Christmas Blogging, Interrupted!

Oh the great plans I had for the Christmas season at the Brown house and on the blog! And then this little unwanted friend named bacterial infection came to visit and ruined all of that!  So . . .

Thanksgiving was extra special around our house because it was also Ryan's birthday! We celebrated the weekend before with dinner at Superior Steakhouse. They surprised us both when the waiter delivered a birthday slice of cheesecake to the table! HAPPY BIRTHDAY RYAN!

A few days later on Sunday and old friend, Unexplained Fever, came to visit to my sweet little Conner. The boys had a big weekend coming up so on Tuesday we decided to hit the doctor.  Of course, as is par for Conner, there was nothing wrong him except for the fever.  We were almost dismissed with the dreaded words "Oh it's just viral . . . take Tylenol and Motrin," but luckily we did a blood test and his white blood cell count was double the normal limit.  Antibiotics - yea!

Amazingly he felt better in time for the BOYS HOCKEY WEEKEND aka MOM'S WEEKEND TO HERSELF!! Ryan took the boys to Dallas to attend hockey games Friday & Saturday night and Legoland during the day on Saturday.  They all three had a great time!

And I got a very rare weekend alone - all alone in my house with full control of the TV and the menu and bedtime and it was FABULOUS!! My mom, sister, and I spent all day Saturday shopping and it was great to hang out with them!

The fun came to an end though when by Monday afternoon Conner was back running fever.  Back to the doctor again and again told we are fine except for fever and another super high white blood cell count.  We changed meds and went home to suffer.  Most of our days last week looked like this or worse . .  

And as anyone who knows Conner can attest this child DOES NOT lay down; he does not nap and yet essentially that is all he did so you could definitely tell he didn't feel good.  Friday we were back at the doctor with more fever and ulcers in our mouth.  He got a shot and was very mad with me.  Saturday was the worst day ever but thankfully do to many calls for prayer on Saturday night, Sunday he started to improve!

We celebrated our newfound health with fireplace s'mores!  Conner liked to roast them but didn't really want to eat them.  Mason gladly took of that for him!

Here is Mason showing us how it's done!

Due to rain and Conner's sickness we got our tree later than ever this year and Conner & I did not go to pick it out.  It's definitely a "Charlie Brown" tree but that's OK! I'm just glad Mason & Ryan went and got one for us while I stayed home and loved on Conner.

Christmas also means Christmas parties at school! Conner & I only caught the end of Mason's party but Mason had a great time! He got to visit Santa and they sang Christmas carols in class and took home a stocking full of assorted goodies!



I had the most productive day on Wednesday - rooms got cleaned, bills got paid, fan blades got dusted, presents got wrapped - and I was thinking that I could totally get back on track in time for Christmas festivities . . . WRONG! Almost as soon as I began to think that did I notice Conner was broke out in hives . . . and I got a cold . . . and Mason began to run fever . . . and oh that's a post for another day!

Black Friday 2011

I am one of those crazy Black Friday shoppers who leaves her house in the wee hours of the night/morning and waits in line to get the Doorbusters!! I LOVE it!!  Its like a game and I find it to be great fun!

I met up with some of my best gal pals, Elise and Holly, at Wal-mart at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.  I actually got there first and had to park at another store and run into Wal-mart by myself.  It was one of those moments that I knew my mom would die if she saw me - running alone at night through two parking lots and a field!  I love the bobbing and weaving and carrying toys on my head that entails Black Friday.

I guess because stores opened earlier (later?) this year it increased the crowds because it was like nothing I had ever seen before and I have been BF shopping for 7 years.  Thankfully I got lots of good deals and it was so worth the lack of sleep - not only for the deals but for some quality time with my girls!

I did learn one lesson though - one should always wear a Christian T-shirt when BF shopping because it holds you accountable!  I was wearing my WOGGLE Christmas T and WOGGLE stands for Woman of God - Growing, Loving, and Encouraging.  Elise & Holly left me on buggy duty for a few minutes and a girl realized the line she was waiting in did not actually lead to a register and she asked if she could go in front of me.  Now on BF time is money and you want to get to the next opening on time but I was working on "Loving" and I let her in line.  However this kind action resulted in everyone in her non-existent line to try and boot me out of line and while I would have never been down right nasty to someone it was on my tongue to let them know I was next!! I did stand up for my position in line but in a very WOGGLE way!

