Merry Christmas!

May you seek to know the Savior more deeply this year as we celebrate his birth. Many Christmas blessings to you and your family!

Santa's Prayer on Christmas Eve

by Warren D. Jennings

The sleigh was all packed, the reindeer were fed,
But Santa still knelt by the side of the bed.
"Dear Father," he prayed, "be with me tonight.
There's much work to do and my schedule is tight.
I must jump in my sleigh and streak through the sky,
Knowing full well that a reindeer can't fly.
I will visit each household before the first light.
I'll cover the world and all in one night.
With sleigh bells a-ringing, I'll land on each roof,
Amid the soft clatter of each little hoof.
To get in the house is the difficult part,
So I'll slide down the chimney of each child's heart.
My sack will hold toys to grant all their wishes.
The supply will be endless like the loaves and the fishes.
I will fill all the stockings and not leave a track.
I'll eat every cookie that is left for my snack.
I can do all these things, Lord, only through You,
I just need your blessing, then it's easy to do.
All this is to honor the birth of the One,
That was sent to redeem us, Your most Holy Son.
So to all of my friends, least Your glory I rob,
Please, Lord, remind them who gave me this job."


Wishing you the joy and peace of the season!

Meeting "Santa" this year

Caiden's debut

Caiden received the honor this year of playing "Joseph" in the Christmas play for his preschool program. In the play, Joseph and Mary entered and were very tired...that's why he looks extra shy in this photo - he's "acting" like he's tired. He did a great job. We're very proud of him.

Christmas must be something more

I've own a lot of Christmas CDs. I try to buy one each year. This year's purchase was the Taylor Swift Christmas cd. I love it and have listened to it often. There is one song in particular that I really like and wanted to share with you. It totally reminds me of the true reason for the season - JESUS! It's entitled, "Christmas Must Be Something More." Its well worth the download on iTunes. In the meantime, here are the lyrics. Check it out.

Christmas Must Be Something More
What if ribbons and bows didn't mean a thing
Would the song still survive without 5 golden rings
Would you still wanna kiss without mistletoe
What would happen if God never let it snow

What would happen if Christmas Carols told a lie
Tell me what you would find
You'd say that today holds something special
Something holy and not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

What if angels did not pay attention to
All the things that we wish they would always do
What if happiness came in a cardboard box
Then I'd think there was something we all forgot
What would happen if presents all went away
Tell me what would you find
You'd say that today holds something special
Something holy and not superficial
So here's to the birthday boy who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something more

We get so caught up in all of it
Business and relationships
100 mile an hour lives
And it's this time of year
And everybody's here
It seems the last thing on your mind
You'd say that today holds something special
Something holy and not superficial
So here's to Jesus Christ who saved our lives
It's something we all try to ignore
And put a wreath up on your door
So here's something you should know that is for sure
Christmas must be something
Christmas must be something more
There's gotta be more

The boys say "thank you"

Dear Ms. Chelle:

You know how much we love that "toy" movie that has a cowboy and space ranger in it. And, we know how much you love making clothes pin dolls of everyone's favorite movie characters. So, thank you for making ones for us. We love them. Listen carefully for the big thank you in this video.

Love,

Caiden & Dawson

"Christ"mas Cheer Challenge

Hey...head on over to http://www.rscparents.com/ and join the 10 days of "Christ"mas cheer challenge. I wouldn't want you to miss out on the true meaning of Christmas!

Christmas comes early

We went from this...














...to this.














Its not a flat screen but at least we are moving up the tv hierarchy. We're thankful to Dale's co-worker, Amanda for giving us a great deal on this tv. I won't share the crazy details about how hard it was for Dale and I to get it up the stairs. Woo!

Caiden's Snow Dance

Its the hustle; its the twist; wait, no...its Caiden's snow dance! This picture was too funy not to share.

Woo Hoo

With the new fallen snow, we had an opportunity to go sledding. We had a great time! Here's a peek.

Walking in a ...

Winter Wonderland. Here's what we woke up to this morning. The boys were so excited. They thought snow only existed at Grammie & Papa's house (in Michigan).

