SNOW

Alright...winter has not quite been winter here in Georgia. E-Pie has really been wanting some snow so and we were looking at taking a little trip before my brother began his new job. We decided to take a little trip to Colorado for some snow fun. We arrived in Denver Wednesday evening, but by the time we drove to Frisco and to our condo, it was late...2 am Atlanta time. Then, we had to wake up early the next morning to pick up our ski rentals and get the kids and me to ski lessons. I got the kids to their class on time but ended up being late for mine. Luckily, another family missed the time so they contacted another instructor for us. It was great because it ended up being a 1 on 2 class. Although I have skied before, it was nice to refresh and learn techniques the proper way. I definitely felt confident to hit the slopes myself the next day. The kids even had a great time and learned a lot.

We were thinking of having them take another day of classes to really get the hang of things....then, we had a couple of snaffoos...my brother tore something in his elbow while snow boarding...and my sister in law had issues with the high altitude and busted her lip on the stairs at our condo when she fainted. Then, C-bear, got sick...it could have been a combination of the high altitude and just being super exhausted, but the next day was spent taking it easy and visiting the town of Breckenridge.

We did manage to get in a snowball fight. I can confidently say that I won that war.

I surrender!!!

Our condo backed up to a trail and we had a nice time playing in the deep snow set picturesquely against a mountain backdrop.

We left Frisco and stayed in Denver for another 2 days before heading home. We got to visit the Coors Beer Factory (great educational experience!). I think that was the highlight of the trip for hubby. We drove to the top of the mountain in Golden, Colorado where Buffalo Bill was buried but the park was closed so we didn't actually see the grave site. The view was nice and there were plenty of curves in the road to take our minivan through. We also got to walk around the downtown area, visit the State Capitol building and the Denver Mint, and the flagship REI store (it was HUGE), and eat some pretty yummy ice cream.

OK, so here is my little guide to Denver...you need to check out this awesome brunchy restaurant called Lucille's. The beignets are awesome and their oyster Rockefeller is AMAZING. They are supposed to have the best bloody marys in town but if you are not a bloody mary drinker, you probably won't like it...the Hubs and brother discovered that. Also, ice cream at the Little Man Ice Cream is DELISH! We booked it over to the cute little milkcan just to arrive right at closing but the girl was nice and let us order our dessert. The helpings are huge and they have some funky flavors, too. The donuts at Lamar's was really good, too. The trip was a nice break from normalcy despite the little hiccups. I think we managed to keep it all positive!!! 

C-Bear has already asked to come back to Colorado and go skiing again.

YUMMY!

Don't be deceived by their enthusiasm...

~H

Just checking in...

I really want to write a post about all the adventures and learning we have been up to and post some great pictures but since we have been so busy, I felt like tonight is going to be a stay-in date night. I need to go spend some quality time with my husband...maybe some sherbet or Yogli Mogli...a movie...just been feeling too busy lately and need to slow down. I will try to update soon so for now I will just post a couple of pictures. Can you guess where we have been?

:-) H

Happy 2012

Happy New Year's to all our friends and family!


I hope everyone had a great Christmas and are feeling fresh for a new year. I love a new year...feels like I can start fresh again. I have this "clean-desk" syndrome where I feel like I can't start on anything unless I have cleaned up my "desk". Sometimes, this makes for not getting anything done because the "messy desk" is my excuse or not getting anything done because I am continually in the midst of "cleaning" my desk. Well, a new year is like a metaphorical new and clean desk.


Well, we ended 2011 on a pretty good note. Hubby and I went to watch Cake in concert for  NYE with some friends at the Fox Theater. It was a little crazier and better than I expected. It brought back memories of our dating years...and bucket seats. The grandparents came down to celebrate 2011 with the kids and brought with them some fun party accessories. It was too bad the kids weren't feeling well. I woke up on New Year's to three sick babies...hubby got sick, too. We had to bring C-Bear in to the doctor's yesterday because he complained of his ear hurting and sure enough, a severe ear infection. So Mommy has not been sleeping well because C-Bear hasn't been sleeping well. I feel like I have a newborn again. 

trying to "pop" a homemade popper I made

Enough complaining though...for ONE of my New Year's resolution, I am CHOOSING JOY in all situations. I have been thinking about that a lot lately especially after a sermon one day at church concerning this passage in the Bible:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7


And then, I have been following some other incredible mom's on their blogs (Ashley, Anita, Sara)and it's amazing how God's strength shines through them in their words. It's amazing how they can encourage others and bless others even in the midst of their pains. This can only be done through the incredible love and faith they have in our Lord. And then I look at my life and my proposed "troubles or woes"...what do I have to complain about? What do I have to be angry about? What do I have to be sad about? It really is OUR choice how we want to look at things and I want to choose joy in all circumstances...to be thankful. 