So no one got hurt, no one got yelled at and it was all very fun!

Poor Elise had it bad because I was pregnant and therefore not up to speed and Holly had just had surgery and was not up to speed.  So we alternating staying in the car while she shopped but it was still great fun with great friends!

Holly was our photographer so check her blog for pictures - I'm sure they will be up soon!

Thankful for . . .

I'm thankful for many, many things but this week I'm thankful for healthy children, who can run and play, and for friends and family to play with!

On Monday we started our week off with a necessary trip to Wal-mart but on our way home we stopped at the local park and had a Lunchable picnic and I let the boys play a bit, too. It was a beautiful day!  We ended the day playing with some old/new friends who live nearby and the boys had a blast!

Tuesday, Mason had a friend from his class over and all three boys were non-stop for about 4 hours! After we dropped him off, we headed to a friend of Conner's to celebrate his 4th birthday!  There were 8 little boys all under 6 - it was crazy fun!

Today, I thought I was headed to my mom's to grab some food and come straight home.  Therefore, at 12 noon I headed over to my mom's in my PJ's with no makeup on with two barefoot children in their PJ's.  And who was there was lunch - my old boss! I was beyond mortified to eat lunch in said PJs and bare face with the man I normally discussed debt ratios with while dressed in nice attire! Oh well - what's done is done and it was a nice lunch! My dad's gumbo is to die for!

Another friend of mine was in town with her new baby and two older kids, plus her sister's two kids, so the boys had a great time climbing trees and fences with four other kiddos! Mason even mastered the monkey bars today and he (and I) were so proud!

So I'm very thankful for a break filled with good friends and playing and family! Looking forward to more fun tomorrow!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

The Big Deer!

Thanks to game cameras (or maybe no thanks to game cameras??) my husband has had a one track mind lately and all he thinks about is deer or more specifically killing a deer! My dad and my sister have each killed a deer and he has been extremely focused on this task.  Like he comes in the door from work and gives the kids a half nod and grabs his gun and leaves, not to be seen again until after supper.

FINALLY after two weeks of this he kills a deer!! An 8-point buck.  Now life may return to normal in the Brown household!

The boys were very excited to see their Papa pull up in the yard to pick us up so that we could go see the big kill.  Mason walked right up to it and grabbed the antlers like nobody's business - Conner was a little frightened but he quickly recovered.

So thanks to the man of the house for putting meat on the table (and in the freezer!) and

I'm sure the head will look great hanging in his closet!!

Soccer Season Party

The Calvary Lime Green team celebrated a successful season at Hot Wheels Skating Palace this past Saturday! Mason has really enjoyed playing and is looking forward to playing again! Ryan & I do not know much about soccer but we had better start learning because Mason is having the best time!

Congrats to Mason and his teammates!!

Veteran's Day/Grandparent's Day Program

Mason and Conner had their annual Veteran's Day/Grandparent's Day the Monday before Veteran's Day.  The announcements went out kind of late therefore I was their stand-in grandparents!  Conner did not perform because he was not feeling great the day before and I didn't want to send him to school just in case.

Being up on stage in front of people is not Mason's idea of a good time, but he has really been making drastic improvements in his apprehension lately . . . and look where he is -- in the MIDDLE OF THE STAGE! He is in the white shirt in the center and never hid behind anyone! He sang his songs and did his movements.  He was FANTASTIC!  He was so proud of himself afterward saying, "I did better than last time!!"

For their treat I took them to Wal-mart to and let them pick out things for their OCC shoeboxes and then we headed to Chuck E. Cheese's! It was great fun!

Operation Christmas Child Packing Party

Where to start? First this event was AWESOME!! I know God will remember all those who helped but I also want to give a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who donated, packed, prayed, etc. It was such a blessing to me and I am sure it will be a HUGE blessing to those who receive one of the millions boxes that are distributed through Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan's Purse.

God has worked many wonders in my life and the lives of others but this was something so incredible and I am so thankful to be a part of it!  Briefly, I'll share some of the great things . . . first, I mentioned in a previous post the generous donation of 150 toothbrushes from a dentist office in Shreveport, those were in addition to the toothbrushes that had already been collected individually.  We had lots of toothbrushes but not as much toothpaste.  On Friday, when I and several other ladies went to the church to start setting up tables - there were 76 boxes of toothpaste!  We ended up with PLENTY of toothpaste! I have no idea who left it and I swear it wasn't there the last time I checked the donation table.

