As the Year Winds Down...

I know, I know...I've been off in blogging...AGAIN! Life has been so busy and I've been neglectful. I have so much to say, but haven't taken the time to say it. Soooo...here's a recap of the last 17 days in photos and words:

It was no small miracle that the trees and decorations got put up. It's such a process at our house and this year, it was in the midst of a very busy schedule.

Things were up just in time for DS 1 to come home and enjoy a moment under the tree with DS 3 and LG.
We had a day in Tampa to take pics with family. This is a picture that DS 3 took of my DH and Me.

And here's one of our family.

My Mom gave us tickets to spend one day at Busch Gardens before the holiday. I took DSs 2, 3, and 4 and LG and some of their friends for a day up there. It was a nice day and we had a blast! DS 4 even rode his first roller coaster.

DS 3, LG and I went out one night to look at holiday lights. We found this display at a local church where the lights are synchronized to music. They had hot chocolate and cookies after you walked through their huge display.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve Service and a quiet celebration at my in-laws. Grandma was quite creative in her gift giving this year! The boys and LG loved opening each of their presents that were filled with so much LOVE!

Once again the boys indulged me and let me get them all Christmas PJ's. It is always a fun thing for me to shop for them. This year it was a little difficult because I had to also find something that would work for LG. Still...she had a blast in the mix of all these guys!

We spent Christmas Day at my Dad's house. As always it's filled with laughter, great food, and family fun!

At the beginning of this week, we loaded up DS2 and what remained of DS 1's stuff and moved them to Gainesville. Here is DH and his co-pilot LG ready to drive the truck!

DSs 1 and 2 got a very nice apartment and will be living together this semester. They seem excited to take this venture. I am reminded of when they were little...they told me they'd never be able to be apart because they were used to sharing a room. So...here they are moved in and once again, sharing living space! I'm glad they're such good friends.
After we dropped them off, DH, DS 3, LG and I went to Orlando for a couple of days. We enjoyed the Ice! Exhibit at the Gaylord Hotel. It's such an amazing thing to see and LG was simply fun to take through it!

Shoot, it was fun just having her at the hotel. She'd never been on an escalator and was THRILLED with that experience! Then, we did the glass elevator which amazed her.

While in Orlando, we met DH's brother and his family for dinner (and to pick up DS 4 who stayed with Grandma and Grandpa a couple of days). It was a lovely visit.

Yesterday, we took the family to Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios. It was JAM PACKED and we ended up leaving early. There's no sense trying to get it all in when you're a Floridian and you can get up there in a non-peak season. Sooo...we dropped off my niece, had a nice dinner and headed home.

Knowing she'd never been on an escalator, you can imagine that the moving sidewalks at Universal were also a novelty for her!

That pretty much brings us here...to New Year's Eve. I had good intentions of getting Christmas completely down today, but I didn't. I have enjoyed a nap. I enjoyed the quiet. I enjoyed doing pretty much nothing.

There's no question that this has been a busy few weeks. Heck...it's been a busy life! My goal for 2010 is to learn to sit still and just enjoy some quiet moments.

I hope your December has been just as memorable and that your New Year is filled with much love and joy!!

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My 2008 Reading List

My 2007 Reading List

My Weekend Window

Once again, our weekend was filled to the brim! In the midst of busy-ness, I must say it was another reminder just how blessed I am!

On Friday, DH and I took LG to see some of her family members. LG has a brother who is confined to a wheelchair. One local organization provided a new wheelchair and lift for him. They presented it on Friday at one of their charity events. It was so nice to see him receive this blessing! And I know it was nice for LG to visit with her brothers, cousins, Uncle and Grandma.

Saturday, we took DS 4 to a local skateboard/bike competition in town. They could "free skate" during breaks. He and his friends had a great time. LG and I stayed and watched for over an hour. Then, I left DS 4 with his friends so they could enjoy the rest of this event together.

After that, she and I got our haircut. I thought MY hair was thick! Hers has mine WAY BEAT! They cut it and thinned it out. I think she's happy having some of the weight off her head!

Saturday night, DH and I took DS 3, DS 4, and LG to our city boat parade. It was a gorgeous night...not too hot and definitely not too cold! It was nice to just sit out under the stars, listen to the water lap the shore, and watch the pretty boats go by.

Here was DS 4's favorite.

And here was my favorite.