For example, my kids and husband are sick, the kitchen sink is not in working order, and the house is a mess of Christmas decor and other normal household messes, but I am thankful that we have a comfortable home that keeps out the elements. I am thankful we have medication to help with pain and discomfort. I am thankful that my family is not too picky and can eat PBJs all day long since cooking is hard without a sink. I am thankful that we have the things that we have that causes the mess we make. We even started school today in spite of it all. The kids and I had a great first day. It felt good to have school again. We were on break for way too long. Even E-pie told me she missed school. I have to admit, I did, too :D


I have some other resolutions, but they might not come true if I tell you...ok, I can't  blame others for my lack of discipline...which is another thing I would like to work on again this year. I need it in many areas of my life in order to plan my days better...meals, lessons, waking up, going to bed, etc. I would also like our family to include more exercise into our lives especially the kind that happens outdoors. I would like to try again at reading through the Bible in a year. I got through most of the New Testament and Proverbs last year using the One Year Bible. This year, I will try the chronological Bible reading plan on my phone. Also, I would like to better spend my time when it comes to media devices...they seem to be a blackhole for my time. It's like the Target syndrome...you go in for one item but leave with more than you need and hours have flown by. Alissa at Creative with Kids has a great post about how one should be more intentional with one's time when on the computer. 


I am sure there are other things I would like to do or not do but I have not made a list yet. They probably don't need to be on the list since I can't think of them off the bat. I think the ones listed above is a good start for me. What are your New Year's resolutions?


~H

2011 Annual Christmas Letter

Greetings to all my friends and family!
I do not know which annual letter this is for us...I can't remember when we started a letter...maybe the year we got married or maybe it was after E-Pie was born.  It seems like yesterday that I wrote the last one. So much growing is happening here in our home.

My little man turned 3 this June and we had a big celebration to kick it all off. But this birthday was different from any that we have had before. In lieu of gifts for C-Bear this year, he asked his friends to make a donation to help provide relief for the victims of the tornado disasters in Alabama. I was really surprised that C-Bear was willing to forgo presents for himself so that he could help others, but I am one proud mama! (more about the party.)

We took a little drive up to Maine in July to visit brother-in-law and his family. We stayed almost 2 weeks which included traveling time. It was so much fun to spend time with them. The kids had such a blast playing with their cousins. It was like no time had passed from the time they saw them last. They just picked up where they left off. I love the closeness that they share even though we live 18 hours away. We definitely feel blessed to have family we LOVE to spend time with. And it doesn't hurt that my sister-in-law is an AWESOME photographer! She definitely has an eye for taking great pictures. (More about Maine.)

We traveled to Minnesota in August to celebrate K's grandmother turning 100! It was really nice visiting with family, and I am glad the kids got to meet their Great-Grandmother. We got to see the Mainers again and E-pie got to celebrate her 5th birthday (yes, I know she is growing up way too fast) with her cousins at the Mall of America. (More about Minnesota)

The summer of travels ended with a family trip that included my side of the family in Destin, Florida during a hurricane storm. I wanted to start an annual family trip with large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, and parents. We decided to rent a house for Labor Day weekend. It was a good thing that the house was beautiful and comfortable because we spent most of the weekend sequestered inside due to the inclement weather. I am not going to let this discourage me from planning another one next year. It was kind of nice to be stuck together and begin and end our day together.

We adopted a new member into our family this summer. Spanky came to us from friends at church. God must have heard my many pleas to get the perfect dog for our family because he is certainly that.

I got to take a fun girls' trip (sans family) out to California to visit a close friend before she had her first baby. It was so much fun to travel around and see sights, eat yummy food,  and just hang out with my girlfriends. (More about my trip.) Well, from this trip spurred a desire to run a 5K race (which is a little more than 3 miles for those who don't do metric). Running with a friend definitely makes running more bearable. Although,  I think I am allergic to running, because I sneeze uncontrollably after most runs. Regardless, I am happy to report that I can mark running a 3K off my list of things to do in life even if it took me 38 minutes.

We celebrated our 9th anniversary this year! I cannot believe I have been married to the man of my dreams for 9 years!!! God certainly knew what he was doing when he put us together. I truly feel blessed and honored to have K as my husband, best friend, and better half.