While we set up I noticed we only had less than 20 bars of soap and so I put an announcment on Facebook and in minutes I had someone volunteer to buy 85 bars of soap.  We had 2 tubes of Chapstick and by Saturday morning we had over 100 tubes of chapstick.  I could go on and on with this same story - it was unreal, it was amazing, it was purely God at work!

On the day of the packing party we had about 20 women and a few guys come to help - I was overwhelmed at the turnout for a Saturday morning! It was a great time! We had to add extra tables because the donations kept pouring in! One lady called her husband to come and look because it was an awesome sight! Several ladies cried.  It truly was a blessing to be a part of!

Our original goal was 100 boxes plus $700 shipping and I thought that was almost an impossible goal . . . well it wasn't! At final count we donated 146 BOXES!  WOW! I had not even given thought to the fact that we only had enough shipping for 100 boxes until someone volunteered to donate any money we needed for shipping! I did not have to ask or beg for this money - God gave it before I even realized we needed it! God is so good and faithful!

Ephesians 3:20-21

The Message (MSG)
20-21God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!

Here are 138 of the boxes!

For me this is a year-around ministry so I'll be on the prowl for lots of good deals until next OCC season! If you spot something - let me know! And if you buy anything I'll be happy to store it for you!

Happy Halloween

I was totally slacking on Halloween pictures this year! As is customary around our house we were rushing to get of the door and Conner refused to wear his costume!  We headed to Josh & Erica's house for our church's 2nd Annual Halloween Outreach Party.  They had a huge banner that said - "Looking for Something Sweet? Taste and see that the Lord is good!"  We passed out over 300 bags of candy and gave out free hot dogs! It was a great night!

We took a break from the outreach to go trick or treating! 

Here is my Special Ops Commando Ninja aka Mason!

And here is Raphael and Leonardo!

I stole the wings and headband from Conner's Book Parade costume and went as a bumblebee!  It was a great family night!

Busy Saturday

Like every Saturday, our day started off with soccer!  And guess who scored a goal - MASON!! I almost missed it because his crazy daddy was jumping up and down and was all in my way! He was so happy!!

Way to Go #4

I love their team and their coach - praying after the game!

After soccer we celebrated Addison's 1st birthday with a Spooky Tea!  The boys love Addison's big brother and they had a blast playing swords and playing outside and painting pumpkins!

When we left Addison's I took the boys to my friend Ashly's parent's house for a hayride and hot dog roast!  Ashly & I went to high school together but she lives in Texarkana now and I don't see her much and I hadn't seen her new little baby girl, Noelle, yet! So we had a great time with them!

On the hayride!



Here are the boys not wanting Ashly to take their picture!

Another fun and busy day!

Pumpkin Patch

After the Book Parade, Ryan & I took the boys to the Pumpkin Patch to pick out a pumpkin.  I knew we were waiting a little late but I didn't realize how late until we got there - there were hardly any pumpkins left!  All of the pumpkins were huge and deformed but were determined to make the best of it!  They each picked out a pumpkin and were able to use the foam stickers I got to decorate 4 sides of their pumpkins because they were SO BIG!

Book Parade

Friday was the boys' school's 5th Annual Book Parade! It ended the Book Fair and Red Ribbon Week 'cause we've got better things to do than drugs - READ!

Mason's class read Gaston Goes to Mardi Gras and so he was ready for Mardi Gras on Friday!

Conner's class read Ladybug Girl, Bumblebee Boy and he was the cutest little bumblebee I have ever seen!

They were both very excited to see that Ryan took off work that day to watch them and Mimee braved the cold to watch them as well! And they got to check out - that's always something to be happy about!

Rain is a Good Thing!

What happens when it rains? Worms come out to play!

Two sweet boys!

Book Fair

I love books therefore volunteering at the Book Fair was right up my alley!  I got to assist with Mason's class during their library time.  Last year in Kindergarten I was able to volunteer in his class and I knew all the kids names by now and I am not able to do that this year.  I appreciated the book fair because I got to meet some of his new friends!