Check this out...Skinny Songs

I saw this on the news on Monday night and thought it was so interesting. Check out http://www.skinnysongs.com/

Are you struggling with your weight and trying to get in to those "skinny" jeans once again? The creator of Skinny Songs CD found herself in that very same situation. Being totally inspired by music, she found that there wasn't anything out there helping her burn calories and remind her (through the music lyrics) why she was working so hard to get the weight off. So, she wrote songs about losing weight, put it to music and created the Skinny Songs CD.

I think its pretty neat! Let me know what you think.

Creation Fascination

The last several weeks Caiden, along with the other preschoolers in the Kids Klub class at our church, has been learning the story of creation and exactly what God made or did each of the 7 days. Its been an incredible journey for the kids. Each week, they made a page that coincided with the days' lesson. The pages eventually became a booklet (shown here). It is one of the neatest things Caiden has done at church and something that will help him remember God's creation for all of his days. Thank you for all your help and hard work - Carrie, Jody, Debby, Joby, Darien, Katlyn, Dorothy, Rebecca, Janet, Julie and the others I may have forgotten.

Just in case you need a quick creation lesson, here's what God made or did each of those 7 days (from the preschool standpoint). Go to Genesis 1:1 to read all about it.

Day 1: God made light and dark.
Day 2: God made sky and water.
Day 3: God made land, plants and sea.
Day 4: God made the sun, moon, stars, day and night.
Day 5: God made fish and birds.
Day 6: God made animals. God also made people.
Day 7: God rested.

Black Friday

I survived Black Friday and all I got was this absolutely awesome Garmin NUVI GPS! I'm not normally an electronics guru but I love this! Woo Hoo!

Caiden's Combine Adventure

While in Michigan for Thanksgiving, one of the area farmers still had some corn to harvest. Papa arranged for Caiden to get a real combine ride. He loved it! He also fell asleep while on the ride. But Papa says that "harvesting corn is mesmerizing so you often fall asleep." That's scary to think because Papa was once a farmer and I'm sure he must have fallen asleep a time or two. Watch out for those farmers and their combines...you never know when one will fall asleep.

What R U laughing at?

Caiden & Dawson are pictured here with my best friend Mandy's boys, Karson & Sawyer. Its amazing to think that Mandy and I have been friends since 2nd grade and managed to stay in touch all these years.

Isn't this picture the cutest? I have no idea what they are laughing at but its awful funny (actually, I think Grammie was standing next to me making faces). Thank God for laughter, fun and good friends!

Dawson's Snow Ride

Dawson liked to play in the snow much better this year than last year. He really enjoyed eating most of it!

Happy Birthday Papa King!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brrrrrrr

If anyone asks...we'll be here. The boys can't wait to see the snow. We'll be home soon!

Daddy singing & dancing?

I had a very funny and candid conversation with Caiden last night as I was making dinner. I had some Christmas music playing in the background. The song "Let it Snow" came on and this is what happened:

Caiden: Oh, I know this song. Someone sang it to me.
Me: Well, it was probably Grammie.
Caiden: No, when Daddy and I were little boys we were out in the cabin and he sang it to me.
Me: Daddy "sang" a song to you?
Caiden: Yes, we also played games and danced.
Me: Daddy danced?
Caiden: Yep. Can I have a snack?

He made the last remark as if to say...well, you know that Dale is just the dad that would go around dancing and singing. Not! We're not sure where Caiden dreamed up this one but it sure had good memories! Caiden has been dreaming a lot lately about him and his dad being "little boys" together.

Congrats Jimmy Johnson!

Jimmy Johnson claimed his 3rd (in a row) Nascar championship today. Yeah! Oh, and yes, I'm a huge Nascar fan. Now, I just have to find something to do on Sunday afternoons until Daytona in February, ugh!

Is this just the start of winter?

I'm freezing today! It was not the nicest weather yesterday but the temp was in the 60s. Today, its in the 40s, rainy and cold. I'm so ready for the beach! Brrrr....now, where are my wool socks and slippers?

Remember this? It was only 9 weeks ago!

Feeling inadequate?

After having some rough "mommy" moments and feeling totally inadequate as a parent last week (its a long story), on Saturday I was cleaning out the attic and found this little devotional book entitled, "When I'm Praising God" by Anita Corrine Donihue. I read this excerpt and thought I'd share it with you, just in case you need a little encouragement as well.

Our Children

The house rumbes with laughter and tussles. I hurry to keep up with it all. They are a heritage that comes from You. These bursts of energy in various sizes and personalities are like arrows in a warrior's hands.