Homeschooling continues to be going well. I cannot say how blessed I am to have this opportunity to teach my own children. I never thought I had enough patience to be doing this but God has given me many opportunities to practice this skill. E-Pie and C-Bear amaze me in their capacity to learn. We have lots of fun when we get together with other homeschooling friends. Most of all, I love being able to spend time with my children in an unhurried way. C-Bear and E-Pie both tried T-ball this summer and both enjoyed it but I think E-Pie still prefers her dancing. She started taking ballet at Perimeter Church this year and has enjoyed it so far. E-Pie has also started taking piano lessons from our neighbor and is doing very well. C-Bear is trying out soccer and has enjoyed it.

This year has been another blessed one for our family. I am thankful everyday for all that God has provided for us. Our small group from church has been a big part of our lives this year as we spend time growing closer to God, delving deeper into His words, and serving others. It is such a joy to know each day how much He loves each one of us. We wish that your year has been a joyful one and we pray that the new year will bring you the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, and the peace of His love.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family!

~H

Counting down the days to Christmas!

It's December!!! This month always seems to fly by because there is something going on everyday...well, of course there's schooling. We have activities with church, families, and friends. Don't get me wrong. Although, it is a busy time, I really enjoy most everything we do (shopping not so much...online shopping this year!). I love the enthusiasm that my kids are experiencing especially when it comes to helping others during this time. I love visiting with friends and family...sharing meal or just cookies and a chat. I love the togetherness that happens during the holidays. 


We are doing our Advent Calendar of activities again this year. I made this last year and inside each little box (made from holiday cards that we have received from years past) is a little treat for each of the kids and an activity that we will do that day. Here is a list of most of the activities that we are planning to do this year give or take a few. I change things around as needed. But unlike years past where I will just "modify" on the spot, this year, I have to actually have the correct paper in the box because a certain someone is starting to read a bit ;)

Buy Christmas tree and decorate
Make a Christmas craft
Bake cookies with friends
Drive around and see Christmas lights
Watch The Christmas Story Movie
Play a family game
Sit by the fire, drink hot chocolate, and read Christmas stories
Open stocking
Celebrate the reason for the season with friends with a Happy Birthday Jesus party
Visit Santa Claus
Make a gingerbread house
Stuff, stamp, and mail our Christmas cards
Watch a Christmas play
Eat snowman pancakes for dinner
Write a letter to Santa
Make Christmas cards 
Bake a birthday cake for Jesus
Make ornaments for our tree
Take a candlelit bubble bath
Have a dinner picnic under the Christmas tree
Stuff stockings for kids in need
Help Mommy wrap presents
Go caroling
Listen to Christmas music and dance
Go to Stone Mountain
Ride a Christmas train
Go ice skating
Visit a live nativity

We added a Jesse Tree this year, too. I heard about it from a friend at church and was very interested so I did some of my own research. I wanted to refocus this Christmas on the reason for this season- Jesus! If you have never heard of the Jesse Tree or want to know more about it, I have compiled a few resources  that I am using or have found interesting. Some include printables.


A Holy Experience
Tired Need Sleep
a Dolce Vita

The Voice

Simple Mom

Catholic Culture

Reformed Church of America

E-pie graciously donated her little tree to become our Jesse Tree.

Day one ornament

We are also doing the Elf on the Shelf. We started last year or maybe it was 2 years ago...I can't quite remember. E-pie named him Dopey since she was really into Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He is not a mischievious elf. He just hides in different places each night...Except when we forget to move him the night before and tell the kids that he must really like that spot since he came back to it after visiting Santa.

Hiding in the barn...E-pie tells us, "I have good news and I have bad news...good news is I found Dopey. Bad news is  he is in our toy."

Dopey heard us reminiscing about one of E-pie's first ornament from her grandparents so he decided to show us he was listening... 

I have read 2 posts regarding Christmas and Santa that I really like:
The Christmas Conundrum by Jen Hatmaker


The Truth About Santa
But, I really don't want to take away from the magic of Christmas because my kids will not be at this stage of believing for very long. I think if we keep our focus on Jesus and not the commercialization of Christmas, we can also keep the magic of Christmas.


Anywho...hoping this season is one filled with joy for you and your family. Our Christmas cards have arrived. I have hopes that they will be mailed out before the New Year ;)
Coming Soon...I will be posting our Annual Christmas letter online this year!


Blessings,
H


PS My links are broken somewhere and not sure how to fix it. Sorry if they are not working for you.