To the parent whose little boy came home with a Dodge Challenger poster instead of a book -- I gave it my best shot! Short of forcing him to buy a book I really did try! Apparently his daddy likes cars a lot and so he wanted a poster!

I volunteered yesterday and Mason was very proud to have me there; which I'm sure had nothing to do with the fact that he was able to load up on books!

One sweet new friend who I helped shop came up and gave me a big hug this morning and that makes it all worthwhile!

The Best Lunch Date

I have enjoyed my days home with Conner so much lately!  We have had a great time lately of reading together and playing and doing fun stuff! Tuesday was no different - I was busy cleaning out my car because I'm so embarrassed at car drop-off for the teachers to see my filthy car!

Conner came outside with a basket that had strawberry jelly in it and he asked for 5 pieces of white bread.  I abandoned the car and we came inside and made sandwiches and got chips and root beer and packed it all in our basket and headed to the treehouse. We had a lovely lunch of tuna fish (mine) and strawberry jelly (his) sandwiches and cheetos! It was the greatest!

I am so thankful for this time with him.  I know sometimes I get busy and overlook the simple things but I am glad he decided on a picnic for us today!  I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to be home with him and to be the mommy to such a fun, wild, crazy and incredibly sweet little boy!

The Joy of Giving

Last Friday I was on the prowl for Operation Christmas Child supplies! A sweet friend, Lindsey, called and had some bags for me to pick up. I was very excited about that!  Especially because she is collecting items for the local charity that she helps out with, The Learning Center, but yet she took time to shop for the other kiddos of this world!  She mentioned receiving an abundance of donations for TLC because people she knew were looking to support a local charity.

From reading some of the comments on the OCC Facebook page  I can tell that lots of people are passionate about the kids in America who go without so if you are one of those people then you should link up with Lindsey and I'm sure she'd appreciate your help!

I'm so grateful for the outpouring of support for OCC! I'm actually trying to decide where and how to spend all the money! I never expected to have more than I know what to do with!

In related news, I have been on the prowl for a lost cowboy boot for about two weeks and today I was getting serious about tearing my house apart to find it.  My mom mentioned looking in the OCC donations to see if I carried in one of those boxes and it got misplaced.  I headed upstairs this morning to look (it wasn't there) and I ventured over to the "shoe section" and I straightened them all out and was just in awe of my riches (in comparision to the rest of the world).  I am on a mission to find one shoe when Conner has about 5 pair of shoes so even without this one shoe he is not going barefoot.  I began to pray over those shoes and the little feet that one day will go in them and for that little heart to know how much God loves them! I am humbled by all He has blessed me with and in awe of what He will do with the 10 tiny shoes upstairs in my gameroom!  All the kids in America and abroad need to know is that God loves them and that can totally change their world!

The joy of giving - it's contagious!! Try it out!

Dixie Corn Maze Field Trip

Last Tuesday Conner's class had a field trip to the Dixie Corn Maze.  Last year I got to take Mason and so I was excited to take Conner this go around! The morning started off with a series of mishaps that made me wonder if we'd ever get there though!!

Our power went out around 3:30 a.m. and when I woke up around 6 a.m. it was still off.  Here in the country, no power = no water, therefore mornings like this are terrible! I called the power company again and they assured me my power would be back on by 6:45 a.m. After a few mental calculations I determined we would have enough time to wait until then to get moving and out the door by 7:20 - I was wrong!

First our power did not come back on as promised and secondly the overnight storm had dropped the temperatures drastically!  Everything I had set out for us to wear the night before was no longer needed and I was left digging through drawers with a flashlight looking for khaki pants! We were finally dressed - the kids in their uniforms and I in the clothes I had worn the night before to Mason's soccer game with no makeup and greasy hair - fabulous!

We were strapped into our car seats and I was quietly singing praises for Ryan remembering to manually open the garage for me . . . that is until I backed into it because it needed to be open about 4 inches more! By this time the power has come back on and I spent 10 minutes on the phone with Ryan trying to figure out how to get the door back on track and reset to automatic - nothing I do works.  We finally bail from the car into Ryan's truck and head to school - 20 minutes late.  Because we are late I in my disheveled state must first go in the office and then march the kids all the way through the school! By the time I get home I have 25 minutes to shower, pack Conner and I lunches and get on the road.  This does not happen in 25 minutes!