Sunday, I took LG to a birthday party for one of her cousins. Then we came home and finally finished decorating INSIDE my house! Next Sunday, we are hosting our annual holiday Open House, so I needed to know this piece was FINISHED.

I am finally feeling more "Christmasey" despite the warm humid temps we are having. It's fun preparing for the season under LG's watchful eye. She has enjoyed the many activities we've had to prepare for the season so far. I am excited to share this holiday with her and the rest of my guys.

I hope your weekend was also BLESSED!

December Blessings...

It may seem like a small thing, but I was abundantly blessed last night when I came home from work last night to see my DSs 2 and 3 doing this:

And it continued while the sun set.



And the night grew darker. Despite mosquitoes they pressed on.


Until they had it done.



I know I've said it before, but I LOVE MY GUYS!!

Keep Christ Where?

I was the first car at the red light. Right behind me were about 6 - 7 more cars waiting to move on to whatever their destination. My son called me while I was sitting there. I answered. (I don't even WANT to hear about talking on the phone and driving.)

While talking to him, the light turned green. I hit the gas. Apparently, it was too slow for the cranky gentleman in the car behind me. He and a woman were riding in the car together. He LAYED on the horn. I thought, "Certainly he's not honking at me! I am moving forward. What ELSE could he want?" As soon as we were safely across the intersection, he went to the lane beside me and gave me a gesture or two while obviously screaming at me as if I could hear him.

It was a sight to see.

But, even more of a sight was what was stuck to the back of his luxury vehicle. Not one, but TWO of these signs:

There was one stuck over each of the back lights so you could see it no matter which side of his car you were on. Two! And, in my not-so-angelic thoughts I said, "Yeah buddy, you SHOULD keep Christ in Christmas!"

That was two days ago.

This morning I ran out to finish up some of the school's holiday shopping for needy kids. I drove around the parking lot a couple of times and spotted a lady pulling out of a front space. I looked around to be sure no more cars were waiting. None. I put my blinker on. She saw me.

Just as the driver pulled out, a lady in a red truck sped around from an aisle over and went in the space. I layed on horn. I pointed to my blinker. I hollered as if she could hear me. She looked at me and hollered back saying, "I was over there!" (I am a pretty good lip reader.) So I said, "I was RIGHT HERE!" She didn't care. She parked. I drove away to find another space.

Then, right there in the parking lot, I had to thank God that I didn't have a "Keep Christ in Christmas" sticker on MY car! Even though I didn't gesture rudely to her. I was obviously MAD. She knew it. There was no way to hide it.

So, I think maybe we should consider a new bumper sticker: "Keep Christ in your CAR!" I know. I know. You can't put him in your car anymore than you can pin down a cloud...but I'm sure you get my drift. The fact of the matter is...he's there. Shoot, he's EVERYWHERE. And we all need to be mindful of it. So maybe I'll change my sticker to just say: "Keep Christ"!

Happy Tuesday!

Some Weekend Highlights and a Thought...

What a BUSY weekend!! It was filled with church stuff, family, and holiday festivities for us.

Friday, DS 1 came home for his National Guard Drill weekend. While sitting here talking to us, at about 8:00pm, he realized that he left part of his uniform at his apartment (almost 3 hours away). So, knowing that he HAD to have it, and there is no "loaner" program, he drove BACK to his apartment and BACK to our house that night. Six hours!

I had a training all day on Saturday at our school. It was good, but it was hard to get up and get there. It was a steady rain outside and honestly, I'd have rather just stayed in bed with a good book!

Saturday evening, LG and I met a team from our church to pass out goodie bags and bubble necklaces to kids at the holiday parade. I have to tell you that I had a total meltdown because five of the youth dropped off the team at the last minute. That frustrates me! My friend, Sandy, stepped in to help at the last minute. I love having sweet friends who will help like that. Here's a picture of Sandy with LG ready to go.

Anyway, we had a BLAST at the parade and kids (and their parents) were blown away that they were getting FREE stuff for no reason! It's another great outreach opportunity and way to have a positive impact on the community.

LG and I stayed at the parade with our friend Kate and her two girls. It turned a bit colder that evening...but it was PERFECT for a holiday parade. I have to say that NOW I'm feeling more like it's December and Christmas is right around the corner.

Below is a picture of LG and me at the parade I love it!

