picture update

well, it's been a long while since our last picture update (since october, actually).  there's been so much going on this time of year we haven't had the chance to get pictures together for a slideshow, but of course we have tons to share with you!  

CLICK HERE to see a slideshow of pictures that highlight things that have happened in the months of november and december (so far) with our family.  some of the things you'll see are greyson having fun with paint, hudson's first preschool christmas performance and a trip to starbucks with daddy and the fun we had in the first snowfall of the season.  

  

center

at a time of year when things like 

shopping, 

gifts, 

santa,

 and busyness 

consume and overshadow 

the truth of christmas, 

this is our prayer...

oh, CHRIST, be the center of our lives!

{and the center of this season!}

christmas keepsake

if you're anything like our family, every year when you're decorating your christmas tree there are always those special keepsake ornaments that are so fun to put on the tree.  memories from when you were a kid or of the person who gave it to you coming flashing back.  we love looking at our old keepsakes and this year was no different.  everyone loves a christmas ornament keepsake, right?!?  here's an idea of how you can capture a memory of today and remember it for years to come.  we did this with the boys last year and it was so fun to get them out this year and see how much they've grown. 

here's how to make it:  to begin, get a ornament bulb of your choice (or maybe two or three, just in case).  using acrylic paint (be sure not to use tempera or washable), coat the inside of your child's hand.  simply place the ornament bulb in your child's hand and tell your child to grasp the bulb tightly.  press his/her fingers to be sure the impression is clear.  now you have a handprint (we had to do this several time to get a good print). each finger of the handprint becomes a snowman.  use sharpie markers to design your snowmen to your fancy.  label it with your child's name and the year and there you have it, a perfect christmas keepsake!   

december tradition

  

  

  

it's beginning...

...to look a lot like christmas in our home! 

(click on image to enlarge)

here's a glimpse into what our home looks like during this christmas season! 

and yes, the nativity scene is still shrink wrapped...it's safer that way with two little ones!!! ;-)  

hope rising

are you in need of some great, new, inspiring music?  this is the cd for you!  oh my goodness, we just got Fee's latest album, entitled Hope Rising, and it is AMAZING!!!  seriously, the songs are lyrically breathtaking and will leave you filled with hope and joy in our great God.  below are a couple of our favorite songs.  take a listen, you won't be disappointed!  oh, and the best part is that you can get this whole album (MP3 digital download) on amazon for $5.00!  CLICK HERE if you're interested!  hope you enjoy! :-)

tie-dye turkeys

     

okay, this simple, little thanksgiving craft was a huge hit in our house so we thought we'd share it with you (granted you really won't want to make it until next year at this point, but oh well)!  we call them tie-dye turkeys. 

directions: take a coffee filter and let the kids go-to-town on it completely covering it with marker.  then, spray it with water and hang it to dry. meanwhile, cut out a turkey body of some sort (to make it even more original, you could trace a foot of a child in brown construction paper to get a similar shape).  once the colorful coffee filter is dry, put it together, mount on card-stock for durability and and there you have it - DONE!  you've gotta love a fun, simple art project!  have fun (next year, that is)!  :-)

blessed

  

on thanksgiving morning, usually we get up, relax and watch the macy's thanksgiving day parade, but this year was different.   instead we had the honor of serving with our "thrive" group at our church to prepare and organize the delivery of over 11, 000 meals to families in need (there were numerous churches in the area that partnered together in this effort).  

  

god blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others.  but really, at the end of the day we were the ones that were feeling blessed - to see the happy, smiling faces of the servants and to know that what we were doing was going to bless a deserving family this thanksgiving and give them hope during this holiday season.

oh, and the best part of it all (if you didn't notice it in the picture above), each of the bags that were used to transport food, was hand-decorated with bible verses and pictures by the kids in the church.  how cool that the kids are learning at such a young age the importance of loving and serving others.  

giving thanks

Lord, you are great and powerful. 

Everything in heaven and on earth belongs to you. 

You are honored as the One who rules over all. 

Our God, we give you thanks. 

We praise your glorious name. 

~1 Chronicles 29: 11, 13

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

His faithful love endures forever. 

~ 1 Chronicles 16:34

The Lord has done great things for us, 

And we are filled with joy!

~Psalm 126:3

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

seriously

before the leaves fell, we managed to grab a few fall photos, here they are:

    

    

look at them, aren't they getting so big?  hudson is 3 1/2 and greyson is 1 1/2.  it's unbelievable  and amazing to think of how much they've grown and changed over the months and years.  

seriously, these boys are great!  these boys are truly amazing!  it's hard to explain unless you know them personally, but they are just so much fun and unique in character.  there is just something special about them.  i'm sure every parent must feel this way about their child, but it's true.  they are caring, funny, silly, smart and coordinated, to name a few. 

seriously...they love to dance, to any song really, but especially to taylor swift's "you belong with me."  hudson has managed to learn a lot of the words in the song and always wants to listen to the "t-shirt song".  he doesn't miss a beat and has been very much interested in guitars and drums.  he truly does not miss a beat!  greyson gets in on the action and gets his groove on too!  he dances around and laughs with hudson and has a ball doing it.  it's so cool to observe how much greyson looks up to his brother, always imitating him in everything from his interests, the toys he plays with, to lifting up his shirt to try and go to the bathroom, to dancing and singing and talking.    

seriously, these kids are great!  now, you'd think their favorite shows on TV would be something on PBS or cartoony or have trains or tractors or something, but not our kids.  their favorite show on TV is america's funniest home videos and wheel of fortune (the "letters show").  they laugh at laugh at america's funniest home videos and they shout out letters when we watch wheel of fortune.   i'm telling you, these boys have a sense of humor like no other!!!  

anyways, we could go on forever about how great they are and of course they have their "moments" every day too, but in short, we love them beyond what words can even express.  thank you, God, for these amazing gifts and for entrusting us with them during this life on earth, because we know that they are truly Yours!!!  seriously, God, they are great!!