My dad comes to my rescue and fixes the garage door and I can take my car to Dixie and I am only 45 minutes late!! Luckily, because of parents like me, the buses are late too and I only arrive 5 minutes after them!  When I get there they have Conner wrapped in a blanket because his bad mother forgot to send a jacket to school - I redeemed myself however by bringing it with me on the field trip.  I should have packed one for myself though because it was freezing!!!! FREEZING! Another mom had an extra jacket that I borrowed - thank you!

Here is Conner with his pumpkin!

It was a muddy mess in the pumpkin patch!

The corn bin/box! The kids loved this and it was warm in there!

It was really hard to tell the kids apart because apparently all of them have navy sweatshirt jackets!

The 4-wheeler train

I think all the kids had the most fun on the trampoline thing!

The field trip ended early because of the cold weather.  We missed our picnic but I was happy to get out of the wind!

Busy Weekend of Fun

Of course, my Internet chose one of the busiest weeks of fall to go out! So I've been out of commission until I could get a technician w-a-y out here!  The weekend of the 15th we had a very busy Saturday! I kicked things off with Conner and the 3rd Annual Stonewall Long Haul 5k which benefited Circle of Hope this year!  All the Special Olympians did a great job - much better than me because I was late an did not run or walk anywhere! I did however partake in some of the Down Home Sausage and it was yummy!

Here are some actual athletes -- plus Conner!!

Conner & his precious most beloved Mimee who he loves more than ANYBODY (including me) in the whole world! At this moment he is steadily saying "my go with Mimee!"

Our next stop was the soccer fields for Mason's first ever soccer game! Mason was extremely anxious about this game and HE DID GREAT!!  He either scored one or two goals - Ryan & I say two but he said he only scored one. We are still undecided!! His coach is awesome and really helped boost his confidence by picking him up and swinging him around after his first goal!  He loves soccer now!!

Thanks to ReRe for coming out to watch Mason and bringing Conner to the game for me!

Practicing 

and he scores!

water break

going for the ball

HOORAY MASON!

After soccer Ryan took the boys to Chick-fil-a and I headed to Benton to help host a sip-n-see for Holly and sweet baby Max! I went into a slight panic attack because the other hostess, Elise, had three kids with the stomach flu and couldn't make it at the last minute.  Thankfully she had done much prep work beforehand and Holly's sweet mom and grandma came to my rescue as well!

The sip-n-see was fun!! Max never made a peep and was just so darn cute!!

Thanks also to Holly's mother-in-law and her mom (David's grandma) for helping me clean up!! And to Elise for leaving her sick kids to come vacuum!

Here is the precious one!

Elise got a super cute idea from a friend about having a coke float instead of punch and it was a hit!

We had water, coke float, and strawberry lemonade and all the grandma's loved the coke float - refilling their glasses a lot! So there's an idea for your next shower or sip-n-see or birthday party!

The foam looked sort of dirty but no one seemed to mind!

A busy but fun Saturday! If you're wondering I went to bed at 8:30 that night!

Date Night with the Hubs

Ryan and I had a very rare Monday night date!  My parents, who are super fabulous, took the boys camping for a few days.  The boys are on Fall Break and I have BIG deadlines for school so it worked out perfectly!

I laughed yesterday when my mom called to check in because after I heard her say "hi" then I heard . . . "Jay, watch him with that knife!!"  Conner has a great love affair with butter and apparently he found a knife in which to eat it with . . . which beats what he did Friday night - lick butter out of the tub until it was smeared all over his face.  So while I miss my babies it is a nice and welcome break! THANKS MOM & DAD!!

So Monday I told Ryan to be prepared to me to Longhorn Steakhouse when he got off work and away we went! We don't eat there often but I really like it and I like it even more because my dad's picture is hanging in the restaurant!  My dad takes his mom to eat lunch there every Wednesday afternoon and if you've ever been there you know most of the decor is Western/mountains/cowboy-ish and last year when my dad was going on his annual elk hunting trip to Colorado the manager told him to bring back a picture. Now next time you go to Longhorn in Shreveport . . . stand with your back to the hostess station and on the left front wall you'll see a ruggedly handsome man riding horseback down a CO mountain with a hat casting shadows on his face and THAT'S MY DAD!! It's a really big picture so you can't miss it!