I call on You for wisdom. Each day I thank You for guidance in handling different situations. Thank You, Lord, for how You help me teach our children about Your love. I treasure Your leading as I share Your lessons with them while we go about our activities at home, when we share walks, as we pray together at bedtime and rise each morning to face a new day.

My husband and I have dedicated our lives and these children to You, Lord. I know for sure Your hand is and will be upon them throughout their entire lives.

I write Your words on plaques, pictures and on our doorposts that, "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" Joshua 24:15, NIV).

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deut. 6:6-9

A cast of "characters"

We trick-or-treated with some good friends of ours and judging from this picture, we had quite the collection of "characters" just in our lil' party. We had Minnie Mouse, Jeff Gordon and Woody and Buzz from Toy Story. We had so much fun and brought home quite a bit of candy. Whew! Now, I just have to figure out where to hide it from the kids and myself! Thanks Wes, Chelle, Cate and Reed for a great time. Aren't they the cutest?

Toy Story...its alive!

Caiden dressed as "Woody" and Dawson dressed as "Buzz Lightyear" from Toy Story this year. We love that movie around our house so Toy Story was literally "alive" for us!

Pumpkins...prep for Halloween!

Instead of carving our pumpkins this year, we decided that we'd paint and do a non-traditional decorating. They turned out pretty good, maybe a little crazy but pretty cute! Oh...and the boys are cute too!

Braces

I'm hoping Caiden won't need braces...hee, hee. Just a little "Halloween" fun.

"Hairy" Head

It keeps growing...

and growing...

Caiden made this "hariy" head out of dirt, grass seed and a pair of women's nylons at his preschool a few weeks ago. We already "cut" his hair once and it just keeps growing.

If you think I'm crazy...

...you should meet my family.

Out for a Saturday ride...

at the NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY! Yes, I said it. I was able to take a 3 lap ride in a Nationwide series car at the Nashville Superspeedway today. It was awesome! I'm a Nascar fan and was so excited when this opportunity came up (Thanks Frank & Harry too!). It totally made my year! Now, I can check that off my Bucket List. Now, I just have to save $400 to drive 8 laps around the track. Anyone wanna make donations?

Happy "Blog"anniversary to Me!

Yep...today is my one year "blog" anniversary. I can't believe it either! Its been just a year ago that I entered in to this era of technology, gave in to the promptings by a really great friend and took off on this adventure. My blog has certainly "evolved" over the course of this year - maybe not in to exactly as I had imagined it but then you know God is still working on me too. So, those who read often, I hope you enjoy this next year too. For those who don't, they're just plain missing out!

VOTE

I wouldn't necessarily call myself "political" but I am patriotic. And, I believe as an American is it our right and privilege to cast a vote in every election that we have a chance to be a part of. It is the American way, the way we each individually make our voice known. Every vote counts. Every vote can and will make a difference. Check out this video. It will leave a "lump" in your throat and hopefully motivate you to want to cast your vote on November 4th.

Thinking of having kids?

I came across this on the Revive Our Hearts ministry page and had a good laugh while realizing that I could so relate to most of these things. If you are a mom, you'll be able to relate too. Enjoy...it was written by a mother who has six children, and it was entitled, “Thinking of Having Kids?”

She gives several lessons.

Lesson 1: If you’re thinking of having children . . .
-Go to the grocery store.
-Arrange to have your husband’s salary paid directly to their head office.
-Go home. Pick up your favorite magazine.
-Read it for the last time.

Lesson 2: To discover how the nights will feel . . .
-Walk around the living room from 5PM to 10PM carrying a wet bag weighing approximately 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other annoying noise) playing loudly.
-At 10PM, put the bag down, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
-Get up at 12 and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1AM.
-Set the alarm for 3AM.
-As you can’t get back to sleep, get up at 2AM and raid the refrigerator.
-Go to bed at 2:45AM.
-Get up at 3AM when the alarm goes off.
-Sing songs in the dark until 4AM.
-Get up. Make breakfast.
-Keep this up for 5 years.
-Look cheerful.

Lesson 3: Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
-Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
-Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
-Time allowed for this—all morning.