On Sunday, we had another outreach at church. Our church is providing Christmas for 16 needy kids from my school. We had a great time sorting and wrapping and preparing the gifts for these children right during the service!

While a team sorted and wrapped these gifts for local outreach...our youth pastor shared about his recent mission trip to Ethiopia.

I love it when we do this sort of thing. It's a picture of what I think the church "should" be--active and involved in the community and the world.

Sunday afternoon, I took LG to visit her younger siblings at a local park. We had a great time talking to the family they are with and playing together. It was good to see the kids. I am always amazed that LG doesn't push back when we go to leave those visits. She loves going and loves visiting, but she also loves coming home.

Sunday evening, DSs 2 and 3 helped us get out the boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic. My guys are totally used to me at this time of year and just indulge me as we I decorate. Seriously, they help a bit. I love it that they just "do their thing" to help make it happen--and don't mind my mini-"moments" that sometimes occur during the process. I've got one tree up and a few more to go. The boxes are sorted into their rooms for decoration. I am feeling pretty calm amidst that chaos.

To sum up our weekend: It was busy, but fulfilling. VERY fulfilling!

Friday Fave Five

Some of my blogging friends play this meme. I've done it once or twice and thought I'd jump back in today. The host is Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. In this meme, we share our five favorite things from the past week. If you would like to play along just post your 5, link back to Susanne and visit her to see who else is playing along.

1. I LOVE it that DH and DS 3 took LG flying the other day. I put a pic of her on my Wordless Wednesday. DH said she couldn't go steep enough or fast enough. She laughed and had a ball.

2. I had a great planning meeting this week with our Servant Evangelism team at church. Some of these people are new. We had a brainstorming session and have some awesome outreach events planned for the coming months! If someone would have told me a few years ago that this is the ministry into which I would fall, I would have told them they were CRAZY!

Here I am, though, loving it.

3. LG and I went shopping for several needy kids at our school. She was so taken by the Salvation Army bell ringer outside. It was almost as if she's never seen one (which is possible). When I explained what he was doing, she asked, "Can WE give some money to help?" I told her we could. She seemed to be so excited to put the money in the tin. It was sweet to watch.

4. Last night, DS 4 performed with our school's "song and dance kids" at our local art museum. He was Santa. It was fun to go watch them and enjoy the evening outside under the stars!

5. This week I'm especially thankful for my DH. He is such an amazing husband and I love him for so many reasons. This week, though, we are still without our regular housekeeper (which I know sounds weird)...but DH has been keeping up with the house and the laundry and the cooking. He does this when she's here anyway, but he's having to go above and beyond his amazing norm. On top of that, he ran the gymnastics shuttle for LG last night so that I could take DS 4 to his performance. I love him and am thankful for all he does for all of us.

Random Dozen

1. Which Wizard of Oz character are you most like? Wow! Right out of the gate, this is a tough one for me. Some days I'm the dreamer that Dorothy is...and others days I'm more logical like the scarecrow. And some days I'm like Oz who likes the rest of the world to "think" she's "great and powerful" but just hides behind a curtain. So...all that to say...I don't know exactly.

2. When you're deciding what you're going to wear each morning, which item do you select first? Why? Wow, this is also a different question. I had to really think about it. I usually select what pants I'm going to wear THEN select the shirt. It's usually based on weather or my mood.

3. What kind of animal do you think the world could live without? Roaches!

4. How many Christmas trees are in your home? A LOT! 5 - 6 usually.

5. Would you prefer to be emotionless if it mean you didn't have to feel a heartbreak? Nope. I think emotions are what make you more human.

6. Do you ever experience holiday let-down or depression? Just a tad right after the gifts are opened and then later on that night when everyone's settled down and quiet.

7. Do you like Michael Jackson's music? Some of it. Mostly the older stuff that he did with his brothers when he was younger.

8. Why is it that we never judge people who have their teeth fixed for cosmetic reasons, but every other cosmetic procedure has a stigma? Hmmm....I always think teeth is somewhat about health.

9. Enjoy horseback riding? Unless it's the carousel horse at the fair, nope.

10. Shoes--practical or stylish? 100%practical.

11. What was the name of your first pet? Feel free to post a pic. I wish I had a picture. My first pet that I remember was a cocker spaniel named Taffy. She chased cars as they drove down our street and scared us to death every time. She ended up getting hit by one, but it wasn't for many years.

12. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done? Not much. Maybe 10%.

Wordless Wednesday: Co-pilots

Are you KIDDING me??

Some things just make me wonder. It's not uncommon for me to get the newspaper, read a headline, and ask "Are you kidding me?"

A couple of days ago, I read the paper and saw where there was a beating at one of our local golf courses. Apparently a 60-something year old man was on the golf course and got hungry. He pulled a grapefruit off of a tree that he passed. The tree, however, belonged to a nearby homeowner who was in his early forties. The homeowner sees this guy eating the grapefruit and comes out and beats him with a golf club!

Are you KIDDING me? If you've ever seen a citrus tree, then you know they produce a LOT of fruit! First of all, it probably wasn't really THAT good cause it's still a little early for citrus and we haven't had a real cold snap. They are much better after that. Secondly, I'm pretty certain there would have been HUNDREDS of grapefruit on the tree.

OK, so I know the guy was trespassing. I know it wasn't "his" tree. But geez. I think this reaction was a bit over the top.

The news of Tiger Woods hitting a fire hydrant or tree, or whatever he hit with his car, has blown my mind. Good grief! If any other Tom, Dick, Harry, or Sally pulled out of their driveway--despite the reason--and damaged a tree/car/hydrant we would not have heard about it. It wouldn't have even mattered if there was domestic violence issue. We STILL most likely would not have heard about it. Yet, the media wants to dig into Tiger's personal life and still keeps the prodding going.

WHEN will people get it? It's not our business! If Tiger needs to replace the hydrant, the tree, or the car...he can.

Then there is the news of senseless, senseless killing sprees! Makes me SICK! Just what is it that makes a man run into a coffee shop and kill four people he doesn't know? I don't get it.

Honestly, I don't read the newspaper everyday. I skim it sometimes. Other times I don't look at all. Most days I'm happy to go about my merry way without really thinking about it. Ignorant? Maybe.

Yet, on those days when I DO read it, there is almost always an article or two that makes me ask the question. The past few days, I've asked it more than normal. Honestly, I find it depressing and disturbing at times...and downright confusing others! Cause, on most days, they're NOT kidding me!

It's hard sometimes...

I have a "boundary pusher". You know, the kid who is told "no"...but still crosses the line just to see how far he can go? Actually, I gave birth to more than ONE boundary pusher. Still the creme-de-la-creme is my youngest son. I know that there are many factors that lead to this behavior. Perhaps it's because I was a bit of a boundary pusher myself as a child. Perhaps it's because his father was. And perhaps it's also because he's been successful at it more than a few times in his short life. I know that I am not good at always drawing the black and white line. What can I say? I see the gray!

It doesn't matter HOW he developed the skill. What matters most is that we recognize it and handle it properly. There's nothing I can do about his DNA. I can, however, work on my response to the moments when he's pushing.

Today, was a bit of a test for me. He asked if he could come to my office for lunch. I have work to do. A lot of it. He thinks when he comes in here and quietly watches TV that I can still get my work done. For the most part, he's right. But it's still a distraction. I told him "No, not today."

He started with the "Pllleeeaassseee!" which has about 10 syllables when he's trying to move the boundary. I explained that he asked the question, I gave the answer and that was final.

Then, I did the thing I learned in Psych. 101: "ignore the behavior and it'll go away". I turned my back to continue opening car doors at parent pick-up. Almost as if it's a mantra, I was repeating the Psych. words over and over in my head while the pleading and begging was happening behind me. It was quiet begging, but it was still begging. I said nothing except "good morning" to the kids who were arriving at school. Finally, I felt this hand on my shoulder and a bit of a hug followed up by these words, "Well, have a good day Mom!" And he walked away. He walked away!

He didn't see my eyes well up with tears. He doesn't know that I wanted to grab him and say, "OK come for lunch." He also doesn't know that the Trace Adkins song plays over and over in my head when I skip these "opportunities"--"You're gonna' miss this...".

Mostly, though, he doesn't understand yet, that the very WORST thing I could do is not stick by my "no". He'll figure it out someday. I realize it may be when I am a Grandmother watching him raise his own children. Still I know he'll get it.

Do you know WHY I am so sure?
Because i'm sure my own parents are watching me navigate the parenting waters and whispering a great sigh of relief that I finally understand!