But moving on - we had a great dinner and we didn't have to yell at anyone about butter or sugar packets or anything!!  Since our kids are never far from our thoughts we ended the night at Sam's to replace the trampoline that got destroyed in the April tornado.  They have been begging us to get a new one but its really been too hot to jump so this will be their big Halloween surprise when they get home this week!

A fun night!! Now I must stop procrastinating about this homework!!!

Operation Christmas Child, Part 5: Praise Report

If you have been keeping up with my Operation Christmas Child series then you know 100 shoeboxes was the goal for my church in it's first year of collecting gifts for OCC.  One of my concerns was the possibility of having 100 shoeboxes but not having the $700 for shipping and you know what??

WE HAVE $700 FOR SHIPPING!!!!

Know what else? We also have $100 to purchase 100 plastic shoeboxes that will be more durable for the children to keep their belongings!  You may ask if I still need your cardboard shoeboxes and the answer is YES -- I'm going to set my sights high and hope for more than enough stuff to fill the plastic shoeboxes!  And if that doesn't happen my mind is already geared for OCC 2012 and the church can store the extra boxes!

I also just got word that a local dentist office (Mrs. Dottie - could you comment and leave the name of the office?) has donated 150 TOOTHBRUSHES!!

Wow - isn't God good right here in small town Louisiana??

But with 150 toothbrushes and $700 for shipping and $100 for boxes we need STUFF to put in the boxes - like toothpaste, toys, colors, balls, slinky's, etch a sketch, dolls, etc!

Get to shopping and I'll see you on 11/5/11 for a fun morning of packing a shoebox that could lead to HOPE for a child in a hopeless world!

So I posted about having a baby and then I fell off the map! Fatigue has definitely set in and rendered me incapable of doing anything but essential things - like eating and napping (which actually I've only done twice- Conner doesn't nap which means I don't either)! 

Brief recap:

• Ryan & I went on a cruise . . . DO NOT GO ON A CRUISE! It's terrible! Fly to wherever you want to go.  That being said my only cruise experience happened in the midst of Tropical Storm Lee and most of the pools were closed and you couldn't go on deck.  The only thing that left to do was drink and gamble and go to shows that talked about raising your glass if you started drinking before breakfast -- and well none of that applies to me so it was HORRIBLE! Cozumel was gorgeous and if I ever want to go again I'm sure they have an airport!
• This year Mason let us go to Muffins with Mom and Donuts with Dad! Last year he was terrified someone might look at him but this year he was excited and Conner was too! It was a great morning for both Ryan & I.
• OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD is still in full swing!! Get to shopping! Get to praying! The packing party will be held on November 5 @ 9:30 - come as you are - pajamas welcome! Breakfast served! Fellowship Community Church will be the place to be that Saturday! Visitors welcome!! And we'd love to have you back that next day for our Shoebox Dedication and Prayer! Orphan Sunday couldn't be a better day to dedicate our boxes to the service of the Lord!
• Lots of people missed the memo that NO I'm not trying for a girl! And apparently everyone who got that memo had another pressing question - am I crazy? Possibly but look at these babies and you'll know its all worthwhile!

MY BOYS PUTTING OUT DEER CORN - 2 OF THE 3 ARE NAKED!

 GOTTA LOVE THE COUNTRY LIFE!

DAVY CROCKETT/NINJA TURTLE/CONNER

MASON - MY SWEET!

AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE BACKGROUND RYAN IS DRESSED!!

Fall evenings outside watching my boys be boys makes me realize I'm not crazy - just blessed!

Expansion is a Mighty Fine Thing!

- a quote from the Davy Crockett movie (you know since Conner is Davy Crockett).

And well the Brown family is expanding! That's right - come April 27, 2012 or before we will be a family of 5!

We are all very excited - the boys especially! They have been talking about a baby for a while now and even the nursery workers at chuch told me that Conner wants a baby "right now!"

Now to answer your most pressing question . . . Are we trying for a girl? The answer is NO!  Not that we wouldn't welcome a little girl but we did not want a baby just to get a girl - a healthy, Jesus-loving baby will suit us just fine no matter what it is!  I know God gives good gifts so boy or girl - it's up to Him! 

Now the boys are a different story because they are adamant about a wanting a sister.  On any given day Conner either wants us to kidnap Faith or he wants a baby girl just like Faith.  And my more logical son, Mason, says he wants a girl and he is sure it will be a girl because "we don't have one of those yet!"

