had his first taste of pumpkin pie. He loved it! Here are a few pictures of our time together.

This one is a little blurry but I love it! Noah's face is so silly

Joshua is always making a silly face

Noah enjoying his Thanksgiving dinner

Joshua has become such a Daddy's boy lately...

Me and my Noah

Thankful #3

14. I am thankful for my camera! I just love having a nicer camera to play around with! Also, i am trying my hand at editing some of my pictures, it is so much fun making them look just the way I like! I am so glad that my husband let me save up for months to get the camera, when the money was probably needed somewhere else!
15. I am thankful for cars that are reliable! Growing up we never had cars that were reliable! I remember countless times driving over the pass and worrying about the car overheating, or wondering what that stinky smell was, and there was even a time when we didn't have a car for a while. I always tell Micah that I can handle a lot of things but for whatever reason, having a car that doesn't run reliably is a nightmare for me.
16. Thankful for people who care. There are so many people in our lives that I truly believe the Lord has led to us. They have helped us and been a blessing to us over the years. I am thankful to know that no matter where we are, These men and women will be praying and willing to help in a time of need.
17. Thankful for disposable diapers... need I say more??? These past few weeks we have gone through a lot of diapers... Both Joshua and Noah have been sick...
18. Thankful for an awesome washer and dryer! Going along with the last one... sick tummies can make for a LOT of laundry! A few years ago my Dad and step mom got us this great set of washer and dryers! What a difference it makes!!! Our old set could never spin fast enough to get the water out of the clothes... so it took at least twice the amount of time to dry.. and they leaked! Thank you Dad!
19. Thankful for second chances...
20. Thankful for Starbucks coffee! This past week Starbucks has been offering buy one get one free on all of their holiday beverages... Micah has been bringing me home a gingerbread latte for the past few days... He knows the way to my heart! Love that man!

Our time at the Farm

Last week we were able to go to our friends farm. Mr Parks was so excited to show our boys around his farm. Joshua, of course is fearless and loved ALL the animals, Noah, the chicken that he is was pretty much content to watch from a distance. Mrs Parks prepared a wonderful meal and we were able to enjoy a good time of fellowship with an amazing family. They have been a wonderful blessing to us over the years and I treasure them even more these days.

Joshua walking with Scott up to his little cabin on the property

It was time to feed the cows and Joshua jumped right in!

Scott has had this giant chess piece for years, and I have always liked it

Micah and Joshua

Thanksgiving #2

7. I am thankful for Music. I am constantly amazed by the ability music has to speak to our hearts. I am thankful that the Lord gives me a song in my heart just when i need it. The songs that have been ministering to me lately are, Beautiful Things... " You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us..." also Before the throne of God... there are tons more!

8. I am thankful for my mom. She is the strongest woman I know, she has been through some tough things in her life, some self inflicted and some not... but through it all she chooses to follow Christ. She is a constant source of encouragement to me, and always available to give me wise and godly counsel. I love her dearly! I can't imagine the woman I would be if it weren't for her.

9. I am thankful for my home. We have a tiny house, barely over 1,000 square feet, and with a 4 person household, plus 2 dogs running around, it gets very cramped. I love my home. It is perfect for us, I have a very handy husband who has been able to add some decorative touches (like bead board, new fancy moldings, tile etc...) He has helped make my visions for what I want my home to look like a reality. I am thankful!

10. I am thankful for 1 year seizure free! It has now been over a year since Noah has had his last breakthrough seizure. He had a few fever induced seizures last winter, but his medication cant really do much about those. I am so thankful that he is doing well on his new dosage and continue to pray for this issue to go away, but ultimately I know that God has a plan for Noah, and He knows every hair on his head, he loves him way more than we could ever know, and I trust that even if Noah has to deal with these seizures the rest of his life, that It is just part of Gods plan for him.

11. I am thankful for my Dad... on this veterans day. My Dad served for 20 + years in the United States Air force. He spent a year overseas in Korea when I was young, and spent something like 9 months in Iraq in 2004 -2005. He is a true American hero. I am proud to be called his daughter. He is passionate about things that are important... his family. I know that if i ever needed him all I would have to do is pick up the phone. There is nothing more important to him than my step mom, my 2 brothers and myself. Thank you for your service Dad!

12. I am thankful for laughter. I love to laugh! Thankfully I am married to a hilarious man! Also, i love to laugh at my own jokes, I get made fun of for that but who cares! So pretty much between the two of us Our household is full of laughter! It amazes me how simply laughing can lift your mood.
13. I am thankful for rainy days. I know it sounds weird, but I love this time of year. The rainy days are some of my favorite... I love to spend them at home, with the people I love, my husband and my boys. Usually watching a movie, or a show, baking, listening to music, playing with some really cool toys... I just love to have the time to slow down and relax a little.

Thankful

I am seeing so many people doing blog posts or facebook posts on things they are thankful for... I would like to participate in this too! Although I don't have Internet access to do a new post every day during this month, I will do a few at a time. Here are my first 6

1. Above all I am thankful for my salvation. No matter what happens in this life I cling to the promise that I will spend eternity with God. Our pastor spoke this morning and mentioned this verse, " if in this life only we have hope, we are of all men most miserable" This, I am finding especially true these past few months, as this life can really stink at times. My hope is not in this life, it is in Jesus Christ.

2. I am thankful for my husband. We have been together for over 10 years now and I can't imagine my life without him, I can tell you I would be a sad lonely woman that is for sure! I am so glad to be married to my "best friend the one I laugh with, dream with and Love" That is a quotation from our wedding invitation and I am so glad that it is still true today. I am just as passionately in love with him today as I was when we first met. He is a good man, a godly man, he isn't perfect but no one is. In the midst of his imperfection he strives to do right. I can't ask for anyone better.

3. I am thankful for my two precious boys. They are healthy, and full of personality! I am amazed at how God uses our children to teach us more about him. Every day I am reminded of how selfish of a person I can be... I am reminded that this life isn't about me. They remind me that I can't just do whatever I want, because everything i do, or don't do has an effect on them. I cant imagine this life without them, and i cant wait to add even more children to our family.

4. I am thankful for my family. I think that family is something we take for granted quite often. I know I have been guilty of that. I have the privilege of having 3 brothers, 5 brother in laws, 6 sister in laws ( who are more like sisters than sister in laws) 4 nieces, 5 nephews, a mom, a dad, a step dad, a stepmother, a father in law and a mother in law, 2 grandpa's, 1 grandma, and 1 grandma in law. These people have been a source of constant encouragement and unconditional love. Without them I couldn't imagine what life would be like. Gee I hope I did the math right! I also have a countless amount of aunts, uncles and cousins!

5. I am thankful for my sisters. Kacy, Julie. Amy, Cammie, Michele, Angela, and Jenn ( you're not related but you are my sister) This past month has been a very hard one for me. Our lives have changed, and these women have been a rock for me. I have never felt more loved in my whole life. Its little things like text messages asking if I am doing OK, to planning a shoppapalooza with my mom and Angela, to taking our boys for the night so Micah and I can be alone for a little while, to planning a girls night out, to bringing me a Starbucks when i think that things can't get any worse, to being there when they do get worse, to sending me a letter or simply knowing that they are praying for me. I love you.

6. I am thankful for a reset button. This weekend Micah and I had the opportunity to attend a laugh your way to a better marriage conference. It was such a great time, and hilarious! The speaker spoke about having a reset button. God has given us a reset button, where we can push it and he wipes everything away. We may still have scars, and we wont ever get that time back, but it is wiped away. I cannot even describe how thankful I am for that reset button.