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

Weekend in Cali!

I just returned from a long weekend girls' trip with "S" to visit my very pregnant girlfriend "I" in Santa Cruz, California with visits to nearby cities. This post will be a photo-documentary of our trip.

Our first stop in SF- Vietnamese sandwiches!

picnic lunch with a foggy view of the Golden Gate bridge

Now you see it...

Now you don't.

resting pelican...he was very watchful of me, though

plant growing from center of the log

can you spy the starfish?

San Francisco Botanical Garden

The first of our tree climbing ;)

pretty 

Dutch Windwill at Golden Gate Park

Pebble Beach- on our way to Santa Cruz from San Fran

cool looking rocks

yummy coffee and donut for breakfast

Attempt #3- Someone finally got their Blueberry crumb cake from Whole Foods

Monterey Bay

Looking for sea otters...no luck

in Candyland

cool looking mural 

Dametra- yummy Greek restaurant in Carmel

very yummy calamari at Dametra- the best!

Carmel Mission Basilica
we didn't go inside but it looked very cool from the outside

Walton Lighthouse in Santa Cruz- across from the restaurant Crow's Nest

my first fancy latte and probably my last...realized I like just regular coffee

We took a nice stroll in this park

amazing redwoods

can you find a four-leaf clover...i haven't yet

having fun between the redwoods

acting silly inside the remains of a redwood

cool trash bin

very yummy pizza

pizza joint

covered bridge in Felton

Ice Cream shop in downtown Santa Cruz

driving around the coast of Santa Cruz

yummy tri-tip roast at the best restaurant EVER..."I's" place ;)

"I"- glowing, isn't she?

me and "S"

tea salad at Burma Superstar

rainbow salad at Burma Superstar

mixing it up

much acclaimed Burma Superstar- Thanks for the recommendation JC!

Alamo Square- location of the opening credits for Full House

in front of "Postcard Row"

The Painted Ladies

garden "pots" in front of the park's public restroom

This is the last tree that I climbed

at the bottom of the Coit Tower

at the base of Coit Tower

Oakland Bridge

The World's Curviest Street in San Fran...I think it this was Lombard Street

in Chinatown looking for good hot and sour soup

Found some at Hunan Home's Restaurant

Appetizer Combo..not that great

This place didn't seem like much when we were there but later that evening, the line was out the door. We think it was a tourist stop.

Chinatown in the afternoon

Wall art

Chinese Street Musician...makes me think of my grandfather...even though he doesn't play an instrument.

The gates to San Fran's Chinatown

Cable car leaving

Chinatown at night

China  Girl

Fresh baked sourdough at Boudin's

Teddy Bear bread!!!

moving bread basket

Clam Chowder in bread bowl

yes...eating the bowl

I LOVE the taffy! Although it's not from California...from Salt Lake City, Utah

Our last night out

We got upgraded in our room at the Raddisson because the bathroom wasn't working well...this was the upgrade...a shoe shiner

my last breakfast in California

"I's''" breakfast

"S's" breakfast

Breakfast at Cable Car Cafe

departing hugs

Goodbye California

WOW! What a fun 5 day trip. Jet lag hasn't been horrible. It was so good to get to visit "I", see some great sights, and eat some yummy food. I missed my family tremendously, though. I hope that we will get to go visit this great state together as a family one day.