Lesson 4:
-Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and a jar of paint, turn it into an alligator.
-Now take the tube from a roll of toilet paper. Using only Scotch tape and a piece of aluminum foil, turn it into an attractive Christmas candle.
-Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty packet of Cocoa Puffs.
-Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Lesson 5: Buy a mini-van. And don’t think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don’t look like that.
-Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
-Get a dime. Stick it in the cassette player.
-Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat.
-Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.
-There. Perfect.

Lesson 6:
-Hollow out a melon.
-Make a small hole in the side.
-Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
-Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
-Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
-Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
-You are now ready to feed a nine-month old baby.

Happy Sweetest Day!

Totally gnarly dude!

I just had to share this picture with you. The guy in the middle is my cousin, Tyson (the other 2 guys are his instructors helping him keep his form). He had his first skydiving experience on Saturday, September 20th in Tecumseh, Michigan. He loved it and is thoroughly addicted. I just like to look at the pictures and will continue to live vicariously through him. Incredible, huh?!

Tag...you're it!

Carrie tagged me for this really easy meme. I still consider myself new at this blogging thing so bear with me on this one. You just have to go to your photo file, find the sixth folder, and post the sixth picture in that folder.

Of course, Carrie posted the most adorable picture ever. When I got to my folder of pictures, this is what I found in the 6th one. A picture of Dale's boat. We just sold it in August. This must be a reminder to me how much Dale misses that boat!

Ok, so now I'm supposed to tag some other people so how about Brandi, Shelby, and Janet.

WANTED - Your best "mom" advice

Since becoming a mom, I've gotten a ton of advice. Some good, some bad. I have learned so much from my family and a whole lot more from my friends. I've often wondered if you have received as much advice as I have. So I thought I would share my most favorite piece of advice when dealing with my kids. Here it goes:

When you are getting ready to leave someplace or change what you are doing, give your children a warning. Say something like..."ok, in 2 minutes we are going to go brush our teeth" or if you are at a friends house you might say, "ok kids, in 5 minutes we are going to clean up and go home for lunch."

By using this simple method, we have managed to avoid so many temper tantrums. After all, no one likes to be surprised when we change directions and do something else and our kids don't either. It just made sense to me when one of my friends suggested I try this.

Now, its your turn to share. I'm opening up this blog so you can attach your best "mom" advice to share with others. Let me hear from you! Come on, I know you have great ideas.

uhhhhh

Does this look like "trouble" to you or what?

Its been 5 years?

Recently, Dale celebrated his 5th working anniversary with Metro Nashville. In reflecting on this milestone, we have had a hard time imagining how much our lives have changed since we left the San Diego area. In those short 5 years, we've moved 2000 miles, had 2 children, bought a new home (and a mini-van), gotten connected in to a great church and met many amazing friends who are active in our lives. Wow! God works in incredible ways. We know He's been with us each step of this journey. Thank you Lord. We can't wait to see what the next 5 years holds!

Don't worry...Nicki's safe

Don't worry...Nicki (our dog) isn't going to have to find a new home. She IS going to have to stay out of Caiden's room and off his bed. We found out this week that in addition to Caiden being allergic to every type of grass (yes? grass - bermuda, fescue, rye, etc.) known to man, he is also allergic to cats and dogs. Must have been mother's intuition, because I just knew it. I guess Dawson won't be getting a cat anytime soon!

A chinchilla?

Oh...so that's what a chinchilla looks like when Dora talks about one. Or at least that's what I was thinking!

A "Phil" photo

We have a good friend, Phil. He takes amazing, wonderful, priceless, speechless pictures. I'm amazed at his talent. I'm also pretty amused at the places and poses he will put himself into to get the "perfect" picture. Thanks Phil for all the great photos you have taken for us. Keep them coming!

While at the lake last weekend, Dale took a great pic of Dawson that I had to share. When I saw it, I said, "hey, that looks like a Phil photo." So here it goes. Isn't he the cutest?

The last hurrah...

It has been so hot here lately. Yesterday was no exception. So, we decided to head off to the lake and enjoy the last hurrah of the season. By Monday, it is supposed to cool off here. To tell you the truth, I'm glad and really ready for the fall. I love the time of the year when the leaves turning colors and you can wear jeans/a sweatshirt and still be comfortable outside.

Anyway, come on fall weather. But in the meantime, enjoy these pics of the boys loving the last hurrah at the lake!