Davy Crockett was right - (family) expansion is a mighty fine thing! (Can you tell I've seen that movie way too many times??)

Operation Christmas Child, Part 4: Getting Serious

I mentioned in my last post about OCC that my sister and I were going to a Countdown event and I am so glad we did!  We got lots of ideas and supplies plus I was able to get a little inspiration to make our event a success!

I am so excited, first, that my sister & Blake are working alongside me in this.  It means so much that their hearts are with me on this and that they feel passionate about these sweet kiddos!  Before the event Amy went to Michaels and got 162 activity pads and I think like 12 sticky hands for $14!! The deals are out there if you look for them!

Those of you who know me well know I am not crafty at all (sorry, mom, but really its OK I know I'm not!); therefore my donation box was well a cardboard box that I got Erica to write donation on because my handwriting is too messy!

I asked a friend, Daye, to come up with some ideas so that our cause would get more attention.  We moved our donation table from the foyer, where it was often by-passed by it was croweded, to the sanctuary.  She had lots of great ideas and I think it looks FANTASTIC!  My heart was so happy when the video about OCC played during church and many people visited our table for more information after the service! Many thanks to Erica also for making the cute poster board in the background too!

See what happens when the body of Christ uses their talents in conjunction with others - a cardboard box can become this!

To the right in the picture I packed two sample boxes for a boy & a girl to give an idea of what the finished product looks like. I've copied the list of contents from Word to show you that was able to pack a whole box with GOOD stuff, about 20 items, for less than $14/box.  That is someone's whole Christmas and for my kids, and probably yours, that is less than what is spent on their stocking stuffers!

BOY BOX
• 2 pc. Pajamas $3.00
• Long sleeved flannel shirt $1.00
• Truck sun-catcher $0.68
• Bowl $0.25
• Mittens $0.25
• Frog $0.84
• Slinky $0.19
• Bouncy ball $0.19
• 3 dinosaurs $0.14
• Dry erase board $1.50
• Scissors $0.74
• Puzzle $1.00
• Beach ball $0.50
• Sticker book $1.00
• Wooden boy $0.68
• Dinosaur pencil $0.12
• Toy car $0.68
• Stencil $0.08
• Chapstick $0.75
Total cost of Christmas gift $13.59

GIRL BOX
• SHOES $3.00
• DOLL $1.00
• BEACH BALL $0.50
• Scissors $0.74
• Puzzle $1.00
• Wooden GIRL $0.68
• Stencil $0.08
• Chapstick $0.75
• Toy BUTTERFLY car $0.68
• Slinky $0.19
• 2 BRACELETS $0.12
• RING $0.19
• ACTIVITY BOOK $0.09
• STUFFED ANIMAL KEY CHAIN $0.20
• DISNEY PRINCESS PEN $0.33
• CROSS SUN CATCHER $0.68
• CALCULATOR $1.00
• TENNIS BALL $0.50
• NECKLACE KIT $0.20
• HAIR BANDS $0.30
TOTAL COST OF CHRISTMAS GIFT $12.23

Softball Season Party

We celebrated the closing of another successful Warriors softball season this past weekend! I actually only played in one game this year.  Slacker I know!

But our vacation was in the beginning of the season and then Mason started school and I hated to keep him out so late.  I made it to the first and last game, but the first game I just held Faith! She's so sweet!!

We went swimming & grilled burgers at my parent's house and had a great time! I took lots of pictures but this is my favorite!

My little loves!

Muffins with Mom

Friday morning was the annual PTA Muffins with Mom at the boys' school.  We were very excited to go and have breakfast together at school! 

I almost thought we'd miss it because parking at our school is terrible!! I hate everything about the parking lot and this morning was no exception! Finally after almost ten minutes of circling the parking lot and almost running over lots of cars we were able to stalk a lady back to her car and grab her spot!

I think every mom at the school was there - it was chaos, but fun all the while to eat in the cafeteria with my babies! They loved it to because they got to be late to class!

Here is Conner sipping on some OJ!

Mason and his reflective back pack straps!

My babies! Conner would not look at Lisa no matter what approach we tried!

They had a fun day at school and I enjoyed some free time to do some grocery shopping and other errands!