Snowstorm

A big, big snowstorm began today, all across the midwest and a lot of the country, actually.  Many churches, including ours, canceled last night because the prediction was that the snow would be falling very hard during Sunday morning.  It did.  We have stayed in all day, making lots of hot food and watching everything out the windows turn white.  

My sweet little guy brought me my slippers to warm my cold toes.

With temperatures dropping rapidly and wind gusts increasing, we're afraid of losing power.  We have no generator and wouldn't be able to travel to a hotel due to blizzard/whiteout conditions, and Jeremy and I were discussing what we would do if we did lose power.  He said we'd have to stay in the living room, close all the doors to it, and snuggle up together with all our blankets.  The kids decided they'd just bring their sleeping bags down right away.  They put in a Star Wars movie.

Annah and Caeden worked on puzzles in the living room window bench.  The trim being finished makes such a huge difference in the temperature of the room!  Before, we could feel cold wind drafting into the middle of the room!  The fact that the kids could sit in the window bench area while it's incredibly cold outside tonight is a new miracle in our house!

They decided to snuggle up and have a sleepover in the living room, since we already know school is canceled for tomorrow.

They lasted about 15 minutes before they all decided to come back upstairs and sleep in their beds.  

Chris Farley in the house

Jeremy woke up and decided to go out and shovel snow and do things outside in the cold.  I never noticed this resemblance before...

Relaxing the days away

Yesterday (New Year's Day) we spent the day relaxing at home.  There were some bowl games watched, some naps taken, some games played, some crafts made.  Not much else.  It was cozy and wonderful.

Today was more of the same, minus Jeremy, who had to go back to work.  The kids are pretty much living in their pi's now.  Next week is going to be a little difficult getting back to routine, I think!

New Year's Eve

Technically, we rang in the new year asleep, I think.  But it was a nice day.  

Everyone loves a good DMV story, right?  Hahaha...  

Well, Jeremy let me know yesterday that I needed to go to the DMV today to renew the plates for the Prius.  I called this morning to see when they'd be closing, since it was New Year's Eve.  When I called, I politely asked what time they would be closing today, and the sweet lady who answered barked, "Why? Whaddyou need done?!"  When I told her I just needed to renew my plates, she snapped, "You mean you need a sticker?"  I affirmed, yes.  She spat, "Well, we walk out the door at 5:30, but I'll warn you, we are extremely busy today!"  Wow, I couldn't wait to go meet her! 

When the kids and I arrived there around 1:30 this afternoon, there were no cars in the parking lot.  We walked inside and there were no other patrons, and only a man and a woman working behind the desk.  I didn't want to go in the woman's line, anticipating that she was the delightful woman I talked with this morning!  I looked up at the clock, handed the man the paperwork and a check Jeremy had written for the renewal, and walked out with my sticker less than 30 seconds later.  I laughed about that for next few hours!

The kids and I picked up a few groceries for snack-y treats for tonight.  Our friends, Shannon, Dawn, Addie, and Reece came over for the evening.  We had lots of food, relaxed, played a bit of Tenzi, laughed a lot, watched National Treasure and decided just before 11:30 that we were going to have "fake midnight."  Shannon set his phone timer for 5 minutes, and when it went off, we had our "New Year!"  

2013 ~ 2012 ~ 2011 ~ 2010 ~ 2009 ~ 2008 ~ 2006 ~ 2003 ~ 2001

Surprise on the ride home

Daddy has had a little thought/plan up his sleeve for a while, and on the way home to Illinois today, we made a quick stop at the store.  The kids thought we were stopping so Jeremy could get me a bottle of water.  He came out of the store with a double screen portable dvd player!  The kids were really surprised and very excited!  A little late Christmas present.

They watched Despicable Me 2 on the way home, and squealed and giggled all the way through.

Gram's and Krampa's

Bryce LOVES his Mamaw and his Pampaw!  

Sylvia gave me a little tour of the Barbies at Gram's house.  Some of them were mine when I was little.  Pretty neat to see my girls enjoying them with their cousin now!  It makes me smile.

And, now the kids LOVE the marble machine my cousins and I loved at Grandma Mc's house when we were growing up!  My Grandpa Mc made it for my Uncle Roger when he was a boy, and it has been well loved--now for 3 generations.  I'm sure Grandpa would be so pleased to know that his great grandchildren are giggling like crazy and getting lots of enjoyment playing with it!

This evening, we had a little gift exchange in the sunroom.  All the kids received pajamas from Gram and Krampa.  They were very surprised and excited! 

(I love that in this picture and at times in the video clips, you can see reflections in the windows that reveal that all  of us were there--even if we weren't "in" the picture...)

It was an extra special blessing for all 12 of us to be together to celebrate this Christmas.  

God is so good.

Dad gave Mom a pretty neat present--2 paintings by P. Buckley Moss, her favorite painter.  The larger one is a young newlywed couple, and the smaller print is of an elderly couple.  They will display these together as an illustration of their own marriage.  How blessed to be together...for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish...

Such a merry, merry Christmas.

Christmas in Indiana

This morning we left the house at 5:04 AM!  We decided to try the trip to Indiana early in the morning, rather than arriving late at night.  The kids and I preferred this option.  We even saw the beautiful sunrise as we drove East, right into it.