A month of Thankfulness

WOW! November really came and went, but this month was filled with a focus on much to be thankful for. I ran my first 5K this month with much encouragement and support from my dear friend, S. We trained for about a month running about 3 times a week but I never reached my goal during practices. I did not enjoy the actual running part of it all but I did enjoy being outside regardless of the weather. I am also grateful for a healthy body that made it possible for me to run, that I could push my body to do something it had never done before. I have continued to keep up with a 2-3 times per week of exercise but now that the weather has gotten colder, S and I will probably stick to some indoor exercises...like STEP!

before the race

still standing after the race

My sweet hubby and I celebrated our 9 years of marital bliss by making pottery together. Our anniversary was actually on Thanksgiving this year but since we were hosting Thanksgiving, we had to celebrate a week earlier.We have been following the traditional gifts from the very beginning and this year was the "pottery" year. But I did not want to just go and paint premade pottery. I found a place in Alpharetta through my homeschool connections that actually had a potter's wheel that you work at just like in the movie Ghost. So Handsome and I made an evening of it. We are still waiting on getting it back from the shop so I will post pictures of the finished product, though I could tell you right now that Hubby's pottery looks amazing. We ended the evening at a nearby steak place with a very romantic ambiance. WOW! I cannot believe it's been 9 wonderful years. I truly am thankful that God created someone just perfect for me.

Mine looked nice here but it progressively got worse...

Hubby's didn't look too nice on first throw but  his second and third ones turned out very nicely.

UPDATED 12.08.11

This is mine. I like it :)

This is hubby's. I like his, too!

My Thanksgiving/Anniversary Bouquet

So for Thanksgiving, we had 30 people in our humble home. I am thankful that God has blessed our family with great relatives that we can share the holidays with and actually have a terrific time together. I am thankful for the abundance of food that we stuffed our faces with. Even with 30 people in our house, I never felt it got too crowded. We spend a lot of time outside playing a friendly game of flag football. Hubby says that it is our tradition and everyone must play. Well, I ended up being the only girl out on the field besides E-pie, and not everyone played but we had enough for 2 teams. I was very surprised when two of my uncles agreed to play. We all had a great time but really felt the pain for the next few days.

what a cute turkey...

some of the dessert

one third of the spread

our little kicker

The winning Red team

The flag football players

The Yellow team

My silly cousins

Our second turkey

My sister-in-law and her family

My 86 year old grandfather playing outside :D

FAMILY- I am so thankful for all of them!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving spent with ones you love. Christmas is fast approaching and I have so many exciting things going on. I'm glad that I got this post out before the next month...

~ H

Memorizing scripture

In our small group, we are encouraging each other to memorize scripture that will remind us daily to focus on our Lord and to encourage us throughout the day. As a tip for remembering, I write it on our bathroom mirror with a dry-erase pen so that I will be sure to see it and even have time to read it. It began with...(and this is from my memory)

All Scripture is God-Breathed useful in teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped to do all good works.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

After I memorized that one, I "stumbled" upon a very helpful verse that I need to remember everyday and proceeded to memorize it...

Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20

I am also working with my kids on memorizing scripture. There are lots of great homeschooling sites that share what they do and have free printables. I am learning alongside with my children. :)

update: I found this post on my Google Reader the day after I posted this on I Can Teach My Child and found it perfect to share!

I try every morning to be in God's Word even if I didn't manage to wake up before the kids (still working on it and some days it does happen) and they are doing laps around me. I know that sometimes I've made excuse about not picking up my Bible, but I can find peace and quiet in the midst of chaos and noise with the Lord's help. So I read.

I have found that when I don't find time for God and His Word in my daily life...I begin to spin out of control. It's not noticeable at first. I get the "I can do this...fix this...handle this-by-myself" attitude. I can probably go a few days. Then, the stress, doubts, and worries seem to find their way in...and suddenly I find that I can't do it by myself, and I am a mess and the people around me (the ones I love) have suffered for it, too.

I also try to pray every night before I go to bed. Sometimes, it's so easy to say, "not tonight...I'm so tired...I promise I will do it tomorrow..." But what I am really saying is, "Lord, I am too tired to talk to you....I am more important than everyone else who need my prayers..." I don't want to say those things. I know that God knows my innermost thoughts even before I speak or think them so I could argue, why do I have to actually say it or think them in prayer? That's almost like never saying the words "I love you" or "I'm sorry" to the ones we love because we know they know...almost....God is too big for little ole me to try to explain...He just loves me...and you...and everyone in the world that he created. That's all there is to it. He loves me and wants a relationship with me. Can't have a very good relationship if I don't actually try to communicate.

I am still very young in my spiritual walk with the Lord. I've only just begun but I am loving it! He is the reason I sing...apparently, I don't always know that I am singing. It just starts out as a little humming in my heart.

That's all...just wanted to share that with everyone tonight. Goodnight...and God loves you, too, and wants to hear from you as well.

~ H