We arrived at my parents' house around 11am--Indiana time, after a few stops on the way.  Mom and Dad were watching Tessa and Bryce, as poor Grayson was in the hospital with a very serious infection in his eye.  Tessie kept the kids busy, and they all have tons of fun together.  They made some cool snowflakes.  

There were a couple games of Aggravation.

Tess likes the cake baking/decorating game on Annah's iPod.  

We visited Jeremy's parents and Grandma for supper.

Grandma had arranged a game of BINGO, complete with prizes!

Grandpa was the BINGO Caller.  Jeremy was the biggest winner of the prizes.

We all had a lot of fun and laughs!!  It was a sweet evening together.

Enjoying the quiet

Caeden is pretty much a morning person.  He was up before the girls this morning, and this is how I found him when I came into the living room...

...reading his new Big Nate book.

I love the quiet moments at home.

Christmas Day

Merry, merry!  It's Christmas Day!  I can't thank Jesus enough for leaving heaven to become human and die to save my sin-sick soul!  And, I can't thank him enough for the wonder, joy, peace, and happiness that come with celebrating His birth and having a special day at home with my family!

The Lord woke me up at 6:30 this morning, just 5 hours after I'd fallen asleep! 

I enjoyed some quiet time with him and The Christ of Christmas:Readings for Advent; 31 Days of Devotions book, some coffee, and the glow of the Christmas tree.  Then I started the wassail in the crockpot, made both blueberry and chocolate chip pancake squares, and washed dishes while waiting for everyone else to wake.

Caeden was the next to get up.  I found him sitting up in our bed talking to Jeremy.  When we went in his room, I noticed this and asked him what was going on here...He said he'd stood on his bed and placed those socks up there; they are his "emergency socks."  I'm not sure how they're easier to get in an urgent sock situation, but it did make me chuckle.

We actually started breakfast without Sylvia, since she was feeling a great need for more sleep and our pancake squares were getting cold.  She needs her beauty rest, and came down after a few minutes and ate with us.

Finally, around 8:30, we gathered in the living room to hear Jeremy read 

the Christmas story from Luke 2.

We always start with the stockings.

Then the kids opened their presents from each other.  

Sylvia received a rubber band loom and thousands of bands to make bracelets and such.

Caeden received a Star Wars/Clone Wars AT-RT Walker Lego Set.

Annah received a Taste of Home Recipes Across America cookbook.  It's pretty cool--the recipes are grouped by regions of the country where they are most commonly made.

Sylvia received a new sleeping bag, as she outgrew hers in the last year.

Annah received a jewelry organizer.

Sylvia made Jeremy a beautiful glass ornament at school.

Caeden made book marks for Jeremy and me at school.  They are laminated and have acrostics of our names.  Very, very sweet.

Games and DVD's for our man!

I made a big Christmas dinner of filet mignon, salad, wild rice, wassail carrots, green beans, and cranberry sauce.  After we cleaned up lunch, we relaxed the rest of the day.

It didn't take long for Caeden to put the AT-RT Walker together.

Caeden also received a huge Lego Star Wars set of Jabba's Sail Barge.  Annah helped him put it together, and it's even cooler than we expected!

The sides open, the cannon shoots, the sails move, and the top comes off.  Plus it comes with a big slobby Jabba-the-Hutt, Princess Leia (in her gold bikini), Max Rebo, Weequay, and Ree-Yees.  This is a set Caeden will probably leave put together and play with a lot! 

Sylvie quickly started making bracelets with her loom.

And she and I played a couple games with her new Kerplunk!

It was pretty messy around here this afternoon.

We called all the grandparents to share Christmas blessings, then watched a couple movies to end the night.  Sylvia had asked for and received Miracle at Midnight, which is a true story of how a danish family saved thousands of Jews from Nazi concentration camps.  After that we watched Jeremy's dvd of National Treasure...always a fun movie.

It was a peaceful day full of love.  So blessed, so blessed.

Christmas Eve

The kids and I stayed home today and were glad to be there.  Jeremy went to work, and we are glad for his good job.  

I did a lot of laundry, 3 loads of dishes, and spent quite a while wrapping presents.  The kids played and enjoyed being kids.

This evening, I made chili for supper, and Annah made an amazing Pumpkin Dump Cake for Jesus' birthday.  We played games after supper, and about 8:30 we snuggled in to watch our favorite version of A Christmas Carol--the Albert Finney musical version, Scrooge.  I fell asleep several times during it, and all of us were pretty groggy when it was over at 10:30 and it was just time to leave for church. 

But Christmas Eve service was so worth it.  When we entered the foyer, we were greeted by friends who told us to "follow the stars."  My two phone snapshots are horrible, but the lights strung down the hall were beautiful...

...and they led to a star in the center of the sanctuary and formed a beautiful pillar of light around a tree.  The chairs were arranged in a circle, so the congregation was drawn together.  Our youth pastor, Scott, and some of our wonderful college students led the service with beautiful music.  Pastor Todd brought a short message about how the angels on Christmas night brought light and announced the The Light of the world had come.  He challenged us to think of what darkness might be in our lives that needs Jesus, the Light, to illuminate and restore it.  It was a beautiful, quiet time of reflecting on the birth of our Savior, Jesus.

The kids were all tuckered out when we got them back home to tuck them in.  I quickly put the presents under the tree, and was thankful for the quietness that seems to come like this only in the middle of the night.  (I don't see 1am very often!)  

We really are so fortunate to get to celebrate Christmas in the ways we do.  We really are fortunate to know Christmas at all.